Essential Cambodia 10 days (ATD-C02)

On arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, you will be greeted by your private driver and guide, and transferred to your hotel for check-in. You will have some time free to rest and relax after your flight.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Your Phnom Penh tour will start with learning about Cambodia’s tragic past. First is a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former school that served as a Khmer Rouge torture center. Then, head out of the city to the Choueng Ek Memorial, where a pagoda made up of some 8,000 human skulls marks the site of one of the infamous Killing Fields.

Enjoy a Khmer lunch at an NGO training restaurant.

After lunch, you’ll travel by moto–remork (a Cambodian tuk-tuk) and head out of Phnom Penh on the Japanese Friendship Bridge before catching a ferry across the mighty Mekong River to Mekong Island. The island is famous for silk weaving, agriculture, and aquaculture. Stop to see the silk weavers at work in the village, where you can purchase some of the local products if you wish. As you wander the village, you can visit a Buddhist temple and floating fish farms, see fields of rice and morning glory, and enjoy local Khmer snacks at a family home.

Say goodbye to the tuk-tuk and board a boat from the water at the junction of the Tonle Bassac, Tonle Sap, and the mighty Mekong. You’ll see the distinctive architecture of Cambodia, with Khmer–influenced buildings such as Wat Ounalom, the Royal Palace, and the Silver Pagoda, as well as French colonial buildings.

Finally, close off the Mekong boat tour with a gorgeous sunset. After that, head to the riverside area of Phnom Penh, a pleasant French style promenade that is great for people viewing. In the early evening (and morning), various activities take place include exercise classes, Khmer dancing and plenty of snacking on local food. You can participate in a Khmer dance class which is a lot of fun for all! From here you can either be taken back to your hotel or left to explore this bustling area independently and have dinner at one of the many great restaurants at the riverfront.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight in Phnom Penh

After breakfast, you will depart Phnom Penh for Kampong Cham (2.5 hrs driving), a former French trading post on the Mekong. Stop en route to visit Wat Nokor, an 11th century Angkor era Buddhist temple.

Continue to Kratie Province (2 hours driving). Upon arrival in Kratie, you will first visit Wat Sorsor Mouy Roy in village Sambo. The Vihara of the so-called ‘100 Pillars Pagoda’ is an important historical and cultural building and quite famous for its legend involving a princess and a crocodile, after that you will drive to the north along the banks of the Mekong, a scenic route with great views. The village of Kampi is one of the best places to view the rare Irrawaddy Dolphins along the Mekong.

Get onboard a local boat that will take you to the preferred habitats of these interesting creatures. As soon as you have spotted the first dolphin, your boat driver will turn the engine off and you will follow the dolphins silently (duration 1 to 1.5 hours).

Check into the hotel on Koh Trong Island, only 10 minutes boat ride away from Kratie. The rest of the afternoon will be free at leisure to discover the picturesque rural island. Enjoy a spectacular Mekong sunset with perhaps a cold drink. The Kratie stretch of the river is particularly famed for its striking sunsets.

Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight in Kratie

After breakfast you will start to explore the island of Koh Trong, This Mekong island displays typical Cambodian village life, where people’s livelihood largely depends on rice farming and fruits cultivation (Koh Trong is famous for its pomelo!). You can decide whether you would like to take a local horse cart or pedal yourself around the island on a bicycle. You will have lunch at a local family.

Your first destination will be the island’s Wat, where a special activity awaits you: A tree-planting project initiated by a local farmer, in order to cultivate the once densely forested island. Contribute to the project by planting your own tree here and it will carry your name tag and leave a positive trace on the island. There is the option to continue by horse cart or cycling around the island, where you will be able to taste local fruit and visit a Vietnamese floating village on the southern tip of the island.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight in Kratie

After breakfast at the hotel, you will leave Kratie for Kampong Thom Province (5hrs driving). On the way, stop at Phnom Santuk Mountain and climb the 980 steps to the top to visit the pagoda and for the great views over the countryside. Upon arrival in Kampong Thom, check into your hotel and enjoy a leisurely afternoon cycling tour along the river or relaxing by the hotel pool.

Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight in Kampong Thom

An early morning departure to the archeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk, which is dotted with hundred Pre-Angkor styled temples. The site, part of the Chenla Kingdom, includes an area of nearly 1000 acres enclosed by double walls, and hundreds of temples and towers, its construction predates Angkor Wat by several centuries. The road conditions are a bit poor, but the spectacular scenery, with a mixture of temples and forest, makes the hardship all worthwhile.

Enjoy a beautiful walk through the jungle with breathtaking views. Your visit supports a community-based tourism project. The villages around the temple complex still practice the ancient art of craft making, using materials such as bamboo and rattan. Stop at one village to observe the local production. The community runs the Isanborei Craft Hut next to the temples and sells their products there as part of a community-based tourism project. You will have the chance to visit and contribute to the sustainability of the people’s livelihood as the local community will prepare a simple but very tasty lunch for you near the temple.

After seeing this landmark, you will make your way towards Siem Reap passing through various Khmer traditional villages. On the way, you will visit the archeological “Naga Bridge” at Kompong Kdei.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight in Siemreap

After breakfast, start your day with the ancient city of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8m high wall, drawing a perfect square. Enter the city through the ancient South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and four giant faces. On each side of the entrance path, a row of 54 gods or demons is holding the sacred Naga snake.

Continue on to the incredible Ta Prohm temple, built in the mid-12th to early 13th centuries. Ta Prohm is unique in that it has been left largely as it was found overgrown by jungle trees and vines, with many parts of the temple crumbling to the ground.

In the afternoon, you will visit the legendary Angkor Wat. Inside the temple, the walls are covered with stone carvings and bas-reliefs depicting Hindu mythology and the wars Suryavarman II fought during his reign. Angkor Wat is well known for the more than 2,000 Apsara dancers decorating the temple.

End the day with a beautiful sunset view from the top of Phnom Bakheng hill. Once the sun has set, you will head back to town.

Time is on your own in the evening.

Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight in Siemreap

In the morning, you will embark on an interesting boat trip on Tonlé Sap Lake (Kampong Phluk area), where you will have the opportunity to learn about life on the lake. Tonle Sap is South East Asia’s largest freshwater lake with its size varying greatly depending on the season, as it swells to about four times its size during the wet season. Continue your boat trip to visit Kampong Phluck, a village where you will see houses on stilts that are submerged when Tonlé Sap Lake swells. On the way, you will pass floating houses and impressive flooded forests, portraying life on the water.

In the afternoon, you will be taken on a drive through the countryside to a local village, a beautiful small farming village where life revolves around the seasons and family, located approximately 15 minutes outside of Siem Reap. Here you will be taken on an incredible walking tour through the village and the local community, learning about their simple way of life, meet local people and you will probably want to chat with them or help them with gardening works or help grow vegetables in the gardens. The village tour guide will explain to you about Cambodian daily lifestyle, customers, cultures, and superstitions. Then we will also stop at a local pagoda for an intimate monk blessing (water blessing), wishing you good health and a safe journey – a very special experience!

This is a wonderful village tour that provides a lot of photo opportunities and local experiences. End of the trip, you will enjoy seasonal fruits & fresh coconut juice at a host family’s house before transferring back to the hotel. The rest of the day you will be on your own.

*** Note: Today we recommend you to have proper clothes if you want to join the monk blessing at the local temple.

Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight in Siemreap

Enjoy your free day in Siem Reap or you can consider joining one of our recommended optional experiences below.

Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight in Siemreap

Your private transfer greets you at the hotel after breakfast and escorts you to Siem Reap International Airport where you board your flight home or travel on to more adventures, we will help you with the planning.

Meals included: Breakfast