CAMBODIA LOCAL LIFESTYLE

Chom reab suor! Welcome to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.You are greeted by your guide and driver at the International airport for your transfer to the hotel.

Free at leisure and end the day with a delicious Khmer welcome dinner at Romdeng. A charity restaurant housed in a restored colonial building where former street children are taught the principles of hospitality

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Today, you visit Phnom Penh’s main attractions including the National Museum, a treasure chest of Angkorian and pre-Angkorian artefacts.

Just cross the road, you explore the famous Royal Palace, built in 1866 under the French protectorate and King Norodom. The adjoining Silver Pagoda, built in 1962, is famous for its lavish decorations, silver paved floor and several Buddha statues made from precious metals & stones.

This afternoon, you will gain insight into Cambodia’s recent history on a visit to the remarkable Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, housed in a former school that was taken over by the Khmer Rouge and used as its main detention and torture centre, named ‘S-21’. A grim but important visit that will help you to understand Cambodia better.

Continue to the “Russian Market”, wander around and purchase nice handicraft for your friends and relatives. The Toul Tom Pong Market (Russian Market) is the city’s best place to shop for art objects, including textiles, antiques, wood and marble carvings, ritual objects and old Indochinese coins.

Scale the steps up this small hill to see Wat Phnom Temple, the birthplace of Phnom Penh.

You then have time for coffee break at the riverfront. Rest, relax, enjoy coffee and watch the local life goes by.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Note: To see the Royal palace and silver pagoda in Phnom Penh, visitors are required to wear appropriated cloths. Guests wearing short pans (above knee level) and sleeveless tops are not permitted

Today, you follow the road to Kompong Thom, a picturesque town on the banks of the Stung Sen River through the countryside, farming fields, rubber plantations and typical Khmer Villages in Kamchar Leur and Kampong Thmor

Visit Sambor Prei Kuk, a pre-Angkorian temple complex. Most temples in the complex were built of brick between the years 615 and 650. Sambor Prei Kuk served as the capital before the Angkor period, under the Chenla Kingdom.

Arrive in Siem Reap late afternoon.

This evening enjoy a special treat with a performance from PHARE. The Cambodian Circus has long been famous for their performances, and this NGO teaching streetkids to become circus artists is a regular at international circus conventions worldwide. Enjoy their interpretations of modern life and issues in Cambodian society.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Wake up early, have breakfast at the hotel and head out with your cameras for a day filled with amazing sights and experiences.

Explore the amazing temple complex and spend most of the day in what this UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit the ancient city of Angkor Thom, surrounded by an 8m high wall. Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. Continue to Bayon Temple in the exact centre of the city. This 12th century masterpiece is a study in grandeur, its exterior gallery walls featuring extensive, superb bas-reliefs, particularly the East and South Galleries.

You also visit the Ta Prohm Temple, unlike most other Angkor temples, has been left just it was when rediscovered: a photogenic and atmospheric maze of trees growing out of temple ruins amidst jungle surroundings, making it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors.

In the afternoon you further explore Angkor Wat, easily the most famous and best-preserved of all temples within the Angkor complex. It is a massive three-tiered structure crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. The centrepiece of any visit to the temples around Siem Reap, Angkor offers many iconic sights for amazing pictures.

The trip to Pre Rup Temple will reward you with a spectacular sunset over the Angkor Archaeological Park and its surroundings.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

This morning, you will transfer to visit Kbal Spean, literally meaning the head of the river, you can visit both the waterfall and the river carvings. This is one of the ‘rivers of 1000 lingas’, with lingas and linga stands chiselled into the riverbed.

Next is The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity, the first nature conservation and endangered wildlife rescue and breeding centre in Cambodia. On your tour you will see a variety of animals and learn firsthand about efforts to save Cambodia’s wildlife.

Continue to Banteay Srey, the citadel of the women, displays some of the finest examples of classical Khmer art. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, an ideal medium for the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves, unusual among Angkor era structures, are miniature in scale.

Following is a light bike ride from Roulous group to Siem Reap. The Rolous group of temples located just outside Siem Reap. Dating back to the late ninth century, the temples are believed to denote the beginning of the ‘classic period’ in Khmer architecture.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Kompong Kleang floating village is, in fact, a settlement of over 20,000 people where houses tower up to ten meters above the water, Greeted by waves of the friendly locals, here you can glimpse Cambodia’s countryside culture and traditional family lifestyle.

Enjoy a picnic lunch with the locals in Kompong Kleang.

Head out to quiet Beng Mealea, around 65 km from Siem Reap. After a short walk through dense jungle, you’ll feel like an explorer when entering the completely overgrown temple. Undiscovered for centuries, Beng Mealea has only recently been made accessible and remains unrestored. It is one of the very few temples that actually give the opportunity to climb through it, giving a very ‘Indian Jones’ feel to the experience.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Leaving Siem Reap, you will go to Krobey Real Village, some 20km to the west. A truly unique experience, today you are invited in by a local farmer’s family; you will see what their day is like and spend the night at their home.

During your day in the village you will join the farmers in their daily trip to the local market to buy ingredients for the evening meal, where you will need some negotiation skills to get the best price from the vendors. You will see the work required to grow and harvest rice, take an ox-cart ride or a bamboo train trip around the village or go paddling on the river, help feed the animals, and enjoy a beautiful sunset amidst rural serenity. Later you can help prepare dinner, learning from the family how to cook some traditional Khmer dishes.

We have dinner with our generous hosts and spend the night at the home stay.

Wake up and enjoy breakfast in this serene village setting, then say goodbye to your friendly hosts and head for Battambang.

You will stop along the way to visit to a sacred pagoda. On arrival in Battambang, check in to your hotel and have some time to relax, then enjoy dinner in town or try the hotel’s excellent restaurant.

Overnight in Battambang.

After breakfast you will transfer to Battambang Market. The largest rice producing province in Cambodia, Battambang’s local market is full of fresh fish, meat, vegetables and fruit.

Take a ride on the famous bamboo train, consisting of 2.5m x 4m raft-like platforms of bamboo fixed on trolleys fitted to the derelict rail line, first used by local villagers to transport their goods. A unique and fun outing, this is a ride you must experience while in Battambang

Continue your visit to Wat Ek Temple, built in 1027 during the reign of King Sorayak Varman I (1002-1050). It is located at Piem Ek commune, some 14 km from Battambang in a beautiful area of many small scenic villages and ancient Wats (temples). Explore the surrounding villages and hilltop temples; the local people are very welcoming and friendly, making this a highlight of any journey to Cambodia.

Next is visit Phnom Banan, an 11th century mountaintop Angkorian ruin consisting of five temples, and features dramatic views of the area.

On the way back, visit Phnom Sambov Mountain, a place steeped in legend, you will visit Wat Sampeou at the peak, and a group of caves used as “killing caves” by the Khmer Rouge.

Overnight in Battambang.

After breakfast at the hotel, we take a scenic drive to Phnom Penh.

We have lunch en route with a local family and discuss with them our experiences so far.

Late afternoon we check in to our hotel in Phnom Penh. We take you on a short walk and introduce you to a kind of wellness treatment. Learn about the Seeing Hands Massage Project, clearly among the more relaxing ways to support a local charity in Phnom Penh. In a country with no social security, the training and support provided by this project allows blind Cambodians to support themselves with dignity. Enjoy a massage and have the rest of your evening free in Phnom Penh.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Breakfast at your Hotel before departing from Phnom Penh and drive towards Kampot, a riverside community in southern Cambodia, is renowned for producing one of the world’s finest peppers. Before the war, no self-respecting French restaurant would lack Kampot pepper on the table. A Frenchman passionate about pepper now runs an organization marketing the highest grade of Kampot pepper. The profits, through a small farmer’s cooperative, are put into restoring the peppercorn industry by improving pepper production and cultivation. You will visit the plantation and taste this fantastic product, and have the chance to buy Kampot pepper straight from the source.

Drive on to Kep, once the top beach destination in Cambodia. This now quiet beach town has a reputation for serving the best seafood in the country. While tourism is increasing here, Kep still has a very laid back vibe. After checking in to your hotel, you will be free to explore the town and its culinary treasures. The low prices of fresh seafood surprise many and only add to the delightful gastronomic experience.

Overnight at our hotel in Kep. You are free for the rest of the evening. There’s lots to explore and plenty to eat in town. The paltry price of the fresh and exotic seafood leaves many travellers with mouths agape and only adds to the delightful gastronomic experience.

Overnight in Kep.

Board a boat from Kep Beach to Koh Tonsay, or Rabbit Island. Bring your swimsuit and enjoy the warm water, do some fishing, hike the island or just sunbathe on the beautiful beaches. We arrange a picnic on the beach with fresh crab curry made by local vendors.

In the afternoon we go back to Kep and have some free time for a stroll through town, some last minute shopping or some relaxing at the hotel. For dinner Kep’s number one asset is its seafood. The road along the beach is lined with seafood vendors selling every kind of seafood you can imagine, plus a few more. Fresh crab, the local specialty, is plentiful. Here you will enjoy an amazing dinner featuring stir fried crab with Kampot pepper.

Overnight in Kep.

This morning is free at your leisure in Kep, take a stroll along the beach and head back to Phnom Penh airport for our return flight.

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