Day 1: Phnom Penh

Sua s’dei! Welcome to Cambodia!

Cambodia’s capital city is set on a major junction of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers and boasts some fine examples of French-inspired architecture. Let’s begin your journey today by confronting Cambodia’s tragic past on a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21), a former school that served as a Khmer Rouge torture center. It’s estimated that more than 20,000 people were held and tortured here. You’ll also head out to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, where a stupa made up of some 8000 human skulls marks the execution ground for the torture victims of Tuol Sleng. Afterwards, you may wish to learn about a brighter period in Cambodian history from an optional visit to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. Wat Phnom, shrouded in myth, is equally worth a visit, as is the National Museum with its excellent Khmer collection. Cyclo tours around the city are a great alternative to walking and generally include the Central Market, US Embassy, Wat Phnom, Mekong riverfront, the Independence Monument and Royal Palace.
Include Activities:

• The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
• Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)

Optional Activities:

• Phnom Penh – Cyclo tour – USD5
• Phnom Penh – Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda – USD10
• Phnom Penh – National Museum – USD10

 

Day 2: Battambang

Travel by private minibus to Battambang today. Break up an otherwise long trip with a visit to the pottery visit in Kampong Chhnang, and learn about the craft of pottery making at local workshops. Then continue to Cambodia’s second-largest city. A pretty riverside town of French elegance, friendly Khmer people and beautifully preserved colonial architecture, this is a great place to explore on your own.
Include Activities:

• Kampong Chhnang – Pottery village
• Battambang Phnom Sampov bat caves

Optional Activities:

• Battambang – Bamboo Train USD10

 

Day 3: Siem Reap
Spend a bit of time riding around the countryside by tuk tuk, travelling out to the rural villages around Battambang. This is a great opportunity to get a closer look at what rural life means in Cambodia. Visit local families who have been producing agricultural products the traditional way passed down through generations, like rice paper, dried bananas, and bamboo sticky rice and stop by a Khmer house and relax and enjoy some coconut water while chatting about their life. The Journey partner for this activity is a local social enterprise that support training of local youth for their future career. In the afternoon continue by private minibus to Siem Reap, arriving in the evening, and relax as you prepare for your much-anticipated visit to Angkor tomorrow. Perhaps hit the markets for some delicious street food for dinner.

Include Activities:

• Battambang – countryside tuk tuk tour and local snack tasting

 

Day 4: Siem Reap/ Angkor Wat Sunrise
Begin with a pre-dawn departure for sunrise outside of Angkor Wat. Enter the great temple in darkness (please bring a torch) from the little-visited eastern side, and creep along hoary cloistered corridors past the longest stretch of bas-relief carvings in the world. End your touring at Angkor with breakfast outside the temple. Continue by moving on to the jungle-enveloped Ta Prohm – one of the most atmospheric of all temples in Angkor. Once home to 2,740 monks, Ta Prohm today looks much as it did in the early 1850s, when French explorer Henri Mouhot ‘rediscovered’ this crumbling site. Move to drive to Ta Nei, a late 12th Century stone temple located in Angkor. Visit the southern Gate of Angkor Thom, flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side – gods to the left and demons to the right – and the fortified city of Angkor Thom. At ‘The Bayon’, you will see its beautifully crafted central towers, covered in more than 200 enormous faces, and pass by the famous Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of Elephants.

Include Activities:

• Siem Reap – One Day Angkor Pass Siem Reap
• Angkor Temple Guided tour

Optional Activities:

• Phare, the Cambodia Circus Siem Reap – USD18
• Dinner with Apsara Dance show – USD22

 

Day 5: Tonle Sap Lake
At 8:00 AM, depart from your hotel and head through the countryside to the Tonle Sap Lake, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. The lake expands to 12,000 km² during the wet season and shrinks to 2,500 km² in the dry season, creating a unique ecosystem that supports millions of fish, water birds, and local communities. Declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it’s a vital area for wildlife and local livelihoods. This morning, embark on a private local boat discover the floating villages and local daily lives at Chhong Kneas or Kampog Pluk depend the time of the year, a trading port of agricultural products on the edge of Tonle Sap Lake, also known as the Great Lake of Cambodia. Your journey ends after Tonle Sap tour this morning. If you would like to extend your stay in Siem Reap, please speak to our sales consultant.

Include Activities:

• Tonle Sap- Kampong Pluk or Chong Kneas