DAY 01: ARRIVE – PHNOM PENH
Arrive at the airport or port of Phnom Penh, welcome by your local English-speaking guide. Transfer to the hotel for check-in.
Note: Your room will be available from 2:00 p.m.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Free time or a short trip to visit the Vat Phnom pagoda: pleasant, very shady site, at the top of a small hill, one of the oldest sites in the city. Then a stroll in the colonial district, the Independence monument, and a stroll on the Sisowath quay.
Finally, a quick stop, to visit the Independence Monument which was built by the famous Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann to commemorate the Cambodians who regained their independence from the French in 1953. The architecture is modeled on a lotus flower and adorned with five tiers of Naga heads, giving it a very distinctive look. Not far from the monument, you will access a magnificent park. This perfectly maintained urban oasis is an ideal place for jogging or collective gymnastics by Cambodians every morning and evening.
Dinner on own account. Night at the hotel.
DAY 02: PHNOM PENH
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning, visit the Silver Pagoda, located within the grounds of the Royal Palace; where the treasures of the crown are kept, and the National Museum which offers an admirable collection of bronze pieces, sculptures, bas-reliefs, Buddhas, etc. Then, visit Wat Ounalom a temple considered the Buddhist center of the country and serves as the home of the patriarch of the Mahanikai School.
Note: Visiting the Royal Palace requires visitors to cover their shoulders well and wear long pants or a long skirt.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Continue to visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school turned detention center, known as S21. An emotional moment offering a glimpse into the darkest and most atrocious period in the history of the Khmer people. Then stroll through the Russian market (Psar Toul Tom Poung) or Psar Thmey, known as the central market, which is a magnificent colonial-style building built in 1937, to discover local crafts (fabrics, silver objects, silk scarves and stoles, statuettes, etc.)
At the end of the day, join a local boat for a sunset cruise on the Mekong River. You can bring your own drink or snack while cruising or it’s possible to order on spot for a fresh drink.
Dinner on own account. Night at the hotel.
DAY 03: PHNOM PENH – BATTAMBANG BY LOCAL TRAIN
At 6:00 a.m., transfer to the station for a train trip to Battambang (departure from Phnom Penh at 6:45 a.m. and arrival in Battambang around 2:00 p.m.). During the train journey, our guide will arrange a simple picnic breakfast for you.
Without a passenger rail network for many years in Cambodia, following the renovation of the old French colonial railways, an exciting new way to travel in Cambodia is available: a trip that brings a unique and nostalgic touch to a program like taking a train in Cambodia is now something special and unique!
The train ride offers the opportunity to travel through some of Cambodia's most beautiful panoramic views and gain an in-depth insight into local Cambodian life. Traveling peacefully through sleepy rural landscapes, this leisurely journey is a true mini-adventure that guests won't forget about the rhythm of the train!
Note: Cambodian trains do not always have restaurant cars. It is therefore recommended to bring your snacks and drinks for the trip. The wagons were renovated to mark the re-launch of the service. The seating is banquette style with two benches facing each other. It is an air-conditioned train and sometimes a little noisy because of the whistle of the train as it passes through the villages. It's a slow train and there are no seat numbers on the train, so first come, first served.
For more information: https://web.facebook.com/TRRCambodia
A simple box lunch during the journey or a late lunch at the local restaurant upon arrival in Battambang.
Arrival at Battambang station, welcome by your driver, and transfer to the hotel for installation. After a break and refreshment, leave for a discovery of the city of Battambang following a visit to the Governor's House and the Battambang Provincial Museum, small in size, this museum will surprise you with the improbable interest of its collection, without forgetting the charm of the building itself.
Note: The museum is closed on Mondays, and open throughout the rest of the week in the morning and afternoon.
Finally, transfer to Phnom Sampov means Sampan Mountain. At the top, after climbing more than 700 steps, visit an interesting cave which may later be transformed into the cave of massacre during the Khmer Rouge regime. Then a pagoda that gives a breathtaking view of the region and its numerous rice fields will take you back to the beauty and charm of Cambodia! Before nightfall, seeing the exit of several thousand bats until sunset is very impressive.
Dinner on own account. Night at the hotel.
DAY 04: BATTAMBANG – SIEM REAP
Breakfast at the hotel. A ride in the Battambang countryside in a Tuk Tuk (a tuk tuk for 2 to 4 people) with several stops to discover rural life: the rice pepper which requires a lot of work, the making of dried banana rolls, the manufacture of rice alcohol, the visit to a Prahoc (fish paste) market, this is the stop to test your senses and your tolerance! This ingredient is the basis of many Khmer dishes.
Then a walk to the village of Vat Kor known for its beautiful traditional houses. After that visit of Wat Damreis, built at the beginning of the 20th century with beautiful bas-reliefs which have survived the regime of the Khmer Rouge
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon, drive to Siem Reap (around 3h) and direct to hotel for check-in and free time. On the way, if time permit, stop for a visit to the “Senteurs d’Angkor” factory, manufacturing of candles, soaps, and other creams, processing of spices such as pepper, chili, curry, etc.).
Dinner on own account. Night at the hotel.
DAY 05: SIEM REAP
Breakfast at the hotel. Day tour by Tuk Tuk (a tuk tuk for 02 people) from the hotel to the south gate of Angkor Thom. Continuation in tow to discover the famous Bayon temple, a mountain temple to the glory of Jayavarman VII, the great Buddhist king who built the new capital. Walk to the Baphuon, a majestic recently restored state temple from where we pass to the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King.
Note: Since January 2020, the APSARA Authority which manages the Angkor site has closed access to the third terrace of the Bayon temple to the public until further notice, to allow studies on the stability of the towers and the main sanctuary. Visitors can, for the moment, admire the bas-reliefs and sculptures on the ground floor and the first and second terraces.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon, visit the Angkor Wat temple, a masterpiece of Khmer art that has become the symbol of Cambodia.
Note: Visiting the Angkor Wat temple and also the Bakan Tower require visitors to cover their shoulders well, and to wear long pants or a long skirt. For the visit to the Bakan Tower of Angkor Wat, children under 12 years old are prohibited from climbing. It will be closed during sacred Buddhist days 4 days per month according to the lunar calendar.
At the end of the afternoon, enjoy a pleasant moment to admire the sunset in the Angkor area with a short gondola cruise on the Tonlé Oum from the south gate of Angkor Thom to the west gate.
Dinner with a traditional dance show at the local restaurant.
DAY 06: SIEM REAP
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning, visit Banteay Srei, a sanctuary chiseled in pink sandstone and located in the middle of the forest 30 km northeast of Angkor. Recently restored, the "women's citadel" has some of the most refined bas-reliefs, as well as the decoration of the lintels and pediments above the doors.
Then visit the Landmines Museum of Mr. Aki Ra, the founder of the museum, who was trained as a child soldier during the Khmer Rouge regime and today works as a deminer.
The museum is also a rescue center for child amputees and victims of mines.
End of morning, visit to the temple of Ta Prohm, a temple engulfed by vegetation that puts visitors in the shoes of the first explorers.
Transfer to a local restaurant where they served typical dishes of everyday cuisine and most Cambodians preferred the countryside picnic style. Your guide will help you to recommend the food that is most preferred by local people to eat during their picnic time with family such as grilled chicken with honey or coke accompanied by a red ants prahok sauce or grilled fish with salt with tamarind sauce, etc.
Afternoon, visit the great Tonlé Sap Lake, one of the wonders of Asia. Boat excursion to a floating village animated by fishing and livestock activities, which offer a colorful spectacle.
Evening Show “PHARE, the Cambodian Circus” at 8:00 p.m. Stretch to new heights by applauding the unique acts of energetic professional artists trained at the PHARE circus school in Battambang. After acclaimed tours around the world, these young and talented Cambodians perform every evening in the very heart of the cradle of Khmer civilization. Without any animals, this show of juggling, tricks of all kinds, and daring acrobatics is breathtaking!
Dinner on own account. Night at the hotel.
DAY 07: SIEM REAP – PHNOM PENH BY PUBLIC BUS
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer without guide from hotel to bus station to join a morning public bus to Phnom Penh (6h drive). Lunch on the way on own account. Arrive in Phnom Penh, meet up with your driver (no guide) and transfer to hotel for check-in. Free time on your own arrangement (no transportation no guide). Dinner on own account. Night at the hotel.
OPTION – Phnom Penh Insolite in half a day for an original and different discovery of the capital.
From the Central Market to that of O'Russey, passing through the "secret" alleys, a walk like an immersion, to be as close as possible to local life, stopping here at a pagoda, there a "vintage café ", wander around subjects as varied as the birth of the capital, architecture, thirty years of war, religions, the golden age of Sangkum, arts, and culture, from rock'n'roll to cinema, parts of Cambodia's history, during a visit that aims to be informative and entertaining. It's also about sharing our experiences, mixing intimacy, anecdotes, and choreography of facts in their chronology.
Please check with us for the option price.
Duration of the tour: approximately 4 hours (from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.). Recommended group 08 participants maximum.
OPTION - Visit the SOSORO Museum in Phnom Penh,
the new currency museum opened in April 2019 in a renovated building dating from the French Protectorate. Its opening coincided with the forty years of the reopening of the National Bank and the reintroduction of currency into the Cambodian economic system. The entrance fee is 08 USD per person with the audio guide – not included the transport from/to hotel.
Note: The SOSORO museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
OPTION – Dinner at a local artist (from 18h30)
Khun Vannak, an artist (English-speaking), in his apartment which is also a gallery and workshop, will share a lunch or a dinner - simple, traditional cuisine - and talk about today's Cambodia without evading the past, in the intimacy of a place that is neither a bar, nor a restaurant, nor a gallery, but perhaps all three at once, for the time of a meeting, around art and culture, in a non-artificial setting, since you'll be "at home". In addition to his collection of strange, ancient, and antique objects, Vannak is exhibiting his first series of paintings, entitled "The Cats and I".
Please check with us for price. Note: Possibly for lunch from 11h30 or dinner from 18h30. The menu included a welcome drink (homemade iced tea), fried pork with grilled eggplant or fried chicken with ginger, lemon fish soup or beef Lok Lak, stir-fried vegetables, dessert, and tea or coffee. All tips/gratuities or personal expenses are not included.
Important information: To provide a truly personal in-depth experience and limit space, we recommend a small group of up to 5 people only.
DAY 08: PHNOM PENH – DEPARTURE
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer without guide from hotel to airport for international flight to another destination. End of services.
END OF OUR SERVICES.
(This program is subject to modifications due to requirements such as air rotations, climatic conditions, or any other force majeure. Photos are given for information only, not contractual.)