angkor day tour
ANGKOR WAT SIEM REAP CAMBODIA
PLACE OF INTEREST
Cambodia is a Southeast Asian nation whose landscape spans low-lying plains, the Mekong Delta, mountains and Gulf of Thailand coastline.
ANGKOR WAT TOUR
Explore Cambodia’s Ancient Monuments & Treasures !
Angkor Wat commonly refers to the vast and incrcedible array of temples encompassing the Angkor Archaeological Park. The park itself is almost 400sq. kilometers (250sq. miles), and with more than 45 temples, takes up to 1 week to visit in its entirety! Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, Elephant Terrace, and Preah Khan are some of the more famous temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park.
DETAILED ITINERARY
DAY 1: PHNOM PENH
Transfer:
Activities: Arrival in Phnom Penh. Free at your leisure
Welcome at the airport, then you will be transferred in a private car directly to your hotel in downtown Phnom Penh. Check in hotel (check-in time is from 14.00).
Overnight in Phnom Penh.
DAY 2: PHNOM PENH
Activities: Visit Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Killing Fields. Experience Tuk Tuk ride & take ferry to visit Mekong Island. Enjoy sunset on Tonle Sap Lake
Your Phnom Penh tour will start with learning about and confronting Cambodia’s tragic past. You’ll take 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. Afterward, make a difference to the Cambodian community by enjoying a Khmer lunch at an NGO training restaurant.
Next, on your Phnom Penh tour, you’ll travel by moto-rework (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 (85% of residents earn their living from these industries). We’ll 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 explore 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 to enjoy the sunset 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 — some renovated, some ravaged by neglect and the war.
Finally, we will close off the Mekong boat tour with a gorgeous sunset. After the cruise trip, 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 will 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 (dinner will be on your own account).
Overnight in Phnom Penh.
DAY 3: PHNOM PENH, KAMPONG CHAM, KRATIE
Activities: Drive from Phnom Penh to Kratie. Stop to visit Wat Nokor, Wat Sorsor Mouy Roy. Take a boat to see Mekong Dolphin.
After breakfast at the hotel, we leave Phnom Penh for Kampong Cham (2.5 hrs driving), a former French trading post on the Mekong, visit Wat Nokor, an 11th century Angkor era Buddhist temple. Continue to Kratie Province (2 hours driving). Upon arrival in Kratie, we 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 we 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 on board 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).
Then check in the hotel. The rest of the afternoon will be free at leisure. The Kratie stretch of the river is particularly famed for its striking sunsets. Overnight in Kratie.
DAY 4: KRATIE
Activities: Get close with local life on Koh Trong Island. Join in tree-planting project. Taste local fruit and visit a Vietnamese floating village
Breakfast at the hotel. 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.
Overnight in Kratie.
DAY 5: KRATIE, KAMPONG THOM
Activities: Drive from Kratie to Kampong Thom. On the way visit Phnom Santuk Mountain.
After breakfast at the hotel, we 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 relax by the hotel pool.
Overnight in Kampong Thom.
DAY 6: KAMPONG THOM, SIEM REAP
Activities: Driver from Kampong Thom to Siem Reap. Stop at Sambor Prei Kuk. Walk through Khmer villages & visit the ancient Naga Bridge.
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 very 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 and pass through various Khmer traditional villages. On the way, visit archeological “Naga Bridge” at Kompong Kdey.Upon arrival in Siem Reap, do check-in and free at your leisure to take a rest. Overnight in Siem Reap.
DAY 7: SIEM REAP
Activities: Visit Angkor temples. Witness beautiful sunset from the top of Phnom Bakheng hill.
Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we will visit 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.
Lunch at a local restaurant (on your own expense)
In the afternoon, 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.
We will end the day with a beautiful sunset view from the top of Phnom Bakheng hill. Once the sun has set, we’ll head back to town.
Free evening. Overnight in Siem Reap.
DAY 8: SIEM REAP
Activities: Take a relaxing boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake traveling Kampong Phluck. Walk through the village and local community. Enjoy seasonal fruits & fresh coconut juice
Breakfast at the hotel.
This 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. Board a local boat and 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.
Return to Siem Reap town for lunch and to rest for a while.
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 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, you will be welcome by kids saying “Hello” to you. 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, we will enjoy seasonal fruits & fresh coconut juice at a host family’s house before we transfer you 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.
DAY 9: SIEM REAP
Activities: Explore the ancient Kor Ker & Beng Mealea Temples
Depart for a full day trip to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea both located in the beautiful rural hinterlands of Siem Reap. Travel off-the-beaten track for 2.5 hours before arriving at Koh Ker, the former capital of the Khmer Empire between 928 and 944 A.D. The style of the Koh Ker temple is different from any other temple in Cambodia and has more of a resemblance to the ancient pyramids of Egypt. Partially overgrown by the forest and inhabited only by birds, this temple and its surroundings are an exceptional experience.
Enjoy lunch near the temple and continue to visit other ancient structures in the peaceful area. As you head back to Siem Reap, visit the spectacular ruins of Beng Mealea, which was constructed by King Suryavarman II (1113-1150). It preceded and may have served as a prototype of sorts for Angkor Wat. Contrary to Angkor, few carvings or bas-reliefs are evident. Today the temple is largely overrun by vegetation and the stone walls are crumbling which adds to its charm in a unique way. After your visit, drive 1.5 hours back to your hotel.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
DAY 10: SIEM REAP
Activities: Transfer to the airport to take your onward flight
Time will be on your own. At a scheduled time, your private driver will pick you up at your hotel lobby and take you to the airport for your onward flight. Say goodbye and we wish you a safe flight.
Ends of services!