Discover Cambodia in depth with our 18 day tour suggestion. Highlights of your client’s holiday in Cambodia include extensive Khmer temple exploration and a countryside home-stay experience.  Enjoy a Tonle Sap great lake boat cruise and a light trekking and elephant experience in rarely visited Mondulkiri province. Ride the unique bamboo train in Battambang and last but not least, relax on the white sand beaches of stunning Koh Rong.

Cambodia In Depth Discovery – Tour highlights

Phnom Penh – Battambang – Siem Reap – Kampong Thong – Kratie – Sen Monorom – Koh Rong – Phnom Penh

• Visit Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre near Phnom Penh

• Explore the quirky cafes of Battambang and ride the bamboo train

• Discover majestic Khmer temples within the Angkor Archaeological Complex

• Walk with elephants in rarely visited eastern province of Mondulkiri

• Take a break from the temples at the white sand beaches of Koh Rong

Suggested itinerary – we will customise this for you

Day 1 – Phnom Penh Arrival

Welcome to Phnom Penh! Your clients are warmly welcomed upon arrival by their local guide and driver. Transfer to the hotel.

Meals: None

Hotel: La Rose Suites (Junior Suite)

Day 2 – Phnom Penh City Tour

Today we begin our holiday in Cambodia with a full day tour of Cambodia’s capital. In order to understand Cambodia’s more recent history, we visit  Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the notorious Choeung Ek “Killing Fields”. While it is not easy to hear about the horror into which Cambodia descended in the mid 1970s, it is important to learn about the effect this period had on Cambodia and its incredible recovery since.
In the afternoon, visit the National Museum, the Royal Palace and opulent silver pagoda. Later on today enjoy a leisurely walk along Phnom Penh’s historic riverfront area where your clients will find lots of restaurants, art galleries and silk shops. If clients wish, their local guide will take them to the distinctive Central Market where you can buy jewellery, clothes and souvenirs.

Hotel: La Rose Suites (Junior Suite)

Meals: None

Day 3 – Phnom Penh – Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre

Travel by private vehicle one hour to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. The rescue centre rehabilitates animals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. Take an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the centre and meet animals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

Morning pick-up from the hotel at 8AM. Along the way stop at a local market to buy fruit for the animals. Hand feed female elephants and observe how staff train the elephants using gentle reward-based positive reinforcement. Enjoy a delicious Cambodian-style lunch followed by a  coconut water drink while relaxing in hammocks to escape the heat of the day.

Get up close with leopards, gibbons, otters and the other endangered animals that Wildlife Alliance has helped rescue and care for at the sanctuary. Later, visit the nursery in the rehabilitation area and see the beautiful baby animals that the Centre care for up close.

Return to Phnom Penh in the late afternoon.

Meals: None

Hotel: La Rose Suites (Junior Suite)

Day 4 – Phnom Penh – Drive to Battambang

Travel by car approximately six hours to Battambang. Get a taste for Cambodia’s rural life and stop en route at the floating village of Kompong Luong. Arrive in Battambang in the afternoon. Check in to the hotel and then enjoy a walking tour through the city’s bustling boulevards lined with quaint French colonial buildings. Next we visit some of Battambang’s signature hilltop temples as well as the infamous cave, Phnom Sampov, used as an execution field under the Khmer Rouge. Enjoy a relaxing 30 minute ride on the Bamboo train before returning to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Battambang Resort (Lake Room)

Day 5 – Battambang sightseeing

This morning drive along the picturesque Sangkae River to Wat Slaket Pagoda, the residence of the provincial Buddhist patriarch. Continue to Wat Ek Phnom, an Angkorian temple located on the left side of the Sangkae River. Visit a market where Prahoc, the Cambodian fish paste, is made. Visit the Provincial Museum and the local market. Finally, visit Phnom Banon, the best-preserved of the Khmer temples in Battambang Province. The distinctive five towers of the temple are similar to the much larger and more famous temple of Angkor Wat.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Battambang Resort (Lake Room)

Day 6  Battambang – Drive to Siem Reap

Today transfer from Battambang to Siem Reap, a journey of approximately five hours. Along the way, lunch is enjoyed at a recommended restaurant in Sisophon. Check in to the hotel and the remainder of the day is free. Enjoy the hotel’s facilities or take a tuk tuk into downtown Siem Reap to explore the markets, shops, and restaurants.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Jaya House River Park (Deluxe Room)

Day 7 – Sunrise at Angkor Wat – Angkor Thom – Preah Khan – Ta Prohm

Enjoy an entire day dedicated to discovering the mysterious Angkor temples, almost certainly a highlight of your client’s holiday in Cambodia. Wake before dawn and enjoy a tuk tuk ride into the Angkor Archaeological Park. The first temple this morning is Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. Dawn is one of the most beautiful and haunting times to visit and see Angkor Wat reflected on the pond. Return to the hotel for breakfast.

Head back into the Angkor Archaeological Park and Angkor Thom. Pass through the majestic South Gate of Angkor Thom and explore the monumental temple of Bayon, the heart of Angkor Thom. Later, visit the Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper King and Takeo, which is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. Leaving Angkor Thom by the North Gate and travel to Preah Khan (Sacred Sword), one of Angkor’s largest temples. Explore Ta Prohm temple, an atmospheric combination of ancient human ingenuity and the natural world. Fig, banyan and kapok trees spread their gigantic roots over stones, probing walls and terraces apart. This afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the hotel or explore downtown Siem Reap’s markets, shops and restaurants, a short tuk tuk ride from the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Jaya House River Park (Deluxe Room)

Day 8  Tonle Sap Lake – Kampong Khleang Homestay

Today is dedicated to exploring Cambodia’s daily life and rich culture. Visit Kampong Khleang and the floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake. Travel down winding picturesque roads on the way to Tonle Sap. Stop and admire the rice plantations and various seasonal activities of the locals such as roof building and banana harvesting. In the afternoon drive to Kampong Khleang homestay. Enjoy a cooking class of traditional Khmer cuisine before joining the local family for meal in their cosy homestay.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Hotel: Kampong Khleang homestay

Day 9 – Homestay – Beng Mealea – Koh Ker – Kampong Thom

This morning, say goodbye to the host family and travel to Koh Ker in order to discover the long abandoned temples in the forests of northern Cambodia. There are more than thirty major structures here. Archaeologists believe there may have been as many as 100 minor sacred buildings in the region. In the afternoon, drive back to Siem Reap, stopping en route to visit the remote and jungle-covered Beng Mealea temple. Afterwards drive to Kampong Thom. Check in your hotel and free at your leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Sambor Village  (Deluxe Room)

Day 10 –  Kampong Thom – Chlong – Kratie

Today visit the ancient temple complex of Sambor Prei Kuk, situated just north of Kampong Thom. The main temples are divided into three complexes, all dedicated to Shiva. Your clients will enjoy the serene atmosphere as they wander through these 7th century brick monuments, artfully scattered about the jungle. Afterwards, travel to Kratie, a vibrant riverside town and home to the endangered freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins. On the way visit the Cham Ka Lour rubber plantation before crossing the Mekong River by ferry. Arrive in Kratie in the afternoon and check-in to the hotel. After a short rest, drive north of town and enjoy a boat trip in search of the freshwater dolphins that inhabit this stretch of the Mekong. Enjoy an hour on the river before returning to the quaint French colonial town for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Le Relais de Chhlong (Partial Mekong View Suite)

Day 11 – Kratie – Mondulkiri

Today transfer approximately four hours to the eastern province of Mondulkiri. With rolling grassy hills, pine forests and rain forests, this sparsely populated province is like nowhere else in Cambodia. Mondulkiri is also home to the majority of country’s tribal minorities, including the Cham and Phnong peoples. In the late afternoon arrive in Sen Monorom, the region’s capital. Check into the hotel and enjoy the evening discovering this small, quirky town. Sen Monorom acts as the base from which to explore the surrounding hill tribe villages and cascading waterfalls.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Mayura Hill Resort (Deluxe Villa)

Day 12 – Mondulkiri – Tribal Villages

Wake early and visit the local market frequented by the Phnong people who travel from the nearby villages to buy and sell their wares. Next  travel to some of the surrounding hill tribe villages. There are hundreds of minority villages around Sen Monorom. One of the largest and easiest to access is the Phlung village, inhabited by Phnong chunchiets. Their curious huts have woven wooden walls and thatched roofs that slope almost to the floor. Your clients will be lucky to see more than a handful of people during daytime, as most are out working in the fields. Later in the afternoon, explore the jungle astride an elephant, guided by the experienced Phnong mahouts. Stop and enjoy some of the region’s beautiful waterfalls.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Mayura Hill Resort (Deluxe Villa)

Day 13 – Mondulkiri – Elephant Adventure

After breakfast your client’s guide and driver will transfer them to The Mondulkiri Project. Experience a fun day in the jungle with the Mondulkiri elephants. Enjoy living with an elephant for a day and take part in many activities such as feeding and following the elephants through the jungle. Swim with and wash the elephants at the waterfall. Learn about elephant behaviour and Bunong culture and traditions.

Have lunch at the jungle lodge and relax in hammocks. The lodge has great views over the jungle and so is a good place to view wildlife including many species of birds. After saying goodbye to the elephants, walk back out of the jungle to the starting point before being driven back to Sen Monorom.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hotel: Mayura Hill Resort (Deluxe Villa)

Day 14 – Mondulkiri – Kampong Cham – Phnom Penh

Say farewell to Mondulkiri and continue the holiday in Cambodia. The next stop on your client’s journey of discovery is Kampong Cham. Visit Wat Nokor Pagoda. This 11th century Mahayana Buddhist shrine is home to a large reclining Buddha as well as many carved Buddha images. In the afternoon continue to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. The journey offers an excellent opportunity to observe rural Cambodia up-close. Along the way stop and visit Skun market where every assortment of street food is available, including the Khmer favourite, fried spiders. Feel free to try one! Not a highlight for most travellers on their holiday in Cambodia. Upon arrival, check in at the hotel and enjoy the remainder of the evening at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Rosewood Phnom Penh (Executive Room)

Day 15 –  Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville – Koh Rong

After breakfast at the hotel travel by private car to Sihanoukville port, a five hour drive. From the port take the resort speedboat forty minutes to Koh Rong and Royal Sands Koh Rong Resort. Time to soak up the sun and lounge on the beach! Enjoy swimming and snorkelling in the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Royal Sands Koh Rong (Ocean View Villa)

Days 16&17 – Koh Rong

After lots of activity and adventure during this holiday in Cambodia it is time to get some rest. Enjoy the stunning white sand beach and Royal Sands Resort facilities.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Royal Sands Koh Rong (Ocean View Villa)

Day 18 – Koh Rong – Sihanoukville – Drive to Phnom Penh for flight out

Sadly, your client’s time on holiday in Cambodia is coming to an end. This morning transfer by speedboat to Sihanoukville port. Your clients meet their private car and driver at the port. Transfer to Phnom Penh airport in time to meet their departure flight.

Meals: Breakfast