CAMBODIA FOR FAMILIES

Day 1 Arrive in Siem Reap

On arrival at the small airport in Siem Reap you will be met and driven to your hotel. The centrally located Maison Polanka is a collection of three unique and beautiful Cambodian wooden villas, offering luxury services in a spacious tropical garden setting and is a pleasant place to relax after your journey. The rest of the day is free for you to settle in.

Overnight: Maison Polanka

Day 2 Angkor and Zip-lining

It is worth rising early to see sunrise over Angkor Wat. The most famous of Angkor's temples, the walls are adorned with symbolic carvings that are especially beautiful as the sun's rays catch them at sunrise and sunset. Breakfast will be a picnic within the temple complex before your guide escorts you to Angkor Thom, the masterpiece of King Jayavarman VII, and Bayon, where the colossal heads of Buddha of Compassion stare down. Enjoy lunch at Sala Kdei which is a traditional Khmer house, before making your way to the jungle for zip-lining through the forest canopy, walking the nature trail and looking out for wild gibbons. Alternatively, go behind the scenes of the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie and visit some of the places featured: Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat all had starring roles.

Overnight: Maison Polanka

Day 3 Angkor and Tonle Sap Lake

After a leisurely breakfast your guide will take you to Ta Prohm. Left for many years to the ravages of the jungle, the temple is revealed through a tangle of tree roots and twisted branches to create one of Angkor's most magical sights. Later, visit Tonle Sap Lake, where whole villages lie suspended over the water, which, in the rainy season, laps the verandas. Visit the local pagoda, built on the site of an ancient temple, and see the beautiful wall paintings before heading back to your hotel for the evening.

Overnight: Maison Polanka

Day 4 Travel to Phnom Penh

After breakfast head back to the airport for the short flight to Phnom Penh. You will be met on arrival and taken to your hotel to drop off your things. When you are ready, head out with your guide to explore the city. Visit the Royal Palace, still home to the royal family, as well as the Silver Pagoda, which houses some of the country's most precious treasures, including a gold Buddha studded with diamonds. There will also be time for the National Museum, which holds a beautiful collection of sculpture from various periods throughout Cambodian history.

Overnight: Palace Gate Hotel

Day 5 Wildlife at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Centre

This morning, pay a visit to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Centre, where the Wildlife Alliance provides a sanctuary for animals at risk due to poaching, trafficking and cruelty. Join elephants for a walk in the forest, visit the tiger enclosure and learn about measures being taken to reintroduce tigers to Cardamom Rainforest and step inside the normally off-limits rehabilitation area for time with some of the baby animals. The centre is home to over 1,200 animals including leopards, gibbons and macaque monkeys, and no animal is ever turned away.

After a picnic lunch you will be driven back to the city for an educational afternoon learning about the Cambodian Genocide and the Khmer Rouge regime. Visit the harrowing Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields for a deeper understanding of Cambodia's dark history and how far it has come.

Overnight: Palace Gate Hotel

Day 6 Travel to the jungle

Today you will be driven two hours into Cambodia's virgin jungle for a stay at Canvas & Orchids floating retreat, where your accommodation will be a very comfortable canvas villa on the Tatai River. This is a fabulous opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of the wilderness in one of Cambodia's most beautiful regions, bursting with tropical vegetation, over 100 mammal species, and over 550 species of bird.

Overnight: Canvas and Orchids

Day 7 - 8 Cardamom Mountains

This is the perfect setting for adventures in the jungle. Complimentary kayaks are a lovely way to explore the river which is lined with dense mangrove forest and sleepy fishing communities. Jungle walks bring you face-to-face with small wildlife and colourful birds including waders, song birds and bird of prey.

If you are very lucky you might spot clouded leopard, Malaysian sun bear and pileated gibbon, though most animals in the forest are very elusive. Trekking in the Cardamom Mountains is different again, with waterfalls for swimming and different wildlife such as the rare Javan rhinoceros, Asian elephant and Indochinese tiger. You can even fish for your dinner in the river.

Overnight: Canvas and Orchids

Day 9 Travel back to Phnom Penh

Spend the morning relaxing at Canvas & Orchids before the drive back to Phnom Penh after lunch. Your guide will drop you at your hotel for one final night before you travel home.

Overnight: La Rose Suites

Day 10 Fly home

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home.