Explore the ancient treasures of the Angkor era and wander around Cambodia's iconic temples. Savour the Cambodian's adventurous culinary tastes during a street food tour. Prepare yourself for a deeply emotional insight into the havoc wreaked on the Cambodian people during the Khmer Rouge regime and return home in awe of these very special people and what they have endured and overcome.
CAMBODIA'S GREEN SEASON
HIGHLIGHTS
- A dawn outing to Ta Prohm with a picnic breakfast
- Take part in a cookery class at a traditional Khmer house
- Exploring the floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake by boat
- Front row seats at the incredible Phare Circus in Siem Reap
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Arrive
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Day 1 Arrive Phnom Penh
Met by your English-speaking guide on arrival in Phnom Penh before being privately transferred to your charming city centre, boutique hotel. The rest of day is at leisure.
Overnight: La Rose Suites
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Day 2 Tuol Sleng - Choeung Ek
Start the day by visiting the stunning Royal Palace, home to the Cambodian royal family and a symbol of the nation. See the Royal gardens and Silver Pagoda, housing some of the country's most cherished treasures. Move on to the National Museum, home to the world's finest collection of sculpture from the Angkor perod and set in a lush courtyard garden.
When you are ready come face to face with the horrific crimes of the Khmer Rouge. See the paintings and photographs that document the prisoners inside Tuol Sleng, the former high school the Khmer Rouge turned into a centre for interrogation, torture and death. Finish 30 minutes' drive outside the city at Choeng Ek, one of the 300+ Killing Fields where almost an entire generation were marched to and ended their days in mass graves.
Overnight: La Rose Suites
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Day 3 Siem Reap
Fly north to Siem Reap where you will be met on arrival and privately transferred to your hotel. Sala Lodges is the result of years of painstaking work as traditional khmer houses were moved from the countryside to the centre of Siem Reap to re-create a rural village.
Overnight: Sala Lodges
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Day 4 Rolous Group Temples - Tonle Sap Lake
After breakfast, travel back in time to one of the earliest capitals in the Angkor area, Hariharilaya, now known as Rolous. Begin with a visit to the brick temple of Lolei, originally set on an island in the centre of the Indratataka baray (reservoir). Continue on to Preah Ko (sacred cow), named in honour of Shiva's mount, Nandin. Finally, you will arrive at Bakong, the earliest of the temple mountains, which later became the signature of Khmer kings. From the top of this giant pyramid the view stretches for miles over the Cambodian countryside.
Lunch will be served in a private Khmer house, Sala Rolous, before heading on to explore the floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake. Green season (May - Oct) is the perfect time to see these villages as the water levels are high. In dry season they are simply stilted houses.
Overnight: Sala Lodges
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Day 5 Ta Prohm - Cooking Class - Banteay Srei
Rise early to witness the dawn light and eerie morning mist rise up over the jungle temple of Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm has been abandoned to the elements, a reminder that while empires rise and fall, the riotous power of nature marches on, oblivious to the dramas of human history. Left as it was 'discovered' by French explorer Henri Mouhot in 1860, the tentacle-like tree roots are slowly strangling the surviving stones.
After a picnic breakfast at the temple, enjoy a Cambodian cooking class at the traditional Khmer house, Sala Kdei. After a delicious lunch cooked by you, head to Banteay Srei, Angkor's ultimate art gallery. This petite pink temple is the jewel in the crown of Angkor era sculpture.
Overnight: Sala Lodges
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Day 6 Angkor Thom - Angkor Wat - Phare Circus
This morning you will visit the immense walled city of Angkor Thom that was the masterpiece of King Jayavarman VII. Following the occupation of Angkor by the Chams from 1177 to 1181, the new king decided to build an impregnable fortress at the heart of his empire.
Begin at the Terrace of the Leper King before heading to see the Terrace of Elephants, originally used as a viewing gallery for the king to preside over parades, performances and traditional sports. At the southern end lies the Baphuon, one of the most beautiful temples at Angkor, dating from the reign of Uditayavarman in the 11th century.
The climax is the enigmatic and enchanting temple of the Bayon. At the exact centre of Angkor Thom, this is an eccentric expression of the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia's most celebrated king.
Return to your hotel for lunch and time to freshen up before your guide takes you on to the Mother of all temples, Angkor Wat, dating back to the 12th century. Believed to be the world's largest religious building, this temple is the perfect fusion of symbolism and symmetry and a source of pride and strength to all Khmers.
This evening's highlight will be front row seats at the incredible Phare Circus where the artists are former street kids who have been given a second chance and trained as acrobats.
Overnight: Sala Lodges
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Day 7 Departure
You will be transferred to Siem Reap airport for your departure flight home.
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Depart
GUIDELINE PRICES - Per Person
Currency
| Low | £ 1,940 | $ 2,811 |
| Mid | £ 2,550 | $ 3,694 |
| High | £ 2,990 | $ 4,332 |
BOOKING NOTES
- Based on two people sharing a room.
- Green Season is May-October; a time when water levels are high, the countryside is green, temples are empty and the top guides are available.
INCLUSIONS
- All accommodation as detailed in the itinerary.
- Daily breakfast.
- Private transfers throughout.
- All sightseeing, entrance fees and guide services as detailed in the itinerary.
- Internal flights where detailed in the itinerary.
EXTRAS
- International flights.
- Meals not indicated in the itinerary.
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry, drinks, gratuities (discretionary).
- Entrance fees and excursions not specifically mentioned as included.
- Travel insurance or visa fees.
