9-Day Treasure Of Cambodia Tour

Day 1: Arrive in Phnom Penh: King Palace, Wat Phnom & Toul Sleng Genocide Museum

Welcome to Cambodia. Your private car and driver will be waiting for you and your family at Phnom Penh International Airport with a sign holding your name and take you to your accommodations in Phnom Penh. Then you’ll have some rest before exploring the city.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers. It was a hub for both the Khmer Empire and French colonialists. We start our tour and visit some of Phnom Penh’s important sights, landmarks and attractions. Visit the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, it is the official residence of the King of Cambodia and it’s where you can see some very beautiful wall paintings, charming building with lots of different decorations and colorful and there are such many beautiful plants. Before lunch, we see Central Market, built during the French Colonial rule, the bright yellow building completed in 1937 has a 26-metre-high central dome, with four tall arch-roofed arms branching out diagonally across the block, creating vast hallways housing countless stalls and a variety of goods. When it first opened in 1937, it was said to be the biggest market in Asia.

Visit Wat Phnom is the unique hillock in the city, is crowned by at active Buddhist Wat and marks the legendary founding place of Phnom Penh – Central Market, built during the French Colonial rule – Russian Market, a noteworthy street market in Phnom Penh. This is the interesting market in town, stalls selling wooden handicrafts, antiquities, miniature Buddhas, fruits and veggies, jewelry, etc.

Last place to visit before returning to the hotel: Visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum – a mass gravesite and a former high school converted to a detention and torture center by the Khmers Rouges when they came to power in 1975.

Overnight stay in Phnom Penh

Day 2: Explore Phnom Chisor, Ta Prohm Tonle Bati & Killing Fields

After breakfast, we travel south on National Highway 2 towards the south of Cambodia. We stop at Tonle Bati to visit the magnificent 12th century temple of Ta Prohm. This temple built by King Jayavarman VII, it is surrounded by blooming flowers and is a peaceful sanctuary – We continue to the hilltop temple of Phnom Chisor, an ancient Khmer temple located south of the capital of Cambodia. Phnom Chisor is a 133 m high mountain, was built in the 11th century in laterite and brick with sandstone lintels carved by the king of the Khmer Empire Suryavarman I.

Killing Fields of Choeng Ek, these sites are testament to Phnom Penh’s tragic modern history and the insanity of the Pol Pot era. Escape the city for a while to relax and refresh by enjoying the beautiful sunset over Phnom Penh from a wooden boat as you cruise along the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.

Overnight stay in Phnom Penh

Day 3: Mekong Silk Island, Golden Temple & National Museum

After breakfast we drive to the famous island where many women in the village run their home weaving business. The Weaver Village is a typical rural Cambodian village on the island above the Mekong. It is almost entirely dedicated to silk weaving – people operating hand looms under many of the houses, other dying and spinning silk on spinning wheels made of bicycle parts.

Visit the National Museum is the most important repository of Khmer artifacts in the country. Over 5000 objects are on display including Angkorian era statues, lingas and other artifacts, most notably the legendary statue of the ‘Leper King’ in Siem Reap and an enormous 11th century bronze Vishnu. Here is also a good collection of pieces from later periods, including an exhibition of post-Angkorian Buddha figures. Wat Kean Khleang Golden Temple, it is located by the river some 15km north from central Phnom Penh.

Overnight stay in Phnom Penh

Day 4: Travel to Kampong Thom: Phnom Oudong, Spider Town & Buddha Carving

We leave Phnom Penh and drive a little way out of the city to visit Oudong Temple. The abandoned royal city of Oudong lies amid the hills west of Phnom Penh. Oudong was the capital of Cambodia from the 17th century until 1866, when the capital was moved to Phnom Penh. The remains of ancient Oudong include several active temples, stupas and other structures covering three hills.

On the drive to Kampong Thom there are some interesting things to see along the way. We take a break in Skuon, affectionately called Spiderville Cambodia, the popular place for Cambodian and foreign travelers where it is possible to taste the local delicacy of fried tarantulas and other fried insects. We make a short stop to explore this market in Spider Town, you can also try various seasonal local fruits from the region and islands in the Mekong River. However, if you don’t want to taste spider, cricket, scorpion, grasshopper or other insects, this is also a good place to take pictures.

The last spot to visit today is the Stone Carving Village, a place where local men perform Buddha carvings by hand. You’ll learn how Khmer Empire workers carved the statues so professionally. Sandstone carving is a very old tradition in Cambodia. From the 9th to the 13th centuries, the Khmer were considered the best stone sculptors in the world.

Overnight stay in Kampong Thom

Day 5: Travel to Sra Eam Village: Sambor Prei Kuk & Preah Vihear Temple

Today, we have two beautiful temples to explore between two provinces. We leave the hotel after your breakfast and drive to visit the famous Sambor Prei Kuk, an ancient city that has about two hundred brick temples is located here in this province. The city was built during the time of King Isanavarman when he successfully united the territories of Chenla Kork and the Khmer water territory of Chenla Toek. Sambo Prei Kuk served as the capital of the Khmer Empire for many centuries.

We then continue the journey towards the magnificent mountain temple of Preah Vihear, straddling the border with Thailand to see Cambodia’s most spectacular mountain temple. Preah Vihear temple, it is one of the best Khmer temples, and it’s really hard to imagine how they carried up the heavy stones to build this huge building. You will be rewarded with fabulous views over Cambodia’s and Thailand’s fertile plains from the impressive ruins which stretch for 500 meters up. We explore the temple on foot and continue on wards to the final level, clinging to a cliff face in the Dangrek Mountains, towering hundreds of metres above lowland Cambodia below. The sanctuary is perched on the edge of the cliffs with amazing views over the seemingly endless Cambodian jungle to the south. The temple is known to have been dedicated to the god Shiva and thought to have been constructed in the reign of Suryavarman I (1002-50), with further significant additions by Suryavarman II (1113-50). The spectacular location paired with a unique temple design are the reason UNESCO enlisted Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site.

After a visit to temple, we travel to Sra Eam where you spend over night near Prasat Preah Vihear temple.

Overnight stay in Sra Eam Village

Day 6: Travel to Siem Reap: Koh Ker & Beng Mealea Temples

We travel to Siem Reap today, but before reaching the land of peace we have two wonderful temples to visit. The remote ancient jungle temples of Koh Ker and Beng Mealea, less visited temples. We drive 1h30 from Sra Eam through the bush to the remote capital of Angkor, Koh Ker. This trip can be a great cultural experience as Koh Ker is the proud owner of some ancient temples in Cambodia, Prasat Pram is covered in strangler figs, and other temples in the group. Koh Ker built in the 10th century by Jayavarman IV, was the Capital of the Khmer Empire for a very brief period from the year 928 to 944. We visit Prasat Thom, a seven-storey step pyramid which offers stunning views of the surrounding forest. There are many more temples in the area, including Prasat Pram, the fantastic temple with trees growing on it, the five towers of Prasat Ling, each enclosing a giant linga or fertility symbol, the largest and best found in situ in Cambodia.

We then continue to the northeast of Siem Reap town to explore the lost temple of Beng Mealea, the titanic of temples, a sleeping giant lost for centuries in the forests of Cambodia. It is the most accessible of Angkor’s lost temples, a mirror image of Angkor Wat, but completely consumed by nature’s voracious appetite. Built in1113-1150, the forest has gone wild here and it’s hard to get a sense of the monument’s shape amid the intimidating ruins. We travel 1h30 to Siem Reap to check in at your comfortable hotel and have your evening free.

Overnight stay in Siem Reap

Day 7: Banteay Srei Temple – Roluos Group – Floating Village

We start our day after breakfast, we travel 1 hour to Banteay Srei, Angkor’s ultimate art gallery. This petite pink temple is the jewel in the crown of Angkor-era sculpture. The elaborate carvings here are the finest found in Cambodia and the name translates as Fortress of the Women. The intricate detail here, considered too fine for the men’s hands. We travel back in time to one of the earliest capitals in the Angkor region, Hariharilaya, now known as Roluos – visit the brick temple of Lolei, which originally stood on an island in the centre of the Baray (reservoir) – Preah Ko (sacred cow), named after Shiva’s mount Nandin – Bakong, the oldest temple mountain, which later became the symbol of the Khmer kings. It is a huge pyramid whose cardinal points are marked by huge elephants.

Explore Typical Khmer village Kampong Phluk, see an incredible such a different way of life lives in the biggest freshwater lake Tonle sap in Southeast Asia and it is the real example of the living life of Cambodian fish men who live in the middle of nowhere during the monsoon. On the trip gain a fascinating insight into local life as you explore the stilted houses, living style and cruise around the flooded mangrove forest, that’s amazing things about this village and it is definitely one of the aspects of Cambodia trip.

Overnight stay in Siem Reap

Day 8: Angkor Wat Sunrise, Jungle temple & Small Group Temples

Today we will meet in the hotel lobby at 4:45am and travel to see Angkor Wat at Sunrise, the temple is considered the largest religious building in the world and is truly one of the wonders of the world. Believed to have been built as a temple and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II during the height of the Khmer Empire in the first half of the 12th century, Angkor Wat is the best preserved of the Angkorian temples. The central monument represents the mythical Mount Meru, the sacred mountain at the centre of the universe, which was home to the Hindu god Vishnu

We return to the hotel for breakfast and you can take some rest to recharge your energy for the next visit. We then visit Ta Prohm, it is unique in that it is overgrown by jungle trees and vines, with many parts of the temple crumbling to the ground. This makes the ‘Tomb Raider Temple’ one of the most picturesque and memorable of the Angkor temples – Giant Pyramid of Takeo, one of the highest temples in the Angkor area – Take a short jungle trek to Ta Nei, a temple hidden in the forest, which has been left in its original state and is partly overgrown with trees – Then we continue to Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon, Victory Gate of Angkor Thom.

Overnight stay in Siem Reap

Day 9: The Great City of Angkor Thom, Grand Circuit Temples & Sunset

In the morning we head to Angkor Thom, first the ancient city of Angkor Thom. It was the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8 m high wall drawing a perfect square. You will enter the city from the ancient South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and four giant faces. And our highlight is the enigmatic and enchanting Temple of Bayon. The 54 towers are each crowned with the four faces of Avalokiteshvara (Buddha of Compassion), which bear more than a passing resemblance to the king himself – Visit Baphuon, one of Angkor’s most beautiful temples from the 11th century. It was extensively renovated by the French and is now open to the public again – continue along the Terrace of Elephants – visit at the Terrace of the Leper King.

Preah Khan temple, a ruined but highly atmospheric mélange of tree roots and crumbling stone structures. Construction of this site was commissioned by the great ‘temple builder’ Jayavaraman VII (in honour of his father) and a visit to this smaller site makes for an interesting contrast with the more imposing Angkor Wat – Neak Pean temples, an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Jayatataka Baray and other beautiful temples outside the Great City of Angkor, Ta Som temple, East Mebon temple, Pre Rup temple, Banteay Kdei, a Buddhist monastery from the late 12th Century, and Srah Srang, also known as the “pool of ablutions and spend your evening watching the sunset from Phnom Bakheng if the weather is nice or you wish.

In the evening, you’ll be picked up to transfer to Siem Reap Angkor International Airport where you’ll catch your flight to your onward destination.

See you again on our next trip!