Essential Cambodia

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Visit the Tuol Sleng Museum (S-21) and Choeung Ek – The Killing Fields. These sites are dedicated to remembering the war crimes of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, and the darkest period of Cambodian history.

Afterward, private transfer to Siem Reap. You will head toward Siem Reap along National Road 6. Leaving the city, you can observe the bustling activities of the Cambodians who begin their day very early. After about a hundred kilometers, where you can admire villages with stilt houses, you will arrive at a sort of service station, Skun Market, where women sell fried insects, frogs, and spiders of various sizes.

Stop for lunch at a restaurant in Kompong Thom, then continue along National Road 6, which follows the route of the ancient Khmer “Royal Road” and still passes over a majestic bridge, Spean Praptos, made of laterite and sandstone and built by Jayavarman VII eight centuries ago.

Arrival in Siem Reap in the late afternoon and check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay at a hotel in Siem Reap.

reakfast at the hotel and departure to visit Angkor Thom (Great City); you will begin with the South Gate and the famous Bayon Temple from the 12th and 13th centuries, dedicated to Buddhism. The temple is composed of no fewer than 54 gigantic towers and 216 faces of Avalokitesvara. Then, you will continue your visit with the Terrace of the Elephants, 350m long, located at the foot of the Royal Hall and used as a place for organizing public ceremonies. This is followed by the Terrace of the Leper King, built in the 12th century, which features various sculptures of apsaras… and Phimeanakas, Baphuon, and the Elephant Terrace. You will continue with a visit to the temple of Ta Prohm before the lunch break.

In the afternoon, you will set out to discover the marvelous temple of Angkor Wat, a World Heritage site built in the 12th century (1112-1152) in honor of Vishnu; it covers an area of 200 hectares and is surrounded by a moat and a wall measuring 1300m x 1500m. Angkor Wat is the largest temple in the world, famous for its slender towers and extraordinary bas-reliefs, and is considered one of the most remarkable monuments ever conceived by man.

In the late afternoon, you will have the choice to admire the sunset on Bakheng Hill or return to Siem Reap for a short Tuk Tuk ride and the opportunity to participate in a Buddhist ceremony, where you will be blessed by monks wishing you happiness and prosperity for your holiday.

During the morning, you will visit the Banteay Srei temple, which houses one of the most extraordinary jewels of Khmer art. Built in the 10th century, this small pink sandstone temple—whose name means “The Citadel of the Women”—contains sculptural masterpieces that remain in an excellent state of preservation. André Malraux made it famous at the beginning of the 20th century following the recovery of several “apsara” heads that were returned to the community in 1923. During the journey, you will visit the Banteay Samre temple where, according to legend, a farmer became king: the King of the Sweet Cucumbers. You will admire the remarkable sculptures of this classical temple, preserved with great care.

In the afternoon, you will begin with a visit to the Preah Khan Temple, built by Jayavarman VII in 1191 in honor of his father, who is represented as the saving god of Mahayana Buddhism. The temple was originally a true city and a place dedicated to Buddhist studies. Dating from the same era, Neak Pean, also called “Entwined Nagas,” is the only island-temple in Angkor. It is said to symbolically represent Anavatapta: the sacred and mythical lake of the Himalayas, revered in India for the healing properties of its waters. The large central basin is connected to four other smaller basins representing the four great rivers of the earth and the four cardinal points. Each of them possesses a gargoyle in the shape of a lion, horse, elephant, and man. The most interesting part is certainly the marvelous statue of Balaha, representing the legend of the rescue of a group of shipwrecked people. You will continue the visit of Angkor by heading to the two beautiful 12th-century temples of Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda, built under the reign of Suryavarman II. Here you will find sculptures in honor of Shiva, Vishnu, and the Devatas (particularly at Chau Say Tevoda).

Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. 

A full day dedicated to visiting temples outside the ordinary circuit. Located 50km north of Siem Reap, the Kbal Spean temple, well-known as the River of a Thousand Lingas, is the only one of its kind: to reach it, you will need to walk for about 45 minutes on a well-marked path through the thick forest to the river where, starting from the 11th century, sculptors began carving various figures into the rocks. The riverbed is, in fact, decorated with hundreds of lingas—symbols of fertility representing the essence of the Hindu god Shiva. Aside from the lingams, you can admire bas-reliefs depicting Hindu deities. The path leads to a small waterfall—an ideal spot to cool off.

Break for a free lunch at a local restaurant before departing for the large Beng Mealea complex, located 40km east of the main Angkor group. Beng Mealea is a picturesque jungle temple that has recently become one of the newest and most exciting tourist attractions in Cambodia; it is an excellent place for photography as it is largely in ruins and completely enveloped by vegetation. The first impression one gets when visiting Beng Mealea is of an enormous mound of rubble hidden within the growth of wild trees. Those who visit this intriguing temple will witness a vast collection of sculptures. These carvings predominantly represent stories from Hindu mythology.

Continue for another 70km or so to reach Koh Ker, another complex consisting of various temples and monasteries. Koh Ker was the capital of the Khmer Empire for a very brief period (928-944 AD). Return to the hotel. Check-in and accommodation at the hotel.

Wake up early in the morning to head toward the floating village of Kompong Khleang, which is located about an hour’s drive from Siem Reap and is visited every year by thousands of tourists. Kompong Khleang is one of the most impressive villages due to the height and size of its stilt houses. Take a walking tour of the village to meet the inhabitants and visit a house where a family raises crocodiles. Afterward, you will board a local boat that will pass through all the canals toward the great lake, whose inhabitants move their houses according to the seasons. Return to the village for a packed lunch on-site. Free time to visit the Old Market until the meeting time for the transfer to the airport for your return flight. Rooms are at your disposal until noon. Transfer to the airport for the return flight.

Please Note: From April to October, it will not be possible to operate the cruises due to the water level of Lake Tonle Sap being too low. Alternatively, you can visit Chong Kneas on the lakeshore or the pre-Angkorian Roluos Group with the temples of Bakong, Preah Ko, and Lolei.

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