TIME: 5 days 4 nights
TRANSPORT: By car & air
ORIGIN: Ho Chi Minh City
DESTINATION: Cambodia
Highlights Head out into the Choeung Ek Memorial in the morning, where a stupa composed of some 8,000 human skulls marks the location of the notorious Killing Fields.This was the execution ground for Tuol Sleng’s torture victims and standing in this peaceful environment it’s almost impossible to believe that almost 9,000 bodies have been exhumed from the city to date.Confront the horrific history of Cambodia on a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former school that served as a site of Khmer Rouge torture. More than 20,000 people have been held and tortured here, is estimated.
DAY 01 ARRIVAL – PHNOM PENH (no meal)
Upon arrival at Phnom Penh airport, meets and transfers to hotel for check in. Lunch not included. In the afternoon, visit the National Museum. Housed in a beautiful traditional building, it contains many outstanding examples of Khmer craftsmanship. Learn about a brighter period in Cambodian history with a visit to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. Explore Wat Phnom, a peaceful temple situated on a hill for which the city is named. According to legend, a 14th-century woman named Penh found sacred Buddhist objects in the nearby river and placed them here on the small hill. Dinner not included and night at hotel in Phnom Penh
DAY 02 PHNOM PENH – CITY TOURS – SIEM REAP by Public Bus (B)
Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, head out to the ChoeungEk Memorial, where a stupa made up of some 8,000 human skulls marks the site of the infamous Killing Fields. This was the execution ground for the torture victims of TuolSleng and standing in this peaceful setting it’s almost unthinkable to imagine that to date nearly 9000 corpses have been exhumed from the area. Confront Cambodia’s tragic past on a guided tour of the TuolSleng Genocide Museum, a former school which served as a Khmer Rouge torture centre. It’s estimated that more than 20,000 people were held and tortured here.Lunch not included. Transfer to Phnom Penh Bus station for your Joined Bus to Siem Reap. This trip will take you about 6 hours to arrive in Siem Reap via the country road of Cambodia where you will be met and transferred to hotel. Dinner not included and night at hotel
DAY 03 SIEM REAP – ANGKOR WAT TOURS (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Visit the antique capital of Angkor Thom (12 century): the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Lunch not included
Visit to the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Enjoy wonderful sunset from the top of Pre Rup Temple. Dinner not included and night at hotel
DAY 04 SIEM REAP – ANGKOR WAT TOURS (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Visit to Banteay Srey, known as Citadel of Women or a Pink Temple, and BanteaySamre Temples. Lunch not included.
Visit to the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, SrahSrang (“The Royal Baths” was once used or ritual bathing), BanteayKdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. NeakPean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake) and Preah Khan temple, Built by the King Jayavarman VII. Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Dinner not included and night at hotel
DAY 05 SIEM REAP – BOAT TRIP – DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, we will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake at KAMPONG PHLUK VILLAGE. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in South East Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen’s “floating village” with floating schools, floating police station, etc. It is same as a big village floating on the lake, and the “village” move from place to place following water levels and current. Lunch not included. Transfer to Siem Reap airport for flight to next destination.