Dazzling Cambodia: Phnom Pen, Battambang and Siem Reap

Welcome to Phnom Penh!

You will be met at the airport by your tour guide and driver and transferred to your hotel to check in. After a chance to freshen up, it is time to go exploring. Start off your city tour with a visit to Phnom Penh's bustling Central Market. One of the most beautiful buildings in Cambodia, this art-deco style market was constructed in 1937 by the French architect, Louis Chauchon.

After that, head to Wat Phnom. Built on the only summit of the city, legend has it that this hill was created after a wealthy widow named Penh found a large koki tree in the river with four bronze statues of the Buddha inside. The townspeople came together to build an artificial hill and she built a small shrine on top to protect the holy statues, and people came from everywhere to make blessings and pray. The name of the hill is Phnom Penh, the hill of Penh. A century later, the capital was moved here, and the King built a bigger and grander hill and temple as a tribute to Penh. The ashes of the king and his family are also enshrined in the nearby stupa.

In the afternoon, enjoy a relaxing cruise on the Mekong River past floating villages. Relax and watch life go by as you make your way slowly down the river, before heading back to the Tonle Sap to watch the sun set over the Phnom Penh skyline. Tonight, you are free to relax. If you feel like it, go out for dinner or a drink on the riverside and look out over the city illuminated at night.

Get to know Phnom Penh City

The Phnom Penh city tour begins on a heart-breaking note, although it is important for visitors to Cambodia to understand the tragic history of this country in order to better appreciate and enjoy the inspiring and vibrant place it is today.

First, visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek's "Killing Fields". During the Pol Pot regime in the 1970s, where more than a quarter of the population was killed in one of the worst genocides of recent times, a former high school called Tuol Sleng was turned into a detention centre known as S21. The prisoners here were interrogated and tortured, before being taken to the 'Killing Fields' where they were often tortured again and brutally murdered. Today Choeung Ek is a Memorial site for Cambodians and visitors from all over the world to pay their respects for those lost.

Around noon, return to your hotel for a break and lunch, before continuing the afternoon tour with a visit to the National Museum and the Royal Palace, where you can learn more about the Angkor and Khmer empires. The Royal Palace was built in 1866 to provide an oasis of calm in the heart of a busy city, the royal palace is home to King Norodom Sihamoni who has ruled Cambodia since October 2004.

Spend the rest of the afternoon free. Soak up the sun at one of the city's rooftop bars or the iconic Foreign Correspondent's Club, go out to dinner, explore the neighbourhood, or take a stroll along the riverside. For a truly local experience, take a tuk-tuk to the Independence Monument, where you can grab some street food from the carts and watch the area come alive with people coming to do their nightly exercise, eat, and socialize.

Ondong Rossey, Floating Villages and Battambang

Get up early today to leave the bustle of the city behind as you drive through the countryside to the laid-back provincial capital of Battambang, about a six-hour drive from Phnom Penh. Along the way, you will stop to visit the picturesque pottery village of Ondong Rossey, where you will see families outside their traditional wooden stilt houses making the red pottery which is then transported across the country by bullock cart.

Take a break for lunch at a local restaurant, before boarding a simple local wooden speedboat to visit the floating villages of Kompong Luong. Absolutely everything here floats, including pig farms and fish farms, shops, a church, and many colourful houses. The community is a mix of Cham Muslims and Vietnamese. The exact location varies depending on the water level in Tonle Sap Lake and sometimes it drifts a few kilometres to a new location.

After exploring the villages, get back in the car and continue your journey to Battambang, where you should arrive in time to see the golden hour sun illuminate the old French-style colonial-era buildings of this quiet city. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and relax.

Battambang Cycle Tour

Start the day with a bike tour of the city, including some of the oldest streets and the Psar Nat market in central Battambang. The narrow streets of the city have a lot of character and the buildings are better preserved than in most Cambodian cities. Historically a part of Siam, see if you can spot the Thai influence in the temples and architecture. Your morning bike tour will include a local coffee tasting, snacks, and meeting with the monks from one of the temples.

Then, visit a local restaurant supported by an NGO for a Cambodian fusion lunch in a historic building in the heart of the city centre. Working to break the cycle of poverty in Cambodia, several restaurants have established training and development plans to empower disadvantaged children and youth.

After a nap, drive through the countryside to Phnom Sampeau. This limestone outcrop is home to several temples and has incredible views over the countryside with its farmland, rice paddies, palm trees, and villages on stilts. However, it also has a more sinister side as it houses the Killing Caves, where the Khmer Rouge executed prisoners by throwing them to their deaths through a skylight in the ceiling of the cave.

Stay until dusk to catch a glimpse of one of nature's most fascinating sights, with thousands of bats bursting out of the cave into the twilight air. They fly one by one, creating patterns in the sky. Enjoy a relaxing drive back through the countryside when night falls.

Travel to Siem Reap

Say goodbye to Battambang with an early morning transfer to Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor. The drive through the countryside should take about three hours, including a short stop.

Upon arrival, check in at your hotel and relax before taking an afternoon tuk-tuk tour of the temples. A short drive from the city, you will begin your Angkor explorations with a visit to the ancient city of Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire before its collapse in 1431, is surrounded by massive walls with five massive gates. Inside, you will find many important monuments, including the famous Bayon Temple with its 54 towers and giant stone faces looking at it from all angles.

You will also visit the Baphoun, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. The bas-reliefs and stone carvings here are not as well-known as those at Angkor Wat, but they are actually much more extensive, with more than a kilometre of detailed carvings featuring thousands of figures.

Then, return to your hotel before spending the night enjoying a performance of traditional Apsara dance. First presented at the royal court in Angkor, this fascinating performance tells stories of Cambodian myths and legends. A set menu of Khmer cuisine will be served while you enjoy the show.

Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, & Angkor Thom Boat Trip

Get up before sunrise today and head to Angkor Wat to watch the sun rise over the largest religious building in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage-listed temple is a magical place all the time, but seeing the rising sun illuminate the bas-reliefs of this ancient monument is on another level. Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu complex in honour of Vishnu, the Hindu god.

After watching the sunrise over the temple's iconic five towers, take your time exploring the complex and admiring the bas reliefs and carvings, including over 3,000 Apsara, or 'heavenly maidens', all of which are different.

The next stop is Ta Prohm, the Tombraider Temple. Built in the 12th century, this is one of the few temples in Angkor that has been allowed to stay left to nature, with huge banyan trees growing through the ruins.

Then, head to the South Gate of Angkor Thom, where you will board a handmade wooden boat for a romantic cruise on the moat that surrounds the walled city. Relax as your boatman takes you to a secluded corner of this ancient city, where you can climb a few steps and walk to a small but pretty temple.

At dusk, return to your hotel. The night is yours to spend as you wish. If you are up for it, maybe head to the bars on Pub Street, enjoy some of the city's great dining options, or take a stroll along the river.

Siem Reap Countryside Tour

Start the morning with a visit through the Cambodian countryside to the Angkorian temple of Banteay Srei, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Meaning 'the Citadel of the Women', and constructed out of pink sandstone, Banteay Srei is one of the best-preserved temples in Cambodia.

After your visit to the temple, stop by the Museum of Land Mines. Founded by Mr. Aki Ra, who was a Khmer Rouge child soldier before switching allegiance to work as a deminer for the Cambodian Army and the United Nations.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Cambodia was actually culturally and artistically ahead of its neighbouring countries, however, as the Khmer Rouge took power, much valuable work and knowledge was lost. Today, there are many projects that aim to help revive Cambodia's art, music and culture scene that was lost to time. One such example is Artisan d’Angkor, a project established to support Cambodian arts and crafts. After lunch, visit the workshop to see stone carvings, wood sculptures, lacquer work and painting, and enjoy watching the artisans in action.

On the way back to your hotel, take a quick stop to visit Psar Chas - the ‘Old Market’ in the centre of Siem Reap.

Tonight, enjoy an impressive performance by Phare, the Cambodian circus by professional performers from Phare Ponleu Selpak. Originally a project created in refugee camps as a way to encourage young people to express themselves through art, Phare Circus is slowly becoming a world name and a fine example of responsible tourism that has been a success story.

Spend your last night in the country enjoying this high-energy show that is a great positive example of modern Cambodia, combining theatre, dance, juggling and contortions with traditional Cambodian and fusion music.

Goodbye Cambodia

It is time to say goodbye to the Kingdom of Wonders. Spend the day at leisure before taking an airport transfer to begin your journey back home.