3 Days Siem Reap Explorer - Small Group

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Fishing Village (Tonle Sap Lake) and Roulous Temples Group⌄

   This morning at 7.30am depart your hotel for the journey through the countryside to the world’s second largest freshwater Tonle Sap Lake. The Tonle Sap Lake swells to 12,000 km². During the dry half of the year, the lake shrinks to as small as 2,500 km², draining into the Tonle Sap River. Each year, millions of fish come to spawn in the seasonally flooded forest surrounding the lake, attracting a myriad of water birds as well as people, who have settled in villages along the shores and who live with the rhythm of the water. This ecosystem was classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. Take a boat trip to ‘Kampong Phluk’ a collection of three small fishing villages in an atmospheric flooded forest setting. Cruise through the village and see unique houses on stilts, and Cambodians at work in the floating forest. Our boat will meander slowly through forest canals, allowing you to catch glimpses of flora and fauna, and see a truly beautiful eco-system. Enjoy Khmer lunch at local restaurant and rest after Tonle Sap Lake. Note: Alternative from the Tonle Sap Lake during the dry season from 01 Mar – 31 June the group will visit Phare The Cambodia Circus (seat C) instead.

   The ruins of Roulous are among the oldest Khmer monuments in the area, dating back to the 9th century reign of King Indravarman I. Witness the evolution of these magnificent temples from the early days of the Khmer empire up to its peak with the Angkor temples in the 13th century. There are three key Hindu structures that remain at Roulous; Lolei, Bakong and Preah Ko, which were all part of the ancient city of Hariharalaya.

   Alternative from the Tonle Sap Lake during the dry season from 01 Mar – 31 August the group will visit Phare The Cambodia Circus (seat C) instead. Siem Reap’s most unique, authentic top rated evening entertainment. More than just a circus, Phare performers use theater, music, dance and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories; historical, folk and modern. The young circus artists will astonish you with their energy, emotion, enthusiasm and talent.

2. 2Temples of Angkor with Sunrise⌄

   We begin with a pre-dawn departure (4.00 to 4.30 am depending on the time of year) from your hotel for sunrise outside Angkor Wat. Enter the great temple in darkness from the little-visited eastern side, and creep along hoary cloistered corridors past the longest stretch of bas-relief carvings in the world. Soak up the atmosphere of dawn at Angkor Wat, from the edge of one of the ancient library pools. We then explore the interior of the great temple, spending a thorough two hours discovering the corridors, central chambers and upper terraces of this truly great temple. Your expert local guide will decipher the myriad of stories behind the bas-relief carvings, and give you an insight into life during the height of the Khmer empire. We end our tour at Angkor with breakfast outside the temple (take away, from your hotel), and a short rest.

   This majestic site once served as the Khmer Empire's glistening capital city. Take a moment to consider its grandiosity before venturing inside the city.

   Angkor Thom is the majestic site once served as the Khmer Empire's glistening capital city. Take a moment to consider its grandiosity before venturing inside the city. Arriving at the temple at Bayon, appreciate its beautifully crafted central towers covered in more than 200 enormous faces.

   Pass by the famous Terrace of the Leper King, and the Terrace of Elephant.

   One of the most atmospheric of all temples in Angkor. Once home to 2,740 monks, Ta Prohm today looks much as it did in the early 1850s, when French explorer Henri Mouhot ‘rediscovered’ this crumbling site. After exploring the maze-like interior of Ta Prohm, return to your hotel after a long but fulfilling day, which will leave you with a lifetime of memories of one of the wonders of the world.

3. 3Bantreay Srei Temple and Big Circuit Tour⌄

   This morning start your Journey by travel to Preah Khan temple, a ruined but highly atmospheric mélange of tree roots and crumbling stone structures.

   Move to Neak Pean an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Jayatataka Baray.

   Visit the well-preserved Banteay Srei. The detailed reliefs on this smaller sandstone structure are regarded as the finest, most skillfully crafted in Cambodia.

   Final stop at Pre Rup Hindu temple built as the state temple of Khmer king Rajendravarman and dedicated in 961 or early 962. It is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone construction. Late afternoon return to town after a memorable day exploration.