Siem Reap and Phnom Penh 5 Days 4 Nights Tour

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1ARRIVAL TRANSFER TO THE HOTEL – SIEM REAP⌄

   Arrive at Siem Reap International Airport meet company representative and transfer to the hotel (rooms may not be ready until the afternoon). Drive to the countryside and take an ox-cart ride through the villages and the rice fields. At the end of your ride, have a fresh coconut drink with the family and do not hesitate to talk with the local people to get to know more about their lives. Then take an excursion in a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the “Great Lake” of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia and visit a floating village. The village moves with the water level and during wet season houses are anchored around an island pagoda. Time at leisure. Accommodation at hotel Overnight stay in Siem Reap

   Overnight: Overnight at hotel

2. 2SIEM REAP⌄

   Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, visit the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), Bayon temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), Baphuon (recently re-opened after years of restoration), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Then end your morning visit to visit 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. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled

   Afternoon, visit 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. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. Sunset at Angkor Wat. Overnight stay in Siem Reap

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at hotel

3. 3SIEM REAP – PHNOM PENH (OVERLAND TRANSFER)⌄

   Breakfast at hotel Transfer from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh by overland transfer only driver (approximate 05-06hr travel time). Arrive at the hotel and check-in at leisure Accommodation at hotel Overnight stay in Phnom Penh

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at hotel

4. 4PHNOM PENH⌄

   Breakfast at hotel Phnom Penh city tour: start your city tour to visit Wat Phnom temple, Phnom Penh’s namesake. Founded in 1373, the pagoda was built to house Buddhist relics washed ashore by the river. Then continues to visit the National Museum, also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. A French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, designed it in Khmer style in 1917. The museum contains a collection of Khmer art - notably sculptures - throughout the ages. Walk to visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. Located within the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5,000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90 kilograms and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha.

   visit the notorious Tuol Sleng Museum. In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It soon became the largest such center of detention and torture in the country. More than 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to the extermination camp at Choeung Ek to be executed; detainees who died during torture were buried in mass graves in the prison ground. Room after room the museum displays photographs of men, women and children covering the walls from floor to ceiling; virtually all the people pictured were later killed. Enjoy a joint Sunset Cruise on the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. The boat will pass past floating villages, providing great views of the city’s rapidly changing skyline. Overnight stay in Phnom Penh

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at hotel

5. 5PHNOM PENH- DEPARTURE⌄

   Breakfast at hotel Transfer to Phnom Penh International Airport for departure flight to the next destination.

   Meals: Breakfast