DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN SIEM REAP

Meals: Not available

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Welcome to Siem Reap, Cambodia!
On your arrival at Siem Reap Airport, get picked up and driven to your hotel in town for check-in. The remainder of your first day will be spent on the Angkor temple complex, of which Angkor Wat is a key element. Stroll around to explore Angkor Wat, the largest, and for most people, the most impressive temple in the complex. Late in the afternoon, a walk to the summit of Phnom Bakheng Hill will offer you an amazing sunset panorama of the whole complex. (If the weather permits of course). Back to the hotel. After the refreshment, enjoy the welcome dinner at a nice restaurant.

DAY 2: EARLY ANGKOR AND LOCAL ECOLOGY (CYCLING)

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Set out to start the day at 7 a.m. Today, you will have a cycling tour around to visit the Rolouse temple group, the dawn of Angkor. From there, move on to Kampong Pluk floating village, about 13km or so to go. On the way, you’ll see the daily life of Cambodian people living a cyclical existence of annual floods and droughts. On arrival at the pier, take a boat ride to Kampong Pluk. It takes about an hour to reach the village. Lunch is served on a floating house.
In the afternoon, try to paddle a small canoe through flooded mangrove forests by yourself, witness the variety of indigenous wildlife and birds. Later in the afternoon, return to Siem Reap via Chon Kneas, another floating village en-route. If the weather supports, you would enjoy a beautiful sunset view across Tonle Sap Lake. Spend the remainder of your day riding back to Siem Reap. It is about 17 km. In case you feel a bit puffed, a vehicle will be arranged to take you to the hotel.

DAY 3: FURTHER DISCOVERY OF SIEM REAP

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

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After breakfast, you will begin with a visit to Angkor Thom, starting with the Bayon, a bizarre structure of several architectural changes reflecting a switch from Hinduism (the foundations) to Buddhism (the superstructure). Followed by a visit to the Elephant and Leper Emperor Terraces. And then to the Baphoun Temple. End the day with an interesting visit to Ta Prohm, strangled by massive tree roots, and Neak Pean, a Himalayan-style lake and sanctuary. Get back to the hotel for the third night in Siem Reap.

DAY 4: SIEM REAP – PHNOM PENH

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

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Breakfast at the hotel as usual. This morning, you will be driven around Siem Reap town. Thence, go to visit the “Chantiers Ecoles – Les Artisans d’Angkor” which provides training to young Cambodians in an effort to revive the ancient Khmer traditions of stone carving and wood sculpting. Stroll around the local market afterwards and visit at Silk Farm of Phouk. At the silk farm, you can see the entire silk weaving process…. Afterwards, take an ox-cart ride around the village of Aranh. The village is poor, ox-cart riding service is arranged by local tourism authority with the aim to contribute some income to the villagers. The ride lasts for about 30 minutes along the bank of the Siem Reap River. Along the way, watching the local daily life. The late-afternoon flight take you to Phnom Penh. Get picked up and transferred to the hotel on your arrival in Phnom Penh. Dinner on your own account and stay overnight.

DAY 5: PHNOM PEND- KILLING FIELD

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Phnom Penh

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After breakfast, start your historical tour of Phnom Penh by a drive to the so-called ‘Killing Fields’. The term is a misnomer because it implies a single location. In reality, the process of genocide under the Khmer Rouge involved a large network of interrogation prisons linked to extermination centers. The most infamous is Phnom Penh’s S-21 Prison and the Choeung Ek extermination center. Choeung Ek, the ‘killing fields’, was the final destination of nearly all the inmates of S-21. The helpless victims were slaughtered in their thousands and thrown into more than a hundred shallow burial pits dug by the prisoners. The total number of men, women, and children buried at Choeung Ek is estimated to be around 15,000. It was one of many extermination centers spread across the entire country – and by no means the largest! A visit to Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek presents a stark picture of Cambodia’s recent past. However, it’s also a profoundly harrowing experience and likely to distress anyone of a sensitive disposition. After lunch, you’ll visit the National Museum and the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, followed by a sunset cruise on the Chatomouk River.

DAY 6: PHNOM PENH – SIHANOUKVILLE

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Sihanoukville

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In the morning, you will drive from Phnom Penh to the premier beach of Sihanouk Ville. The drive takes about 3 hours. Upon arrival, check-in and get ready for the rest of your trip at a beautiful resort and relaxing on this sandy beach.

DAY 7, 8: SIHANOUKVILLE BEACH LEISURE

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Sihanoukville

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Spend these days on the beach & enjoy the resort facilities. Situated on the eastern part of the Gulf of Thailand, Sihanoukville is a peninsula & has several beaches, offshore islands. It's also known as "Kampong Som", a coastal city in Cambodia. With its beaches and casinos, it has become a primarily tourist attraction.

DAY 9: SIHANOUKVILLE – PHNOM PENH

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Not available

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Today you still have the whole morning at leisure. Check-out at noontime.
In the afternoon, get picked up and take a 3-hour drive back to Phnom Penh. Onward to the airport for your flight home or continue with more interesting destinations of Custom Asia Travel.