7 DAYS, CAMBODIA KINGDOM DISCOVERY

Itinerary

Itinerary in details:

DAY 1: ARRIVAL PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA
Today you’ll land in Phnom Penh International Airport. Warmly welcome by Tour Guide & Car Driver at airport then transfer to hotel for check in. Free for leisure. Stay overnight in Phnom Penh.

DAY 2: PHNOM PENH SIGHTSEEING FULL DAY (B, L)
Having breaking at hotel then explore Phnom Penh, a chaotic, energetic and always fascinating city. Graceful tree-lined boulevards and riverfront promenades are reminders of bygone eras; today they teem with life and activity, as motorcycles weave in and out of traffic, vendor hawk their wares, and pedestrians go about their business. Start your tour with an insight into Cambodia's cultural heritage with a visit to the Royal Palace, still the official residence of King Norodom Sihamoi and the adjacent Silver Pagoda, also known as the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha. Continue to the elegant National Museum, which contains a comprehensive collection of Khmer Art. Finally, explore the modern-day city, visiting one of Phnom Penh's two great markets, the Central Market, located in a distinctive domed Art Deco building (Central Market is currently underconstruction but can be visited as usual), OR the sprawling Russian Market, a labyrinth of stalls selling everything from CDs and DVDs to silks, crafts, jewelry and more.
Excursion to the Killing Fields
Just outside Phnom Penh, in a peaceful rural setting, the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek provide a stark reminder of the atrocities under the Pol Pot regime. Thousands of people were killed here between the years of 1975 and 1978 and buried in mass graves.
Visit Tuol Sleng (S-21)
Learn about a chapter from Cambodia's more recent, tragic, past at the Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide). Formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School, in 1975, this became the interrogation and torture facility for the Khmer Rouge regime - at that time known as Security Prison 21, or simply S-21. Kept largely unchanged, this prison now showcases photographs and exhibits about the thousands of victims that passed through these doors - only seven of whom came out alive. The trip finishes at 6:00pm. Return to hotel check in & overnight in Phnom Penh.

DAY 3: DEPART PHNOM PENH FOR SIEM REAP (B, L)
Having breakfast at hotel then transfer to Airport to depart for Siem Reap. Arrive Siem Reap in the morning. Warmly welcome by Tour Guide & Driver, pick up from airport then transfer to Siem Reap:
Visit the Roluos Group. The monuments of Roluos, which served as the capital of Indravarman I (reigned 877-89), are among the earliest large, permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of Khmer classical art. Preah Ko erected by Indravarman I in the late 9th century dedicated by the King to his ancestors in 880. Bakong the largest and most interesting of the Roluos group temples, with his active Buddhist monastery just to the north of the east entrance. Lolei built on an islet in the center of a large reservoir (now rice fields) by Yasovarman I, the founder to the first city at Angkor.
Lunch at local restaurant!
In the afternoon, continue your temple tour to the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (“The Royal Baths” was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Eastern Mebon (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation) and the mountain-temple of Pre Rup until sunset. Transfer to hotel for check in. Overnight in Siem Reap

DAY 4: FULL DAY SIGHTSEEING IN SIEM REAP (B, L)
Having breakfast at hotel & spend full day to 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.
Lunch at local restaurant
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), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, theElephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Sunset at Angkor Wat. Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 5: MORE SIGHTSEEING IN SIEM REAP (B, L)
After breakfast at hotel. This morning, drive through the typical Khmer countryside to the holy Kulen Mountain range which provided some of the stones used to build the Angkor temples. With beautiful sceneries to admire on the way up, our vehicle will bring us on a steep dirt road to the top of the mountain. There we first will see the site of the Lingas carved in the riverbed by successive kings of the Angkor period and a walk further will bring us to the site of a huge natural rock with on top a big reclining Buddha carved in the rock. Our walk will also bring us to a waterfall, don’t forget your swimsuits and join the locals! More carvings in the riverbed can be discovered above the waterfall. This is also a very popular place for Khmer people to come and enjoy their holiday with a picnic. Transfer back hotel for check in. Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 6: SIEM REAP SIGHTSEEING (B, L)
Early morning. Transfer to the archaeological site for sunrisefromPhnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat. Or sunrise at Srah Srang.
Return to the hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast, visit a floating village and take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the “Great Lake” of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon, visit Preah Khan. Built by King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, though, it’s well preserved and ongoing restoration efforts should improve this situation. Visit as well Neak Pean a fountain built in the middle of a pool and the temple of Ta Som. Return to hotel for check in. Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 7: CONCLUDE SIEM REAP/ DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Free for leisure until transfer to Siem Reap International airport for departure to your homeland. Finish the unforgettable trip arranged by Indochina Legend Travel! Good bye & see you again or extend to visit Vietnam!