Itinéraire

ITINERARY IN DETAILS:

DAY 1 : PHNOM PENH – ARRIVAL
Meet upon arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport and transfer to the hotel.
Phnom Penh city tour: Visit the Victory Monument, and 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. 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 5000 silver tiles. The treasures include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90kilos and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. End your afternoon with the visit of the Wat Phnom Temple, Phnom Penh’s namesake, from where you can enjoy views over the tree-lined avenues of Phnom Penh during sunset. Overnight at hotel in Phnompenh

DAY 2 : PHNOM PENH - SIEM REAP (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer from hotel to Phnom Penh International airport. Departure to Siem Reap by Siem Reap Airways International or similar airline. Upon arrival at Siem Reap International airport, meet and transfer to hotel (rooms may not be ready until the afternoon).
Morning, visit Victory Gate, the twin temples of Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda, Takeo and Ta Prohm.  The latter is one of the most beautiful temples in the area. It 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 jungles, looking very much the way most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. Continue your tour at Banteay Kdei, surrounded by four concentric walls, Srah Srang, ("the pool of ablutions") undoubtedly used in the past for ritual bathing and Prasat Kravan temple with its unique brick sculptures. Afternoon, visit the North Gate of Angkor Thom. Continue your tour at Preah Khan temple, built by the King Jayavarman VII and, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. However, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Visit Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake, Ta Som, Mebon Oriental, guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable the "Mountain Temple" and state of preservation and Pre Rup until sunset. Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 3 : SIEM REAP(B)
For early birds: Sunrise from Phnom Bakheng, one of the two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and the surrounding plain. Return to the hotel. Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, visit the most famous of all 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 Cambodia 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 symbolizes the ocean beyond. In the afternoon, visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century) the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Enjoy the sunset at Angkor Wat. Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 4 : SIEM REAP - DEPARTURE(B)
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for flight to the next destination.