13 DAYS, PHNOM PENH – MONDOLKIRI – KRATIE – KOMPONG CHAM – KOMPONG THOM – SIEM REAP

Itinerary

 ITINERARY IN DETAILS:

DAY 1: PHNOM PENH – ARRIVAL          
Transfer from Phnom Penh International Airport to the hotel (rooms may not be ready until the afternoon).
Afternoon, visit the Independence Monument, the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. Located within the grounds of 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 (please note that the Palace is sometimes closed when the King is in residence). Sunset cruise 1 hour on the Tonle Sap River. Overnight in Phnompenh.

 
DAY 2: PHNOM PENH   (B)
Breakfast at hotel.
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. The museum displays include room after room of these photographs of men, women and children covering the walls from floor to ceiling; virtually all the people pictured were later killed. Visit the Russian Market (Psah Tuol Thom Pong), a lively outdoor market where you will find antiquities, silver and gold jewelry, gems, silk, kramas, stone and wood carvings, as well as T-Shirts, CDs and other souvenirs. 
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 and Central Market. End your day with the visit of the Wat Phnom Temple, Phnom Penh’s namesake. Overnight in Phnompenh.
 

DAY 3: PHNOM PENH - KOMPONG CHAM - SNUOL - SEN MONOROM (MONDOLKIRI)  (B,L,D)(521km. 10 hrs drive)
This is probably Cambodia’s most scenic province. 6 hours drive from Phnom Penh, Sen Monorom (Mondolkiri) is predominantly populated by minority hilltribes with more than 12 different ethnic groups. Trekking on foot or by elephant to the nearby villages, sightseeing to the numerous and Cambodia’s largest waterfalls. After 3 days in that quiet province where time goes slowly, drive back to Phnom Penh via the charming town of Kratie along the river bank of the Mekong. See the rare Irrawady dolphins. Continue along the Mekong River to the peaceful small river town of Chhlong with its old Khmer wooden houses and famous colonial houses. 
Breakfast at hotel.
Depart Phnom Penh to Kompong Cham. Drive to Chhup, the biggest rubber plantation in the country, established during the French colonial time by the French tire maker Michelin. Continue to Snuol where you will have lunch at local restaurant. Drive to Sen Monorom, the province capital of the Mondolkiri province with scenery and a climate quite unlike anywhere else in the country. Arrival in Sen Monorom in the afternoon. Check in at guesthouse Sen Monorom will be the base from which to explore the surroundings hilltribe villages and the waterfalls. Dinner at guesthouse or local restaurant and accommodation at guesthouse.

 
DAY 4: SEN MONOROM (MONDOLKIRI)  (B,L,D)
Breakfast at local restaurant.
Early morning, visit the local market where many of the Phnong people from the nearby villages are coming to trade with their distinctive baskets they carry on their back. Full day visit to the nearby hilltribes villages and the pretty Waterfalls just a few k.m away from the sleepy capital. There are hundreds of minority villages around Sen Monorom. One of the largest and easiest to access being Phlung village inhabited by Phnong chunchiets. The curious huts have woven wooden walls and thatched roofs almost to the floor. Three or more families often live in just one hut. You will be lucky to see more than a handful of people during daytime, as they are all out working in the fields.  Lunch box will be provided.
Elephant trekking with the experienced Phnong mahouts to explore the jungle
Dinner at guesthouse or local restaurant and accommodation at guesthouse.
 

DAY 5: SEN MONOROM (MONDOLKIRI)  (B,L,D)
Breakfast at local restaurant.
Drive with pick up to Bou Sra about 40 km northeast from Sen Monorom. This double drop waterfall is one of the largest and most impressive in Cambodia. Discover the Phnong village of the same name. On the way back see numbers of hilltribes villages and the scenery countryside.
Lunch box will be provided.
Dinner at guesthouse or local restaurant and accommodation at guesthouse.
 

DAY 6: SEN MONOROM (MONDOLKIRI) - SNUOL - KRATIE(B,L,D)
Breakfast at local restaurant.
Leave this isolated forested province and drive to Kratie via Snuol. Arrive in Kratie at lunch time and check in at hotel.
Lunch at local restaurant.
In the afternoon, city tour of this small provincial town with its good examples of sumptuous colonial architecture. This tiny town on the Mekong is an unexpected delight, with a relaxing, indolent atmosphere. Further north stop at the best riverside vantage point from which to view the rare freshwater Irrawady dolphins which can be best seen late afternoon. Then, drive back to Kratie. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at Oudom Sambath Hotel (2-star, best available).

 
DAY 7: KRATIE - CHHLONG - KOMPONG CHAM   (B,L,D)
Breakfast at local restaurant.
Drive to Chhlong, a small and peaceful village on the Mekong River bank with both, typical Khmer and Colonial architecture. One unique and beautiful wooden house is supported by 100 columns, dating from 19th century. Continue to Kompong Cham (end your tour with 4x4 vehicle). 
Lunch at local restaurant.
Continue by normal vehicle to do the visit of Wat Nokor Pagoda with its ancient temple and modern style pagoda (12th century). Brief tour of Kompong Cham to view examples of colonial architecture. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at Mekong hotel (2-star, best available).
 

DAY 8: KOMPONG CHAM - KOMPONG THOM  (B,L,D)(136KM. 3HOURS DRIVE)
Breakfast at local restaurant.
Depart Kompong Cham for Kompong Thom. En route, visit of the Wat Kohear Nokor temple (11th C.). You will also visit the nearby village and its pagoda where you can observe the daily life of the monks. Continue to Phum Prasat with its single ancient temple and the nearby modern pagoda. Lunch at a local restaurant in Kampong Thom.
Afternoon, depart from Kampong Thom for Sambor Prei Kuk. Enjoy traditional daily life scenes of rural Cambodia. Visit the ancient capital of Chenla with its 100 temples dating back from the pre-Angkorian period. Return to Kampong Thom. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at Stung Sen Hotel (2-star, best available).
 

DAY 9: KOMPONG THOM – SIEM REAP (B)
Breakfast at hotel.
Depart to Siem Reap (the road from Kompong Thom to Siem Reap is now in good condition.  The drive takes around 2 ½ hours. 147 km). En route, visit traditional villages and stop at the ancient Naga Bridge (Spean Pratpo), located 40 Km from Siem Reap. Arrive in Siem Reap and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, continue your temple tour to the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (“The Royal Baths”, 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.Overnight in Siem Reap. 

DAY 10: SIEM REAP  (B)
Breakfast at hotel.
In the morning, 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. 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, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Sunset at Angkor Wat. Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 11: SIEM REAP   (B)
 Breakfast at hotel.
Morning, transfer to Banteay Srei temple (10th c), regarded as the jewel in the crown of Classical Khmer Art. Visit Banteay Srei then continuation to Banteay Samre, built in the third quarter of the 12th century. It consists of a central temple with four wings preceded by a hall and accompanied by two libraries, the southern example remarkably well preserved. Two concentric walls enclose the ensemble. 
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. Overnight in Siem Reap.

 
DAY 12: SIEM REAP   (B)
Breakfast at the hotel
Visit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap.  Take a boat trip in a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the “Great Lake” of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia.
Note: From Feb-July, the visit to the Tonle Sap lake is not recommended because of the low water level. The below visits will be provided instead:
Visit the Silk Farm of Puok. Learn the different stages of the complex process of producing handmade silk. Visit Wat Inkosei built on the site of an ancient temple, which still remains. Continue to Wat Bo pagoda to view its well-preserved paintings. You will also observe monks making the various moldings, which adorn the pagodas.
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. Overnight in Siem Reap.
 

DAY 13:  SIEM REAP - DEPARTURE  (B)
Breakfast at hotel.
In the morning, continue the temple tour to Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda and Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been left 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 upon them.  Afternoon, visit to “Les Artisans d’Angkor - Chantiers Ecoles” of Siem Reap and spend time at leisure at a local market (if time permits). Transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for departure flight to the next destination.