9 DAYS, ESSENTIAL CAMBODIA

Itinerary

Itinerary in details:

DAY 01: ARRIVAL – SIEM REAP (NO MEAL)
Warmly welcome at Siem Reap International airport, you are met and transfer direct to hotel for check in.
Lunch not included
Visit the ancient Khmer civilization site of Hariharalaya, which flourished in the late 9th and early 10th Centuries. These are the earliest temples in the Angkor area and are referred as the Roluos group. The three Roluos temples are Bakong Temple Mountain with wonderful carvings on the false doors and lintels, the funerary temple of Preah Ko, Lolei Temple with the Roluos group's most exquisite carvings and inscriptions.
Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 02: SIEM REAP – ANGKOR TEMPLE COMPLEX (B)
Breakfast at hotel
Visit to 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. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som, built in late 12th century C.E. the most distant temple on the grand circuit, small but classic. Preah Khan temple, Built by the King Jayavarman VII. Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation.
Lunch not included
Visit 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), Ta Keo, constructed in late 10th early 11th century C.E, the first temple to be constructed wholly of sandstone.
Dinner not included and Overnight in the hotel in Siem Reap.

DAY 03: SIEM REAP – ANGKOR TOURS (B)
Breakfast at hotel
We drive to Visit the antique capital of Angkor Thom (12 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.
Lunch not included
It is time 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. Enjoy wonderful sunset from the top of Phnom Bakheng Hills.
Dinner not included and accommodation at hotel

DAY 04: SIEM REAP – BOAT TRIP - KAMPONG THOM (B)
After breakfast at hotel, this morning we will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap lake. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in South East Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen's "floating village" with floating schools, floating police station, etc. It is same as a big village floating on the lake, and the "village" move from place to place following water levels and current. Lunch not included
In the afternoon, travel by bus and English speaking guide to Kampong Thom, this trip will take you more than 2 hours drive via the country Cambodian road, villages and lakes. Check in at hotel in Kampong Thom.
Dinner not included and overnight at hotel

DAY 05: KAMPONG THOM – SAMBO PREI KUK - PHNOM PENH (B)
Breakfast at local restaurant
This morning, we will drive out the main road through again the Khmer villages to see the hidden Prasat Sambo Prei Kuk group located about 40 kms from Kampong Thom. This trip will require you to do a long walk through the small bushes and trees. Lunch not included In the afternoon, we will drive on to Phnom Penh which takes another 4 or almost 5 hours drives.
Dinner not included and accommodation at hotel in Phnom Penh.

DAY 06: PHOM PENH CITY TOUR (B)
Breakfast at hotel
Visit 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. Then continue your visit at the National Museum, This is one of Phnom Penh's true architectural gems. The Museum is instantly recognizable with its warm red terracotta and its gracefully cured roof topped by dozens of guardian nagas. It was designed in Khmer style in 1917 by famed French architect Georges Groslier & Ecole Des Arts Cambodgiens.
Lunch not included
In the afternoon, visit Phnom Penh and reveal the chilling events of Cambodia's past at S-21, the notorious Khmer concentration camp, and Choeung Ek, the site of the infamous Killing Fields, and the Russian Market is a good place to pick up a traditional krama.
Dinner not included and overnight at hotel in Phnom Penh

DAY 07: PHOM PENH – SIHANOUKVILLE BY PRIVATE BUS (NO GUIDE)
Breakfast at hotel
08:00 hrs - our driver will transfer your group to Sihanoukville
12:00 hrs – arrives in Sihanoukville, check in at hotel
Rest of the day at leisure
Lunch and dinner not included and night at hotel

DAY 08: FREE - SIHANOUKVILLE (B)
Breakfast at hotel
Rest of the day at leisure
Lunch and dinner not included and night at hotel

DAY 09: SIHANOUKVILLE - PHNOM PENH - DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast at hotel
Depends on the departure time, the pick up time will be advised
Today, we will travel back to Phnom Penh airport for departure to next destination by flight