Cambodian Landmarks-Siem Reap & Phnom Penh

Upon arrival, your guide will greet you and take you to the hotel. Wash, refresh, the rest of the evening is open for your rest or leisure.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

After breakfast at the hotel, your guide will take you on a sightseeing exploration of Phnom Penh. The city is very energetic and fast-paced. Phnom Penh has many tree-lined boulevards and riverfront promenades, with many pedestrians, motorcycles, and traffic. Begin your tour with an insightful cultural heritage visit at the Royal Palace. The palace is still the official residence of King Norodom Sihamoni and is adjacent to the Silver Pagoda, also known as the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha. The Royal Palace of Cambodia is an excellent example of Khmer architecture featuring its layout of the defensive wall (Kamphaeng), throne hall (Preah Tineang), Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Preah Keo Morakot), stupas (Chedei), towering spires (Prang Prasat) and mural paintings. The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh covers an area of 174,870 square meters (402m x 435m). Continue to the elegant National Museum, which contains an extensive collection of Khmer Art.

Next, we shall explore the modern-day city. We will visit one of the city's great markets, the Central Market, located in a very distinctive Art Deco building. It was constructed in 1937 in the shape of a dome with four arms branching out into vast hallways with countless stalls of goods. When it first opened in 1937, it was said to be the biggest market in Asia; today, it still operates as a market. From 2009 to 2011, it underwent a US$ 4.2 million renovation funded by the French Development Agency. The market opens from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is, for tourists, a 'must-see' stop. Most tourists visit this market because they want to see the extensive amount of products that they offer for a bargain. The four wings of this gigantic yellow dome are teeming with stalls that sell goods ranging from gold and silver, antique coins, money exchange, men's and women's apparel. There are also clocks, books, flowers, food, fabrics, shoes, souvenirs, fish, seafood, dessert, luggage, and countless other products.

After visiting the Central Market, we travel to the Tuol Sleng Museum and learn about a chapter from Cambodia's more recent and tragic past. The Tuol Sleng Museum or the Museum of Genocide was formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School in 1975. It then became the interrogation and torture facility for the Khmer Rouge Regime at that time known as 'Security Prison 21', or simply 'S-21'. It was kept mostly unchanged, besides now showcasing many photographs and exhibits regarding the tens of thousands of victims.

From there, we take an excursion just outside Phnom Penh to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. This peaceful rural area provides 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 many mass graves.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

A 45 minutes long flight brings us to Siem Reap- the city of Angkor. Upon arrival, you will meet the guide, and he will take you to the hotel. After the check-in process, wash and refresh, and the tour will start with a sightseeing tour in Angkor.

The guide will take you to the ancient city of Angkor Thom. The name means "great city." It covers an area of 10 square km and walls, water, and wide canals encloses it. You may enter by the monumental South Gate towers on either side by statues, each carrying a giant naga (serpent deity). Most of the magnificent Angkor ruins have extensive displays of bas-relief depicting the various gods, goddesses, and other-worldly beings from the mythological stories and epic poems of ancient Hinduism (modified by centuries of Buddhism). Mingled with these images are actual known animals, like elephants, snakes, fish, and monkeys, in addition to dragon-like creatures that look like the stylized, elongated serpents (with feet and claws). It is found in Chinese art. Continue to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper Kings, visit the ruined Baphoun, Royal Enclosure, and Phimeanakas before continuing to the mysterious Bayon Temple. This temple is one of the most admired and remarkable in Angkor. Explore the two well-known exquisitely preserved bas reliefs. Ascend the narrow stairs to get to the central sanctuary. Here is where you will find giant stone faces smiling in the serenity from many towers. After exploring this monumental temple and sites, the guide shall take you back to the hotel after sunset.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

After breakfast at the hotel, the tour will begin with a sightseeing tour of the famous Angkor Wat. This is a national symbol and the highlight of any visit to Cambodia. Khmer architecture, the largest, most well-preserved, and the most religiously significant of all of the Angkor Temples. Angkor Wat visitors both by its scale and beautifully proportioned layout, as well as the delicate artistry of its intricate carvings. As you enter the main building, ascend through a series of galleries and courtyard before reaching the central sanctuary, which offers beautiful views. On the way, stop to enjoy the carvings that adorn nearly every surface, with some 1,700 Apsaras (celestial dancers) sculpted into the walls. Along with the outer gallery, walls run the longest continuous bas-relief in the world! This bas-relief narrates stories from Hindu mythology, including the famous story of the Churning of the Sea of Milk.

Your tour guide will then take you about one kilometer east of Angkor Thom to Ta Prohm Temple (originally called Rajavihara). People admire this monument because much of the jungle has not been cleared or rebuilt. It looks as the monuments would have appeared when the European explorers first discovered them (almost frozen in time). The Khmer King Jayavarman VII founded it as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. The next temple you will visit is seemingly miniature in comparison to the other Angkor temples but is often a favorite. Banteay Srei Temple was constructed in pink sandstone, and exquisitely preserved carvings cover the walls. Because of its small size, it produces a 'fairy-like' atmosphere. Banteay Srei Temple is an exemplary example of Khmer sculpture. After the day of touring various temples, the guide will then take you back to the hotel.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Your guide will meet you after breakfast at the hotel and then take you on to Prasat Kravan. The large five brick tower temple was dedicated to Lord Vishnu in 921 CE, according to an inscription on door jambs. Notable for the bas-reliefs cut into the reddish bricks on the interior walls. Next, we visit Banteay Kdei meaning "A Citadel of Chambers. It is a massive Buddhist temple dating from the second half of the 12th century. The four concentric walls, the outer walls measuring 500 by 700 meters, surround the temple itself. To the east, we visit Sras Srang or "The royal bathing pool" or "pool of ablutions," a basin opposite of Banteay Kdei which was dug to dimensions of 700 meters.

We continue to see Ta Keo, built by Jayavarman V (who ruled from 968 to 1001), it was the first Angkorian monument built entirely of sandstone and was a tribute to Shiva. It has five sanctuary towers arranged in a quincunx, built on the uppermost level of five-tier pyramid consisting of overlapping terraces (a step pyramid), surrounded by a moat, as a symbolic depiction of Mount Meru.

Next, we visit Thommanon, a temple that mirrors Chau Say Tevoda (just to the north), as it was built around the same time and has a similar plan. The temple is a tribute to Shiva and Vishnu. After viewing, we visit Chau Say Tevoda. It was built during the second quarter of the 12th century, opposite of Thommanon; it was also a tribute to Shiva and Vishnu.

We then travel to Kampong Kleang, situated on the northeast shore at the edge of Tonle Sap Lake, located about 40-50 km from Siem Reap. The Tonlé Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997. From there, we will take a boat trip to explore the many floating fishing villages that live at the edges of the lake. We pass by submerged forests, several fishing farms, and even a floating school. Some homes on stilts in this area sit some 10 meters high!

Overnight in Siem Reap. 

After breakfast at the hotel, the guide will take you to the airport for your next departure destination.