Cambodia Encounters

Once you arrive in Cambodia, one of our staff members will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for the evening. Once you're settled in, we'll brief you on what you can expect over the next few days, before arranging a time to collect you tomorrow.

After breakfast, we'll visit the Toul Sleng Prison Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek-both - grim reminders of Cambodia's bloody past but an important piece of this country's historical and cultural puzzle.

This afternoon, we'll 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 5,000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90 kilograms and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha.

We'll also 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. We'll spend the night in Phnom Penh.

After breakfast, we'll make our way to Siem Reap which is the gateway to the ruins of Angkor, the seat of the Khmer kingdom from the 9th to15th centuries.

On our way there, we'll stop at the Skoun District to visit a spider market, where you can try to eat fried spiders (this is optional!). Skoun's residents are famous for their hunting and eating of spiders. We'll also stop at the Santuk District to see a stone carving workshop, before visiting the ancient Naga Bridge.

Once we arrive in Siem Reap, we'll visit the statue of Yeay Teap and the Preah Ang Chek and Preah Ang Chorm Shrine, which is dedicated to two Buddhas. The locals believe that Preah Ang Chek and the Preah Ang Chorm Shrines protect the entire town of Siem Reap.

We'll then make our way to one of the city's lively Psar Chars, also called the "Old Market", where anything and everything is for sale. Finally we had up into the hills to the beautiful scenery and forests of Kulen Mountain where we have a short walk to our home-stay accommodation for the night in a local village.

Today starts with breakfast before we head on a forest trail to the life-size elephant statue, which represents the mountain's guardian, and the smaller statues of lions, a cow and a frog.

We'll picnic near a beautiful waterfall on Kulen Mountain, before we continue through the forest to a statue of the reclining Buddha in Wat Preah Ang Thom. The statue is carved into a huge sandstone boulder. Preah Ang Thom is the sacred and worshipping God for Phnom Kulen. Finally, we'll reach a rock plateau, providing us with great scenic views over Kulen Mountain and the plains below, before we stop at a waterfall for a refreshing swim.

At the end of the day, we'll return to Siem Reap and check in at our hotel for the night.

After breakfast, we'll head out on a sightseeing tour of Angkor, spending a full day exploring its wondrous ancient ruins such as the South Gate of Angkor Thom, famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone, the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the largest as well as the most complete temple of Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century.

Walking around this massive edifice is an incredible experience, with its galleries with columns, libraries, pavilions, courtyards and ponds full of water reflecting the towering temple. We'll also visit the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm, which is an incredible sight with huge tree roots embracing the ruins.

In the evening we'll visit Pub Street Siem Reap - the definitive nightlife hub of the town, featuring rows of backpacker-friendly bars and pubs, cafes and many different styles of restaurants to choose from. We'll overnight in Siem Reap.

We hope that you had an amazing time in Cambodia! We'll transfer you to the airport to board your flight home. If you have a late afternoon or evening flight, or would like to add some extra nights in Siem Reap, then a range of additional half day tours are available, including a cooking class, cycling tour of some temples you've not visited yet, and a visit to the floating houses on Tonle Sap lake.