Best of Cambodia
Best of Cambodia
Best of Cambodia
14 Days Starting and ending in Phnom Penh
Visiting: Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Sambor Prei Kuk, Kampot, Koh Rong
Tour operator:
Tour code:
TKSM
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 12
Age range:
15-99 years
Tour operated in:
EnglishInterests:
Tour Overview
Experience the best of Cambodia on a comprehensive two-week journey right into the heart of the country. Get to know the people, landscape, customs and cuisine that make this place so incredible from the capital city Phnom Penh to the rural village Sambor Prei Kuk. Travel to the French elegance of Battambang and see the time-worn grandeur of Angkor Wat – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – at sunrise. Visit the remote south and discover the magical country of the Khmers, before heading to Koh Rong Island for two days of blissful beach time. If you want to see all the best sights that Cambodia has to offer, with a local leader who knows all the secrets, this one’s for you.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Phnom Penh
Location: Phnom Penh
Accommodation: Hotel
Sua s'dei! Welcome to Cambodia. Your adventure begins in Phnom Penh with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive early, maybe stroll the streets and explore the city, taking in the interesting French architecture. Visit The National Museum and discover its collection of classic Khmer craftsmanship, or head to Wat Phnom – a peaceful temple on a hill. According to legend, a 14th-century woman named Penh found sacred Buddhist objects in the nearby river and placed them here on the small hill. A great way to spend your first night is strolling along the famous Sisowath Quay and enjoying a coffee or cocktail at one of the many cafes while you watch the busy river traffic.
Optional Activities:
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Day 2: Phnom Penh
Location: Phnom Penh
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Phnom Penh remains a living relic of the country’s past struggles and successes. Today you’ll visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, which tell the story of the tragic legacy of the Khmer Rouge. In the afternoon, maybe visit the Royal Palace. The private quarters of the Royal Palace are home to King Sihamoni and are closed to the public, but you can visit the Silver Pagoda that lies in the palace complex – the most sacred temple in the country. An ideal way to spend your second evening here is to relax in a cafe by the riverfront.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 3: Battambang
Location: Battambang
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Get an early start today and travel to Battambang via a local train – Cambodia's second-largest city. Battambang (pronounced Battambong), is a riverside town of French elegance, friendly Khmer people and beautifully preserved architecture. The city is famous for its many statues of animals and divinities that decorate the streets and buildings. The city lacks the traffic of Phnom Penh and the visitors of Siem Reap, so it’s a great place to get an authentic slice of Cambodia. With a free afternoon, you might like to visit the hilltop Wat Banan temple – offering 360-degree panoramic views over the Sang Ke River. There are also the Killing Caves of Phnom Sampeau, which are well-worth the sobering experience. In the evening, maybe walk along the riverfront where locals indulge in hobbies like yoga and folk dancing.
Day 4: Battambang
Location: Battambang
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
This morning, taken on a bike tour around rural Cambodia with the local social enterprise Soksabike – dedicated to responsible tourism, this organisation provides local university students with training and employment and scholarships for their staff’s language or vocational studies. Learn some basic Khmer phrases and then explore the countryside, stopping to visit local families who make things like rice paper, dried bananas and bamboo sticky rice. See the memorial site for the victims of Khmer Rouge and spend some time in a local’s house, refuelling with some local fruit. This afternoon, your afternoon is free to explore how you wish. Maybe go and watch local students rehearsing in their circus and music schools and the young painters who work in visual arts. Maybe take an optional cooking class to learn the secrets of some delicious local dishes such as amok, Khmer curry and fried spicy chicken.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 5: Siem Reap
Location: Siem Reap
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Travel by private vehicle to Siem Reap today – the small but expanding town is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Angkor complex. This is the most popular destination for travellers in all of Cambodia (maybe even in Southeast Asia!). You'll probably notice a change of pace here, so maybe take a walk and enjoy the atmosphere when you arrive. A visit to the old market is a must, even if you're not looking for souvenirs – wandering through the stalls and surrounding shops, you’ll find silks, cotton, sarongs, silver and statues among a flurry of colour. There's also a long tradition of shadow puppetry in the region, so if you're lucky, you might even catch a show at one of the local restaurants tonight.
Optional Activities:
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Day 6: Siem Reap
Location: Siem Reap
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Spend a full day temple-hopping in the Angkor complex today – the highlight of any trip to Cambodia! Hop on your transport for the day, a remork-moto (Cambodian Tuk-tuk) with an all-female crew from Drivers Srey, whose mission is to support local women with sustainable income to support their families. With a knowledgeable local guide at your side, you’ll be able to make the most of your visit to the world-famous complex, built between the 9th and 13th centuries when the Khmer Empire was the pre-eminent influence in Southeast Asia. The temples were believed to represent the cosmic world and were set in perfect balance, symmetry and composition and the ruins are scattered over some 160 square km. See Angkor Wat – the largest and most complete structure and the only one of Angkor's temples with a west-facing entrance, the Bayon and the jungle-covered Ta Prohm. There are spectacular photo opportunities at any time of day.
Included Activities:
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Day 7: Siem Reap
Location: Siem Reap
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Rise nice and early this morning to see the mighty Angkor Wat at sunrise, just as it did in ancient times (weather permitting). Then, continue your exploration of the complex on a day tour in a private van to experience the rest of the highlights at the Angkor complex. The rest of the day is free after the tour and recharge or take on an optional activity. Maybe get adventurous with the Angkor zip-line course, which gives you a birds-eye view of the beautiful rainforest. Or, you can get to the heart of Cambodia (through its food, of course) with a cooking class.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 8: Sambor Prei Kuk
Location: Sambor Prei Kuk
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: breaksfast, dinner
This morning, drive to Sambor Prei Kuk, your homestay for tonight. When you arrive, take a tour of the village with your local guide, who will introduce you to the way of life for the local people, as well as your homestay facilities and your hosts. The temple ruins nearby are some of the oldest in the country (dating back to the 6th century) and are well worth a visit during your free time this afternoon. If you prefer, you can cycle the village on a bike and see the villagers working the rice fields and making handicrafts. Tonight, sit down for a traditional Khmer dinner with your host family.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 9: Kampot
Location: Kampot
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Today, take a private transfer to Kampot – one of Cambodia's most attractive old towns. Famous for its pepper, Kampot supplied most French restaurants with this vital spice for many years during colonial rule. Today, the region is more renowned for its plantations of durian – a spiky, pungent fruit that you’ll either love or hate (try it and see for yourself). When you arrive, stroll along the riverside and aww the French architecture, learning about its history from your leader. Then, maybe have a cup of coffee on the veranda of one of the riverside restaurants and admire the view of Bokor Mountain Range. A traditional massage is also highly recommended here, from social enterprise Seeing Hands – the best way to support a local charity, is in loose cotton pyjamas, put in the capable hands of one of the blind masseurs or masseuses. In a country with no social security, the training and support provided by the centres allow blind Cambodians to support themselves.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 10: Kampot
Location: Kampot
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: lunch
Enjoy a day out in the countryside today and discover the jewels of the Kampot Province. Visit the Pepper Project and learn why Kampot pepper has been acknowledged by international chefs as the world’s best. Then, visit the Kampot salt field – the only salt field in Cambodia. A short walk through the rice fields and a climb provide a lovely outlook over the countryside. A few steps later and you enter the mouth of the Phnom Chhnork limestone cave that features a small 7th-century brick temple inside! Explore the old buildings near the Kep oceanfront – This town was the most popular and prestigious beach town from the early 1900s until the 1960s. During the Khmer Rouge years, many of Kep's mansions and villas were destroyed, but the ghostly remains of many still stand as a silent reminder.
Included Activities:
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Day 11-12: Koh Rong
Location: Koh Rong
Accommodation: Bunglow
Take a private bus to Sihanoukville, then continue by speedboat to Koh Rong Island – a Cambodian paradise perfect for relaxing on the white sands, blissing out in the cool ocean waters or jungle trekking the day away. Koh Rong is said to boast the best white sand beach in the country (a few seasons of the popular reality TV show Survivor were filmed here!). Enjoy the serenity and peace of this island with accommodation away from the chaos of tourists and over the next two days, enjoy free time and multiple opportunities for swimming, snorkelling, kayaking and chilling on the beach. Your leader will always be around for the best hot tips on what to do and where to eat.
Day 13: Phnom Penh
Location: Phnom Penh
Accommodation: Hotel
This morning, after you’re well-rested and refreshed from an island paradise, you’ll take a private vehicle back to Phnom Penh. When you arrive, the rest of the afternoon is free to explore or get in some last-minute shopping. Maybe take a walk on the riverfront at the Chatomok, where the Tonle Bassac, Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers meet. Maybe get your group together and end your Cambodian journey with a celebratory farewell dinner – in the early evening, market stalls sell some delicious local specialties.
Optional Activities:
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Day 14: Phnom Penh
Location: Phnom Penh
Meals Included: breaksfast
There are no activities planned today and your trip comes to an end. If you’d like to stay in Cambodia for longer, just speak to your booking agent.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Homestay (1 night), Hotel (12 nights) -
Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
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Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
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Battambang - countryside cycling tour and local snack tasting
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Siem Reap - Three day Angkor Pass
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Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
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Siem Reap - Sunrise at Angkor Wat
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Sambor Prei Kuk - Village Tour with local guide
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Sambor Prei Kuk - Traditional Khmer Dinner
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Kampot - Heritage walking tour
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Kampot - Countryside tour
What's Not Included
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Tipping and Gratuities
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International Travel
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Airport Transfers at Destination
Included Activities
- Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
- Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
- Homestay - Village Tour with local guide
- Sambor Prei Kuk - Traditional Khmer Dinner
- Siem Reap - Three day Angkor Pass
- Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
- Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
- Battambang - Rural Food and Cycle Tour
- Kampong Chhnang - Pottery Demonstration
- Kampot - Heritage walking tour
- Kampot - Countryside tour
Transport
- Private minibus , Speed Boat , Bicycle , Train , Remork-Moto (Tuk-tuk)
Accommodation
- HOTELS:
- Most of the accommodation on this trip is in hotels (mostly 2 to 3-star). Facilities are often basic, with some properties not having a continuous supply of hot water on occasion. All rooms are either fan cooled or with air conditioning and twin share with private facilities unless stated otherwise in the daily itinerary. Double beds are not widely available in South East Asia.
Important Information
- 1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Day 8 (Homestay) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
Mode of Transport
- Private minibus , Speed Boat , Public bus , Bicycle , Train , Remork-Moto (Tuk-tuk)
Check out our Q&As
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Is this trip right for you
You'll be spending a night with a local family on this trip. While the accommodation is shared and basic, this is a great opportunity to connect with the local people (and enjoy delicious home-cooked meals!). Read more about the experience here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/cambodia-homestay-experience
This trip uses a mixture of public and private transport for moving around in the country and has some long days of driving, so some patience will go a long way towards your enjoyment.
At times your accommodation may not have continuous hot water. Most travellers don't find this a problem and are often keen to cool down from the heat with a refreshing cold shower!
You will visit a number of temples on this trip, and this requires a level of modesty. Be sure to bring clothes that cover the arms and pants or skirts that go past the knees. A light scarf is also a good idea for covering shoulders and arms when it’s hot. -
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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Free Date Changes
Intrepid Travel allows you to make 10 free date changes, as long as the change is made at least 56 days before the start of the tour.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Intrepid Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform intrepid travel, 56 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Intrepid Travel requires a minimum deposit of 400 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of intrepid travel charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 60% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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Terms and Conditions