8 Day Cambodia Tour Package

Breakfast at your hotel.

Visit to the Royal Palace compound build in 1866 by the Predecessors of King Norodom, is the most conspicuous feature and also one of impressive colorful Khmer-style Palaces. Nearside the Royal Palace is Silver Pagoda (The Emerald Buddha temple), display plenty of Buddha Statues that were decorated and made by diamond, emerald, gold and silver. Continue to National Museum, the distinctive red building with a beautiful Khmer architecture was built since 1917 and contains more than 5000 art objects made of sandstone, bronze, silver, copper, wood and others. Travelers will proceed to visit Independence Monument, which was constructed in 1954 after Cambodian took their country back from French colony. At noon, we’ll visit Phsar Thmey “The Central Market”, a large market constructed in 1937 in the shape of a dome with four arms branching out into vast hallways with countless stalls of goods. The four wings of this gigantic yellow dome are teeming with stalls that sell goods ranging from gold and silver, antique coins, money exchange, books, flowers, food, fabrics, shoes, souvenirs, seafood and countless other products. Next, we head to visit Wat Phnom “Mountain Pagoda” is a Buddhist temple that symbolizes the name of Phnom Penh, located on the hill. According to legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in 1372 to house four statues of Buddha deposited here by the waters of the Mekong River and discovered by Lady Penh. Wat Phnom is the most popular place for local people come to play healthy spot or praying for their good luck as well as admire the sundown.

In late afternoon, enjoy Join Sunset Cruise on Mekong a to view Royal Palace over river, it bursts into 4 branches. Overnight in Phnom Penh.

After breakfast, a quick glance at Cheung Ek may not indicate what kinds of horrors that have taken place here. Situated 17km from Phnom Penh town, Cheung Ek, made famous by the movie “The Killing Fields”, is now the site of a large memorial built to commemorate the 17,000 victims who died here under the reign of Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot. The remnants inside the memorial and the mass graves that dot the area remind you of the suffering of the victims. This journey into Cambodia’s past will provide you with a background on the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge regime. It will also give you an appreciation of the struggle that Cambodian people have faced and their tremendous courage to move on and rebuild their nation.

We will learn about the dark side of Cambodia – Its more recent turbulent and harrowing history. Initially you visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S21), ironically a former school, located in a quiet Phnom Penh suburb, this was the infamous Khmer Rouge prison / torture center. We will stop by Russian Market, Bustling market with vendors selling a wide array of souvenirs, clothing & other goods, plus food.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Morning departure in a north-west direction to Battambang, first stop at Phnom Udong, the ancient Cambodian capital during the latter stages of the Khmer Empire and crowning site of many past kings. Consisting of a series of stupas atop a large hill, there are outstanding views across the surrounding plains below. Phnom Udong was bombed and desecrated by the Americans and then the Khmer Rouge, but still possesses a beauty that no war has been able to steal from it. Having had time to explore, continue to Kompong Chhnang, taking the time to stop at a pottery village before continuing further north to Pursat Province, famous for its marble stone carvings. Departure to Phnom Sampeu Mountain to catch the bats! As darkness falls, we will begin to see thousands of nocturnal bats taking flight from the surrounding caves in a massive formation of dark, black clouds. Be sure to photograph this amazing and staggering sight! Overnight in Battambang.

After breakfast, we drive to the Bamboo Railway Station. The Bamboo Train has been set up by the villagers to facilitate the transportation of goods and people. The train in itself is very basic – one platform on 4 wheels activated by a small motor. Sitting on the platform we travel the 8km to the next station through beautiful landscape and rice paddies. We travel further to the well-preserved 11th century mountain top Angkorian temple of Phnom Banan. After climbing the 350+ steps you are treated to a wonderfully peaceful setting with superb views across the surrounding countryside, with small villages dotting the endless rice paddies, punctuated with the characteristic sugar palm trees a wonderful sunset location.

We leave Battambang and drive towards Siem Reap. Stopping at Puok District to visit the National Silk Centre, a fascinating way to learn about Cambodian silk. Here we will spend some time and witness start-to-finish silk creation, growing and harvesting mulberry and the breeding process and the life cycle of the silk worm. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Enjoy breakfast at hotel.

We drive to Angkor Thom that was the masterpiece of King Jayavarman VII. Following the occupation of Angkor by the Chams from 1177 to 1181, the new king decided to build an impregnable fortress at the heart of his empire. Overnight in Siem Reap.

We begin to visit Bayon Temple. At the exact center of Angkor Thom, this is an eccentric expression of the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s most celebrated king.

Photo stop at Terrace of the Leper King. Along the Terrace of Elephants, originally used as a viewing gallery for the king to preside over parades, performances and traditional sports. At the southern end lies the Baphuon, once of the most beautiful temples at Angkor, dating from the reign of Uditayavarman 1 in the 11th century. Visit the picturesque Ta Prohm that had nearly disappeared into the jungle and remains overgrown, an oddly haunting and exotic scene. The magnificent roots of a tree, pushing between the huge stone blocks of the temple in a sort of embrace, evoke feelings that you may remember forever. We journey out to the mother of all temples, Angkor Wat. Believed to be the world's largest religious building, this temple is the perfect fusion of symbolism and symmetry and a source of pride and strength to all Khmers.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

We’ll escape the heat of the city by driving 48kms North of Siem Reap to visit the holy Kulen Mountains, also referred to as Phnom Kulen (“Mountain of the Lychees”) by locals. The sandstone from this mountain was the main supplier of construction materials for the Angkor Kingdom. We’ll stop at the sacred site of The River of a Thousand Lingas, which features hundreds of lingas carved in the sandstone bed of the river, which date back to the 9th century. Further downstream, large blocks of stone, also under water, are carved with Apsaras dancers and Vishnu figures. Next on the agenda is a wander around the mountain-top pagoda which is home to relics, statues and a large reclining Buddha. The last mountain stop will be Kulen Waterfall, featuring a natural pool which is the perfect place to cool off on a hot day and a great picnic spot too, so that’s what we’ll do. We return to Siem Reap in afternoon.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

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.

Transfer to Siem Reap airport for departure to next destination. It’s time to say goodbye, we thank you for traveling with us and warmly welcome you to come again.