7 Days Private Tour in Cambodia with Culture and Nature Discovery

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Siem Reap Airport Pick-up
1 stop
1
Siem Reap
Welcome to Siem Reap! The Cambodia E-Arrival Card is the only way to declare entry now, which can be filled out by scanning the QR code after landing or on its APP within one week before arriving. After customs clearance, you will meet your guide in the arrival hall and be escorted to the hotel. It takes about 1 hour from the new airport east of Siem Reap to downtown, and our air-conditioned private car is superior to a 40-dollar taxi ride and airport coaches that run in very long intervals.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Siem Reap Small Circuit: Angkor Wat Sunrise, Bayon Temple, Phnom Bakheng Sunset
1 stop
2
Angkor Wat
★ Unique Service: Flexible Day to Watch Angkor Wat Sunrise & Breakfast Picnic Your private Cambodia tour will start with the stunning sunrise view at Angkor Wat. The day to see sunrise can be flexibly adjusted throughout your days in Siem Reap according to the weather. ­ Angkor Wat, the best-preserved temple complex in Angkor remains. First, you will get to Bayon Temple at the center of Angkor Thom, famous for the “Khmer Smile” of Buddha statues. Head northwest and you will see Baphuon Temple, which has an extremely complex design. Then comes the Terrace of the Elephants, engraved with many pachyderms. Today’s last spot is Bakheng Temple atop Bakheng Mountain, where you can enjoy the amazing sunset view. We arrange a Khmer dishes buffet with Apsara Show as the dinner.
6 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 3
Siem Reap in Depth: Preah Kahn, Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm & Tonle Sap Lake Cruise
4 stops
3
Preah Khan Temple
Today, we will visit iconic temples in Angkor Wat grand and outer circuits. You will first be guided to Preah Kahn, whose name originates from the legend that Khmer prince Jayavarman II gave his successor a sword. The two-layer building said to store the sword is a must-see site in the temple since it has an uncommonly-seen Mediterranean architecture in Angkor temples. A monument filled with various spiral structures stands in the center of the temple. A hole on the monument introduces light as if diamonds are falling off the sky, and your guide will tell you how to photograph like you are holding the diamonds.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
4
Banteay Srei
Next, we will drive 40 minutes to Banteay Srei, honored as the “Diamond of Angkor” because of its delicate carvings. Unlike other Angkor temples, Banteay Srei was built in red sandstones, and no one could fail to be shocked at first sight by its surpassingly vivid color. Despite its small area, its lifelike carvings deliver interesting Hindu myths on almost every stone, attracting you to linger.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
5
Ta Prohm
Have lunch and then continue to explore Ta Prohm, widely known as the location of the film Tomb Raider, where the silk-cotton tree that wrapped the pagoda is nicknamed Tomb Raider Tree. Ta Prohm is one of the few temples suitable for visiting at noon; you will not be exposed to the sun but will gravitate toward the light shining through the leaves onto the ruins, indulging in the mysterious temple.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
6
Tonle Sap Lake
Drive for 1 hour and come to the last highlight of today - a boat ride around a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. You will see people fishing in the lake, children swimming, and their school, hospital and church on the lake. They lived on the lake for generations and must do so. How did they start to live here? Why are they restricted to living on the lake? Your guide will account for their stories to you. The rest station in the lake's center, where you can see farmed crocodiles, is available for drinks, food and souvenirs, and we arrive just in time to appreciate the sunset.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
Day 4
Siem Reap to Battambang: Bamboo Train Experience & Killing Caves on Phnom Sampeau
3 stops
7
Battambang
Say goodbye to Siem Reap, and we will leave for Battambang today. After a 3.5 to 4-hour drive, you will be transferred to the hotel for lunch and a short break. Battambang has Cambodia's most-preserved French colonial buildings, so we plan a walking tour to meet them, with the governor’s residence - a mansion house built in French colonial times - as the most quintessential, and many nearby colonial buildings are used as stores or galleries.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
8
You must have taken a train, but have you ever taken a bamboo train? A thick bamboo board, barbell-like iron wheels, and an engine compose a bamboo train with the highest speed of 25 miles per hour. You will be astonished by the wisdom of the Cambodian people when passing by rice fields and thickets on the bamboo train
30 minutes • Admission ticket included
9
At the end of today’s itinerary, we will climb up the Phnom Sampeau of over 700 stairs. Wat Phnom Sampeau atop it features a unique Khmer rooftop and detailed murals. From the top, you can view the vast paddy fields, the "Chicken Mountain" and "Duck Mountain" in the northwest, and many other hills named after animals. On the mountainside are Killing Caves used by the Khmer Rouge to execute “prisoners”, as their name suggests. Our later itinerary in Phnom Penh will provide more chances to know about the Khmer Rouge. We will go down to the foot before sunset to watch another stunning scene - millions of bats flying out of caves, forming a black whirlwind lasting over 30 minutes. Places under the bats’ route smell bad and might have falling objects, so please keep your hat on.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 5
Battambang - Kampong Chhnang - Oudong Mountain - Phnom Penh
2 stops
10
To ease the fatigue of the 5-hour drive to Phnom Penh, we'll plan scenic breaks at Kampong Chhnang and Oudong Mountain to add a touch of excitement to our long road trip. It is a 3-hour ride to Kampong Chhnang first, meaning the “Port of Pottery”, so you will be escorted to watch pottery-making, as well as rice wine-making. However, it is advisable not to taste or buy rice wine since adulterated rice wine is ubiquitous.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
11
After another 1-hour drive, you will get to Oudong Mountain, which has a village fair at its foot, crowded with peddlers selling local specialties, a straw shed canteen on its mountainside cooking Cambodian cuisine, and a stupa on its top. You need to reach the stupa barefoot, so wear shoes that are easy to take on and off if you want to have a close visit.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Phnom Penh: Visit Royal Palace, National Museum, Tuol Sleng & Choeung Ek Killing Field
3 stops
12
Royal Palace
Today, you will have a full-day tour of Phnom Penh to delve into Cambodia’s glory and dark. The first destination is the Royal Palace, whose oldest buildings date back to the 19th century under the assistance of France; that’s why the architectural complex manifests both Khmer style and European style. There are many pigeons on the plaza suitable for photos. You may also catch the king going out or meet the prince walking with his kids, and they will greet you kindly.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
13
Next, follow the guide to explore the National Museum of Cambodia, just north of the Royal Palace. Admire its striking red-clay architecture and step inside to discover a vast collection of more than 14,000 artifacts. Observe exhibits ranging from the pre-Angkor era to modern times, and don't miss the wealth of informative videos.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
14
Do you remember the Killing Cave in Battambang? Now, you will learn more about the brutal regime - the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979), by visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Genocidal Center. Tuol Sleng was used to interrogate “prisoners” suspected of treason, among which nearly 20,000 were executed and only 12 survived. Your guide will narrate a more detailed history of that dark period during your visit. Two of the 12 survivors occasionally come here and share their stories; if so, you can take a photo with them, and your guide can help you talk with them. Before leaving, you can write your strong feelings in the comments book with words from worldwide visitors. Choeung Ek Killing Fields, where people imprisoned in Tuol Sleng were executed, has become a memorial place with a pagoda. One side of the pagoda is made of resin glass and contains over 5,000 skulls, appalling everyone who faces them.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 7
Depart from Phnom Penh
1 stop
15
Phnom Penh
It is time to say goodbye to Cambodia. Your driver and guide will pick you up from the hotel, taking 30 to 40 minutes to Phnom Penh International Airport. The airport is not large, so don’t worry about clearance time. Wish you a delightful journey!
1 hour • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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