Full Board-Meals, Accommodation, Transport, Guide, Admission Fees and Tours
Introduction
Your starting point in Siem Reap is the gateway to the fabled temples of Angkor. Opulent resorts and sophisticated restaurants, designer bars and exclusive shops are evidence that Siem Reap is very much back on the map. The temples of Angkor are a profound experience, as few sights on earth can match the majesty of Angkor Wat, nature unleashed at Ta Prohm or the mysterious faces of the Bayon. You also travel to the old capital of Koh, visit the sleeping jungle-clad ruin of Beng Mealea, a prototype for Angkor Wat and enjoy a lifestyle visit to the floating villages of the Great Lake.
In Brief
✦ Day 1: Arrival Phnom Penh. Royal Palace and National Museum
✦ Day 2: Tuol Sleng and Killing Fields, Lunch at PSE and Boat trip
✦ Day 3: Travel to Kratie.
✦ Day 4: Morning Dolphin Watching. Travel to Mondulkiri.
✦ Day 5: Bou Sraa Waterfall and minority villages.
✦ Day 6: Elephant Trekking Trip at Green House.
✦ Day 7: Travel from Mondulkiri to Phnom Penh.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Siem Reap and Free in afternoon {B}
Upon arrival Phnom Penh airport, you will be warmly welcome by one of our professional tour guide who will bring you to check in hotel. In the afternoon, we explore the stunning Royal Palace complex, home to the Cambodian royal family and a symbol of the nation. We enter the Throne Hall where the royal receptions are held, see the Napoleon III Pavilion made from iron, a gift from the French emperor in the 19th century and continue to the Silver Pagoda, named after the 5000 silver tiles covering the floor, each weighing 1kg. There is also a delicate emerald Buddha made of baccarat crystal, which gives the temple its Khmer name of Wat Preah Keo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). We leave the Royal Palace and continue to the nearby National Museum, home to the world’s finest collection of sculpture from the Angkor period. Overnight in Phnom Penh
Day 2: Tuol Sleng and Killing Fields. Lunch at PSE and Sunset Boat Trip {B/L}
We come face to face with the horrific crimes of the Khmer Rouge. Tuol Sleng was a former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a centre for interrogation, torture and death. Today it is a museum of torture and serves to remind visitors of the terrible atrocities that came to pass in Cambodia. 17,000 people passed through the gates of this prison and only seven lived to tell the tale. We then travel out of town to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. Prisoners from Tuol Sleng followed this same route to their fate. An old Chinese cemetery, Choeung Ek was turned into an extermination camp for political prisoners. We have lunch in the capital at PSE (a French NGO supporting children from the garbage dump) where their Lotus Blanc restaurant serves excellent international and Asian cuisine. The clients can then take a tour of the PSE facilities where both schooling and work/life skills are available to the children and youths as a way of escaping the poverty of their lives spent on the city is main garbage dump. In the late afternoon, we board a local boat for a sunset cruise on the river. We set off on the Tonle Sap River, which famously reverses direction each year, acting as the world’s largest natural flood barrier for the Mekong River. We cruise past the Royal Palace compound and around the Chrouy Changvar Peninsular on to the mighty Mekong River. We cruise past small villages and see fishing boats preparing their catch. We return to Phnom Penh after dark. Overnight in Phnom Penh
Day 3: Travel to Kratie {B}
We leave Phnom Penh and travel northeast to the bustling provincial city of Kompong Cham. En route, We stop to visit the ‘fusion’ temple of Wat Nokor, an 11th century sandstone temple with a colourful modern wat set in its central courtyard. We then enjoy a local lunch in Kompong Cham. We then reach Kratie, a sleepy Mekong port and gateway to an encounter with the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin that inhabit the upper reaches of the Mekong in Cambodia. Overnight in Kratie
Day 4: Morning Dolphin Watching. Travel to Mondulkiri {B}
After breakfast in Kratie, we travel to Kampi, one of the many deep pools where the rare freshwater Irrawaddy river dolphins gather to feed. We board a local boat and cruise out into the mighty Mekong for a chance encounter with these gentle creatures. Viewing is commonplace, although it is easier to see the dolphins in the shallower waters of the dry season, than in the swollen river of the wet season. After enjoying an hour or more of dolphin viewing, we then travel south towards the small junction town of Snuol, our gateway to the wilds of Mondulkiri. On arrival in Sen Monorom, we check into a comfortable local hotel for the night. Overnight in Mondulkiri
Day 5: Bou Sraa Waterfall and Minority Villages {B}
We leave Sen Monorom after breakfast and head east towards the double drop waterfall of Bou Sraa, one of the most famous in Cambodia. Along the way, we stop at a Pnong minority village to learn a little about their way of life. We may be invited to drink some rice wine, as Pnong villagers are extremely hospitable and welcoming of outsiders.We continue to Bou Sraa and explore the falls. It is possible to access both drops and there are swimming opportunities for those who want to take the plunge. We enjoy a picnic at the falls and then continue east to the village of Pichenda on the other side of the river. We return to Sen Monorom later in the day, perhaps stopping to visit another minority village along the way. Overnight in Mondulkiri
Day 6: Elephant Trekking at Green House {B}
✦ 8:00am we go by car to one village call POULUNG where the Phnong people live.
✦ 8:30am we visit the minority house and learn about their elephants and listen to stories about elephant and we help train the elephant!
✦ 9:00am go by elephant to the jungle and we can see the rice farm and we will cross a river!
✦ 11:30am we arrive at the waterfall. We get off from elephant and look for good place to have lunch near the waterfall!
✦ 12:30 pm go looking for elephant at the jungle where they eat and bring them back to the waterfall!
✦ 1:30pm take a swim at the waterfall and go help to clean the elephant in the river!
✦ 2:30pm take the tour back to the village and we cross the river again!
✦ 4:30pm arrive at the village! Overnight in Mondulkiri
Day 7: Travel from Mondulkiri to Phnom Penh {B}
We leave behind the wilds of Mondulkiri, we travel provincial city of Kompong Cham, nestled on the banks for the Mekong. We pass through Cambodia’s rubber country on the way, vast plantations that were originally established by the French and are once again being redeveloped. There may be the opportunity to stop along the way and learn about how the rubber is tapped. After lunch at in town, we continue towards the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. We arrive in the city and check into our hotel.
What is In:
✦ All sightseeing and transfer services as detailed in our itinerary
✦ Accommodation in confirmed room category and named hotels
✦ Meals: daily breakfast at hotel only or as specified (drinks not included)
✦ English-speaking local guides (or the relevant language requested)
✦ All entrance fees as detailed in our itinerary
✦ Private air-conditioned vehicle with drinking water during sightseeing
✦ Boat trips as specified
What is Not:
✦ Tour services not detailed in our itinerary
✦ All meals not specified and no drinks except complimentary water
✦ International departure taxes
✦ Visa fees
✦ All International flight tickets
✦ Overweight luggage
✦ Early Hotel check-in/ Late check-out
✦ Expenditure of a personal nature
✦ Tips and gratuities
✦ Other services not listed in What is In
✦ Travel insurance (cover against all cancellation costs, medical expense, including repatriation in the event of accident or illness).
Tour Code: 2WT-NE- 7D6N
