Siem Reap Explorer

Welcome to the Kingdom of Cambodia! 

On arrival at Siem Reap International Airport, you will be greeted by our airport representative, who will present you with a welcome packet including all necessary documentation and contact information of your guide and local offices, and provide the private vehicle transfer to your hotel. Cambodia is much more than temples. Its history is both inspiring and sobering, uplifting and heartbreaking. Visit Siem Reap’s magnificent temples, abandoned centuries ago by the Khmer kingdom and now surrounded by its lush forests. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner with a Cambodian Set Menu featuring a traditional Khmer Dance Performance at Por Cuisine (incl. one drink, choice of beer, soft drink, soda water, mineral water or juice.)

Rise early this morning and explore how the Cambodian people make Khmer rice noodles or Nom Banh Chok. Greet your guide and depart for Preah Dak village, one of the most beautiful villages nearby the temples. The village is popular in the entire region for its rice noodles and enjoy a bowl of Nom Banh Chok for your traditional breakfast before you continue to another small village and observe street vendors preparing palm sugar. Palm trees are very important for Khmer people as they use most of the plant, including the stem, leaves, trunk, fruits, and flowers. They create a palm juice with a distinct smell and flavour mainly for local consumption. Next, continue to Banteay Srei, which is one of the most romantic temples in Angkor. Built from pink sandstone, the walls are covered in exquisitely preserved carvings of unusual delicacy. Visit the Visitor Centre of APOPO and witness how Giant African Pouched Rats are being trained to save lives! APOPO’s visitor centre gives us the chance to discover the history of conflict in Cambodia and the impact of landmines on the local communities. We’ll even get the opportunity to meet and see the ‘hero-rats’ in action. After having performed in many countries around the world, the talented artists from the famous Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang have now brought their exciting and energetic circus show to Siem Reap. Watch this unique show which combines traditional and modern theatre, music, dance, and acrobatics. The beautifully choreographed and energetically performed show tells a story about contemporary Cambodian life in an ever-changing society.

This morning enjoy an incredible way to start a day by viewing a spectacular sunrise, a sacred blessing and an alfresco breakfast in a Buddhist temple! Wake before dawn and set off to the stunning Angkor Wat. While the crowds are flocking towards the front entrance, we’ll head to the quieter back entrance. Patiently wait while the sun slowly lightens the sky revealing the dark silhouette of the temple towers. We’ll then hop on bicycles for the scenic cycle along the ancient city walls to a hidden pagoda. Here we can immerse ourselves in Cambodia’s spiritual culture by meditating and chatting with the monks. After changing into a sarong, we’ll receive a sacred water blessing, a tradition as ancient as the temples themselves. While the monks chant, blessed water will slowly be poured on our heads to wish us good luck. By now, we’ll have worked up an appetite, and by a beautiful Buddhist temple, we’ll enjoy a delicious picnic breakfast in the open air. The fortified city of Angkor Thom covers an area of 10 square km, it is enclosed by a wall and wide moats, and the city includes many of Angkor’s most popular sights. Enter by the monumental South Gate over a causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. Continue to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper Kings, former spaces for public ceremonies, both adorned with dramatic bas reliefs. Visit the ruined Baphuon, Royal Enclosure and Phimeanakas before continuing to the mysterious Bayon Temple. In this temple, one of the most popular and compelling in Angkor, explore the galleries of beautifully preserved bas reliefs and ascend narrow stairs to reach the central sanctuary, where giant stone faces smile enigmatically down from every angle.

This morning after breakfast, enjoy a 1-hour drive to the floating village of Kampong Khleang, one of the largest settlements on the Tonle Sap Lake. Here you will be able to learn about Cambodian village life as well as interact with the locals who are making their living from the lake. (Please note: boats cannot operate near the floating village from March to July due to the water level.)

In the afternoon, visit Ta Prohm Temple, one of the most popular attractions of Angkor as much of the jungle has not been cleared and it looks very much as most of the Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first stumbled across them.

Enjoy your last few hours of leisure before you meet your guide who will provide the private vehicle transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for your onward flight.