Family Trip to Cambodia 10 Days, 9 Nights

Arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport and be welcomed by an English speaking guide. Transfer by private car to the hotel in the heart of the city.
Considered one of the most beautiful cities in the Orient, Phnom Penh continues to retain a colonial charm. Wide tree-lined boulevards and many colonial-era buildings reflect these glorious days and add to the allure of the city.

Check in to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

(Check in time is 14.00 – Early check in is upon availability)

Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Phnom Penh today; explore sites such as the Royal Palace, National Museum, Silver Pagoda and Wat Phnom.

The Royal Palace: Built in 1866 by the French these ornate buildings are the official residence of the reigning Cambodian royal family and King Sihamoni. View the Throne Hall and Silver Pagoda.
National Museum: Located just north of the Royal Palace, the National Museum of Cambodia is housed in a graceful terracotta structure of traditional design (built from 1917 to 1920), with an inviting courtyard garden. The museum is home to the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture: a millennium’s worth and more of masterful Khmer design.
Silver Pagoda: This concrete and marble structure includes a floor with over 5,000 silver tiles each weighing 1kg. Famous artifacts include a 90kg solid gold Buddha made in 1907 and an Emerald Buddha said to be made of baccarat crystal.
Wat Phnom: Home to a hilltop temple that carries the cities namesake. Locals flock here to pray for good luck and success.

Finish the tour you will be transferred back to your hotel to relax. Free time to have dinner at your own arrangement.

You embark on a 1.5 hour cruise over Mekong River to reach Koh Dach island, a place which is known for its silk. Once on the island it felt like another world, it was completely still and peaceful. You will go past houses on stilts, cows taking shelter underneath, chickens and dogs mooching about then visit a silk “factory” where they do everything from grow and breed the silk worms to weaving the silk into beautiful fabrics.

Lunch will be prepared by a local Khmer family. Spending your time wandering around after lunch and in the afternoon you will come back to Phnom Penh. On the way to the hotel you drop by the splendid Russian market. Located in the Southern side of Phnom Penh city, Russian Market aka Psah Toul Tom Poung is a bustling bazaar that offers travelers spectacular glimpses of local Cambodians’ livelihoods, comprehensive variety of value-for-money souvenirs and endless photographic opportunities.

The Russian Market was extremely popular amongst the Russian expatriates in the 1980s, hence gaining its apt name. From processed fishes, motorcycle spare parts, knock-off merchandise to even nail parlors, you can find virtually every item and service available here. When in Cambodia, Psah Toul Tom Poung is a must to visit.

Today with the help of your private guide, driver and private vehicle you will get to explore Breakfast at hotel then you’ll travel through beautiful rice fields and sugar palms before reaching out Kampong Chhnang town to see the work of making traditional pottery. The city of Kompong Chhnang is split between the sleepy centre and the lively dockside on the Tonle Sap River.

Traditional Angkorian pottery has been resurrected in Kampong Chhnang, with villagers mixing ancient knowledge with modern techniques, a new exhibition illustrates.
Chhnang!, which means ‘pot’, tells the story of how villagers struggling to sell inferior earthenware products learned traditional methods in order to make their goods more attractive.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we get on a local motorboat cruising over scenic floating villages. Arrive at Battambang at the end of the day.

Today your family experiences the hidden charming town of Battambang by bike.
After breakfast have a quick bike safety tutorial and learn some basic Khmer and you’re off. You will spend your day exploring the beautiful countryside around Battambang by bicycle. Meet families that make traditional products such as rice paper, dried banana, bamboo sticky rice, fish paste and rice wine. Have a refreshing snack break in a traditional house with fresh fruit and coconuts. You will learn first-hand about everyday life in rural communities which make up over 70% of Cambodia’s population.

You will continue on to enjoy a delicious Cambodian lunch at a family home. Then visit a Buddhist Temple to gain an understanding the principles and practices of a religion that is central to Cambodian life. To round out your education, end the day learning about Cambodian history through French colonial architectural sites.

Breakfast at hotel then you will transfer from Battambang to Siemreap. On the way visiting Angkor National Museum (The Angkor National Museum curates a comprehensive collection of relics from the ancient Angkor Empire ) before checking in hotel.

Today with the help of your private guide, driver and private vehicle you will get to explore the town’s major attractions.

Angkor Thom: was the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8 m high wall, drawing a perfect square. Enter the city through the ancient South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and four giant faces.
Ta Prohm: Swallowed by the jungle where Strangler Figs and Kapok Trees have entwined themselves around the ruins. Undoubtedly, the most atmospheric ruin at Angkor with several towers, closed courtyards and narrow corridors to explore. Angkor Thom – This fortified city is flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side, which leads you through a 23- metre imposing stone entrance gate to the various temples inside.
Bayon: Beautifully crafted central towers, decorated with four opposing faces representing King Jayavarman VII. Bayon’s stone galleries display extraordinary basreliefs incorporating over 11,000 figures.
Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King: Giant viewing platforms used for public ceremonies, which served as a base for the King’s grand audience hall.
Angkor Wat: Surrounded by a 190-metre moat and taking 30 years to build, Angkor Wat represents the Khmer civilisation at its grandest. With its fascinating decorative flourishes, extensive bas-relief and multiple tiers, it is the best-preserved temple within the complex. Angkor Wat is well known for the more than 2,000 Apsara dancers decorating the temple. Construction is thought to have taken around thirty years of intensive labor. Today, Angkor Wat is figured on Cambodia’s national flag as the temple symbolizes the soul of the Khmer people.

We will end up our day by enjoying the sunset view from the top of Phnom Bakheng Hill with a panoramic view of Western Baray and Angkor Wat.

In the morning we enjoy a guided tour to BanteaySrei with the most stunning carved lintels at Angkor and BanteaySamre, a fortified temple built by Suryavarman II and located far away from the normal temple crowds.

Banteay Srei: Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, Banteay Srei is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone carving anywhere on Earth. Banteay Srei means ‘Citadel of the Women’, and it is said that it must have been built by a woman, as the elaborate carvings are supposedly too fine for the hand of a man. Classic carvings at Banteay Srei include delicate women with lotus flowers in hand and traditional skirts clearly visible, as well as breathtaking re-creations of scenes from the epic Ramayana adorning the library pediments (carved inlays above a lintel).

Then we will go to Phnom Kulen National Park. Phnom Kulen is a huge plateau around 50km from Siem Reap and about 15km from BanteaySrei. We will visit the Buddhist temple perched on a rock 40 meters high with a large reclining Buddha inside, the most sacred and important place of pilgrimage for Cambodians. The main attraction is the waterfalls at the top of Kulen Mountain and it’s also a great picnic spot; well set up in Cambodian style with hammocks and shelters to keep you shaded from the sun. Enjoy swimming under the waterfalls.

Finish the tour, returning to the hotel and the rest of your day is free at leisure.

Breakfast at the hotel, depending on your departure flight you will be transfer to the airport for your flight home.