16 Days Cambodia in Focus with Koh Rong Island Getaway

ITINERARY

Day 1: Phnom Penh | Arrive in Phnom Penh

International Flight: Excluded
Meals: Dinner
Welcome to Cambodia! Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, our guide will meet and greet you at the airport welcome area and then transfer to your hotel for check-in.

Nearing the dusk, enjoy a dinner cruise with a unique overview of Phnom Penh, from Wat Phnom to Royal Palace and Mekong crossing.

Accommodation: La Rose Suites

Day 2: Phnom Penh | Colonial Heritages | The Killing Fields and the S21

Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, our guide will take you traveling through the streets of Phnom Penh to uncover the history of capital called the “Pearl of Asia”. Start at Independence Monument for a stop and then pass the Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house, which is nearby. Continue to the National Bank of Cambodia and the Phnom Penh Post Office. Visit the Old National Library. Then go past Raffles Hotel Le Royal, a historic property which shows French architecture, and the nearby Phnom Penh Railway Station. Next, you’ll visit Wat Phnom, the hill where the capital first began. Stop at the Central Market to see a local market and perhaps bargain for some clothing or souvenir. Then visit the Old French Embassy and have the guide tell you about it’s history. Next, stop at the UNESCO Office, which was a historic building during colonial times. Then proceed on the river road to see FCC Restaurant and continue to the Royal Palace Park. Feel free to stop for pictures along the way and to ask questions to the guide.

The Largest Killing Field in Cambodia

Continue the tour in the afternoon to Choeung Ek – The Killing Fields. When you enter the gardens and site, the serenity and beauty of nature reflect the healing and reforms the nation has undergone since the time of the atrocities committed here. During the Pol Pot regime, this site was used to execute and dump the dead bodies of those who were deemed enemies of the government. It has since been converted into a national reminder for foreigners and locals alike to the need for governments to be controlled through tools of democracy and constitutions. Next, return to the city and discover Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. Prior to 1975; Toul Sleng was a high school – a set of classroom building in a walled compound. When Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, they converted into the S-21 prison. End of tour return back hotel.

Accommodation: La Rose Suites

Day 3: Phnom Penh – Kratie | National Museum and Royal Palace | Travel to Countryside of Cambodia

Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, you will be transferred to visit the National Museum. You will see the large collection of Khmer history, arts, and architecture. After that, you will also visit the Silver Pagoda, which has 5,000 silver tiles on the floor. You’ll finish the tour with a visit to the Royal Palace, a large complex of ornate Khmer royal-styled buildings where many of the treasures and relics of Cambodia are housed and where the Khmer royal family lives. At the end of the tour, you’ll be escorted back to your hotel.

Phnom Penh Royal Palace

After lunch, take a private vehicle into the Cambodian countryside. You’ll make a few choices stops along the way. The first stop will be the ancient stone ruins of Nokor. The ancient ruins feature Hindu carvings which have retained much of their detail. Then continue to the nearby bamboo bridge which crosses the Mekong River to Pen Island. The bridge is over a kilometer across and has to be rebuilt by locals every year due to the rainy season flooding. Then proceed to the Chup Rubber Plantation to see vast rows of rubber trees at one of the largest rubber plantations in the country.

Continue onward through the scenic countryside until you reach Kratie town(4-5hours from Phnom Penh). Check into the hotel and relax for the evening.

Accommodation: Rajabori Villas

Day 4: Kratie | Life on Mekong River | Canoeing with Mekong Dolphins

Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, you’ll take a ferry to Koh Trong, an island in the middle of Mekong.

Mekong Dolphins

After lunch, travel North to the Kampi Dolphin Pool, the most populated dolphin site. About halfway you will pass the famous sticky rice and pickled raw fish producing villages. Continuing further North is the Kampi Dolphin Pool, the largest dolphin pool on the Mekong river. The afternoon is the ideal time to view the rare Irrawaddy dolphins from your kayak. You’ll go on a trip with several others by kayak down the Mekong through mangrove forests and past remote villages. The kayak trip finishes with dolphin spotting at the Kampi Dolphin Pool. There are only around 85 dolphins in the Mekong, but due to their size and school formations, there is a very good chance to see them at Kampi, especially during the dry season. Then you’ll visit some handicraft sellers at the site who are artisans of wood. Stop to watch a local artisan carve his next masterpiece.

Return to Kratie and enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Accommodation: Rajabori Villas

Day 5: Kratie – Mondulkiri | Mountain Road Trip to Mondolkiri | Explore the Highlights

Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, transfer to Mondolkiri(3-4hours) – an area with brimming jungles located near the Vietnam border. Check in at the hotel. Have lunch and then go to see the ancient tribal Bunong. Learn about their animist beliefs, witness their distinctly green apparel, and see their unique thatch houses. Nowadays, the Bunong are subsistence farmers growing rice, bananas, cashews and sweet potatoes.

Continue to a coffee plantation set next to a lake. Learn about the cultivation process of coffee beans, and then have a cup of coffee next to the lake, if you like. You may also stop at a nearby pepper farm.

Continue to a stunning viewpoint overlooking Prech Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary to watch the sunset. Then return to the hotel for some leisure time in the evening.

Accommodation: Mayura Hill Resort

Day 6: Mondulkiri | Befriending with Gentle Giant of Asia

Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, our guide and driver will transfer you to the Elephant Valley Project. Spend the day with elephants and meet the families who care for them. You’ll receive a safety briefing on how to act around the elephants. The staff is also available for questions about the stories of the different elephants. Then take a hike through the jungle with the project staff to meet the elephants. Bath the elephants in one of the streams(subject to seasonal conditions). You’ll enjoy lunch at the project. The full-day tour finishes around 4 PM. Then our guide will return you back to the hotel for leisure time.

Asian Elephants

Accommodation: Mayura Hill Resort

Day 7: Mondulkiri – Ratanakiri | Mountain Road Trip to Ratanakiri | Volcano Crater Lake

Meals: Breakfast
Start in the morning with a scenic road trip to Ratanakiri(3-4hours) – the far Northeast province located near the lush Virachey National Park.

Continue to the hotel for check-in. Spend the afternoon visiting the Volcano Crater Lake at the only dormant volcano located in Cambodia. The lake is home to many exotic birds and surrounded by thick rainforests. The shape of the lake is nearly a perfect circle. You’ll be able to take a trek on the jungle trail around the lake(0.7km). Then feel free to swim or stop by the visitor center. The Lake Yeak Laom is surprisingly clear due to its depth at the center. When you’re ready, return back to the hotel.

Accommodation: Terres Rouges Lodge

Day 8: Ratanakiri – Siem Reap | Transfer to Siem Reap | Trekking Sopheakmitt Waterfalls

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Set out early in the morning to begin your transfer to Siem Reap. Along the way, stop at the Anglung Chheuteal ferry station. The guide will explain about during the French colonial days when they were unable to connect a train railway between Laos and Cambodia. The falls prevented any boats from navigating the Mekong up into China. Instead, they built the railway tracks across the islands on the Mekong, then continued the tracks on the Cambodia side. Train cars were lowered down onto ferries one by one and taken across the Mekong. Once received on the Cambodia side, they pulled the train cars back onto the tracks and continued their journey to the sea for shipping. Start your trek from the terminal along a dirt road to the Sopheakmitt Falls(Li Phi Falls). This waterfall (also called Khone Phapheng Falls) stretches along 9.7km of the Mekong. You’ll see one of the most powerful rapids from a viewing point. Then continue onward to Siem Reap.

Sopheakmitt Waterfalls

Be prepared to enjoy a beautiful traditional dance performed by a team trained in the Dance of Apsara.

This unique cultural experience highlights the mysterious civilization and heritage of Khmer spoken through choreography and music. Colorful costumes and playful activities will give you insights into the Khmer daily life and wedding traditions while you enjoy a delicious meal to welcome you to the Kingdom of Wonders.

The rest of the evening is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 9: Siem Reap | Angkor Thom Ancient Capital

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, you’ll begin your explorations of the remains of an ancient civilization that once ruled much of Southeast Asia. Today, you’ll be visiting the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom. On your way to Angkor Thom, you’ll catch a glimpse of the front of Angkor Wat as you pass by, which will leave you with a tingling feeling on the back of your neck as you take your first glance of the enormity and wonder of the largest religious complex to ever exist.

However, we’ll be saving the best for last as you go on today to see some other equally impressive structures of Ta Prohm Temple, Bayon Temple, Banteay Kdei, Baphoun, Elephant Terrace, Leper King Terrace, and the Royal Palace.

Taprohm Jungle Temple

First on the agenda is Ta Prohm. Worn by time, rain, and overpowered by the jungle, this immaculate structure is hidden under canopy will leave you feeling like you’ve stepped into the movie set of a treasure hunt adventure. Your private tour guide will give you the history and stories passed through oral tradition.

Ta Prohm Jungle Temple – 16 Days Cambodia Focus Koh Rong Island Getaway

After you’ve had lunch, your exploits will continue as you visit Banteay Kdei (“Citadel of Chambers”). You’ll also visit Victory Gate, Terrace of the Leper King, the Royal Palace, Baphuon and Bayon. Bayon sets itself apart with its almost 200 smiling faces, sure to make you feel welcome on your second day to the Kingdom of Wonders. With its winding tunnels, chambers, and daring climbs, Bayon will give you many picturesque moments to keep your camera busy.

As the sun approaches the horizon, you’ll enjoy a sunset from the top of the pyramid-shaped temple of Pre Rup. After sunset, you’ll be taken back to your hotel for the evening.

In the evening, you’ll go to visit Phare Cambodian Circus. Be amazed by stunts and choreography unique to Cambodia’s performing arts. You’ll watch as a story written by locals is acted out with an impressive stage show. Be prepared for laughter and wonder as you enjoy the performance. After the hour-long spectacle, you’ll return to your hotel for the evening.

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 10: Siem Reap | Beng Mealea Jungle Temple and Koh Ker Pyramid | Tonle Sap Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today you’ll wake early to visit Beng Melea while the morning dew and fog still cover this Indiana Jones-esque temple. Wind through maze-like tunnels, swing on ancient tree vines and chart your own adventure while you climb through this amazing complex hidden in the jungle.

Then you’ll travel to what was once the great city of Koh Ker, which was the capital before Angkor Thom. You’ll visit many temples, ancient pools, and ruins in the vast area. Then you’ll finish with a visit to the pyramid temple of Koh Ker. After this, you’ll return to Siem Reap.

On the way, you’ll take a boat trip on the water of the Tonle Sap Lake to a floating village called Kampong Phluk. Kampong Phluk means, Harbor of the Tusks, due to its past trade in elephant ivory many years ago. Having 3,000 inhabitants residing in stilted houses, the most common profession is fishing.

Koh Ker Pyramid – 16 Days Cambodia Focus Koh Rong Island Getaway

Accommodation: The Royal Sands Koh Rong

Day 11: Siem Reap | Angkor Wat Sunrise | Flight to Sihanoukville | Continue to Koh Rong Island

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Before the light of day, your guide will pick you up from your hotel and escort you to the front of Angkor Wat Temple. From here, you’ll watch one of the most revered sunrises in the world. Our guide will arrange a light picnic breakfast for you to enjoy in front of the world’s #1 Heritage Site. Then in the early hours, you’ll explore the vast temple with your guide bringing to life the stories of Angkor. In the morning, the rays of the light play through the chambers as the morning haze settles and giving the temple a mystical ambiance while there are few tourists who visit during this time of day.

Angkor Wat Temple – 16 Days Cambodia Focus Koh Rong Island Getaway

In the afternoon, take a flight to Sihanoukville, the gateway to exploring the beautiful beaches of Cambodia. Our guide will greet and meet you at the airport and transfer to the pier. Then join a speedboat to your resort in Koh Rong. You will go there without a guide. Check in your resort and relax on the untouched beaches of Koh Rong.

Accommodation: Shinta Mani Villa – Bensley Collection

Day 12: Siem Reap – Koh Rong Island | Relax on the Beaches

Meals: Breakfast
Today is your leisure to enjoy the beaches of Koh Rong.

Accommodation: The Royal Sands Koh Rong

Day 13: Koh Rong Island | Relax on the Beaches

Meals: Breakfast
Today is your leisure to enjoy the beaches of Koh Rong.

Accommodation: The Royal Sands Koh Rong

Day 14: Koh Rong Island | Relax on the Beaches

Meals: Breakfast
Today is your leisure to enjoy the beaches of Koh Rong.

Accommodation: The Royal Sands Koh Rong

Day 15: Koh Rong Island – Phnom Penh | Transfer to Phnom Penh | Visit Bokor National Park and Organic Peper Farm in Kep

Meals: Breakfast
Transfer in the morning to Phnom Penh. On the way, you’ll stop to visit Bokor National Park. Visit the Bokor Hill Station used by the French to stay cool in the tropical heat due to its high altitude. There are several sites including the old Catholic Church and Lok Yeay Mao Monument. Then go to visit an organic pepper farm in Kampot, famous for its savory peppercorns worldwide.

Accommodation: La Rose Suites

Day 16: Phnom Penh | Farewell!

Meals: Breakfast
Today our guide will transfer you to the airport before your homeward flight and will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!

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