-
Royal Palace
1h · Admission ticket included
Today, meet your personal guide and driver, Visit the Royal Palace built in 1866 by King Norodom. See the different structures of this pagoda-style compound and stroll in its beautiful garden. Visit the Silver Pagoda so named because of its floor that is comprised of 5,000 silver tiles. A gold Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha are also housed here.
-
National Museum
1h · Admission ticket included
Next, visit the National Museum. Built in 1917 it is an exceptional example of traditional architecture and is exclusively devoted to preserving and displaying Khmer art and sculptures. Hundreds of pieces are housed here including both pre-and post-Angkorian pieces.
-
Wat Phnom
35m · Admission ticket included
Continue your tour at the city's namesake, Wat Phnom. Founded in 1373, the pagoda was built to house Buddhist relics washed ashore by the river.
-
Unlimited Shop
1h · Admission ticket included
Enjoy our Lunch at Friends Restaurant is famous not only in Phnom Penh but across the world. This vibrant and colourful training restaurant has become a must-visit place.
-
Choeung Ek Genocidal Center
1h · Admission ticket included
After lunch, drive to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (16 km south of Phnom Penh). Between 1975 and 1978 about 17,000 men, women, children and infants (including nine westerners) detained and tortured at S-21 prison were transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. They were often bludgeoned to death to avoid wasting precious bullets. Fragments of human bone and bits of cloth are scattered around the disinterred pits. Over 8,000 skulls, arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the clear glass panels of the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988.
-
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
1h · Admission ticket included
You'll then continue to visit the notorious Tuol Sleng Museum. In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It soon became the largest such center of detention and torture in the country. More than 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to the extermination camp at Choeung Ek to be executed; detainees who died during torture were buried in mass graves in the prison ground. Room after room the museum displays photographs of men, women and children covering the walls from floor to ceiling; virtually all the people pictured were later killed.
-
Siem Reap
2h
You will be privately transferred between your accommodations and Siem Reap Airport by a professional driver and an English-speaking guide.
Fly Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, departing 19:05, arriving 19:55
Welcome to Siem Reap. Upon arrival at Siem Reap Airport. From the airport, you will be privately transferred to your lovely boutique hotel. Siem Reap is the base for exploring the fabled temples of Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire.
Settle in and enjoy the evening at your leisure.
-
Angkor Thom South Gate
45m · Admission ticket included
Spend the early morning visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). This huge walled complex was the centre of the world’s largest city in 1200. Following the occupation of Angkor by the Chams from 1177 to 1181, the King Jayavarman VII decided to build an impregnable fortress at the heart of his empire. The scale is simply staggering and we are immediately overwhelmed by the audacity of Jayavarman on arrival at the city’s gates. The causeway is lined by an intricate bridge depicting the Churning of the Ocean of Milk from Hindu mythology in which the devas (gods) and asuras (devils) play tug of war with a naga (seven-headed serpent) to obtain the elixir of immortality. Its vast walls, some 6m wide, 8m high and 13km in length contain many monuments.
-
Bayon Temple
1h · Admission ticket included
Next, visit Bayon temple surrounded by faces on all sides, visitors never forget the enigmatic and enchanting temple of the Bayon. At the exact centre of Angkor Thom, this is an eccentric expression of the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s most celebrated king. Its 54 towers are each topped off with the four faces of Avalokiteshvara (Buddha of Compassion), which bear more than a passing resemblance to the king himself. These colossal heads stare down from every side, exuding power and control with a hint of compassion, just the mix required to keep a hold on such a vast empire.
Unlike his predecessors who had worshipped the Hindu deities of Shiva and Vishnu, Jayavarman VII adopted Mahayana Buddhism as the fount of royal divinity. This sets the Bayon apart from many other Angkorian monuments. The bas-reliefs here depict intricate scenes of ancient battles against the Chams and offer a wonderful snapshot of daily life during the Angkor period.
-
Baphuon Temple
35m · Admission ticket included
You’ll then continue to visit Baphuon. It is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva.
-
Terrace of the Elephants
30m · Admission ticket included
Stroll to the Terrace of the Elephants is part of the walled city of Angkor Thom. The terrace was used by Angkor's king Jayavarman VII as a platform from which to view his victorious returning army. It was attached to the palace of Phimeanakas, of which only a few ruins remain.
-
Terrace of the Leper King
30m · Admission ticket included
We also visit, Terrace of the Leper King is located in the northwest corner of the Royal Square of Angkor Thom, Cambodia. It was built in the Bayon style under Jayavarman VII, though its modern name derives from a 15th-century sculpture discovered at the site. The statue depicts the Hindu god Yama, the god of death.
-
Phimeanakas
30m · Admission ticket included
Next, visit Phimeanakas or Vimeanakas, is a Hindu temple in the Khleang style, built at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Rajendravarman, and then completed by Suryavarman I in the shape of a three tier pyramid as a Hindu temple.
-
Ta Prohm
1h 30m · Admission ticket included
Next, you’ll continue to Ta Phrom this temple is perhaps the most atmospheric of all Angkor’s treasures. The temple was a monastery built by Jayavarman VII as a residence for his mother. Ta Prohm has been left to the destructive power of nature by archaeologists to demonstrate the awesome power of nature.
It has been largely consumed by the jungle and as you climb through the dilapidated stone structures you see many giant trees growing out of the top of the temple itself. At every turn you expect to see Indiana Jones or Lara Croft step out from behind a fallen pillar. It is one of the most regularly visited temples, with visitors often arriving during the middle of the day to take advantage of the protective forest canopy above the ruined temple. Ta Prohm looks as many of the monuments did when European explorers first laid eyes on them. This was one of the settings for Lara Croft’s adventures in “Tomb Raider”.
Afterwards, enjoy your lunch at a delicious local restaurant.
-
Angkor Wat
3h · Admission ticket included
In the late afternoon and sunset hours, explore Angkor Wat, the largest and most breathtaking monument at Angkor. Built as the funeral temple for King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1112 to 1152, Angkor Wat never fails to reward the first time, or repeat, visitor with its grand scale, surreal bas reliefs and unbelievable attention to detail.
