VTCAM05: PHNOM PENH – SIEM REAP TOUR – 5 DAYS 4 NIGHTS

Day 1 : PHNOM PENH ARRIVAL (-/-/D)

Upon arrival at Phnom penh airport, by your flight. Meeting greeting at exit area by tour guide and transfer to hotel by transfer timing. Check in hotel.

Tour of the historic district by Cyclo Push (Wat Phnom, Station, La Poste, Riverside, colonial buildings,…). Visit of the oldest temple in the city, Wat Phnom. Located north of the city center, Wat Phnom (in Khmer the temple of the hill) dates from the 14th century. This temple is the place for the locals to walk and relax on weekends. The imposing staircase takes up Angkorian-style motifs, and will take you to the stupa of King Ponhea Yat and the pagoda. Dinner at local restaurant and night at hotel.

Day 2 : PHNOM PENH CITY TOUR (B/L/D)

Visit at the opening of the Royal Palace which is the residence of kings since 1860 and the reign of Norodom I. Real gem, the buildings offer superb examples of traditional Khmer architecture. Visit the National Museum in one of the most beautiful buildings of the city dating from 1917, inspired by the ancient architecture of temples and palaces.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Visit the S-21 prison, former high school turned into murderous prison during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. This visit will be the hardest part of your trip but it will offer you a glimpse of the most difficult, painful and obscure period of the country. In the late afternoon, stroll to the Russian Market, which is one of the most important and popular markets of the city. Dinner at local restaurant. Night at hotel

Day 3 : PHNOM PENH – SIEM REAP (B/L/D)

Road to Siem Reap. You will take road n°6 for 300km (≃6h). Several stops are planned during the day. Discovery of the Skun village. Our guide will drop you off at the town market, where the specialty is fried tarantulas: crunchy on the outside with a taste of chicken on the inside. Tasting if you wish! Lunch at local restaurant. Stop at one of the oldest bridges in Cambodia: the Spean Pratos Bridge (Naga Bridge). This bridge is part of the remains of the city of Angkor and was built at the end of the 7th century. Dinner at local restaurant and night in Siem Reap.

Day 4 : SIEM REAP TOURS (B/L/D)

Discovery of Angkor temples by tuk tuk. Angkor Thom, which means “the great city”, it is the largest site in the Angkor Archaeological Park and the last capital of the capital of the Angkorian Empire.

Bayon Temple: Located in the center of the ancient walled city, this temple is famous for its many face sculptures. It is one of the most striking temples with its evocation of a stone forest. These figures with their peaceful expression and full of compassion evoke the king who had them built, Jayavarman VII, or the Buddhist figure of Lokesvara, with whom the sovereign identified.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Visit the 8th wonder of the world, Angkor Wat: One of the most splendid human achievements to have ever seen the light of day, Angkor Wat is the most famous and the most beautiful monument of Angkor. It is a 12th century temple dedicated to Vishnu, built during the reign of King Suryavarman II, surrounded by vast moats of remarkable dimensions and proportions. The heart of the temple is surrounded by a series of galleries covered with carved bas-reliefs.

Ta Prohm Temple, made famous by the film Tomb Raider, this temple nestled in the middle of the jungle is one of the most exceptional on the site. This is the perfect example of nature taking back its rights! Indeed, the great roots of cheese trees and ficus have grown inside the ruins and today sublimate the stones. Apsara Dance show dinner. Night at hotel.

Day 5 : SIEM REAP DEPARTURE (B/L/-)

Boat trip on the Tonlé Sap to discover Kompong Phluk, a floating village where ancestral traditions are perpetuated from family to family. Drive back to Siem Reap Town visit to “Les Artisans D’Angkor” and shopping at Old market. Lunch at local restaurant. Late afternoon transfer to airport for departure flight.

End of services!