Full Itinerary

  Day 1: UK Airport / Siem Reap

  Depart on a choice of overnight flights to Siem Reap. As there are no direct flights this is a chance to add on an extra destination such as Bangkok, Hong Kong or Singapore or just book a through flight.

Day 2: Arrive Siem Reap

On arrival you’ll be met by your private guide and transferred to the city centre where you check in to your choice of hotel for 3 nights. This evening you might like to visit the circus (no animals) that performs nightly in the centre of town and is organised by the NGO Phare to help poor and handicapped children gain education and livelihoods. The evening is a mix of traditional and modern theatre, music, dance, acrobatics, juggling and tight rope walking. More than a show, it's a joyful celebration of Cambodia culture.

Day 3: Siem Reap - Private Angkor Temples Tour (B / L)

This morning your private guide will pick you up for a private guided tour of the iconic Angkor Archaeological Park. Start off at Angkor Thom, the last great capital of the Khmer Empire. Highlights include the magnificent Bayon, one of the most recognisable sites because of the 54 towers adorned with 216 enigmatically smiling stone faces, the Terrace of Elephants, a giant viewing stand for public ceremonies and the Terrace of Leper Kings, whose walls boast beautifully carved nagas, demons and other mythological beings. In the low morning sun the carvings really stand out and as you stand on the Terrace of Elephants you get a great view across a parkland scene interspersed with giant trees protected in the National Park.

Then move onto the temple of Ta Phrom, jungle covered and pretty much left as originally found by European explorers to create a mystical atmosphere.

Back to Siem Reap (15 minutes away) for lunch and a rest in the hot midday. This afternoon return to explore Angkor Wat, the most famous and best preserved of all the Angkor temples. You’ll have time for a thorough exploration before climbing to the top of Pre Rup temple to watch the sunsetover the jungle. Back to the hotel by early evening.

Extra…The great thing about having your own specialist guide is that the itinerary can be tailored to you and be adapted on the ground to take advantage of local knowledge and keep ahead of the crowds. Angkor represents the universe in miniature and you could spend weeks touring round the thousand or so temples, so on this tour we focus on the highlights, but we can easily extend your stay.

See our range of excursions in Siem Reap

Day 4: Siem Reap  (B) - Private guided morning Tonle Sap Lake Tour

This morning you’ll be collected by your guide and transferred 45 minutes through the Cambodia countryside to Tonle Sap Lake where you board a longtail boat to explore the lake and visit Kompong Phluk, an isolated community of three villages built on stilts. These scenic villages are flooded for around half the year and you will board a local boat, rowed by a villager, to explore the local community. You will also be taken through the flooded mangrove forests that are the main building block of this valuable ecosystem that supports a variety of wildlife. Back in Siem Reap in time for a late lunch.

Day 5: Siem Reap - Overland Tour to Kompong Cham (B / L)

This morning your guide will collect you for an overland private tour around Tonle Sap Lake to Kampong Cham (4.5 hours), a town that’s steeped in myth and legends. On arrival check in to the Monorom II VIP Hotel and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Then re-join your guide for a tour of the town and surrounding area. See the 12th century Wat Nokor and take a short trip to the twin hills of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srey, meaning man and woman hills, for striking views of the area. See what your destiny holds and visit one of the many fortune tellers and watch out for the roaming monkeys! Back at the hotel late afternoon. This evening you might like to wonder down to the Mekong where you’ll find a small choice is restaurants.

 Day 6: Kompong Cham to Kratie - Cross Mekong River to Koh Trong Island (B / L)

This morning drive east following the Mekong to Kratie approximately 3 hours, offering a great chance to enjoy the rural heart of this beautiful country. Lunch in a local restaurant in Kratie and then you transfer by local boat across the Mekong to Koh Trong Island and 2 nights at the Rajabori Villas. The hotel offers guests access to bikes and Koh Trong is a flat completely unspoilt rural working island with no cars and is a world away from UK life. After dinner if it’s a clear night take a short walk and enjoy the star studded sky.

Day 7: Koh Trong - Island Tour - Cycle Ride and River Dolphin Boat Tour (B / L)

This morning your guide will take you for a cycle ride around the island. Shaded by the trees you have the Mekong on one side and villages on the other as you follow the flat sandy paths that skirt the island and offer access to the people, farms and orchards that make up this rural idyll. Your guide will explain what life’s like here, but be prepared to shout a welcome to every child you see!

The Mekong around Kratie is one of the best places to see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins and so after a relaxing lunch head further up the Mekong River to search for these beautiful mammals aboard a local boat for about one hour before heading back to to Koh Trong for the night.

Day 8: Kratie / Mondulkiri (North East Cambodia) (B / L)

After breakfast you head deeper into Mondulkiri Province for approximately 3.5 hours/195km where you check into the Nature Eco Lodge for 1 night. Your room will be a cosy wooden bungalow with a hot shower and private veranda. This afternoon take your time exploring your immediate environment and take a choice of trails around the lodge. This evening enjoy dinner in the lodge’s restaurant. If the weather’s good you can relax around the outdoor fire, meet fellow travellers and do a spot of star gazing.

Day 9: Taste of the Jungle - 2 days/ 1 night Elephant Valley Project (B / L / D)

Early breakfast then your guide will collect you for the Taste of the Jungle - 2 days / 1 night stay at the Elephant Valley Project..

Please note:
You will need a medium level of fitness as the countryside is hilly and you will need to walk up to 5kms on each day following the elephants. It will be muddy so good walking boots will be needed. Also the accommodation will be much more basic than the rest of your holiday with electricity for only part of the day. Although you will be booked into a Jungle Bungalows if they get an influx of long term volunteers you will be moved to the Backpackers Dorm for your stay. This will be confirmed a month before arrival.

The exact day may vary but the outline is as below:

• 07.15am - Meet at Hefalump Café in Sen Monorom
• 08.00am - Arrive at EVP Project Site and meet EVP Guides. Short introduction to EVP
• 08.30am - Hike into the forest to find the elephants and follow them through the jungle.
• 11.45am - Hike back to EVP Basecamp
• 12.00pm - Buffet lunch is served. Then rest & relax in the heat of the day
• 1.45pm - Meet again for afternoon activity
• 2.00pm - Volunteer work (activities vary but typically agricultural and ecological work)
• 4.45pm - Hike back to jungle basecamp
• 6.00pm - Dinner is served. Then free time to relax and spend time with others in lounge

 Day 10: Elephant Valley Project (B / L) - Transfer back to Nature Lodge

Wake up to the sounds of the jungle and then enjoy an early breakfast. Today the activities are reversed from yesterday and you have a choice of volunteer work in the morning then you will follow the elephants in the afternoon. The day ends at 5.30pm when you will be collected and transferred back to the Nature Eco Lodge for 1 night.

 Day 11: Mondulkiri to Phnom Penh (B / L)

This morning transfer back by boat to the mainland and you’ll be driven to Phnom Penh which will take about 6 hours, with breaks along the way. On arrival check-in to your choice of hotel for 2 nights.

Phnom Penh is a traditional Far East city, full of energy and still tatty around the edges. A great place to start in the early evening is to take a tuk tuk to the riverside promenade. As you walk along the Mekong look across to the French colonial buildings that are interspersed with the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and National Museum. Evening is the time everyone congregates along the wide promenade with impromptu aerobics, football matches and time to catch up with friends. There are plenty of restaurants and bars along the way.

Day 12: Phnom Penh - Private City Tour with Killing Field (B / L)

After breakfast your guide will pick you up for a half day city tour of the fascinating Khmer Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. After lunch in a local restaurant you visit the sobering and poignant Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a testament to Cambodia’s bloody past.  Then you can explore the colourful stalls of the vast Central Market. The tour ends at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields just outside the city. This is now a Buddhist memorial park that has been constructed around the mass graves of the thousands of victims. Dozens of mass graves are visible above ground, several which have not yet been excavated. The field is marked by a Buddhist stupa that has glass walls and is filled with over 5,000 skulls. You’ll be back at the hotel by the late afternoon.

Day 13: Phnom Penh (B) / Home

Day free for last minute shopping and sightseeing until your overnight flight home.

Day 14: Arrive home

Inclusions

What's Included

Each featured itinerary is really a starting point from which to create your ideal holiday.

We can include as much or as little as you like, mix and match hotels, excursions and experiences, add extra nights and change the destinations you'd like to visit.

The common thread is that each is a privately guided holiday, allowing you to travel where and when you want, with your own private transport and dedicated guide.

General Inclusions:

• Return scheduled international flights (optional if you would like to arrange your own)
• English speaking, local guide & driver
• Choice of hotel accommodation
• Transport in private air-conditioned vehicles
• Domestic flights detailed in itinerary
• Admission fees to all attractions, temples and activities as mentioned in the itinerary
• All meals as detailed (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)

General Exclusions:

• Entry visas International airport departure taxes if payable locally
• Optional Tours / Excursions
• Any meals not listed in the itinerary
• Drinks
• Personal expenses
• Tips for Guides / Drivers (discretionary)
• Travel insurance
• Any camera or video fees charged at sites

Where You'll Stay

 Hotels

The hotels below are there as examples, designed to act as a starting point from which to create your holiday. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from and when we quote we will include other suggestions so we get to understand your likes and dislikes. Quite often clients mix and match hotel categories throughout their holiday.

Cambodia

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