Images of Cambodia

 

Phnom Penh	Amanjaya Hotel	2 nights
Banlung	Terres Rouges Guesthouse	4 nights
Kampong Cham	Monorom VIP	1 night
Battambang	La Villa	1 night
Siem Reap	Shinta Mani	3 nights

Click on the name of the hotel for details

 

14 days from £1695

excluding international flights

 

Combine Cambodia's top highlights with a fascinating stay in the remote forests of  Ratanakiri Province

 

DAY 1 - Depart from UK.

Recommended flight from London: Thai Airways International from London Heathrow via Bangkok (see below). If you are travelling from a country other than the UK we would be happy to give you guidance on your flight options. 

DAY 2 - Arrive Phnom Penh.  Phnom Penh sightseeing.

On arrival in Phnom Penh in the morning you will be met outside customs by a representative of World Discovery and taken by private car direct to your hotel.  Your Cambodia holiday begins in the afternoon when you take a private guided tour of Cambodia's capital city, including the National Museum, with its extensive collection of statues and artifacts from the Khmer Empire and earlier civilisations, and the Royal Palace, where you can visit the Silver Pagoda (pictured), so named because of the 5,000 silver tiles, each weighing 1kg, in the floor of the temple. Also on display is the holiest Buddha image in Cambodia, Preah Keo, the Emerald Buddha.

DAY 3 - Phnom Penh.

At leisure in Cambodia's pleasant capital.  For those with an interest in recent history, visits can be arranged to the moving Genocide Museum and the 'Killing Fields', stark reminders of the tragedy that befell the Cambodian people under the Khmer Rouge regime.  Alternatively our agents could organise excursions further afield, such as to the ancient Khmer temples of Phnom Da (6th century) and Tonle Bati (12the century), to give you a foretaste of the marvels you will see at Angkor.  In the evening, why not take a relaxing cruise on the Mekong River to see the spires of Phnom Penh's Royal Palace silhouetted against the setting sun?
Meals included: Full breakfast.

DAY 4 - Overland journey to Rattanakiri.

A long and tiring road journey today (the flights to Rattanakiri Province are no longer operating) will take you through Kampong Cham, Kratie and Steung Treng provinces (duration approximately 12 hours, with frequent stops to stretch your legs). Lunch will be taken at a local restaurant in Kratie** (see below). Your destination in Rattanakiri is Banlung, known as the 'Red City' due its deep red laterite soil. The next few days will be spent in this remote area of north-east Cambodia close to the borders with Laos and Vietnam, a fascinating region little visited by tourists. The rich and fertile lands are covered with rubber, coffee and sugar cane plantations, and fruits such as bananas and pineapples grow in abundance. On arrival check in at your guesthouse in time for dinner.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, dinner.

** If you prefer you may break the journey with an overnight stay in Kratie, a small town on the Mekong River.  The town has basic but comfortable accommodation and there is the possibility of seeing river dolphins.  If you take this option, the order of the sightseeing programme in and around Banlung would be rearranged.

DAY 5 - In and around Banlung.

Today, after breakfast, your guide will take you to visit some stunning natural attractions in the area. Ou Chum and Thmo Da waterfalls are beautiful spots to relax. Next, enjoy a boat ride to the graveyards of the Kachoun tribe. Your guide will explain the special customs and history of this site. In this part of Cambodia, animism is more prevalent than Buddhism, and the dead are therefore buried rather than cremated. Return to Banlung to visit the extraordinary lake inside an extinct volcano at Yeak Loam, where (if you wish) you can swim in the crystal-clear turquoise waters.
Meals included: Full breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner.

DAY 6 - Virachey National Park. Kreung and Brou villages.

After breakfast at the guesthouse, your guide will take you to the village of Taveng in the northern area of Rattanakiri Province. Here lies Virachey National Park. On the journey northwards you will cross different types of landscapes: primary forest, bamboo forest and 'African' bush. Stop at a few Kreung villages located quite far away in the forest. The Kreung people have a peculiar custom of erecting 'bachelor houses' standing on long bamboo poles (pictured). These houses will remain until the young man finds a wife; then they are destroyed. You will also visit a Brou village. The Brou are a Mon-Khmer people scattered in small pockets in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, driven by the southward movements of the Tais from China centuries ago.
Meals included: Full breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner.

DAY 7 - Rubber tree plantation. Gem mine. Bai Srog Waterfall.

In the morning go with your guide to see a rubber tree plantation. The French planted numerous rubber trees that are still alive and in use today. Also visit the gem mines. Many local people earn incomes from hand-digging various precious stones. Be careful of the holes in the ground! Afterwards travel to the beautiful Bai Srog Waterfall, a seven-tiered fall in the middle of the jungle, where you can enjoy a swim if you wish.
Meals included: Full breakfast.

DAY 8 - Drive to Kampong Cham.

After an early breakfast leave Banlung and take the long overland drive to the town of Kampong Cham on the banks of the Mekong.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch, dinner.

 

DAY 9 - By road to Battambang.

Leave Phnom after breakfast by road to Battambang, arriving in the early afternoon. Later visit Ek Phnom (pictured) an 11th century temple built in the reign of Suryavarman I.  The temple consists of small temples or 'prasats' on a platform with some carvings in pretty good condition.  Overnight in Battambang.
Meals included: Full breakfast.

 

 

DAY 10 - By boat to Siem Reap.

Travel by boat along the Sanke River to Ton Le Sap Lake. Every 90 minutes or so the scenery changes along the way, from a thriving 'extended village' with many stilt homes and fishing nets, to the open plains for the seasonal jute crops, to wetlands providing a natural nursery for fish and birds. A light lunch will be served on board. Visit the floating village of Chong Kneas, an entire community built on boats, before reaching Siem Reap, gateway to the incredible temples of Angkor, the foremost archaeological complex in Asia.
Meals included: Full breakfast, lunch.

DAY 11 - Temples of Angkor. Roluos Group.  Angkor Wat.

During the next three days you will enjoy the most comprehensive exploration of this exceptional area, visiting all the major temple groups, as well as seeing something of the way of life in the surrounding countryside. Today you will be shown some of the earliest temples in the Roluos area, starting with Preah Ko (879 AD), Bakong (881 AD) devoted to Shiva, and Lolei (893 AD) built on an island in a reservoir; there are beautiful sandstone carvings in the temple's niches. The afternoon is devoted to the best known of all the temples, which has become a symbol of Cambodia - Angkor Wat (pictured). Built in the first half of the 12th century, this enormous temple maintains some of the most breathtaking murals in the entire complex. The Upper reaches of the complex represent the Hindu idea of heaven.
Meals included: Full breakfast.

DAY 12 - Angkor Thom.  Ta Prohm.

Today's visits include some of the most majestic of Angkor's temples, mainly dating from the Kingdom of Jayavarman VII (1181-1219). We begin at the awesome South Gate of Angkor Thom, entrance to the great imperial city. Giants and gods line the road leading up to the gate, which is crowned with four large faces aligned towards the cardinal points. At the centre of Angkor Thom is The Bayon, one of the most popular attractions of AngKor, a temple-mountain containing many well-preserved bas-reliefs and its colossal carved faces staring out from the stone towers. Ta Prohm (pictured) has been left more or less how it was discovered rather than tidy it up as at the other locations and the result is a romantic 'lost ruins in the jungle' atmosphere which transports you to the days of the intrepid Victorian explorers. Nowhere is the power of Nature more in evidence, with gnarled tree roots wrapped around crumbling columns and carvings, and walls leaning in all directions.

DAY 13 - Preah Khan, Neak Prean.  Depart for home.

After breakfast visit Preah Khan, a vast temple around whose outer walls, 40 metres apart, are giant carvings of the Hindu deity Garuda. Also visit the Neak Prean temple, which consists of a central pool and four peripheral pools once used for purification rites. An island in the central pool contains a tower encircled by two 'nagas' (divine river serpents). The afternoon is at leisure, and we have arranged for you to keep your room for a late check out at 18.00.  In the evening transfer to the airport for your included flight by Bangkok Airways to Bangkok.
Meals included: Full breakfast.

DAY 14 – Arrive London.

Connect with the early morning flight from Bangkok to London.

International and connecting flights.

There are no direct flights to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap from the UK. We recommend the services of Thai Airways International from London Heathrow via Bangkok. Flights are daily throughout the year. Current timings (subject to possible change) are as follows:
Heathrow/Bangkok. Depart at 11.50; arrive Bangkok at 06.10 (next day)
Bangkok/Phnom Penh. Depart at 07.45; arrive Phnom Penh at 09.00
Bangkok/Heathrow. Depart at 01.10; arrive Heathrow at 07.15

Cambodia Holidays: Images of Cambodia (Tour Reference: WDCM002)
2012 Departures
Price per person based on a minimum of two persons travelling together:

Daily departures	Price
Apr, May	£1695
Oct to Dec	£1890

Single Room Supplement on request.

We do not recommend this itinerary in the wet season (June to September) as the condition of the roads in the remote Ratanakiri Provinces makes travel difficult.

The price includes:

• Scheduled flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok, including taxes.
• Hotel and lodge accommodation as listed above in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities.
• 11 full breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners as shown in the itinerary.
• All transportation and sightseeing as shown, including entrance fees.
• The services of private guides for all included sightseeing.

Not included in the price:

• International flights (see our recommendation above). We are happy to discuss the flights with you and give you further guidance.
• International airport taxes.
• Tipping.
• Cambodian visa.  This can be obtained on arrival at Phnom Penh Airport (current cost US$20 with 2 passport-sized photos required).  You may also now apply online for the Cambodia visa.
• International airport departure tax at Siem Reap (current cost US$25)
  

A deposit of £250 per person is required at the time of booking. The balance of the price for your Cambodia holiday must be paid at least 8 weeks before your departure date.