Cambodia Encompassed

Fly from the UK to Phnom Penh.

Fly from the UK to Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh

Touch down in Phnom Penh and meet the rest of your group over a delicious dinner in Cambodia’s bustling capital. Perhaps take a look around the markets or get a feel for the city with a walk along Sisowath Quay overlooking the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. Look out for the pretty buildings left over from French colonial times and the glittering golden roof of the Royal Palace, or head down to the riverside and people watch in a chilled out café.

Kampot

Kampot

Head south to bucolic Kampot, stopping along the way to see Phnom Chisor mountain temple and to admire the view. Riverside Kampot is an attractive town, and lends itself well to a cool drink or two on a sunny café veranda, or perhaps a relaxing massage. On your second day here, you’ll head out into the countryside to learn about Kampot’s pepper farms and visit a 7th century temple cave. Take a walk along the sandy beach at Kep and admire the crumbling oceanfront mansions.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh

Return to Phnom Penh for a lesson in Cambodia’s dramatic history at the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. These poignant sites are memorials to those who died in the terrible atrocities carried out by the Khmer Rouge, and are an important part of Cambodia’s past. However, if you would prefer not to visit, it is not compulsory. Lighten the mood a little afterwards, with a chilled sundowner at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club.

Battambang

Battambang

Pass potters and silversmiths on the way to Battambang, a pretty riverside town with a smattering of colonial architecture. Take a tuk tuk through the pretty countryside and view the stilt houses at Wat Kor, which predate French colonial times, before learning how rice paper is made. Ride the quirky Bamboo Train, a small raft-like structure that rides along winding train tracks through the pretty Cambodian countryside, at speeds of up to 15kph. Its ingenious design allows it to be dismantled and placed by the side of the track when a carriage comes from the opposite direction.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap

Follow the Sangker River to Tonle Sap lake, viewing the local fishermen and floating houses along the way. Continue to Siem Reap, gateway to the magnificent temples of Angkor. Tour the impressive temple of Angkor Wat, then marvel at the faces of Angkor Thom and the mysterious Ta Prohm, slowly being taken over by the jungle. Watch the sunrise at the temples and capture beautiful photos of the changing morning light. Take in a performance of the entertaining Phare circus, which includes dance, acrobats and contortion performed by local disadvantaged people.

Depart Siem Reap and return to the UK.

Depart Siem Reap and return to the UK.