Overview
Itinerary
Arrive at any time. There are no planned activities until the evening welcome meeting.
- Meet Your CEO and Group: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Guided tour of Tuol Sleng Prison and Choeung Ek (Killing Fields). Opt to visit the Royal Palace, National Museum, and Central Market. Follow a local guide and witness the dark side of Cambodian history with visits to Choeung Ek, the site of the infamous Killing Fields, and Tuol Sleng, the notorious Khmer Rouge prison where thousands of Cambodians perished. In the afternoon enjoy free time to explore the city's many sights: the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, National Museum, Russian market or Wat Phnom.
- Choeung Ek (Killing Fields) Guided Tour: Learn more about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge visiting the killing fields of Choeung Ek; the grounds now stand as a powerful memorial filled with victims’ skulls and mass graves. Tour this sombre, yet serene, site with a guide.
- Tuol Sleng Museum (S-21 Prison) Guided Tour: Learn about the dark history and devastation that occurred at Security Prison 21 (S-21); the prison, used by the Khmer Rouge regime, is now Tuol Sleng Museum. Take a guided tour to hear the stories behind the sombre photos lining the museum walls.
- Free Time: Use free time to explore some of the palaces, temples and museums in the city.
- Russian Market Visit: Shop this must-visit market for souvenirs, handicrafts, antiquities, and Western brand-name clothing at (often) greatly discounted prices. Haggle away for the best deals!
- Wat Phnom Visit: Visit Wat Phnom (Hill Temple) in late afternoon, a historic monument with lots of green space. Keep an eye on your food and belongings; cheeky monkeys like to get a hold of anything they can.
- National Museum Visit: Wander the galleries of the National Museum to see amazing works of art from Cambodia's "golden age" of Angkor. Visit the museum’s lovely courtyard before you leave.
- Silver Pagoda Visit: Tour the Royal Palace complex to see the neighboring Silver Pagoda (aka the Temple of the Emerald Buddha). See the many magnificent treasures inside this beautiful vihara (Buddhist monastery), including its floor lined with more 5,000 tiles of silver.
- Royal Palace Visit: Visit the King’s current dwelling place, a magnificent riverside palace with classic Khmer architecture. Dress appropriately please; visitors must wear clothing that covers knees and shoulders, and shirts must reach the elbow.
Journey from Phnom Penh to colonial Battambang. Opt to explore the countryside. Upon arrival, explore the riverside city for a few hours before dinner.
- Free Time: Head out and explore.
Journey to the seat of the Khmer Empire and prepare to explore the fantastic Angkor Wat complex. Try your hand at Khmer cuisine with a cooking class, enjoying the results with a leisurely lunch. In the afternoon, head off to Siem Reap.
- Free Time: Free time in the morning to explore or take a cooking class.
- Cooking Class: Refine your culinary skills while learning recipes typical of Khmer cuisine. After, dig in and sample the fruits of your labour.
- Phare Circus: Enjoy a stellar performance by Phare, a unique and socially conscious circus that injects Cambodian culture and history into its inspiring shows. See acrobatics, contortion, and aerial arts melded with theatre, modern dance, and more. Take in stories of war, relationships, and discrimination, inspired by the real-life experiences of Phare’s creators and performers.
Watch the sun rise over the massive Angkor temple complex with a guided tour. Spend the whole day exploring with a local guide. The best way to experience the site is to arrive for sunrise, explore in the cooler morning hours and head back into town to relax during the hottest time of the day.
- Angkor Wat Guided Tour: Enjoy a tour of the impressive ancient ruins with a local guide. Explore magnificent Angkor Wat temple--Visit the enigmatic faces of Bayon within the walled city of Angkor Thom, and tour Ta Prohm (aka the "Tomb Raider" temple), which is slowly being swallowed by the jungle.
Spend a free day exploring more of Angkor Wat or further afield around Siem Reap. Enjoy a traditional meal of Khmer food at the G Adventures-supported New Hope project.
- Free Time: Spend the day exploring.
- New Hope Vocational Training Restaurant: Enjoy a traditional meal of Khmer food at the New Hope Vocational Training Restaurant, an initiative kickstarted by G Adventures. Providing skill-building opportunities to marginalized community members, the project also funds the adjacent free community school and health centre. Visit the restaurant run by locals and see how the New Hope project has supported positive change in the community.
- Angkor Museum Visit: Learn about the story of Angkor and the Khmer empire at the interactive Angkor Museum. Explore the museum’s inspiring galleries and interactive technology, which bring Angkor’s past to life. Opt to rent an audioguide (5USD) for the full experience.
- Tonle Sap Floating Village: Tour the floating villages of Tonlé Sap. See what life is like living on a lake — rice planting, attending churches and school, are all done on top of water. (Please note: this activity runs seasonally.) (25-30 USD per person)
Travel to the home of the rare Irrawaddy dolphins. View the endangered dolphins on an included boat trip on the Mekong. In the morning travel to Kratie, located on the banks of the mighty Mekong River. In the afternoon, head out on the massive Mekong with local boatmen to try and spot the endangered Irrawaddy freshwater dolphin.
- Kratie Boat Trip: Come aboard for a one-of-a-kind wildlife encounter – the feeling you get as you spot an Irrawaddy dolphin breaking through the water’s surface is truly inspiring and will lift your heart. Enjoy the boat tour, and let the late-afternoon sun warm your face.
Travel to Kampong Cham and visit the Bridge of Jayavarman VII, a silk farm, and rubber tree plantations. Opt to bike through villages along the Mekong or visit some rustic temples. Travel to the third largest city in Cambodia, Kampong Cham. Opt to rent a bike and cruise along the river to explore the countryside and meet friendly locals or visit the 11th century Vat Nokor temple.
- Bridge of Jayavarman VII Visit: Visit this centuries-old cobble stone bridge spanning 285 ft (87m). Marvel at the bridge's 12th century architecture designed during the reign of King Jayavarman.
- Vat Nokor Temple Visit: Take in this temple complex that is a combination of a modern Theravada Buddhist pagoda within an 11th-century Mahayana Buddhist shrine.
- Bike Rental: Rent a bike from a local shop and head out to explore.
Travel to Kampot, home of Bokor National Park. Drive to Kampot, world-famous for the Kampot pepper and home of Bokor National Park.
Free day to enjoy Kampot. Opt to visit Rabbit Island, sample the famous Kampot peppers or enjoy a seafood feast in Kep.
- Free Time: Free time to do optional activities in Kampot or visit Kep.
- Rabbit Island Excursion: Visit this undeveloped tropical island to enjoy beautiful white sand beaches. Walk the island’s perimetre passing beaches and mangroves along the way (about 3 hours).
- Kep Excursion: Take in the charm of this seaside resort, home to a beautiful National Park and friendly residents. Be sure to enjoy a seafood meal, including local fresh crabs.
- Cycle Tour: Join the tour and hop on a bike – it’s one of the best ways to see Kampot and the countryside.
- Sunset Cruise: Kick back, relax, and enjoy the water views on this peaceful cruise into the sunset.
Transfer to Sihanoukville then take a boat ride to your own private beach on Koh Rong. Check in and go for a swim in the warm waves before relaxing with a drink on the beach. Travel to Koh Rong and feast on local seafood, or just sit back in a deck chair and let the waves splash gently at your feet.
Please note that during monsoon season (between June to October), this itinerary may be subject to change based on weather conditions. If heavy rains and flooding prevent our boat from safely travelling to Koh Rong island, we will provide alternate activities and accommodations in a nearby town. Our accommodations at Koh Rong will be in twin-share private beach huts. On the island, our accommodations are basic: rooms are cooled with electric fans, and there is no air-conditioning or laundry service onsite.
- Ferry: Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.
Swim, relax by the beach or opt to go fishing, hiking or kayaking.
Our accommodations at Koh Rong will be in twin-share private beach huts. On the island, our accommodations are basic: rooms are cooled with electric fans, and there is no air-conditioning or laundry service onsite.
- Free Time: Free time to enjoy paradise. Take a look at life under the water with a snorkelling trip or just hang around on the beach.
Travel to Phnom Penh and hop on a city cyclo tour. Use some free time to explore. Opt for a drink in one of the many riverside cafés.
- Ferry: Get to the next spot on your route aboard a convenient and efficient ferry boat.
- Phnom Penh Cyclo Tour: Settle in a traditional cyclo and depart from Wat Phnom. Tour busy streets to soak up the real vibe of the city. Pass the post office and Van's restaurant, both stunning colonial buildings, and make your way to the Royal Palace and National Museum. Go along the riverside road and take in the atmospheric cafes that line the street.
- Free Time: Explore any of the places of interest that caught your eye on the cyclo tour or visit one of the local museums.
Depart at any time.
Trip Inclusions
- Stroll through the streets of colonial Phnom Penh and Battambang.
- Learn about the recent history of Cambodia with a visit to Tuol Sleng (S21 prison).
- Revel in the majesty of Angkor Wat.
- Relax on stunning beaches.
- Your G for Good Moment: New Hope Vocational Training Restaurant, Siem Reap
- Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group
- Angkor Wat complex entrance and guide (Siem Reap)
- Mekong boat trip to spot Irrawaddy dolphins
- Tuol Sleng prison and Choeung Ek (Killing Fields) entrance and guide
- Phnom Penh cyclo tour
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
- Private van, cyclo, ferry
- CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, local guides
- Hotels (13 Nights)
- 11 breakfasts, 1 dinner
- Accommodation, itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included.
Operator
On all of our tours, you get to know locals every step of the way, from the places you visit and stay to where you eat and drink. You’ll also get to experience our ‘G for Good’ social impact initiatives on-trip, including our industry-leading ‘Ripple Score’. This score measures, as a percentage, the amount of money that stays in the local community through on-trip services like accommodation, restaurants and transport.
Get the best of both worlds with G's Classic trips as your knowledgeable CEO (Chief Experience Officer) leads you to iconic highlights and hidden gems, while ample free time lets you discover what excites you most. Enjoy included meals showcasing local flavours, plus opportunities to dive deeper into the food scene independently. Stay in comfortable hotels, authentic homestays, and unique accommodations that capture the spirit of each destination.
Trip Reviews (2)
It is worth spending a few extra days in Phnom Penh as there are quite a few places to see that are not included on the tour. Koh Rong island is a good place to relax with a nice beach (very clean, warm shallow water) and a lovely walk to the next village. Food options on the island were very good. Hotel there was very basic for the price (price on booking site 2-3 times the other hotels we stayed in). Our G Adventures CEO was pleasant and helpful with good English. He took us on a tour of his childhood home and small village, showing us the local rice wine factory, etc
That said there are a few downsides to the tour. I chose this trip over Intrepid as it had more free time. However, optional tours took up almost all the free time (total cost about US$250) and there was pressure to do these by both the CEO and other participants. Hotels in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, whilst good, were poorly located (about 2km from city centres). I didn't mind the walk but was not comfortable doing it after about 7pm alone. This was a pity in Siem Reap as the city comes alive at night (in PP it was not such an issue as I had extra days there in a more centrally located hotel). Also, the hotel in Siem Reap was not the one listed in the final itinerary and CEO said it had not been used for sometime (it is still on their itinerary on the website). Hotel in PP was surrounded by motor bike repair places and CEO said there were no recommended eating places nearby (so group had to get tuk tuks into riverside area).
Hotels in other locations were basic but adequate, except Kratie. Tour went to Kratie to see the endangered dolphins. We did this on motorised boats, which simply meant chasing the poor things around making a lot of noise (only 2-4 people per boat) and risking injuring then with the small propellers. This was all we did in Kratie as hotel was on edge of town and it was after a long day's travel. Hotel was really basic as was the food provided (many had cold meals that should have been hot, even though we had to order in advance).
Single supplement is about the same as paying as you go for a separate room (should be half that). Booking with Global Journeys is always easy and this trip was no exception. Tracey even went to the effort of providing the address and contact numbers for the hotels, as GAdventures did not. I would I go with G Adventures again - only to a country I was not confident getting around by myself. If you are a couple you could probably hire a car with driver and stay in better hotels for the price of this tour.
Dates & Pricing
AUD
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Enquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by G Adventures. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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