Cambodia 7 Day Heritage Tour

Destination: Siem Reap/Phnom Penh

Description: This 7 day Heritage tour in Cambodia will take you to Siem Reap, then Phnom Penh. As with the rest of the country, Siem Reap’s history (and the memories of its people) is coloured by spectre of the brutal Khmer Rouge Regime. Today, Siem Reap serves as a small gateway town to the world famous heritage site of the Angkor temples. Thanks to those attractions, Siem Reap has transformed itself into a major tourist hub. Siem Reap nowadays is a vibrant town with modern hotels and architectures. Despite international influences, Siem Reap and its people have conserved much of the town’s image, culture and traditions. While, Phnom Penh is another attraction with the charm of a modern capital city.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, G=Guide

Day 1: Arrival Siem Reap (G)

Siem Reap – a small colonial town, charming and pleasant enough to roam around, with some fine examples of French colonial architecture. Upon arrival, proceed to Angkor Silk Farm. Angkor Silk Farm which consists of 8 hectares in rural Cambodia (16km west of Siem Reap Town). Visitors will discover and understand the whole silk production process, from Mulberry tree growing to silk weaving. Next, visit Angkor Wishing Hall. The Angkor Wishing Hall is a museum presenting a collection of the most Holy Relics pertaining to Cambodian, Indian, Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism. Holy Medicine, Prayer Wheels and the Protection Seal are here to bring you good fortune and to deepen your understanding of Buddhist practices. And visit Artisans D’Angkor to discover the traditional Khmer techniques used for stone and wood carving, lacquering and gilding. The numerous items made in the workshops are inspired by the rich Cambodia heritage.

Day 2: Siem Reap (B, L, G)

After breakfast, visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom. The fortified city of Angkor Thom (Great Angkor or Great City), was built by Angkor’s greatest king, Jayavarman VII (1181 – 1219). Sat at the heart of Angkor Thom, the giant faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. Next, visit the Terrace of the Elephant, Terrace of the Leper King, the Phimeanakas and Baphoun. Today, you will start your tour to the World Heritage – ANGKOR WAT. The temples of Angkor was built when the Khmer civilization was at the height of its development, represent one of humankind’s most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. Angkor Wat, surrounded by a moat with an exterior wall with distinctively rendered Apsara carvings along the wall throughout the temple. The exterior walls of the lower level that display the most extraordinary bas-reliefs, depicting stories and characters from Hindu mythology and the historical wars of Suryarvarman II. In the evening, proceed to view spectacular sunset at Phnom Bakheng.

Day 3: Siem Reap (B, L, G)

After breakfast, transfer by coach to a little more than 20km north of Angkor, almost at the foot of the Kulen Mountains, sits the remarkable small temple of Banteay Srei. Banteay Srei – “The Citadel of the Women” – built at a time when the Khmer Empire was gaining significant power and territory. Banteay Srei displays some of the finest examples of the classical Khmer art. The walls are densely covered with some of the most beautiful, deep and intricate carving of any Angkorian temples. Temple’s relatively small in size, ping sand stone construction and ornate design give it a fairyland ambiance. After lunch, proceed to visit Ta Prohm – a temple in its ‘natural state’. Surround by jungle, its labyrinth of stone hallways is overgrown with the roots and limbs of the massive Banyan trees which envelope the stones like tentacles.

Day 4: Siem Reap (B, L, G)

This morning, visit the Roluos group. Located 12km southeast of Siem Reap, the first major capital of the Angkorian era Khmer Empire. The three monuments in the Ruluos Group, located 12km southeast of Siem Reap, offer a look at the earliest definition of Khmer civilization. These temples, Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko, were built in the 9th century under Indravarman I. Bakong, is also the site of a modern Buddhist monastry. After lunch, transfer to Central Market for shopping to pick up some souvenirs.

Day 5: Siem Reap/Phnom Penh (B, L, G)

Today, transfer by coach to Phnom Penh (approx. 6 hours) – the capital of Cambodia, is the commercial and political hub of Cambodia as well as home to nearly a million of the county’s 13 million people. Upon arrival, transfer to visit the Royal Palace (proper attire) and Silver Pagoda. The Royal Palace is the official residence of King Norodom Sihamony, several buildings within the gleaming yellow walls of the compound can be visited. Next, proceed to Independence Monument, Naga Casino and drive along the river for a view of the city and its local life style.

Day 6: Phnom Penh (B, L, G)

After breakfast, visit to Tuol Sleng Museum, known as the Museum of Genocidal Crimes. In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It was used by the Khmer Rouge as a detention and torture center in the late 1970. Today the building houses exhibits, paintings and photographs of many of the victims. Visitors can see the crude cells built in the classrooms and the torture devices used to extract confessions. Next, visit the Killing Field of Choeung Ek – a soccer-field-sized area surrounded by farmland, the killing fields contain mass graves, slightly sunken, for perhaps 20,000 Cambodians, many of whom were tortured before being killed. A memorial building stands in the center of the killing fields. Many of the skulls inside were pulled from the mass graves. You will then proceed to Russian Market for some shopping.

Day 7: Depart Phnom Penh (B, G)

After breakfast, free at own leisure until time for transfer to airport for your flight back home.