Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrive in Seam Reap

   • Arrive at the Seam Reap International Airport. You will be received and escorted to the hotel for check-in and rest.

   • Enjoy a free day and overnight stay at the hotel (at your own expense).

2. Day 2: Angkor Temples & Apsara Dance Show

   • After breakfast at the hotel, start a discovery tour to see the South Gate of Angkor Thom City, the last capital of the Khmer Empire surrounded by thick walls. The ancient city contains five monumental gates built by King Jayavarman VII between 1181 and 1218.

   • Next, see Bayon Temple, a Buddhist monastery in the heart of the Angkor Thom complex and decorated with gorgeously carved stone faces depicting the Buddha.

   • Proceed to visit the Bapoun Temple; A major religious temple during Khmer Empire, and the Elephant Terrace.

   • Continue the tour to see Ta Prohm Temple or "Tomb Raider Temple" owing to its being the site where the movie was filmed. Ta Prohm is a beautiful ruin overgrown by the giant trees of the jungle. Because of its wonderful atmosphere, it has been left un-renovated. 

   • Break for lunch at a local restaurant near the temple.

   • After lunch, continue the tour to see Angkor Wat Temple, the 7th finest wonder of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest temples in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops Pyramid in Egypt. The temples of Angkor were built between 1113 – 1150 AD.

   • Return to hotel for rest.
   • At 6:30 PM, arrive at a restaurant in the city for enjoying a buffet dinner accompanied by a cultural dance show called "Apsara dance performance" to get a taste of classical Khmer culture. As evident in part by the innumerable Apsara (celestial dancers) adorning the walls of Angkor Wat temple, traditional dance has been part of Khmer culture for well more than a millennium. Yet, there have been ruptures in the tradition over the centuries, making it almost impossible to trace the tradition's source precisely. No visit to Cambodia is complete without attending at least one performance.

   • Transfer to hotel for overnight stay (own expense)

3. Day 3: Temple Mountain & Tonle Sap Fishing Village

   • After breakfast at the hotel, set out to see the Preah Khan Temple, the biggest temple in the big circuit built in the 13th century by king Jayavarman. It is now famous for being the location where many scenes were shot for a movie. A walk around this maze-like temple holds many surprises.

   • Proceed to the Pre Rup Temple. Cambodians have always regarded this temple as having funerary associations; the name Pre Rup recalls one of the rituals of cremation. The silhouette of the body of the deceased is outlined with its ashes. 

   • Next, drive to see Eastern Mebon Temple. Also known as Temple Mountain, it is dedicated to the Hindu God Siva and was built in the 10th century on an artificial island in the middle of a reservoir.

   • Break for lunch at a local restaurant.

   • Drive back to the city to experience an Artisan workshop, where you will 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 Cambodian heritage.

   • Proceed towards Tonle Sap Great Lake, where you will observe the livelihood of Cambodian people in the fishing community village.

   • Take a boat to a fishing village to observe the local lifestyle in Chong Kneas, a cluster of three villages of floating houses built within the flooded plants. Flooded mangrove forest surrounds the area and is home to a variety of wildlife, including crab-eating macaques.
   • Return to the hotel and rest.

   Overnight stay (own expense).

4. Day 4: Banteay Srei & Kulen Mountain

   • After breakfast at the hotel, drive to experience the most famous temple of Banteay Srei, which is also known as the Citadel of Women. This small pink sandstone temple dating back to the late 10th century is considered the crown jewel of classical Khmer arts, given the delicate beauty of its carvings.

   • Drive up to the mountain to experience Kulen Mountain with its holy waterfall. It is here that King Jayavarman II in the 9th century proclaimed himself as a divine universal ruler and administrator of the Khmer Empire.

   • Take some time to pray to the huge Reclining Buddha statue built on the top of a natural huge rock.

   • Walk around to see the thousand Shivlingas carved into the long riverbed.

   • Enjoy a swim in the waterfall and then drive down for lunch in a local restaurant.

   • After lunch, drive down and straight to Beng Mealea Temple (Lotus Pond), built primarily in sandstone and largely un-restored, resulting in trees and thick brush thriving in the "Jungle Temple" complex. Exploring the temple will involve climbing collapsed passages, going through a vine-covered doorway, and around massive trees growing inside the temple.

   • Drive back to the hotel and rest.

   Overnight stay at own expense.

5. Day 5: Departure

   • Spend the early half of the day at your leisure.

   • Transfer to the Siem Reap International Airport for your onward journey.