5-Day Angkor Temple Tour in Siem Reap with Tonle Sap and Kulen

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

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

• 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, decorated with gorgeously carved stone faces depicting the Buddha.

• Proceed to visit Baphuon Temple, a major religious temple during the Khmer Empire, and the Elephant Terrace.

• Continue the tour to see Ta Prohm Temple, or the "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 unrestored.

• 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 one of 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 the hotel for rest.

• At 6:30 PM, arrive at a restaurant in the city to enjoy a buffet dinner accompanied by a cultural dance show called the "Apsara dance performance," offering a taste of classical Khmer culture. As shown 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 over 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 the hotel for an overnight stay at your own expense.

• After breakfast at the hotel, set out to see Preah Khan Temple, the biggest temple in the grand 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 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 plains. A 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 at your own expense.

• After breakfast at the hotel, drive to experience the 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 art, given the delicate beauty of its carvings.

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

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

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

• Drive back to the hotel and rest.

Overnight stay at your own expense.

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

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