Essential of Cambodia/Khmer Heritage Trail

Arrival at Siem Reap Airport, meet our guide and driver, then transfer to the city to drop off your luggage at the hotel.

Free time for your personal discovery or relaxation.

In the afternoon, head to the great Tonlé Sap Lake and take your boat to the village of Kompong Phluk. You'll cruise for a few moments and then reach the heart of this astonishing medieval floating village, where the houses stand proudly on stilts more than seven meters above the water level of the lake. All life is on the water, and the villagers, pets, pigs, and even crocodiles share the little living space available.

You'll visit a small local temple and discover stilt houses during your excursion. You'll also have the opportunity to take a break at a floating cafe or restaurant within the flooded forest before finally returning to Siem Reap by road at the end of the day. Overnight at the hotel in Siem Reap.

Overnight: Siem Reap

The morning begins with the most iconic of all temples: Angkor Wat. Construction began during the reign of Suryavarman in the 12th century. The complex covers nearly 210 hectares and reveals to visitors the majesty and beauty of its impressive architecture, its sandstone bas-reliefs, its representations of Vishnu and other Buddhist deities.

Afternoon, visit Banteay Srei, a temple built in the 10th century. Dedicated to Shiva, also known as the Citadel of Women, it is renowned for the finesse of its pink sandstone lintels depicting Aspara dancers or scenes from Hindu mythology.

On the way back, visit Sras Srang, the “Ablutions pool” and the Buddhist temple Ta Prohm, where nature reclaims its rights, and giant roots surround the monuments.

Overnight: Siem Reap

Departure by tuk-tuk to Preah Khan, a temple built in 1191 in honour of the first Mahayana Buddhist king of Angkor. It is remarkable for its vaulted corridors, its sculpted friezes, and above all because nature is omnipresent there: lichen covers the bas-relief, and the cheese trees serve as supports for a large part of the temple.

Visit the Neak Pean temple. This island-temple, also called "Tangled Nagas," sits at the center of a large pool, itself adjoined by four smaller pools that symbolize Anavatapta, a sacred lake in the Himalayas. Visit the Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda temples, built in the 12th century. Their Devatas, these female deities, as well as their sandstone lintels, are of rare finesse.

In the afternoon, explore Angkor Thom, the Great City. This architectural splendour abounds in symbolism. There are numerous monuments to see, including the Bayon, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King, and countless sculpted figures. The grandeur and foundations of Khmer civilization are encapsulated in this extraordinary place.

Overnight: Siem Reap

Breakfast at the hotel, then heading towards Battambang (170km – 3h30), the second largest city in the country and a historic town located on the banks of the Sangker River. Upon arrival, check into your hotel.

Orientation tour of the city, you can observe the somewhat faded elegance of the French colonial style along the river, visit the market, which displays all kinds of local agricultural products and fish from Tonle Sap, before heading to visit the 11th-century temple of Wat Ek Phnom. On the way, you can meet the people of the village by visiting the small family rice cake factories, then an ancient pagoda

Overnight: Battambang

Breakfast at the hotel.

After breakfast, depart for the Wat Koh District to visit a traditional village and discover rural Khmer life. Learn about rice harvesting, fruit cultivation, and palm sugar production. Then board the famous bamboo train, a local rail cart made of bamboo planks on wheels, offering breathtaking countryside views.

In the afternoon, visit Wat Banan Temple, perched on a hill along the winding Sangker River and surrounded by traditional wooden houses. Climb to the summit for a magnificent panorama of the surrounding plains. Continue to Phnom Sampeau, a sacred mountain scattered with pagodas and stupas. You’ll also visit a memorial to Khmer Rouge victims who were thrown into the mountain’s “Killing Caves.”

Return to Battambang by late afternoon.

Overnight: Battambang

After breakfast, drive south through villages along the river, where you will find some suspension bridges that span from one end to the other, stop in a cotton scarf weaving village or the orange groves.

Visit the Banon Temple via a long staircase, built between the 12th and 13th centuries, whose five towers stand on the hill.

Transfer to Phnom Penh (295 km – 5h30 drive) privately and guide, on the way we will stop to visit one of the largest Khmer communities on Tonle Sap Lake: Kompong Luong village, this remote tour will be provided on the local traditional boat.

Continue to Kampong Chhnang, a pottery town and provincial capital. Visit pottery villages where all kinds of everyday objects and ceramic ornaments are made.

Then discover a sugar palm along the way. And then Udong, 40 km north of Phnom Penh, is the seat of an ancient capital. You will find an ancient temple ruined by war with a large Buddha recently restored, magnificent large stupas of the ancient Kings at the time of the capital of Oudong and a new stupa of beautiful architecture to keep the ashes of Buddha. You admire the impressive panoramic view of the pagodas, villages, lake, and rice fields in the surroundings.

Then the workshops of the artisans of the village located on the edge of Tonlé Sap, whose inhabitants specialize in working with silver and copper and where the ornamental objects used during traditional ceremonies at the pagoda or during weddings are made.

Arrival in Phnom Penh in the late afternoon.

Overnight: Phnom Penh

In the morning, you'll start with a 45-minute cyclo ride along the Mekong River before discovering the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh, home of the royal family and symbol of the kingdom. You'll then head to the Silver Pagoda, named after the 5,000 silver tiles that line its floor.

Then you will go to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, a superb example of Khmer architecture, which was officially inaugurated in 1920, and mainly exhibits sculptures dating from different periods of Cambodian history.

In the afternoon, a visit to the Tuol Slèng Museum, a former secondary school and transformed into a central prison under the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), keeping as testimony photos of thousands of local and foreign victims and interrogation instruments.

Then, visit the Choeung Ek killing field, which was used as a burial site for victims of Tuol Sleng prison during the Khmer Rouge regime.

Overnight: Phnom Penh

After breakfast at the hotel, you will discover the Russian Market of Phnom Penh, one of the best addresses for shopping in the capital, then the Central Market, one of the city's must-see monuments.

Then, the discovery of Wat Phnom, a pagoda erected on a small artificial hill topped by a magnificent monastery housing sacred relics and an enormous stupa of the ancient king Ponhea Yat, founder of the capital of Phnom Penh.

Free time until transfer to Phnom Penh airport for departure flight.