Day 01: Arrival Phnom Penh (-)
On your arrival in Phnom Penh International Airport, meet your HTS tour guide and driver and transfer to your hotel for check in.
After your rest, visit to the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda, located within the grounds of the Royal Palace. The Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. Then continue your visit at the National Museum, This is one of Phnom Penh’s true architectural gems. The Museum is recognizable by its warm red terracotta colour and its gracefully curved roof topped by dozens of guardian nagas. It was designed in Khmer style in 1917 by famed French architect Georges Groslier & Ecole Des Arts Cambodians.
Overnight at hotel in Phnom Penh.
Day 02: Phnom Penh Tours (B,L)
Morning, visit the notorious Choeung Ek Killing Fields 15km southwest of Phnom Penh. This one is the sites of brutal executions of more than 17,000 individuals, most of whom first suffered through interrogations, torture and deprivation in Toul Sleng Prison during Pol Pot regime (From 1975–1979). Continue your visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 prison). This prison was a high school, and used as a prison by Pol Pot’s security forces and became the largest center for detention and torture during the rule of the Khmer Rouge.
After your rest, visit the Russian Market (Psah Tuol Thom Pong), a lively outdoor market where you will find antiquities, silver and gold jewelry, gems, silk, kramas, stone and wood carvings, as well as T-Shirts, CDs and other souvenirs. Then, we end our trip at the Victory Monument.
Overnight at hotel in Phnom Penh.
Day 03: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (B,L,D)
Transfer to Siem Reap and check-in to your hotel. After your rest, visit to Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som, built in late 12th century, the most distant temple on the grand circuit, small but classic. Preah Khan temple, built by King Jayavarman VII. Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and narrow corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation.
Enjoy a buffet dinner and a Khmer Traditional Dance Show at a local restaurant. Accommodation at your hotel in Phnom Penh.
Day 04: Siem Reap Tours (B,L)
In the morning, visit to the ancient capital, Angkor Thom (12 century) : the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
In the afternoon, visit to the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. So revered its distinctive five towers are on the Cambodian flag, and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Continue on to view a wonderful sunset from the Top of Phnom Bakhen Hill.
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 05: Siem Reap (B,L)
In the morning, drive through typical Khmer countryside and visit Banteay Srei temple (10th century), regarded as the jewel in the crown of classical Khmer Art. Continue on to visit Banteay Samre, one of the most complete complexes at Angkor due to restoration using the method of “anastylosis”.
After lunch, visit the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (“The Royal Baths”) was once used for ritual bathing, Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Ta Keo, constructed in late 10th early 11th century and the first temple to be constructed wholly of sandstone.
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 6: Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake (B,L)
In the morning, visit the Silk Farm at Puok, Western Baray and return to visit Les Artisans D’ Angkor, a handicraft center, and the Old Market “Phsa Chas”, a lively outdoor market where you will find antiques, silver and gold jewelry, gems, silk, kramas, stone and wood carvings, as well as T-Shirts, CDs and other souvenirs.
In the afternoon, we board a boat on Tonle Sap Lake, the “Great Lake” of Cambodia, and one of the largest in Asia. Here, you enjoy a brief cruise past floating villages complete with schools, restaurants, and hospitals. (Dinner not included)
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 7: SIEM REAP DEPARTURE (B)
After breakfast at your hotel, enjoy free leisure time to do whatever you wish until your transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
