Cambodia in Close Up – 7 Days

General Information

Duration: 7 Days/ 6 Nights
Tour Type: Explore and Experience
Starts/ Ends: Siem Reap/ Phnom Penh
Tour Route: Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh
Tour Categories: Cambodia Tours
Tour Customizable: Absolutely! (Tell us what you wish to do in the inquiry form)

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Siem Reap Arrival
Day 2: Angkor Temple Complex
Day 3: Siem Reap – Transfer to Phnom Penh
Day 4: Phnom Penh
Day 5: Phnom Penh – Transfer to Sihanoukville
Day 6: Sihanoukville
Day 7: Sihanoukville – Phnom Penh – Departure

Day 1: Siem Reap Arrival (D)

Welcome upon arrival in Siem Reap, we transfer to hotel in the center city. We are relaxed at the hotel in the rest of the day or walking around at the local market to see the real Cambodian life. Tonight, we enjoy our welcome dinner at a fine local restaurant in town. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 2: Angkor Temple Complex (B)

Siem Reap is the ancient capital of Cambodia under the Angkor dynasty. As the home to enormous structures and stunning artifacts under the era, the city is special by its Angkor architectures considered as the World Heritage center. We start our visit to the amazing temples complex of Angkor, beginning with exploring the complex of Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom was built by King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century, a short while after the completion of Angkor Wat – the World Largest Hindu temple of Cambodia. Angkor Thom, which means “Great City”, is surrounded by a massive perimeter wall and a moat with five monumental gates and covers an area of more than ten square kilometers. The most important monuments are located in the center of the city, namely the Bayon, the Baphoun and the Terrace of Elephants.

The Bayon is a fascinating piece of architecture and one of the most photographed. It is a bizarre structure, with a total of 54 towers elaborately decorated with 216 enormous and enigmatic smiling faces. The numerous other structures of this fortified city are the Terrace of the Leper King, the Phimeanakas, Preah Palilay, Tepranom, Preah Pithu, North & South Kleang, and Prasat Sour Prot.

After that, we visit Ta Prohm – the temple of exotic roots in Cambodia. The principal singularity of Ta Phrom is that it has not been cleared from the thick jungle, as the rest of the Angkor Complex has been. It looks nearly the same as in the descriptions of the first French explorers, shrouded in the undergrowth and in the huge roots of old Banyan trees.

In the afternoon, we visit Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is located about six kilometers north of Siem Reap, south of Angkor Thom. Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century (113 – 5BC). It is the largest monument of the Angkor Group and the best preserved and it is an architectural masterpiece. Its perfection in composition, balance, proportions, relief’s and sculpture make it one of the finest monuments in the world. At the end of the day, we will enjoy the sunset at the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng.

Overnight in the hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 3: Siem Reap – Transfer to Phnom Penh (B)

Today, we check out after breakfast, visit Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre then transfer directly to the Mekong Express Limousine bus station to catch the bus to Phnom Penh. There is 45 seats/bus with a local speaking guide on the bus. It takes you around 6-hour driving from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh.

Arriving in Phnom Penh, we check in our hotel. Overnight in the hotel in Phnom Penh.

Day 4: Phnom Penh City Tour (B)

We visit the Royal Palace Complex today with the Royal Residence (closed to the public), the Throne Hall or Vinichhay Temple (the place where Cambodian kings are enthroned) and the Chan Chaya Pavillon (where traditional dances took place) which includes Wat Preah Keo, better known as the Silver Pagoda. This amazing place, which floor is covered with 5000 silver plates, houses the Preah Keo or Emerald Buddha made of Baccarat crystal. In front stands a 90 kg golden Buddha studded with 9584 diamonds.

After this, we will walk about 10 minutes to the National Museum. Built around a central courtyard, the galleries, arranged chronologically, present a collection of Khmer art, mostly sculptures.

In the afternoon, we visit the Choeng Ek killing fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum where is about 16 kilometers driving from Phnom Penh. This former high school in the suburbs of the capital was converted to a detention and torture center – known as Toul Sleng or S21 – by the Khmers Rouges when they came to power in 1975. A genocide museum was established at Toul Sleng after 1979 and today it remains as it looked when abandoned by the Khmers Rouges. The pictures of hundreds of faces of those tortured there line the walls inside the old school. Most of the 17’000 people detained at Toul Sleng were eventually transported to Choeung Ek, a mass gravesite known to the locals as the Killing fields after the popular movie of Roland Joffre. Choeung Ek also serves as a memorial to those killed under the Khmers Rouges rule. Before transferring to hotel, we visit the Russian market.

Overnight in the hotel in Phnom Penh.

Day 5: Phnom Penh – Transfer to Sihanoukville (B)

After breakfast at hotel, we transfer to Sihanoukville which is one of the most worth to visit place in Cambodia by its stunning beauty. It is about 226 km far from Phnom Penh but the road is very excellent. It takes us 3.5-hour driving. Arriving Sihanoukville we check in hotel. Relax at the beach in the rest of the day.

Overnight in Sihanoukville.

Day 6: Sihanoukville (B)

Free at beach today. Overnight in Sihanoukville.

Day 7: Sihanoukville – Phnom Penh – Departure (B)

We transfer back to Phnom Penh today for our departure flight to home. The special one-week Cambodia tour ends.