14 Days - Classic Cambodia

Welcome to Cambodia! On arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, obtain your visa on arrival, then proceed through Immigration and Customs. Once in the arrivals hall, you’ll be warmly greeted by your private guide and driver, who will assist with your luggage and transfer you comfortably to your hotel.

After check-in, take the rest of the evening to relax or begin exploring the city at your own pace, perhaps with a stroll along the riverfront or a quiet dinner nearby.

Phnom Penh is far more than just a capital city - it’s where old Asia lingers in the details: crumbling French architecture, saffron-robed monks walking between temple courtyards, the aroma of grilled street food rising from alleyways, and market stalls overflowing with colour and energy. Though it carries the scars of a difficult past, today Phnom Penh is a city alive with warmth, resilience and transformation.

After breakfast, meet your private guide and driver for a day of discovery. Begin with a visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, housed in a former high school that became a prison and interrogation centre during the Khmer Rouge era. The stories and exhibits here are confronting but vital in understanding Cambodia’s recent history. Continue to the outskirts of the city to visit the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, where a quiet memorial stands in remembrance of those lost.

Return to the city for lunch at a local restaurant, then continue your exploration at Wat Phnom - the spiritual heart of the city, perched on a small hill with a 14th-century stupa and pagoda. In the afternoon, visit the Royal Palace complex, a fine example of Khmer architecture built in the 19th century. Inside the grounds, you’ll also find the Silver Pagoda, named for the thousands of silver tiles that line its floor, and home to treasured Buddhist artefacts.

Your final stop is the National Museum, where a collection of ancient Khmer sculpture and artefacts offers deeper insight into the Angkor civilisation. After a full day, return to your hotel to enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Please note that modest dress is required for visits to the Royal Palace and other religious sites. Shoulders must be covered, and trousers or skirts should fall below the knees.

Just across the Mekong River from Phnom Penh lies a surprisingly tranquil world - a cluster of rural islands where life moves at a gentler pace and the traditions of Cambodia’s countryside are very much alive. This morning, set out with your guide for a leisurely bicycle ride through these so-called Silk Islands, named for the centuries-old craft of silk weaving still practised by families today.

Pedal along quiet backroads past wooden stilt houses, fruit orchards, and lush farmland, stopping to meet local weavers on Koh Dach who continue to spin and dye silk using traditional looms and techniques. Watch as threads are transformed into beautifully patterned scarves and garments, often using natural dyes sourced from the surrounding landscape.

These islands, separated from the mainland by slow-moving channels of the Mekong, are accessible only by ferry. This natural isolation has helped preserve their agricultural lifestyle and quiet charm. With virtually no cars on the roads, your ride is calm and peaceful, offering a contrast to the bustle of Phnom Penh just a few kilometres away. Along the way, there are opportunities to interact with local families, learn about seasonal farming cycles, and sample tropical fruits grown in the area.

The ride is flat and paced to suit all levels of experience - an ideal outing for travellers looking to balance cultural insight with light physical activity in a scenic setting.

Please wear comfortable clothing and closed shoes. Bring sun protection - sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat - along with a camera to capture the views and warm local encounters.

This morning at 8:30am, meet your private guide and driver for the scenic three hour journey south to Kampot, a riverside town known for its colonial charm, nearby limestone mountains, and world-renowned pepper. En route, you’ll take a detour to explore the lesser-visited cultural and historical highlights of southern Cambodia.

Begin with a visit to Phnom Chisor, a hilltop temple offering sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. The climb is well worth the effort, and the site provides a quiet space to reflect on Cambodia’s long spiritual traditions. Continue on to the Angkorian-era sites of Angkor Borei and Phnom Da - among the earliest centres of Cambodian civilisation. If travelling during the rainy season, a short boat ride may be needed to reach Phnom Da, adding an adventurous element to your temple visit.

As you approach the coast, the landscape changes dramatically, with rugged karst mountains rising in the distance and rice fields stretching toward the horizon. Your next stop is Kep’s famous Crab Market, where rows of seafood shacks line the shore and the air is filled with the scent of chilli, garlic, and lime. Browse the lively stalls selling fresh crab, prawns, tropical fruits and locally grown Kampot pepper - a prized culinary ingredient once exported to fine restaurants across France.

Enjoy a generous seafood lunch at one of the simple seaside restaurants known as "krab shacks," where the crab is cooked to order, often flavoured with green peppercorns from nearby plantations. After lunch, continue to your hotel in Kampot and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure - perhaps with a riverside walk or a quiet break in one of the town’s colonial cafés.

After breakfast, meet your guide at 8:00am for a full day exploring the countryside around Kampot, a region known for its natural beauty, colonial-era heritage, and rich agricultural traditions. Your journey begins with a drive east to Phnom Kampong Trach, a dramatic limestone cave site that contains pre-Angkorian ruins and natural wells. These caves are still used for spiritual worship by local communities of Cambodian, Chinese, and Vietnamese heritage, giving the area a peaceful and sacred atmosphere.

Continue through the rural landscape to visit one of the region’s renowned pepper plantations, where you’ll see how Kampot pepper - considered among the world’s finest - is cultivated and processed. Learn about its journey from vine to table, and why it once graced nearly every fine dining table in Paris. Nearby, stop to see the vast salt fields that glisten in the sun during the dry season, offering another glimpse into the area’s traditional livelihoods.

Back in Kampot town, take a short walk through its quiet streets lined with colonial buildings and visit the local fish market, a lively spot where traders sell the day’s catch. Pause for a cup of strong Khmer coffee at a café overlooking the river before heading further upstream.

Your next stop is the rapids at Teuk Chhou, a favourite local spot for weekend picnics and family outings. Here, a traditional Khmer lunch is served in a rustic riverside cottage. Along the way, pass through plantations of durian and rambutan, as well as a small village where bamboo basket weaving continues as a local craft. After lunch, take a refreshing swim in the cool waters if you like, before returning to your hotel for a relaxing evening.

After breakfast, your driver will collect you for the journey west to the Cardamom Mountains, one of Cambodia’s last great wilderness areas. The drive takes around four hours, passing through remote countryside before reaching Trapeang Rung pier. From here, board a small boat for a scenic ride along the Preak Tachan River, gliding through mangroves and dense jungle until you reach Cardamom Tented Camp - an eco-lodge accessible only by water.

On arrival, settle into your spacious safari-style tent, nestled within the forest and designed to blend into its natural surroundings. In the afternoon, join a guided hike along jungle trails around the camp, led by local conservation staff. Learn about the diverse ecosystems of the Cardamoms, home to rare and endangered species, and hear first-hand about the important protection work being carried out in partnership with Wildlife Alliance. This is a chance to immerse yourself in nature, far from roads and crowds, while supporting sustainable tourism and forest conservation.

After an early breakfast, begin your day with a truly immersive experience in one of Cambodia’s most untouched landscapes. Accompanied by Wildlife Alliance rangers and an English-speaking guide, set off on a half-day forest patrol deep into the Cardamom Mountains. This remote and biodiverse region is one of South East Asia’s most important conservation areas, home to rare species such as clouded leopards, pangolins, and hornbills.

Your walk follows a network of trails once used by illegal loggers and poachers - paths that now serve a new purpose as part of ongoing efforts to protect this fragile ecosystem. Along the way, your guide and rangers will interpret the sights, sounds, and signs of the forest, sharing stories of past rescues, habitat restoration, and the challenges of patrolling such a vast wilderness. The patrol includes a visit to a ranger outpost, where you can see firsthand the snares, traps, and improvised weapons that have been confiscated. It’s a sobering but important insight into the conservation work being done here every day.

A simple, hearty Khmer lunch is served either back at camp or along the trail, offering a chance to rest and absorb the stillness of the forest around you. After lunch, enjoy some downtime - you may choose to relax in your tent, read on the deck, or take a swim in the clear waters of the river that flows past the camp.

Later in the afternoon, head out again - this time by kayak - to explore the quiet, meandering channels of the Prek Tachan River. Paddling through the mangroves and overhanging jungle, keep your eyes open for macaques, kingfishers, or even the flash of a hornbill overhead. With no motors and few people, the experience is peaceful and intimate, allowing you to see the Cardamoms from a different perspective. Return to camp in time for sunset and enjoy the evening at your leisure, surrounded by the sounds of the forest.

Enjoy a relaxed start to your day with breakfast at your leisure. If you're up early, take advantage of the quiet morning to explore the walking trails around Cardamom Tented Camp on your own - a peaceful opportunity to soak in the natural beauty one last time. By 10:00am, board the boat for the return journey along the Preak Tachan River to Trapeang Rung, where your driver will be waiting to transfer you back to Phnom Penh. The drive offers time to rest and reflect on your time in the jungle, arriving in the capital by mid-afternoon.

Take a short break to freshen up, but leave room for the evening ahead - tonight you’ll experience Phnom Penh through its flavours. At 5:30pm, your local food guide will pick you up for a curated street food tour that takes you beyond the usual restaurant scene and into the heart of the city’s dynamic culinary culture.

Explore a series of local eateries, markets and food carts, where you’ll sample everything from sizzling skewers and spicy noodles to lesser-known Khmer snacks and desserts. The route includes hidden gems known only to locals, plus a visit to a tucked-away cocktail bar where creative mixology meets Cambodian ingredients.

Over the course of the evening, you’ll make seven distinct stops, tasting more than 20 dishes and drinks - with unlimited local beer or soft drinks included. As you walk and eat, your guide will share stories about Cambodian food traditions, daily life in Phnom Penh, and the way cuisine has evolved through history and innovation.

End the evening with a final cocktail in a hidden speakeasy, a fitting close to an unforgettable night. Around 9:30pm, after a full evening of discovery and indulgence, you’ll be returned to your hotel - well fed and full of new experiences.

After breakfast, begin your overland journey to Battambang with a private transfer across the Cambodian countryside. The drive takes approximately five hours, not including stops, offering a chance to experience the slower pace of rural life along the way. Your first stop is Oudong, Cambodia’s former royal capital from the early 1600s until 1866. Scattered across three hilltops, Oudong’s stupas, shrines and temple ruins offer panoramic views over rice fields and villages, and serve as a peaceful reminder of the country’s once-glorious royal past.

Continue north with a short break at Kampong Chhnang, where you’ll stretch your legs and take a brief boat ride through Kampong Loung - one of the floating villages that dot the edge of the Tonle Sap Lake. As you glide along the narrow channels, you’ll pass homes on stilts, floating markets, and schools that rise and fall with the changing water levels. Life here is deeply connected to the rhythms of the lake, and this stop offers a unique insight into a community shaped entirely by its environment.

Arrive in Battambang by late afternoon and check in to your hotel. With its laid-back vibe, French-colonial architecture, and emerging creative scene, Battambang is one of Cambodia’s most charming provincial towns. The rest of the day is yours to relax - take a short stroll, enjoy a sunset drink, or simply unwind in preparation for tomorrow’s discoveries.

This morning, set out with your local guide in a private remork - Cambodia’s version of a tuk-tuk - for a day of exploration through Battambang’s countryside. Your first stop is the famous Bamboo Train, a quirky and uniquely Cambodian experience. Originally used for transporting goods along old French colonial railway tracks, today these lightweight bamboo platforms on wheels offer a fun and bumpy ride through the rural outskirts of the town.

From there, continue on to Ek Phnom, a partially collapsed 11th-century Hindu temple that is rarely visited, giving it a quiet, atmospheric feel. Along the way, pass through small villages where daily life unfolds at a gentle pace. Watch locals preparing traditional foods such as sticky rice steamed in bamboo tubes (korlan), fermented fish paste, handmade rice paper, and banana leaf snacks, each reflecting generations of culinary tradition.

Stop for lunch at a scenic riverside restaurant, where you can enjoy local Khmer dishes in a relaxed setting. In the afternoon, visit Phnom Sampeou, a limestone hill known for its caves, temples, and tragic history. Explore the “Killing Caves,” a memorial site from the Khmer Rouge era, before climbing to the summit where a peaceful temple now overlooks the landscape. The views from the top stretch across rice paddies and farmland, particularly striking in the soft afternoon light.

As the sun sets, stay to witness one of Battambang’s most unusual natural spectacles: thousands of bats streaming from the caves in swirling columns, an incredible sight best enjoyed with a cold drink in hand from one of the nearby roadside stalls. After sunset, return to your hotel to relax after a full and enriching day.

This morning, depart Battambang for Siem Reap with a private transfer through the Cambodian countryside. The journey takes approximately two and a half hours, offering a comfortable and scenic drive toward the northern gateway of the Angkor temples. Upon arrival, check in to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day entirely at your leisure.

Siem Reap has something for every kind of traveller - you might choose to relax with a massage at a local spa, enjoy lunch at one of the town’s excellent cafés, browse for souvenirs at boutiques or markets, or simply unwind by your hotel’s pool.

This evening, you have the option to experience one of Cambodia’s most acclaimed cultural performances - the Phare Cambodian Circus. Your guide will arrange a remork to collect you from your hotel at 7:15pm for the short transfer to the venue. The show begins at 7:30pm and lasts about an hour. Created by a group of young Cambodian artists who grew up in refugee camps, Phare Ponleu Selpak - meaning “Brightness of the Arts” - blends acrobatics, theatre, dance and music into captivating performances inspired by real-life stories, mythology and contemporary themes.

More than just entertainment, Phare is a social enterprise and arts school that helps support youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. The energy and creativity of the performers make this an unforgettable evening and a meaningful way to engage with Cambodia’s cultural renaissance.

Dinner tonight is at your leisure - we’d be happy to recommend one of the many excellent restaurants in Siem Reap, or book you a table in advance.

Rise early this morning for one of the most iconic experiences in South East Asia - watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat. You’ll depart your hotel at 5:00am to arrive in time for the changing colours of dawn behind the temple’s unmistakable towers. Built in the early 12th century as the state temple and mausoleum of King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious monument and a masterpiece of Khmer architecture. Enter through the quieter east gate to avoid the early crowds and explore the temple’s extraordinary bas-reliefs and intricate carvings before returning to your hotel for a well-earned late breakfast.

Later in the morning, set out for a full-day exploration of Angkor’s vast temple complex. Begin at the South Gate of Angkor Thom, once the capital of the Khmer Empire. Highlights include the Bayon, with its 54 towers and enigmatic smiling faces; the temple-mountain of Baphuon; the Royal Enclosure; and the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King. Each structure reveals something different about Khmer history, symbolism and power.

In the afternoon, continue to Preah Khan, a sprawling monastic complex, and then on to Ta Prohm - a temple long since reclaimed by nature. Towering trees grow out of stone walls and tangled roots wrap around doorways, creating an atmosphere that is both mysterious and mesmerising. Ta Prohm is especially striking in the late afternoon light, when most visitors have left and the fading sun casts a golden glow through the jungle.

End your day with a sunset view at either Pre Rup or Srah Srang, where the shifting light over the laterite and sandstone temples provides a fitting close to a remarkable day of discovery.

Please note that visitors to temples are asked to dress respectfully. Clothing should cover shoulders and knees. Skirts, short shorts, tank tops and revealing clothing are culturally insensitive and not permitted.

Today offers a rare opportunity to engage with Cambodia’s living culture through a visit to Kampong Khleang - a stilt village on the northern edge of Tonle Sap Lake, about an hour’s drive from Siem Reap. Depart at 10:00am, stopping en route at the lively Phsar Thnal Chek market, where locals shop for produce, spices and household goods. This is a great chance to see daily life in full swing before reaching the more remote communities on the lake’s edge.

Kampong Khleang remains one of the more authentic and less commercialised stilt villages despite its growing popularity. On arrival, visit a local family who live in a traditional wooden stilt house, elevated 10 metres above the floodplain. During the wet season, water laps at the bottom of the homes, while in the dry months, they tower over dry land - a striking contrast that reflects the lake’s dramatic seasonal changes. Share a home-cooked lunch with your hosts on their open-air terrace, and take part in preparing a few dishes if you like. It’s a personal and enriching way to learn about Khmer cuisine and everyday life in this fishing community.

In the afternoon, board a wooden boat for a slow cruise through the canals leading to Tonle Sap Lake. Glide past floating houses, schools and small shops balanced on the water, where life is conducted entirely by boat. This stretch offers fantastic photo opportunities and a peaceful look into a way of life shaped by the rhythms of the lake.

Cold drinks - including local beer and soft drinks - will be available on board for you to enjoy as you drift back through the waterways. After the boat ride, return to Siem Reap in the late afternoon with a deeper understanding of Cambodia’s unique lake culture.

Please note that due to local regulations, guests are not permitted to participate in fishing activities or travel on boats operated by local fishermen.

Today marks the end of your journey through Cambodia. At a time coordinated with your flight, your private guide and driver will collect you from your hotel and transfer you to Siem Reap Airport for your onward departure. Standard hotel check-out is at 12:00 noon, though luggage storage and late check-out may be arranged depending on your flight schedule. Take with you the memories of ancient temples, quiet rivers, warm hospitality, and the many moments that made this journey unique.