Heart of Cambodia: Solidarity and Cultural Stay

Pick up by your driver upon arrival at the airport. Once this visit is completed, we settle you into the hotel; the rest of the day is free.

Day trip by tuk-tuk

In the late afternoon, embark on a boat escape on the Mekong and Tonlé Sap and enjoy an atypical view of Phnom Penh and a magnificent sunset.

Day without English-speaking guide

In the morning, transfer to Kampong Cham. Along the way, let's be adventurous and take full advantage of a "gastronomic" stop in the town of Skun, famous for its spiders and grilled insects.

On the way, shortly before arriving in town, we visit the AMICA association and the nearby pottery village. In Kampong Cham, we leave the city to head to the village of Steung Trong and explore the beautiful rice fields and other plantations (peanuts, jicama or winged beans) in this very fertile area on the riverbank. A little further on, a different landscape appears in the Krouch Chhmar district. We set out to meet the villagers on a short 30-minute walk through tobacco fields. A discovery of authentic rural Cambodge.

We then continue our journey to Kratié, a city-province on the banks of the great Mékong known for its peaceful atmosphere and magnificent rural landscapes.

Let's continue with a short transfer to Kampi, just north of Kratié. We board the Mekong to search for Irrawaddy dolphins, one of the rare freshwater dolphin species that is endangered.

Optional: if you're sporty, you can observe the dolphins by kayak (contact us)

Back in Kratié, we take a small boat to reach the river island of Koh Trong. Our host for the night will be waiting for us there. Meals are also planned at her place.

Day accompanied by an English-speaking guide.

We then continue on the road, this time heading towards Kampong Thom province.

After lunch, we return crossing and meet up with our driver and head towards Kampong Thom Province.

We continue until we reach Sambor Prei Kuk.

. We then head back to the road to Siem Reap and make a short detour to the village of Kampong Pluk located on the Tonlé Sap Lake less than 1 hour drive from Siem Reap. We board a private boat to discover and visit the floating village.

Note : during the dry season (March to September), the excursion may be replaced by another visit depending on the water level.

This morning, we depart by tuk-tuk towards the village of Kampong Pluk located on Tonlé Sap Lake. We board a private boat to discover and visit the floating village.

Within the village, there are small canoes that can take you around the mangrove forest. In the absence of a guide, we cannot include this ride in our service. If you wish to take this canoe ride, expect to pay approximately $5 per person.

In the dry season, if the water level compromises access to Kampong Pluk village (generally between February and August), we will be able to visit Mechrey village instead.

A day of visiting by tuk-tuk the wonderful temples of Angkor located around and inside the Angkor Thom enclosure. We discover in particular Angkor Wat, symbol of the peak of the Khmer Empire during the Angkorian era.

Within the Angkor Thom enclosure, discover Bayon and its numerous towers with gigantic faces, Baphuon and its gigantic 40m reclining Buddha statue, Phimeanakas, the Terrace of Elephants and its great diversity of sculptures as well as the Terrace of the Leper King.

Let's conclude with Ta Prohm famous for its immense trees with tentacular aerial roots. We can end this day with a sunset either at Srah Srang, or from the heights of Pre Rup or Phnom Bakheng if you are ready to brave the crowds (note: Phnom Bakheng is off-limits to children under 12 years old and the authorities limit access to 300 people at sunset, creating a queue)

Due to an already busy schedule, we deliberately skip some secondary temples of the small circuit such as Banteay Kdei, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda or Ta Keo. If you wish to visit these sites, do not hesitate to inform your guide at the beginning of the day so he can best arrange the schedule.

It is possible to do the visits in reverse order to avoid the crowds. Simply tell your guide at the start of the day.

The temples are sacred places, avoid short clothing, you must cover your shoulders and wear long pants or a long skirt.

In order to preserve these fragile monuments, it is forbidden to touch the sculptures or to sit on temple elements.

In Cambodian culture, it is offensive to behave rudely inside a sacred place, calm and respect are key.

It is not recommended to buy items or sweets from child vendors, this only encourages begging and truancy, prefer a donation to an association if it is close to your heart.

If you wish to photograph the monks (called Bonzes), you must obtain their permission beforehand. Furthermore, you must not touch them, they have the right to touch you but not the other way around.

Not far from Angkor Thom, we take a break from temple visits to go to one of the water purification stations of the NGO Teuk Saat. This organization provides affordable drinking water to rural communities through sustainable and locally-based filtration stations. Local entrepreneurs are trained by the NGO to manage these stations independently. One of these entrepreneurs will briefly present to us the positive impacts of this way of operating.

We then begin the short hike needed to reach the site of Kbal Spean nicknamed "the temple under water", 49 km north of Angkor. Temple ruins dating from the 9th century border a river whose bed is scattered with sculpted lingas. A nourishing source for Angkor, the waters of Kbal Spean once irrigated the rice fields of the ancient city. In its bed, the Khmer people sculpted Shiva and stone squares serving to bless the waters before they reached the Royal City. The site was discovered in 1968 by Ariège ethnologist Jean Boulbet, and following in his footsteps you can wander along the lush banks. A small waterfall near the protected sacred site will allow us to cool off and even swim (bring a small towel).

Very accessible hike of approximately 1.5 km (or 3 km round trip) with a small elevation gain over the last 700 meters.

Wear hiking shoes/sneakers as the trail is quite rocky.

After lunch, let's continue with a visit to Banteay Srey, a temple with human proportions compared to the gigantic Angkor Wat or Bayon. This pink sandstone temple, nicknamed "The Citadel of Women," is renowned for the refinement of its bas-reliefs and sculptures adorning its walls and columns.

If we still have energy, we can conclude the day with a visit to Banteay Samre temple or return directly to the hotel.

Along the way, let's discover the pagoda Wat Slaket and Ek Phnom, a Brahmanical sandstone temple from the 11th century now in ruins. It was ransacked by the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot, and looted by the Vietnamese at liberation. A place rich in history.

Let's take advantage of our passage to linger over the immense statue of the seated Buddha that stands near these ruins.

Once we arrive at our destination, we settle into the hotel before setting off again for the last visits of the day..

South of Battambang, a visit to the Banon temple erected at the top of a hill offers you, after climbing 358 steps, a lovely panorama of the Cambodian countryside. Passing through traditional villages lining the road, we can witness the family production of rice cakes and chat with locals about their daily life. Let's also take the opportunity to stop in the Battambang vineyards. A chance to admire the greenhouse work of Cambodian winemakers. And to taste if we wish the wine, grape juice, ginger juice, and why not cognac!

We finally set off to discover the temple of Phnom Sampov, "the ship-hill" where we stay until sunset to observe the flight of bats and their incredible choreography toward the skies.

Day without English-speaking tour guide.

Traveling by bicycle is an excellent way to meet local communities, so our morning will be dedicated to a large guided bicycle ride through the beautiful Cambodian countryside. This authentic immersion in a rural setting will allow us to visit a Buddhist temple with a dark history, observe the daily life of villagers and discover some artisanal productions from the region (bamboo cake, rice wine, banana chips, fish paste, rice paper…).

Rich and friendly exchanges await us during this itinerary. Half-day bike tour accompanied by an English-speaking local guide; the total route is 20km on flat terrain at a very leisurely pace.

In the morning, return by car to Phnom Penh.

About ten kilometers from Kampong Chhnang, admire the craftsmanship of potter artisans. The traditional village has been renowned for centuries for the quality of its clay pots sold throughout the country.

The tools have certainly modernized but the craftsmanship and techniques passed down from generation to generation remain.

Upon your arrival in Phnom Penh, you join the meeting point to take the ferry to the silk island Koh Dach. This island of 20,000 inhabitants in the middle of the Mekong is known for its silk weaving craftsmanship.

You discover this pleasant and authentic island on foot or by bike in the heart of nature, among fruit trees, fields and the banks of the Mekong with even a small beach set up for swimming.

First, you visit the silk factory of Chamka Sne, where you can observe the different stages of silk production, from silkworm farming to thread weaving. Along the way, you can also observe a large number of pagodas.

Day without English-speaking guide

Road transfer to Kep, a charming seaside town famous for its crab market and national park perfect for a lovely walk.

The Kampot region is internationally recognized for its exceptional pepper. It's impossible to visit Kampot without touring one of the region's many pepper plantations!

In the morning or early afternoon, transfer by road to Phnom Penh.

Once you arrive at your destination, we check into the hotel; the rest of the day is free. Free schedule before our transfer to Phnom Penh International Airport.

Day without English-speaking guide