Heritage & Beach

Welcome from our driver on your arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport (KTI).

Transfer and hotel check-in. The rest of the day is free.

Rooms available from 2:00 PM. If we arrive a bit early and our room is not ready yet, we can drop off our luggage at reception before going for a walk around the city or resting by the pool.

Day trip by tuk-tuk

In the morning, we take the road to Kampong Cham. In Kampong Cham, we leave the city to go to the village of Steung Trong and explore the beautiful rice fields and other plantations (peanuts, jicama or yam beans) in this very fertile area on the riverbank. A little further on, a different landscape unfolds in the Krouch Chhmar district. We set out to meet the villagers during a small 30-minute walk through tobacco crops. A discovery of authentic rural Cambodge.

We then continue our journey to Kratié, a peaceful city-province on the banks of the great Mekong with magnificent rural landscapes.

Once we arrive at our destination, we settle into our room for this one-night stopover and can enjoy the rest of the free day to stretch our legs on the promenade along the great Mekong.

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

Optional: if you're sporty by nature, you have the possibility to observe the dolphins by kayak (contact us)

After returning to solid ground, if time permits, we visit nearby Phnom Sambok hill which houses a picturesque pagoda and a religious community where monks live separately from nuns. We then return to Kratié to rejoin our accommodation.

This morning, before getting back on the road, we take a small boat to reach the river island of Koh Trong.

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

We hit the road towards the temples of Sambor Prei Kuk

60 km from Siem Reap, we stop in the village of Kampong Kdei to admire the superb Preah Tos bridge. Bordered by Naga sculptures, this 100-meter-long structure that is 1000 years old is still used by pedestrians and two-wheelers. Once we arrive at our destination, we settle into the hotel; the rest of the day is free at your convenience.

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

Within the Angkor Thom enclosure, discover Bayon and its many 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 massive trees with sprawling 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 (warning: Phnom Bakheng is off-limits to children under 12 years old and authorities limit access to 300 people at sunset, creating a queue)

Due to an already full schedule, we deliberately skip a few secondary temples from the small circuit such as Banteay Kdei, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda or Ta Keo. If you wish to visit these sites, don't hesitate to inform your guide at the beginning of the day so he can best organize the schedule.

Possibility to do the visits in reverse order to avoid crowds. You just need to indicate this to your guide at the beginning of the day.

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 sculptures or sit on temple elements.

In Cambodian culture, it is offensive to disrupt or act rowdily inside a sacred place, calm and respect are paramount.

It is discouraged to buy items or sweets from child vendors, this only encourages begging and truancy, prefer a donation to an association if it matters to you.

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

We then begin the short hike needed to reach the Kbal Spean site 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 nurturing source for Angkor, the waters of Kbal Spean once irrigated the rice fields of the ancient city. In its bed, the Khmer carved Shivas 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 refresh ourselves or even swim (bring a small towel).

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

Bring hiking shoes or sneakers as the trail is quite rocky.

After lunch, let's continue with a visit to Banteay Srei, 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 the bas-reliefs and sculptures that adorn its walls and columns.

If we still have energy, we can conclude the day by visiting Banteay Samre temple or return to the hotel directly.

We first head towards the village of Kampong Kleang located on Tonlé Sap Lake approximately 1.5 hours by car from Siem Reap. We then board a private boat to discover and visit the floating village.

On the way after getting back on the road, be bold to take full advantage of a brief "gastronomic" stop in the city of Skun, famous for its spiders and grilled insects. Once you arrive at your destination, we settle into the hotel; The rest of the day is free at your convenience.

After breakfast, we head towards Kampot.

Meeting with our driver for a car transfer (without guide) to the Sihanoukville pier, a seaside town in the south with beautiful fine sand beaches and gateway access to the paradisiacal islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem.

Boat transfer to Koh Rong from Sihanoukville pier. Our team on site will be waiting for you at the pier to hand over your boat tickets.

Once we arrive at our destination, we check into the hotel; the rest of the day is free.

After breakfast and checking out of our room, we return by boat to Sihanoukville.

Upon arrival at the Sihanoukville landing, a driver will be waiting for us for one last transfer via the country's only highway (to date) which will take us directly to the Phnom Penh international airport (KTI) for our return flight.

The driver will wait for you at the Buva Sea office, a few dozen meters away. Vehicles cannot always access the boat landing directly.

Please note: this itinerary is only possible with a return flight at the earliest in the mid-afternoon (i.e. from 4:30 PM onwards). If the flight is in the morning, we will need to arrange one last night in the capital.