Thailand Cambodia Adventure Tour

Arrive Bangkok and check-in at hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel

This morning’s sightseeing takes us by foot to Bangkok’s major sights. We include the Grand Palace – probably the most impressive of all the sights in Bangkok with its collection of palace buildings, golden stupas, wats (temples) and decorative statues. The most impressive of the wats is Wat Phra Kaeo (‘The Temple of the Emerald Buddha’). Next we visit Wat Pho – the largest of the wats in Bangkok and famous for its 46 metre gold-plated reclining Buddha. The afternoon is free to visit other areas of Bangkok with the option of taking a longtail boat excursion along the many klongs and waterways that make up such a large part of the city. As well as visiting Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) which has Thailand’s highest prang (tower) we will pass stilt villages and get a great introduction to the lifestyle of the people in this bustling capital city.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We transfer to the airport and fly to Phnom Penh which took over from Angkor as Cambodia’s capital city in the 1440s. It is now a pleasant and surprisingly quiet city with
many French colonial buildings and plenty to see. This afternoon we take a tour to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (a High School which became the Khmer Rouge’s main torture and interrogation centre), and the ‘Killing Fields’ of Choeung Ek (the memorial stupa is a huge glass tower filled with human skulls – a sombre reminder of the scale of Pol Pot’s atrocities). Although major sights and included in any city tour of Phnom Penh, you should be aware that many people do find Tuol Sleng and the ‘Killing Fields’ quite distressing.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we continue our sightseeing in Phnom Penh with a guided city tour to include the National Museum of Arts, which contains a notable collection of Khmer sculptures and the ornate Royal Palace with its stunning Silver Pagoda. This afternoon we drive to Siem Reap (Approximately 4.5 hrs driving).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Over the next three days we explore the ancient temples of Angkor. This amazing ruined city (actually a series of cities), built between the 9th and the 13th centuries by the Khmer kings would have had (it is estimated) a population of over 750,000 at its peak. Situated deep in the Cambodian jungle it is spread out over some 150 square kilometres, scattered with magnificent carved stone temples, elegant sculptures and  incredible bas reliefs. Today we plan to include the ‘Roulos Temple’ group including Bakong, Preah Ko and Lolei. Later in the afternoon we visit the 2nd Angkor capital which includes the temples of Pre-Rup, Takeo and East Mebon – to name but a few! A great way to finish the day is to watch the sunset from Pre Rup, from where we get wonderful views across these amazing temples.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

On our second day we visit the Temples of Banteay Srei with the most stunning carved lintels at Angkor, Ta Phrom lying half consumed by the jungle, and the best known and most breathtaking of all the sights, Angkor Wat. Originally built as a funerary temple for Suryavarman ll in honour of Vishnu, the temple is unique in that it faces west – symbolically the direction of death. It is a very grand and imposing structure but its most stunning features are the extensive and intricately carved bas reliefs that stretch  throughout the galleries and inner temples.  Later in the day we drive to Tonle Sap, the Great Lake of Cambodia and one of the natural wonders of Asia. It is only 12m deep and covers nearly a seventh of Cambodia’s land area! We take an excursion on the lake to the floating villages, before returning to our hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we suggest an optional sunrise visit to Angkor Wat before we continue our exploration with a visit to the temples of King Jayavarman Vll, reputedly Angkor’s greatest king. The fortified city of Angkor Thom which he had built at the end of the 12th Century is enclosed by a square wall 8 metres high with five 20 metre high monumental gates decorated with stone elephant trunks. Originally the moat was inhabited by crocodiles and each gate was protected by huge statues of 54 different gods. The city contains another of Angkor’s true gems – The Bayon. Not nearly as impressive as Angkor Wat from a distance, The Bayon is nevertheless incredible for its maze of corridors, gothic style towers and magical central temples with 1200 metres of the finest bas reliefs depicting scenes of every day life in 12th Century Cambodia. Most of the day will be spent exploring the city and some of the surrounding temples such as Preah Khan. The late afternon is free in Siem Reap before transferring to the airport for the flight to Bangkok. 

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Included meals: Breakfast