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| Arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport. Meet upon arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport and transfer to the hotel for check in. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight stay in Phnom Penh. |
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| Breakfast at hotel. Morning hours free at leisure and afternoon proceed for Phnom Penh city tour: Visit the Victory Monument, and the National Museum, also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. A French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, designed it in Khmer style in 1917. The museum contains a collection of Khmer art - notably sculptures - throughout the ages. Visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. Located within the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5,000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90kilograms and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. End the trip with the visit of the Wat Phnom temple, Phnom Penh’s namesake, from where you can enjoy views over the tree-lined avenues of Phnom Penh during sunset. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel. (B,L,D) |
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| Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Phnom Penh Airport for the flight to Siem Reap. Arrive at Siem Reap International Airport and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Roluos Group. The monuments of Roluos, which served as the capital of Indravarman I (reigned 877-89), are among the earliest large, permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of Khmer classical art. Preah Ko erected by Indravarman I in the late 9th century dedicated by the King to his ancestors in 880. Bakong the largest and most interesting of the Roluos group temples, with his active Buddhist monastery just to the north of the east entrance. Lolei built on an islet in the center of a large reservoir (now rice fields) by Yasovarman I, the founder to the first city at Angkor. Lunch at hotel. In the afternoon, continue your temple tour to the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (“The Royal Baths” was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Eastern Mebon, (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation) and the mountain-temple of Pre Rup until sunset. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel. (B,L,D) |
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| Breakfast at hotel. Morning visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. Lunch at hotel. Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), Bayon temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Sunset at Angkor Wat. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel. (B,L,D) |
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Breakfast at hotel. Choose between the visits of Kulen Mountain or Beng Mealea.
Option 1 Kulen Mountain: Morning, drive through the typical Khmer countryside to the holy Kulen Mountain range which provided some of the stones used to build the Angkor temples. With beautiful sceneries to admire on the way up, our vehicle will bring us on a steep dirt road to the top of the mountain.
There we first will see the site of the Lingas carved in the riverbed by successive kings of the Angkor period and a walk further will bring us to the site of a huge natural rock with on top a big reclining Buddha carved in the rock. Our walk will also bring us to a waterfall, don’t forget your swimsuits and join the locals! More carvings in the riverbed can be discovered above the waterfall. This is also a very popular place for Khmer people to come and enjoy their weekend with a picnic.
Option 2 Beng Mealea: Morning, drive to the remote Beng Mealea temple through the typical Khmer countryside (60 km from Siem Reap). Explore the long abandoned temple (11th century), strangled by the jungle. Lunch box will be provided at the site. Proceed to the Banteay Srei temple (10th century) regarded as the jewel in the crown of classical Khmer art. Then visit Banteay Samre, one of the most complete complexes at Angkor due to restoration using the method of “anastylosis”. The name Samre refers to an ethnic group of mountain people, who inhabited the region at the base of Phnom Kulen and were probably related to the Khmers. No inscriptions have been found for this temple, but the style of most of the architecture is of the classic art of the middle period similar to Angkor Wat. The proportions of Banteay Samre are splendid. A unique feature is an interior moat with laterite paving, which when filled with water must have given an ethereal atmosphere to the temple. Drive back to Siem Reap.
Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel. (B, L, D) |
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Transfer to the archaeological site for sunrise from Phnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat.
Or sunrise at Srah Srang.Return to the hotel for breakfast.
Visit the floating village of Chhong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a boat trip in a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the “Great Lake” of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia.
Lunch at hotel.
Afternoon, visit Preah Khan. Built by King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, Preah Khan is well preserved and ongoing restoration efforts should improve this situation. Visit as well Neak Pean a fountain built in the middle of a pool and the temple of Ta Som. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel. (B, L, D) |
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Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, continue the temple tour to Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda and Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been left relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. Lunch at hotel.
After lunch, visit to “Les Artisans d’Angkor - Chantiers Ecoles” of Siem Reap and spend time at leisure at a local market (if time permits). Evening back to hotel for overnight stay. (B, L) |
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| Breakfast at hotel. Then check out from the hotel & transfer to airport for departure. (B) |
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| NOTE: Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road and/or river conditions, flight schedules and room availability. |
