Cambodia Family Adventure Tour

Arriving in Siem Reap you will be met at the airport and transferred to your beautiful boutique hotel, located just a short distance from the Angkor temples. If time allows, this afternoon is free to enjoy some optional activities around the town, including horse-riding, quad biking, pottery lessons, or perhaps a helicopter flight over the temples.

After breakfast you head out into the jungle to seek out the vast, atmospheric ruins of Beng Mealea. Built by Suryavaram II, this lost city has been consumed by nature, and is an exciting place to explore as you clamber across ancient ruins that have lain buried beneath the jungle for centuries. Continuing on, you head towards the remote Angkor capital of Koh Ker, home to the towering 35 meter pyramid of Prasat Thom and the red temple of Prasat Krahom. Finally, you reach your comfortable jungle camp, where you’ll enjoy a night under the stars and fall asleep to the sounds of the bush.

An early start allows you to watch the rising sun cast its golden glow across the temples of Koh Ker, before heading off to discover some of the more remote Angkor jungle ruins. One of the most mesmerising and photogenic of Angkor’s temples is that of Ta Phrom (a location used in the first Tomb Raider film) – a wonderfully ethereal setting swallowed by the surrounding forests of fig and banyan trees, providing an unforgettable visit en route back to Siem Reap.

Wake up early to catch the sunrise over the most famous of Angkor’s temples, that of Angkor Wat, without doubt one of the most magnificent archaeological sites anywhere in the world. After a picnic breakfast at the site, you take a tour of the complex before the crowds arrive, before visiting the walled city of Angkor Thom. The climax of the day is the iconic Bayan temple, home to the incredible stone heads that top the 54 towers and stare down from every angle.

Leaving Siem Reap you follow the course of an old Angkor road towards the sleepy Mekong port of Kratie. Along the way you stop and view the spectacular Khmer bridge at Spean Praptos and visit a silk farm, travelling through the heart of Cambodia’s rubber country. Passing huge plantations dating back to the country’s colonial French days, you arrive in Kratie late in the afternoon in time to take the local ferry across to Koh Trong Island and enjoy sunset over the Mekong.

This morning you explore your island home by bicycle, enjoying the tranquil pace of rural life by visiting the village communities that dot the island. This is a unique opportunity to meet with local Cambodians and there may be a chance to help out with some tree planting before joining an afternoon boat cruise along the Mekong. This area is famed for its rare Irrawaddy river dolphins, an unusual species of oceanic dolphin that is closely related to orcas (killer whales).

Departing after breakfast you head south today, towards the town of Snoul where you leave civilization (and surfaced roads!) behind you. Approaching the wilds of Mondulkiri, you pass through a fertile landscape of forest, farmland and jungle, making your way into the mountains, and passing through prime tiger country.

Near to Sen Monorom lies the Elephant Valley Project, a conservation project set up with the local Pnong villagers, that endeavors to rescue and treat domestic elephants that have suffered illness of injury. Here you will have an opportunity to enjoy a unique mahout experience, learning how to direct and control the elephants in the morning, before undertaking an elephant walking trek after lunch into the Mondulkiri countryside. The walk takes you up to a waterfall where you can enjoy a refreshing swim and bathe with the elephant, before heading back to camp for a barbecue dinner under the stars

Following breakfast, return to Sen Monorom and continue by road towards the bustling city of Kompong Cham. The journey will take you through the small town of Skuon, where you might like to stop and sample its local delicacy – deep fried tarantula! From Kompong Cham and then continue on to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh is an intriguing mix of colonial charm and Buddhist tradition and today you visit the city’s sumptuous Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, home to some of the country’s most valuable and revered treasures. In the afternoon you come face to face with Cambodia’s dark history – a reminder of the terrifying regime of Pol Pot – with a visit to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng* (a former high school turned interrogation center)

Taking a boat across the Mekong River you will spend half a day visiting the small rural community of Koh Dach. The villagers are renowned weavers, producing some of the finest silk sarongs and scarves in the region and earning their home the name of ‘Silk Island’. Cycling out to the village, you will have a chance to see first-hand how these beautifully intricate garments are produced and learn a little more about Mekong village life, before heading back to the capital later this afternoon.

Before leaving the capital, take time to participate in an authentic Cambodian cookery course. Shopping for ingredients in the local markets, you’ll prepare traditional Cambodian dishes, learning from the experts how to create a delicious and aromatic meal. In the afternoon, transfer to the beaches and coast around the old French-colonial resort of Kep.

A short distance from Kep lies the little town of Kompong Trach and the temple of Wat Kirisan, reached by way of a small cave hemmed in by sheer walls of dripping vegetation. Travelling by boat to the beautiful palm-fringed beaches of Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island), you will have free time to enjoy the beaches and the tranquility of this lovely rural setting, before heading back to Kep.

The charming colonial town of Kampot is home to the Epic Arts Center, a community project that works with the deaf and disabled, allowing them to express themselves through the medium of dance, music and the visual arts. The town is also a wonderful place to enjoy some fresh coffee and home-made cakes. On the return journey to Kep you’ll stop at the large cave of Phnom Chhnork, which contains a sacred 7th century temple, before enjoying a final afternoon on Cambodia’s lovely southern coast.

Today you return to the Cambodian capital, driving back through the picturesque rural landscape to Phnom Penh’s international airport and the end of your Cambodian adventure.