Teeming with history, marvelous architecture and awash in natural beauty, Cambodia is fast becoming a must see destination in South East Asia. The largest religious monument ever built, Angkor Wat ranks at the top of globetrotting VIP - must see list of wonders in the word. After a lengthy period of internal strife and civil war curtailed travel to Cambodia for the better part of three decades, the establishment of the peace has spurred a rise in tourism accompanies by a hotel constructions boom in the town of Siem Reap located just fine miles from Angkor Wat. This 4 day trip take you discover all wonders of Angkor and experience the best of Cambodia has to offer.
Day 1: Arrival Seam Reap, Cambodia
Arriving in Siem Reap you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Once check in formalities are complete there will be a tour to the Angkor Wat complex. Angkor Wat was built between 1112 and 1152 by King Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation, although some people believe it is actually dedicated to the king himself as the temple faces west, representing death. It is the best preserved of all the temples. Its layout and its scale are simply breathtaking: the wall surrounding the enclosure measures 1,000 by 800 meters in length and the moat, said to represent the oceans of the world is 200 meters wide. The five towers that dominate the scene are said to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru , the mythical home of the omnipotent Hindu deity Shiva. Beautiful bas beliefs and carvings adorn the inner sanctuaries depicting various Hindu mythological epics, including the longest continuous bas relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls. From here we proceed to the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng , and as the end of the day approaches, we climb the imposing remains for a truly memorable sunset.
Day 2: Angkor Thom Discovery:
We start visiting Angkor Thom without delay. This will includes the South Gate , Bayon with 4 giants faces, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
Angkor Thom was a royal city with a moat and 3km perimeter wall. It was the last capital of Angkor . After defeating the Cham invaders in 1181, Jayavarman VII constructed Angkor Thom as his new capital city. There are four gates to the city which are adorned with giant faces, as well as the Victory Gate which leads to the Royal Palace . The South Gate is often the first stop on a tour of the temples.
Arrive Bayon - the giant stone faces of the Bayon are today the most recognizable images of Khmer art. There are 37 towers, most adorned with four carved faces oriented toward the cardinal points. No-one knows for sure but they could be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva or Jayavarman VII. The Bayon was Jayavarman II's state temple and represents the pinnacle of his massive building campaign. The best art in the Bayon are the bas-reliefs on the exterior walls and on the southern wall where they depict scenes from an historical sea battle between the Khmer and the Cham. Even more interesting are scenes of everyday life, including childbirth, market scenes and passtimes such as cockfighting and chess games.
In the afternoon, we drive a 45 km to Bantaey Srei and Bantaey Kdei. Banteay Srey means "citadel of the women". However, this modern translation probably refers to the delicate beauty of the carvings. The walls are covered with carvings and its relatively small size, pink sandstone building material and delicate designs give a fairytale feel to the place. The colours are best early morning and late afternoon. Only discovered in 1914, the temple closes at 5.00 pm and is 38 km from Siem Reap so you need at least a half day to visit it.
Day 3 : Marvelous Angkor Wat
Following the breakfast we explore the magnificent Angkor Wat. From here We proceed to the summit Phnom Bakheng Temple to watch the memorable sunset over the Angkor Wat.
In all its aspects, Angkor Wat is breathtaking. It is a shaped like a massive, three tiered pyramid crowned by five beehive-like towers which rise 65 metres above the ground. Angkor Wat is the highlight of any visit to the temples of Angkor .
At the height of Khmer dominance in this region, King Suryavarman II constructed Angkor Wat, a massive temple mountain dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. It was his state temple, although the temple's uncommon westward orientation suggests it may also have been his funerary temple. It is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall measuring 1300 metres x 1500 metres. The temple itself is 1km square and has three levels crowned by a central tower. The walls are covered with bas-reliefs and carvings. Nearly 2,000 apsara carvings adorn the walls throughout the temple and are some of the finest examples of the era. It is, however, the exterior walls of the lower level which display the most extraordinary bas-reliefs, depicting stories and characters from Hindu mythology and the historical wars of it's builder. The northern reflecting pool in front of the Angkor Wat is the most popular location from which to view the sunrise. Arrive very early, well before sunrise begins as the sun will rise behind Angkor Wat providing a silhouette of Angkor 's distinctively shaped towers against the coloured sky. Some of the best colours appear just before the sun breaks over the horizon. For optimal lighting conditions for photographing the facade of Angkor , go after 2.00 p.m. because in the morning the backlighting obscures the view.
The first level of Angkor Wat is the most artistically interesting. Most visitors begin their exploration of the temple with the bas-reliefs that cover the exterior wall of the first level, following the bas-reliefs counterclockwise around the temple. Bas-relief highlights include the mythological Battle of Kuru on the west wall; the historical march of the army of Suryavarman II against the Cham, followed by scenes from Heaven and Hell on the south wall; and the classic "Churning of the Ocean Milk" on the north wall. The temple interior is not as densely carved as the first level exterior but still displays hundreds of fine carvings. The highest point of the temple, the central tower on the third level, houses four Buddha images, each facing a different cardinal point, highlighting the fact that, although Angkor Wat was constructed as a Hindu temple, it has served as a Buddhist temple since Theravada Buddhism became Cambodia's dominant religion in the 14th century. It is considered good luck to pay homage to all four Buddha images before departing Angkor . Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
Day 4: Departure Seam Reap
On morning four there will be totally free at leisure or the option of taking a boat trip down to Tonle Sap, Asia 's largest inland lake, which swells to ten times its normal size during the wet season, or perhaps some last minute shopping before transferring to the airport for your departure flight.
Remark:
P = Person, B= Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner Sgl Sup = Single room supplement (if required)
| Hotel Category |
Siem Reap Hotels |
| Superior (3*) |
Princess Angkor |
| First Class (4*) |
La Residence d'Angkor |
| Deluxe Hotel (5*) |
Sofitel Royal Angkor |
| Luxury (5*) |
Grand Hotel D'Angkor |
| Best of the best |
Amansara Resort |
| Trip Cost Includes: |
Trip Cost Excludes: |
- Hotel accommodation with breakfast (base on twin-sharing)
- Private air-conditioning transportation
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Speed boat from Phnom Penh to Seam Reap
- Boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake
- Sightseeing tours with English/French speaking guide as stated in itinerary
- All entrance fees to tour sites throughout
- Meal as stated in program (breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at local restaurants) |
- Cambodia visa fee (currently US$20 per person for visa on arrival)
- Domestic airport tax (US$6 per person)
- International departure airport tax ( Phnom Penh / Siem Reap airport at US$25 per person) |
| Group size |
Price per person in USD in the party of |
| 1 |
2-3 |
4-5 |
6-8 |
9-12 |
13-20 |
sgl |
| Superior |
1032 |
711 |
661 |
589 |
551 |
540 |
141 |
First Class |
1175 |
797 |
745 |
662 |
626 |
616 |
211 |
Deluxe |
1278 |
846 |
828 |
727 |
688 |
680 |
248 |
Luxury |
1847 |
1505 |
1347 |
1323 |
1290 |
1249 |
1078 |
best of the best |
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