Arrival in Phnom Penh

Transfer

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Sightseeing in Phnom Penh
Cambodia's capital sits at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap rivers. Considered the loveliest of the French-built cities of Indochina, it was founded as a small monastery in 1372 by a rich Khmer woman called Penh, after she found four Buddha statues in a tree trunk on the banks of the Mekong. She set up the monastery on a nearby hill or "phnom" in Cambodian.
ROYAL PALACE AND SILVER PAGODA: the royal palace stands on the site of the former citadel, Bantey Kev (built in 1813). Visitors are not allowed to some portions of the grounds, as the palace is the official residence of King Norodom Sihamoni. The silver pagoda is often called the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Preah Kaeo after the statue housed there. The wooden temple was originally built by King Norodom in 1892 and inside, its floor is comprised of more than 5000 silver blocks which together weigh nearly 6 tons.
NATIONAL MUSEUM: designed by a French archeologist and painter, George Groslier, in Khmer style in 1920 to exhibit works previously scattered throughout the country. It contains a collection of Khmer art including the beautiful 6th century bronze statue of Vishnu.
CENTRAL MARKET or RUSSIAN MARKET: Visit one of Phnom Penh's two great markets. The Central Market is located in a distinctive domed Art Deco building, and is filled with jewelry, fabrics and all types of souvenirs. The Russian Market is a sprawling labyrinth of stalls selling everything from CDs and DVDs to silks, crafts, jewelry and more. Both are fascinating places to browse.

Visit Tuol Sleng (S-21): TUOL SLENG MUSEUM (Museum of Genocide): formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School, in 1975 it became the Khmer Rouge’s main torture and interrogation centre. It was known as Security Prison 21 – or just S-21.

Excursion to the Killing Fields: THE KILLING FIELDS OF CHOEUNG EK: people tortured in the S-21 prison (a former school taken over in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge and turned into a torture chamber) were brought here to be executed. Many mass graves were found in this area.

Visit Angkor Thom
ANGKOR THOM: a fortified Royal City (10 square kilometers) built by King Jayavarman VII, who ruled from 1181 to 1201. The city has five monumental gates and is encircled by a moat 100 meters wide. In the center of the walled city are the city’s most important monuments including Bayon, Baphuon, the Terrace of Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King and Phimeanakas with Royal Enclosure.
BAYON: Jayavarman VII's temple mountain that stands at the center of Angkor Thom. It is one of the most popular of Angkor's monuments and a place of narrow corridors, steep flights of stairs and an amazing collection of towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces.
BAPHUON: the pyramid shape represents the mythical Mount Meru and marks the center of the city that was here before Angkor Thom.
PHIMEANAKAS: near the center of what was once the royal palace within Angkor Thom. Phimeanakas means ‘Celestial Palace’, though today there is not much left to indicate its former splendour.
FORMER ROYAL PALACE: nothing remains today except two pools that were used by royalty for washing.
TERRACE OF ELEPHANTS: this terrace was used for viewing public ceremonies and was a base for the King’s grand audience hall. The famous lines of elephants are at either end of the retaining walls.
TERRACE OF THE LEPER KING: North of the Terrace of Elephants is a platform named ‘Terrace of the Leper King’. On the platform is a nude statue – one of Angkor’s mysteries.

Visit temple for sunset
Watch the sun set over the Cambodian countryside from the upper terraces of an ancient Angkorian temple.

ANGKOR WAT: a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu by King Suryavarman II, who reigned between 1131 and 1150. It was constructed over a period of 30 years and is world famous for its beauty and splendor. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology. In 1992 the UNESCO declared the monument and the whole city of Angkor a World Heritage Site.

Excursion to the Tonle Sap Lake with boat trip
TONLE SAP (Great Lake). Located in the heart of Cambodia, this extraordinary lake swells up to seven times its original size during the monsoon season. Its ecosystem is one of the richest and most diverse in the region. This boat trip will explore the floating fishing villages that live at the edges of the lake, passing submerged forests and fishing farms.

Visit Banteay Kdei Temple
BANTEAY KDEI: a massive Buddhist temple dating from the second half of the 12th century. It is surrounded by four concentric walls, the outer walls measuring 500 by 700 meters.

Visit Sras Srang
SRAS SRANG: a basin opposite of Banteay Kdei measuring 800 by 400 metres with a tiny island in the middle where only the stone base remains of what was once a wooden temple.

Visit Ta Prohm
TA PROHM: one of the most popular attractions of Angkor as much of the jungle has not been cleared and it looks very much as most of the Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first stumbled across them.

Visit Ta Keo
TA KEO: built by Jayavarman V who ruled from 968 to 1001), it was the first Angkorian monument built entirely of sandstone and was dedicated to Shiva. The summit of the central tower is 50 meters high and is surrounded by four lower towers.

Visit Thommanon
THOMMANON: temple which mirrors Chau Say Tevoda (just to the north), as it was built around the same time and has a similar plan. It is also dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.

Visit Chau Say Tevoda
CHAU SAY TEVODA: built during the second quarter of the 12th century opposite of Thommanon, it was dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.

Excursion to the Tonle Sap Lake with boat trip
TONLE SAP (Great Lake). Located in the heart of Cambodia, this extraordinary lake swells up to seven times its original size during the monsoon season. Its ecosystem is one of the richest and most diverse in the region. This boat trip will explore the floating fishing villages that live at the edges of the lake, passing submerged forests and fishing farms.