Cambodia Cultural Discovery
This is a 5 day module that can be woven into a tailor-made holiday in Cambodia. It gives an essential view of the the most famous temples of the Angkor period - Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Ta Phrom and the other temples close to Siem Reap - but also takes you way from the tourist zone to lesser known sites that have not yet been restored or rebuilt.
6 Day Angkor module
Day 01 Arrive Siem Reap
On arrival a guide will meet you and take you to check into your hotel. Free to explore the city or you can rent a motor bike to take to visit the local market near your hotel.
Day 02 Siem Reap: Angkor Balloon [ B, L ]
Early morning go to get a bird’s eye view the extensive heritage site from a tethered helium balloon you can see Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, Angkor Thom and the West Baray and Angkor city from 200 metres up in the sky if you are lucky you see the sun rises in the morning. Go back to your hotel and have breakfast. After breakfast set off with your guide to visit:
• Elephant terrace & Terrace of the Leper King, at the North of the Baphuon lies the Royal city, of which very little remains. The first owes its name to the outstanding depiction of elephants, while the second gets its name from the magnificent sculpture of King Yasovarman, popularly known as the Leper King. The original of this statue is now in the National Museum in Phnom Penh.
Late afternoon you could return to Angkor Wat for sunset photographs or, if you managed to get good ones on the first day, find an alternative perspective to catch the good light. Overnight at your hotel.
Day 03 Siem Reap ~ Angkor [B]
After breakfast, set off with guide for your foray into one of the world’s most fascinating Heritage sites. Discuss with your guide how you would like to proceed, but, I suggest that you rise early and get to Angkor Wat before the bus loads of tourists arrive – i.e. at dawn – taking breakfast later by either returning to the Angkor Village or visiting one of the food vendors near to the temples.
Places to visit:
• Angkor Thom - This Royal city was first built under the reign of Udayadityavarman II in the 11th Century. It was destroyed when the Chams from Vietnam rose up against the Khmers and invaded, sacking the city, and was subsequently renovated by King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th Century. Its vast walls, some 6m wide, 8m high and 13km in length contain many monuments. Drive through the South Gate and visit;
• Bayon Temple - this temple mountain, built by Jayavarman VII, is situated in the centre of the city of Angkor Thom. It is a three-tiered pyramid with its entrance facing east. The central shrine is surrounded by 54 towers all crowned by gigantic faces, representing Avalokite-shvara but with the features of Jayavarman VII. They gaze out to the North, South, East and West, and wherever you are in the temple, you are surrounded by these enigmatic faces, with their unnerving smiles. Unlike his preDayessors who had worshipped the Hindu deities of Shiva and Vishnu, Jayavarman VII adopted Mahayana Buddhism as the fount of royal divinity. This sets The Bayon apart from many other Angkorean monuments.
return to your hotel and overnight at your hotel.
Day 04 Siem Reap: full day outer temples tour [B]
Early Breakfast, then set off by 4x4 to the elegant Hindu temple of Banteay Srei, approx. 16 km north of the main Angkor complex on to the way you can a beautiful surrounding nature , birds are singing, or if you are lucky you can see mother monkeys feeding their babies on the trees along the path. If you like, you can make a stop and throw bananas to them. Continue to K’bal Spean, known as the River of the Thousand Lingas. Here take a walk for 30 minutes through the jungle and until you come across the river on you left and the carvings, including a large image of Vishnu followed by several images of Rama, Lakshmi and Hanuman. Further up there are the lingas and a scenic waterfall.
You could continue to visit Phnom Kulen, considered to be the most sacred mountain in Cambodia and a popular pilgrimage and therefore not as peaceful. It was from here that in 802 King Jayavarman II declared independence from Java, giving birth to modern day Cambodia. There is another waterfall where you can swim and more riverbed carvings. The walk to the top of the mountain will take about 1/2 hrs so you may Decide to pass on that in favour of continuing east to the temple of Beng Mealea – perhaps one of Angkor’s most interesting temples. Almost the same scale as Angkor Wat, the difference is that it is still largely subsumed by rainforest and has an awesome atmosphere. Late afternoon return to Siem Reap for the night. Overnight at your hotel.
Day 05 Siem Reap: Tonle Sap & rural villages tour [B]
After breakfast make a boat trip on the Tonle Sap to visit traditional stilt villages over the water and the Prek Toal Nature reserve. One of the premier bird-viewing spots in South-East Asia and home to rare, large water birds such as stork, ibis, crane and pelican. Picnic lunch aboard the boat. The boat is a join in scheduled programme but you will have your own personal guide to give you independence from the other passengers.
Return to Siem Reap for the night.
Day 06 Depart Siem Reap for your onward journey or flight home [B]
