Cultural Adventure

On arrival we'll check into our hotel and after a short cleanup/recovery we’ll take a quick tour of the promenade route by Tuk Tuk then wander the waterfront and get accustomed to our new surroundings. Phnom Penh is a truly fascinating city with its crumbling colonial architecture and turbulent history. After a local lunch we will visit the Royal Palace and the National museum. Then back to the accommodation for a quick rest. This evening we will have a sun-downer at the FCC and then go to dinner at a lovey Khmer restaurant. Overnight at Sunway Hotel or similar

This morning we travel to the beautiful, domed, deco central market. It’s a chance to see what’s on offer in Cambodia shopping wise. Then we visit the Russian market. After lunch it’s off to the races! A cacophony of color and noise assaults the senses while up to 60 plus people will be in each boat racing for the honor of their provinces and a cash prize. Over 150 sleek, brightly painted boats will race in pairs while being presided over by Royalty and various dignitaries. Each boat will have taken a year to prepare and paint at the local Wat before being blessed and brought to Phnom Penh. The teams will have been handpicked and trained by the local team manager for their strength and style. It's the spectacular highlight of the Cambodian year with hundreds of thousand spectators cheering madly for their provincial representatives! Join in the promenade and prepare for dinner at a local Khmer restaurant on the waterfront. After that back to the riverfront bars for a late night drink among the travellers. Overnight at Sunway Hotel or similar.

We depart from Phnom Penh to Skun, the spider village 70km out of Phnom Penh. After a journey break, we continue to Kompong Thom. You can have an early lunch at local restaurant before heading to visit a beautiful Angkor-era bridge with 22 arches and naga balustrades. Kampong Thom is Cambodia's second largest province by area. There are a number of significant Angkor sites in the area, including Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk and Prasat Andet temples. As one of the nine provinces bordering Tonle Sap Lake, Kampong Thom is part of the Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve. Arrive at Siem Reap and transfer to hotel for check in. Due to the road condition, the drive may take approximantly 5-6 hours depending on where you stop. Overnight at Angkor Holiday Hotel or similar.

Full day Angkor Tour with English Speaking guide: In the morning, we visit magnificent Angkor Wat to view its architecture and bas reliefs. This temple is the largest religious buildings ever constructed and is truly one of the wonders of the world. Believed to have been undertaken as a temple and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II at the peak of the Khmer empire in the first half of the 12th century, Angkor Wat is the best-preserved of the Angkor temples. We continue to jungle-clad Ta Prohm. This temple was a monastery built by Jayavarman VII as a residence for his mother. Ta Prohm has been controversially left to the destructive power of the jungle by French archaeologists to demonstrate the awesome power of nature. It has been largely consumed by the jungle and as you climb through the dilapidated stone structures you see many giant trees growing out of the top of the temple itself. Lunch at Sugar Palm or local restaurant. In the afternoon, we visit the sites of Angkor Thom. This Royal city was first built under the reign of Udayaditya Varman 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. We begin by visiting the South Gate, flanked by demons and gods engaged in a tug of war to obtain the elixir of immortality. We continue to the Bayon, a temple mountain built by Jayavarman VII. It is situated in the center 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 Avalokiteshvara but with the features of Jayavarman VII. We also visit other important sites in this immense walled city, including the pyramid of Baphuon, Phimean Akas, and the royal viewing stands known as the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. Finally, enjoy the sunset over Phnom Bakheng Temple. Overnight at Angkor Holiday Hotel or similar.

Kampong Phluk is a cluster of three villages of stilted houses built within the floodplain of the Tonle Sap about 16 km southeast of Siem Reap. The villages are primarily Khmer and have about 3000 inhabitants between them. Flooded mangrove forest surrounds the area and is home to a variety of wildlife including crab-eating macaques. During the dry season when the lake is low, the buildings in the villages seem to soar atop their 6-meter stilts exposed by the lack of water. At this time of year many of the villagers move out onto the lake and build temporary stilted houses. In the wet season when water level rises again, the villagers move back to their permanent houses on the floodplain, the stilts now hidden under the water. Kampong Phluk's economy is, as one might expect, based in fishing, primary in shrimp harvesting. Kampong Phluk sees comparatively few foreign visitors and offers a close look at the submerged forest and lakeside village life as yet unperturbed by tourism. The area can be reached by boat from the Chong Khneas or by a combination of road and boat. Please check with your guide for more information. Overnight at Angkor Holiday Hotel or similar.

After breakfast we will be driven to the airport to pick up the flight to Pakse in southern Laos. On arrival we will be transported to Ban Nakasan to hop aboard our boat to Don Khone. It’s a short and sweet journey but a chance to see the stunning scenery of Si Phan Don aka 4 thousand Islands. The so called 4 thousand islands straddle the border between Laos and Cambodia in the Mekong. Laos and particularly the islands operate at their own pace. Nothing gets done in a hurry here. Bucolic and seriously relaxing 4 thousand islands offers the chance to really wind down after the temple visits, We’ll check into our rooms and have lunch on this beautiful island in the Mekong. There may be time to jump on some bikes and explore Don Khone and cross the colonial bridge to Don Det. Dinner will be at a small local restaurant. Overnight at Sala Don Khone Hotel or similar.

We’ll leave early today to see if we can find any of the elusive Irrawaddy Dolphin who inhabit the waters near Don Khone. There are under 200 of these fresh water dolphins left in the Mekong and with the advent of dams to the region their future is looking rather bleak. They are shy creatures so we must drift in very small boats between the islands to attempt an encounter. This afternoon we will visit Tat Somphamit rapids and then take a cruise through the islands by local boat. Overnight at Sala Don Khone Hotel or similar.

Today is a serious day at leisure. By now the slow pace and lush green surroundings will have chilled us out ready for a day in a hammock or sitting on a balcony with a good book while village life trundles on around us. If there’s anywhere more relaxed than Don Khone in SE Asia we’ve yet to find it! Bicycles will be on available to rent nearby should anyone choose. We reconvene for supper at 6.

Back on the road day! After breakfast it’s time to jump on the boat and start our journey to Parks. A van will pick us up when we reach land and deliver us to the airport. We then fly to the charming Lang Prang. As one of the best preserved and beautiful of the ancient cities of South-east Asia, the U.N. declared Lang Prang a world heritage site in 1995. Lying between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Lang Prang is full of golden WATS and Indochinese colonial charm, inhabited by Buddhist monks and surrounded by misty mountains. With a lazy pace of life, it is very much still a special place. Beautiful stupas and temples stud what was for centuries the capital of the kingdom of northern Laos, and later the royal capital of a unified Laos. Now really is the time to visit this exotic Asian jewel. Depending on our flights there should be time for a walking tour of LP to get our bearings. The old colonial quarter is particularly wonderful. In fact, the whole of Luang Prabang is stunning! We’ll have a gorgeous dinner at a traditional Lao restaurant followed by a visit to the night market. The nigh market sells all kinds of local handicrafts from various ethnic groups. Considering most of the wares are handmade it is a remarkably cheap place to buy bits and bobs that take one’s fancy. Even if you don’t actually want buy anything the soft sell nature of the place and the chattiness of the vendors makes for a delightful excursion. Then it’s a nightcap and back to the hotel for a good night sleep. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast depart from your hotel for a guided tour the Royal Palace museum, and get to understand Lao Buddhism through visits to local Wats with your expert translator/guide. These Wats or temples are of course Buddhist places of worship and are entirely different to the temples of Cambodia. They are relatively small [compared to anything at Angkor] and wonderfully ornate with elegant tiled sloping and flared roofs. Following lunch everyone may have some time to do as they please. Luang Prabang has so many great coffee shops and bakeries as well as it’s art galleries and really lovely shops. It’s just such a beautiful and peaceful environment everyone deserves to find their own perfect place to watch life go by while they’re here. Overnight at hotel.

Today we drive out of town to Khouangsi Falls, visit Kmu and Hmong Villages along the way. The falls themselves are accessed by a short walk through the forest past some of the most intensely turquoise pools you will ever see in your life! It is really spectacularly beautiful as are the falls themselves. As the dappled light gently swathes the pools the seem to glow the most amazing blue/green. Luang Prabang delivers again! Lunch will be a picnic at the falls. Brink a towel and swimming kit as it is possible to take a refreshing dip while there. We get back to Luang Prabang for the last afternoon in Laos. This will be a chance for a final jaunt to the fab local art and craft shops. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast, day at leisure. Accommodation at your hotel.

After breakfast , you have plenty of time to relaxing until our guide and car pick up at your hotel and transfer to the International Luang Prabang airport for your departure flight to Bangkok onwards.