10 Days – Saigon to Cambodia: From Urban Energy to Ancient Wonders

Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City

Upon arrival in Saigon, as you depart the aircraft our team will be waiting to greet you and assist you through the airport. Fast-tracking you through the passport procedures, assisting with your luggage when needed and then transferring you to your hotel for check-in.

Meals Included: None
Accommodation: An Lam Retreat Saigon – Garden View Pool Suite

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City

Free day to relax and explore your surroundings at your leisure.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: An Lam Retreat Saigon – Garden View Pool Suite

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City

At the prearranged time, your driver will meet and escort you to your next hotel for check-in.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Becamex New City Hotel – Executive Suite

Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Becamex New City Hotel – Executive Suite

Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City – Siem Reap

At the appropriate time, your driver will meet and escort you to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your flight to Siem Reap.

Upon arrival in Siem Reap, after going through immigration/custom formalities and collecting your luggage, you will be welcomed to Cambodia by your guide at the exit hall, where you will then be transferred to your hotel for check-in.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Phum Baitang – Pool Villa

Day 6: Siem Reap

Rising at the crack of dawn, we start our day at Angkor Wat. As the crowds return to their hotels, we venture into world’s largest religious building in order to enjoy its magnificence in peace and quiet.

Begin by unravelling the mysteries of the bas-reliefs that tell of tales from Hindu mythology and of the glories of the Khmer empire. Stretching for almost one kilometre, these intricate carvings are a candidate for the world’s longest unbroken piece of art. Continue to the upper levels of the inner sanctuary. The final steps to the upper terrace of Angkor are the steepest of all. Finally the pinnacle, the sacred heart of Angkor Wat, a blend of spirituality and symmetry so perfect that few moments will measure up.

After strolling the corridors of Angkor Wat, return to your hotel for breakfast.

After breakfast at your hotel, we continue to discover the magnificent temples of Angkor Thom with its vast walls, some 6m wide, 8m high and 13km in length containing 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 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. 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.

After that, head over to the 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.

If time permits, you could make a stop and take in the sunset at Angkor Wat or take the view over the hill top of Phnom Bakheng.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Phum Baitang – Pool Villa

Day 7: Siem Reap

See a different side to Siem Reap by cycling the quiet country lanes to experience traditional village life, explore tasty snacks and connect with real locals along the way. Activities vary according to seasons.

After a safety briefing, we cycle to the outskirts of the Angkor Archeological Park as we make our way to the countryside to experience a way of life that has changed little over the centuries.

Then, we head to the West Baray, a man-made lake dating back to Angkorian times. Here, we will ride along the banks, watching fishermen go about their day while birds peacefully fly above them. You can expect to return to Siem Reap around noon.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Light Lunch
Accommodation: Phum Baitang – Pool Villa

Day 8: Siem Reap – Kampong Chhnang

In order to include some variety during your stay in Siem Reap, take a break from the temples and enjoy a boat journey across the Great Tonle Sap lake to the village of Kompong Pluk. Cruising down a narrow waterway, you will enter this medieval floating village, where the houses stand atop stilts as much as seven metres above the water. Everything lives on the water, pigs, dogs, crocodiles and people, all jockeying for space in this incredible floating town.

Then transfer to Kampong Chhnang – a charming, authentic, and less-visited town in central Cambodia. Renowned as the country’s “pottery capital,” it sits near the Tonlé Sap River and features unique floating villages, stilted houses, and the scenic Clay Mountain.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Farmhouse Kampong Chhnang – Deluxe Khmer Bungalow

Day 9: Kampong Chhnang

Morning, relax at your leisure. Enjoy the many activities offered at resort, such as:

• Ant Tour: Fire ant nests are a Cambodian specialty and taste surprisingly delicious! On our Cambodian Fire Ant Nest Harvesting Experience tour, our guests accompany a local family when harvesting the nests and learn a lot about the original life in rural Cambodia.
• Palm Sugar Tour: Palm wood products are among the most important trade goods in rural Cambodia. On the palm sugar tour, which leads to a family in the area around the Smiling Gecko Campus, our guests experience how palm sugar is made at a height of 20 meters. An experience that reveals a lot about the hard life in the country.

In the afternoon, visit Wat Sahn-dtoot, a hill top temple from where you get great views of the river and surrounding mountains, a picturesque 500-year-old Buddhist monastery on a hill that can be seen from afar. A visit to the impressive site is particularly spectacular in the early evening hours when a breathtaking sunset bathes the surrounding country in a unique light. As a result, making our Buddhist Monastery Sunset Tours in Cambodia a must-see.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Farmhouse Kampong Chhnang – Deluxe Khmer Bungalow

Day 10: Kampong Chhnang – Phnom Penh, Departure

Today, transfer to Phnom Penh. En route, we will make a stop at Phnom Prah Reach Trap (commonly referred to as Oudong Mountain), once the capital of Cambodia from the early 17th century to 1866. A period also referred to as the “dark ages” in the country’s history. The monumental necropolis of the former kings of Cambodia with numerous stupas and shrines are still witnesses of the former position of the place. Here, you’ll climb the 400+ steps, passing large stupas that house the remains of various kings, on route to the top where we can rest and take in the expansive, panoramic views.

Then transfer to Phnom Penh where you can enjoy lunch before heading to the airport for your flight home.

Meals Included: Breakfast