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Phnom Penh – Mondolkiri – Siem Reap 9 days
Siem Reap

Phnom Penh – Mondolkiri – Siem Reap 9 days

Tour Code

CBT005

Duration

9 Days 8 Nights

Tour Route

Phnom Penh - Koh Dach Mekong Island - Mondolkiri - Elephant Valley Project - Karatie & Koh Trong - Kratie – Angkor Wat - Pink Temple - Land Mine Museum & Cambosia Circus - Floating Village - Phnom Penh

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DAY 01: ARRIVAL PHNOM PENH

Welcome to Phnom Penh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Tonlé Sap and the Mekong Rivers, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since French colonization of Cambodia. Upon your arrival here, you will be met by your local Cambodian English speaking tour who will help you transfer to your hotel for check in. On the way your guide will deliver a very interesting briefing about the history of Cambodia, its culture, people and lifestyle.

In the afternoon you will visit the Royal National Museum, Royal PalaceSilver Pagoda. The Royal Palace was built in 1866 by King Norodom and is now home to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk Mony, King of Cambodia. The Silver Pagoda is located within the Royal Palace compound, so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5,000 silver tiles; among the treasures are a solid gold Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds weighing 90 kg, and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. Your enjoyable day will end with a cyclo excursion along the Mekong Riverfront passing Wat Phnom and Phsar Chass.

Service includes:
•    Overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap
•    Meals: Breakfast
•    Private A/C vehicle & English speaking tour guide
•    Cyclo excursion

DAY 02: PHOM PENH – KOH DACH MEKONG ISLAND (B)

Another amazing breakfast today is followed by something new: you’ll climb aboard the quirky form of local transport known as the MotoRemork, or Tuk Tuk, to Koh Dach Island, where you’ll have a local’s eye view of life on the river. Stroll around the village, and pay avisit to a community craft workshop. Besides fishing and farming, the people here guard many arcane skills in arts and crafts, put to excellent use in their high-quality products sold in the local markets. After perusing these fine items, have a fine time stretching out on a hammock under the thatched roof of a water bungalow.

In the afternoon we will explore the harsher times of Cambodian history while ruled by the Khmer Rouge (1975-79) with a visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum and Killing Fields. Tuol Sleng Museum was used as an interrogation center before sending the victims to the killing fields about 15 Km south of Phnom Penh. Next you can enjoy browsing or shopping at the Russian Market. This market morphed into a fully-fledged foreigner’s market during the 1980s – a time when most visitors were Russians, explaining the story behind the name. This market has a huge, varied selection of souvenirs, curios and silks. Just like the nearby Central Market, there are plenty of jewelers and gold-sellers, but it’s also the best choice in town for buying top-quality fabric.

Service includes:
•    Overnight at your hotel in Phnom Penh
•    Meals: Breakfast
•    Private transportation by Tuk-Tuk & A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Entrance fees
•    Bottle drinking water on tour

DAY 03: PHNOM PENH – MONDOLKIRI (B/D)

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel, check out and then we are off to Mondolkiri Province with its capital town called Senmonorom, situated on the northeast plateau of Cambodia, Mondolkiri is unique. Its characteristic red earth lines roads and paths bordered with lush greenery and rolling hills. Life is simple; farmers till the earth and work the rice paddies with hand tools. Villagers and minority people live in hand-built stilted wooden houses. At night, closely-knit village communities gather around the fire and share a warm meal and homemade rice wine.

After checking in at our hotel in the afternoon, we will enjoy a visit to the Bousra waterfall, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Cambodia, divided into multiple tiers; this is a great place for a swim or just to enjoy nature; we also visit a minority village near by the fall.

In the evening will enjoy some local entertainment; you will hear the fork song and other traditional music performed by the villagers before returning to town for dinner(Privately)

Service includes:
•    Overnight at your hotel in Mondolkiri
•    Meals: Breakfast & dinner
•    Private transportation A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Entrance fees
•    Bottle drinking water on tour
•    Local minority performance about 45mn

DAY 04: MONDOLKIRI – ELEPHANT VALLEY PROJECT (B/L/D)    

In the morning enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and then transfer to the Elephant Valley Project.

Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment and the Elephant Valley Project

Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment (E.L.I.E.) were founded in early 2005 and were officially registered with the Cambodian government after much negotiation in June 2006.

ELIE’s primary goal is to improve the health and welfare of captive elephants in Mondulkiri Province. The secondary goal is to work with the owners and keepers and the problems that face them. To achieve the primary goal, ELIE started with programs that monitored the captive elephant population and provided veterinarian care to elephants that were in need. To fulfill the secondary goal, ELIE provided assistance, advice, practical and appropriate education to the local people oriented at improving the techniques used with treating working elephants.

For this special day you will spend a full day with the elephants, shadowing two families of elephants in the jungle for the morning and afternoon as well as learning about the elephants, the local mahouts, the forest and conservation. This is a highly unique experience for your visit to the northeast plateau of Cambodia.

Service includes:    
•    Overnight at your hotel in Mondolkiri
•    Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
•    Private transportation A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Entrance fees
•    Bottle drinking water on tour
•    Protected Area Contribution Fee

DAY 05: MONDOLKIRI – KRATIE& KOH TRONG (B)

Today after breakfast we travel to Kratie, one of Cambodia’s lesser-populated, eastern provinces. The city stands along the Mekong River bank with some nice-looking homes of French and Khmer style scattered about, adding to the pleasant feel of the place. The localpeople make their living on the riverbanks of the Mekong such as fishing and farming. Upon arrival at Kratie we will visit the local market and have lunch before crossing to Koh Trong. Koh Trong is an island situated in the middle of the Mekong River directly opposite Kratie Town. A 9km loop road around the island is great for cycling or ox cart ride.

In the afternoon after check in at your hotel, you can opt to take an ox cart ride or a leisurely cycle through traditional Khmer villages, orchards and rice fields while observing the daily rituals and routines of traditional village life.

Service includes:
•    Overnight at your hotel in Koh Trong
•    Meals: Breakfast,
•    Private transportation A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Local ferry
•    Bottle drinking water on tour

DAY 06: KRATIE – SIEM REAP (B)

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and checking out, we travel to Siem Reap. Before leaving Kratie, you will travel along the riverbank and take a boat excursion to see the home to a group of rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins.

And so begins a journey of about five hours, crossing the Mekong River, passing the rubber plantations and the green villages with stops for a chat with local people; the farming life is really happy as you will see from the smiles and hellos you get along the way. When we reach Kompong Thom we will stop for a short rest where you can experience something new like deep fried spider, crickets, and small birds that the locals eat. Followed by check on arrival at your hotel in Siem Reap you will be made welcome to the entrance of the ancient Khmer Empire.

Service includes:
•    Overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap
•    Meals: Breakfast,
•    Private transportation A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Local ferry & Irrawaddy Dolphin boat excursion
•    Bottle drinking water on tour

DAY 07: SIEM REAP – TREASURE HUNTING IN ANGKOR THOM& ANGKOR WAT (B/L/D)

The morning after breakfast at our hotel, we begin another magical day at the mystical Ta Prohm temple, where ancient stones and massive tree roots engulf the ruins.  These trees and stones provide a stunning temple experience while alsoenjoying with sound of birds and nature; this is a wonderful place to start the temple tour.  The exploration will take approximately one hour, walking through this jungle temple after weaving our way through the beautiful Ta Prohm we journey into the ancient city of Angkor Thom.

After exploring the treasures of this ancient walled city, we continue with a visit to the mystical Bayon temple adorned with its smiling faces. The journey through the jungle to the famous Bayon which stands in the middle of the city of Angkor Thom is now everyone’s favorite site, surrounded by hundreds of smiling faces engraved on the pieces of gigantic sand stone; the temple is definitely one of the most stunning and mysterious. We head further into the temple complex and visit Baphoun, a hill top pyramid-temple, consecrated to the God Shiva that just opened to the public recently after renovation. We also visit the Elephantand leper king terraces, the royal enclosure temple of Phimean Akas and the serene Preah Pithu groups of smaller temples. We will enjoy a walk along the ancient walls of this city and relax with a hot Cambodian style picnic lunch in a shaded area or alternatively we will have lunch at a local restaurant.

Following Angkor Thom we head to the jewel of the Khmer Empire and visit the amazing Angkor Wat.  The amazing temples of Angkor were constructed to express the wealth and power of the Khmer Empire at the time. Many stone inscriptions describing the foundations of the temple have been found but Khmers left no word to tell how this great empire collapsed.  Come and dig out some secrets of Angkor with our experienced guide, reveal the stories and legends behind the sandstone carved bas-reliefs, gables and lintels. Stroll around this massive monument to admire the Khmer architectural masterpiece and engineering.

Tonight, your sumptuous dinner will be accompanied by a Classical Apsara Dance performance depicting scenes from Khmer mythology.

Service includes:
•    Overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap
•    Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner with Asara show
•    Private transportation A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Entrance fees
•    Bottle drinking water on tour

DAY 08: SIEM REAP – PINK TEMPLE – LAND MINE MUSEUM & CAMBODIA CIRCUS (B)

No need to rush this morning; after breakfast at the hotel you will head off with your guide to the mountain at Phnom Kulen National Park. Themountain was used as the ancient capital city in AD 802 in the reign of king Jayavarman II, who declared himself god king and announced independence from Java, giving birth to present day Cambodia. There are 56 Angkorian temples made of bricks and volcanic stones, but most of them are in poor condition. You will see the Thousand Linga River, and an enormous reclining Buddha, constructed in the 16thcentury; you can enjoy a swim at the waterfall followed by a picnic lunch on the riverbank. Descending from the mountaintop on the afternoon we head off to see the pink sandstone temple of Banteay Srei, which stands alone in the jungle. The enchanting temple of Banteay Srei is many people’s favorite site. The special charm of this temple lies in its remarkable state of preservation, and the intricate, high quality carvings in the solid sandstone. The unanimous opinion amongst

French archaeologists who worked at Angkor is that Banteay Srei is a ‘precious gem’ and a ‘jewel in Khmer art’. Later in the afternoon we head back to Siem Reap via a stop to learn about the period of civil war in Cambodia, which only ended as recently as 1998. We visit the Cambodia Landmine Museum an NGO that provides education and support for dozens of at-risk youth and landmine affected children.

Tonight you will be amazed by the spectacle of the Phare Cambodia Circus; a troupe of young Cambodians offering a spectacular and exciting blend of traditional and modern theatre, music, dance, acrobatics, juggling and contortion beautifully choreographed and performed as a story about Cambodian life and society.
Service includes:
•    Overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap
•    Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
•    Private transportation A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Entrance fees
•    Cambodia circus
•    Bottle drinking water on tour

DAY 09: SIEM REAP – FLOATING VILLAGE &DEPARTURE (B)

In the morning after breakfast we will travel to the eastern part of Siem Reap to visit the floating village of Kompong Phluk or Kompong Khleang. During the dry season we are struck by the forest of stilted houses rising up to 10 meters in the air and in the wet season the waters rise up to one or two meters from the base of the buildings. The village is a permanent community within the flood plain of the Lake, with an economy based on fishing and surrounded by flooded forest. A boat excursion will take us through the floating village, stopping at one of the local houses to visit the family where you will find out close up, how different life is between this country and yours. If time permits, you can also explore this great ecosystem by canoe and hear the calls of the macaque monkeys, and the birds while observing the forest beneath the lake’s surface.

In the afternoon you will enjoy exploring Siem Reap on your own or relaxing at the hotel till your departure transfer. (Check out at 12:00noon)

Service includes:
•    Meals: Breakfast,
•    Private transportation A/C vehicle
•    English speaking tour guide
•    Entrance fees
•    Boat excursion
•    Bottle drinking water on tour

COST INCLUDES:

– Accommodation on double or twin room sharing basis;
– All meals as stated;
– All tours and transfers in private air-con vehicle
– English speaking guide
– All entrance fees
– Boat excursion
– Protected Area Contribution Fee
– Bottle of drinking water, soft drink and tissues

COST EXCLUDES:            

– All airfares & airport taxes.
– Visa;
– Travel insurance;
– Beverages in the restaurants where meals are included
– Gratuities to guide and driver  
– Personal and other expenses such as porterage, bar bills and laundry not stated in the itinerary.

Phnom Penh – Mondolkiri – Siem Reap 9 days

Tour Code

CBT005

Duration

9 Days 8 Nights

Tour Route

Phnom Penh - Koh Dach Mekong Island - Mondolkiri - Elephant Valley Project - Karatie & Koh Trong - Kratie – Angkor Wat - Pink Temple - Land Mine Museum & Cambosia Circus - Floating Village - Phnom Penh

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