Ultimate Cambodia
$0
per person
16 days
Embark on the Ultimate Cambodia journey — a comprehensive 16-day exploration of Cambodia’s rich history, diverse cultures, and stunning landscapes. From the bustling riverside charm of Phnom Penh to the ancient temples of Angkor, the hidden wonders of remote provinces, and vibrant indigenous cultures in the northeast highlands, this itinerary reveals Cambodia’s many facets. Experience historic sites, authentic rural life, unique ethnic traditions, and breathtaking natural beauty, all carefully woven into a seamless and unforgettable adventure.
Highlights:
- Discover Phnom Penh’s iconic landmarks including the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Tuol Sleng Museum, and bustling Central Market
- Trek the 11th-century Phnom Chisor temple and cruise the historic waterways near Takeo to explore pre-Angkorian heritage
- Explore the cool mountain retreat of Bokor National Park and its evocative French colonial ruins
- Ride the famous Bamboo Train and join a traditional Khmer cooking class in Battambang
- Witness the majesty of Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, and other magnificent Angkorian temples
- Choose from unique day excursions to Kbal Spean, Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea, Koh Ker, or rural Tonle Sap lake life
- Visit Sambor Prei Kuk, the earliest major temple city in Southeast Asia, and experience village life along the Tonle Lake
- Search for the rare Irrawaddy dolphins in Kampi near Kratie, and cruise the Se San River to meet remote ethnic minority communities in Rattanakiri
- Relax at Yeak Laom volcanic lake and explore scenic waterfalls in the northeast highlands
- Optional extension to Sihanoukville’s idyllic beaches for well-earned rest and rejuvenation
Excerpt:
Discover Cambodia in 16 days: Phnom Penh, Phnom Chisor, Takeo waterways, Bokor National Park, Battambang, Angkor temples, Tonle Sap, Sambor Prei Kuk, Kampong Cham, Kratie dolphins, Stung Treng, Rattanakiri highlands, Yeak Laom Lake — a complete cultural and nature journey.
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Reviews
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Departure Time
Depending on flight schedule -
Dress Code
Casual cloths
Tour Plan
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Day 1: Arrival in Phnom Penh (D)
Upon arrival at Phnom Penh airport, we’ll be met and transferred to hotel for check-in and tour briefing. Time allowing, we’ll go out for an orientation tour and a chance to acclimatize ourselves. This evening we’ll be honored guests at the Welcome Dinner at a premium Khmer restaurant.
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Day 2: Phnom Penh (B)
After breakfast we set out to explore the capital city of Cambodia, a friendly riverside city with loads of Khmer charm and faded French-colonial style. In the morning we’ll walk throughout the serene Royal Palace with its spectacular Silver Pagoda. Delve deeper into Khmer history at the National Museum. Confront the tragic history of Cambodia on a visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum. Spot monkeys, and perhaps try Asian fortunetelling at the hilltop temple Wat Phnom. Immerse in the vibrant local life at the Central Market housed in a distinctive domed Art Deco building, a labyrinth of stalls selling everything from CDs and DVDs to silks, crafts, jewelry and more. Mosey along Sisowath Quay at sunset and take the opportunity to see stalls selling fried cockroaches, spiders, crickets or grasshoppers or other culinary delights.
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Day 3: Phnom Penh-Takeo-Kampot (B)
Depart Phnom Penh and journey southwards to Phnom Chisor Temple. Walk up the 500 step stairway to the top of the hill carrying the temple from the 11th century and enjoy fabulous views over the surrounding countryside. Continue to the quiet town of Takeo and take a short cruise to Angkor Borei town, just a few nautical miles away from Vietnam, then to the pre-Angkorian temple Phnom Da. We also visit the temple of Asram Maharosei that’s accessible over a steep rocky path.
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Day 4: Kampot –Bokor –Phnom Penh (B, L)
This morning we drive uphill to Bokor National Park. At an elevation of approximately 1,000 meters ASL, Bokor is endowed with cool climate that ever attracted many French expats to. We’ll trek through the forest to the Popokvil Waterfalls, visit the long abandoned hill station of Bokor Mountain, discover the ruins of the former Royal Residence, the church, the casino hotel, and enjoy an amazing view of the southern coast. After lunch we drive back to Phnom Penh with some time along the coast.
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Day 5: Phnom Penh-Kamphong Chnang-Battambang (B, L)
Depart Phnom Penh and journey overland to Battambang via Kompong Chhnang. We’ll make stops en route to visit the silver village at Kompong Luong, former capital Phnom Oudong, Kompong Chhnang city, a floating village, a pottery village and the beautiful Kompong Tralach Leu Pagoda.
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Day 6: Battambang (B, L)
We drive to Odam Bang village, approximately 3km from the town, to experience the narrow gauge Bamboo Train through the rice fields to Osroy Lov, and then back. Pay a visit to the Angkorian temple of Wat Ek Phnom, dating from the 11th century. Afternoon we take a cooking course in a family house at Ch'Ngainh! Ch'Ngainh (Delicious). After shopping at the local market, we go to a familial house to learn how to cook some delicious Khmer dishes. You’ll have a cooking lesson, marvelous time with a charming couple, a cooking book, a very good dinner and maybe some snake wine to drink.
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Day 7: Battambang – Siem Reap (B)
This morning we transfer overland to Siem Reap. The five hour drive affords a great opportunity to see local life along the way around the Tonle Lake. This afternoon we visit the Great City of Angkor Thom, taking in the South Gate, Baphoun and Phimeanakas temples, Terraces of Elephant and Leper King, and especially the mysterious smiling Bayon. Conclude the day with a hike up Phnom Bakheng to behold the magnificent sunset into the land of temples.
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Day 8: Siem Reap (B)
We continue with the fascinating jungle-clad temple of Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei as the Citadel of Chambers, the mountain temple of Takeo, the elegant Hindu temple of Thommanon, the badly ruined temple of Chau Say Thevoda, and the Royal Bath of Sras Srang. We’ll spend the afternoon studying Angkor Wat - a vast rambling complex of diverse temple structures adorned with exquisite carvings and bas-reliefs. The temple has been long the spiritual symbol of Cambodia.
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Day 9: Siem Reap (B, L)
Option 1: Kbal Spean-Banteay Srei-Banteay Samre
We drive to the holy mount of Kulen and walk for about 45 minutes through the forest to Kbal Spean on the southwest slope. Admire and discover the meaning of the sculptures chiseled into the rocky bed of the "Thousand Linga River” during the 10th-12th centuries; relax by the Royal Bath and the waterfall. Continue to the beloved temple of Banteay Srei - compact in size but remarkably well-preserved and rich in carvings. After lunch we continue to Banteay Samre, one of the most complete complexes at Angkor according to the anastylosis.
Option 2: Koulen –Beng Mealea – Koh Ker
Drive to Phnom Koulen and enjoy a walk up to the Great Buddha Pagoda on top of the hill. Continue to Kbal Spean on the southwest slope to admire the River of One Thousand Lingas. Discover the meaning of the sculptures chiseled into the rocky riverbed during the 10th-12th centuries and relax by the Royal Bath and the waterfall. Next, we drive to Beng Mealea and tour a complex of temples as large as Angkor Wat but utterly swallowed by the jungle. Afterwards we visit Koh Ker, a capital city in the 10th century that’s left to the ravages of nature in the remote north of Cambodia for over many hundred years.
Option 3: The Countryside and Tonle Sap Lake
Drive to Pour Krom and walk through this lovely village to see rural Khmer life. Experience an ox cart ride before a cruise on Tonle Sap Lake to see floating villages and get a taste of life ruled by monsoonal rains and water-based agriculture. One of the most productive bodies of fresh water in the world, Tonle Sap was classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. Back in town, we’ll pay a visit to Les Artisan D’angkor, the Rebirth of Khmer Arts, or Senteur.
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Day 10: Siem Reap – Kampong Thom (B)
Free in the morning to rest. Afternoon we transfer along the NH 6 to the Chenla capital of Sambor Prei Kuk, the most important pre-Angkorian site in Cambodia and the first major temple city in South-East Asia. Continue to Kompong Thom for the evening.
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Day 11: Kampong Thom-Kampong Cham-Kratie (B, L)
Transfer to Kratie and visit Sambok Mountain pagoda to see the Buddhist monasteries and enjoy the magnificent views of the surrounding countryside from the hilltop. Enjoy sticky bamboo-baked rice for a memorable lunch. Continue to the Kampi, some 20 km north of Kratie along the riverside road, the whereabouts of the famous Irrawady River dolphins, for our lucks.
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Day 12: Kratie – Strung Treng –Banlung in Rattanakiri (B)
Depart Kratie for Stung Treng with a stop at Chlong village to admire one of the oldest wooden houses of Cambodia. After lunch we continue to Banlung municipality in Rattanakiri.
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Day 13: Banlung –Tampoun Totems – Banlung (B)
Heading out of the town, we make our arduous way to Voeune Say village by the Se San River. Be prepared to be amazed since this part of the country receives very few tourists. After a short walk through this village, we will embark a traditional wooden long boat navigating on the scenic Se San River to villages of the ethnic minorities Tampoun, Kroeng and Brou -a wonderful chance to get to know about their daily life and time-honored cultures.
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Day 14: Banlung (B)
We transfer to Cha Oug Waterfalls and Yeak Laom Lake. Yeak Laom Lake is a volcanic crater lake believed to be created about 700,000 years ago. Fringed by jungle, the lake is a spectacular oasis and a great place for a refreshing swim! Tour the visitor center which exhibits different tools from the various tribes then visit Boung Khanseng with floating island. Return to Banlung for overnight.
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Day 15: Banlung –Stung Treng – Phnom Penh (B)
An enjoyable visit to the morning market for tribal people in the center of Banlung before the long drive back to Phnom Penh
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Day 16: Departure from Phnom Penh (B)
Free at your own leisure until transfer to Phnom Penh airport for departure flight
Tour Location
Phnom Penh – Phnom Chisor – Takeo – Bokor – Battambang – Siem Reap – Angkor – Kampong Thom – Kampong Cham – Kratie – Stung Treng – Rattanakiri – Banlung – Yeak Laom Lake
The Ultimate Cambodia – 16 Days journey reveals every dimension of Cambodia — heritage cities, lost temples, river cultures, colonial ruins, ethnic highlands, and natural sanctuaries.
Phnom Penh – Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, National Museum, Tuol Sleng (S-21), Wat Phnom, Central Market, Sisowath Quay, street food experiences.
Phnom Chisor & Takeo Waterways – 11th-century temple trek; boat cruise to Angkor Borei; Phnom Da pre-Angkorian temple; Asram Maharosei hermitage.
Bokor National Park – Forest trek, Popokvil Waterfalls, abandoned French hill station, old church, ruined royal residence, and dramatic coastal vistas.
Battambang – Bamboo Train ride; Wat Ek Phnom (11th century); cooking class with local family; rural markets; Khmer cuisine and culture.
Siem Reap & Angkor
- Angkor Thom: South Gate, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Bayon
- Angkor temples: Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say Thevoda, Sras Srang
- Angkor Wat: bas-reliefs, galleries, towers, spiritual symbolism
- Phnom Bakheng sunset
Optional Day Trips (Choose 1)
- Kbal Spean – Banteay Srei – Banteay Samre
- Kulen – Beng Mealea – Koh Ker
- Pour Krom – Tonle Sap – artisan centers
Sambor Prei Kuk (Kampong Thom) – Chenla kingdom capital; earliest major temple city of Southeast Asia; ancient brick structures hidden in forest.
Kampong Cham – Kratie – Sambok Mountain pagoda; Phnom Pros & Phnom Srei; rural landscapes; bamboo-sticky rice; Kampi’s Irrawaddy dolphins.
Stung Treng → Rattanakiri Highlands – Wooden heritage houses in Chlong; remote landscapes; ethnic villages.
Banlung (Rattanakiri)
- Voeune Say village and Se San River boat
- Tampoun, Kroeng & Brou minorities
- Tribal crafts, totems, daily life
- Cha Oug Waterfalls
- Yeak Laom volcanic lake (700,000 years old)
- Boung Khanseng floating island
A sweeping 16-day expedition across Cambodia’s temples, rivers, cuisine, wilderness, and indigenous cultures — crafted for travelers seeking the ultimate discovery experience.