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Itinerary

Cambodia is the country where a jungle swallowed a capital city and nobody noticed for four hundred years. We start in Phnom Penh and give it three days: the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, Tuol Sleng and the Choeung Ek memorial, then the Central Market, buying what we cook for lunch with a local family.

Then a 45-minute flight to the part you have been picturing. Angkor Thom in the afternoon light, then Angkor Wat before the sun does, with breakfast among the stones. Two more days in the park with a local guide and our own tuk-tuks: the fig trees strangling Ta Prohm, the pink sandstone of Banteay Srei, the jungle still holding Preah Khan. One evening goes to the acrobats of Phare, the last afternoon to a private boat into a village on stilts over the Tonle Sap.

An illuminated monument in a city roundabout at night, captured with a long exposure to show trails of traffic lights.

Welcome to the Kingdom of Wonder

We land at Techo, the capital's new airport, and meet at the hotel in the afternoon. Ready for the Kingdom of Wonder?

  • Along the Mekong: there is time for a first walk on the Mekong riverside promenade, where Phnom Penh comes out to jog and eat at sunset.

  • Welcome dinner: in the evening we have dinner together and go through the plan for the week.

An ornate yellow palace with a multi-tiered golden roof stands beside a paved square under a bright blue sky.
An ornate temple with golden roofs and spires sits behind a manicured green lawn with yellow flowers under a clear blue sky.

The two faces of the capital, in one day

Royal splendour in the morning, the hardest chapter of the country's history after lunch: one day, two faces of the capital.

  • Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda: we start at the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, with five thousand silver tiles on the floor and a Buddha covered in diamonds.

  • Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek: after lunch we visit Tuol Sleng and the Choeung Ek memorial with a local guide. They are heavy stops, and they are the reason the rest of this trip makes sense.

  • Free evening by the river: the evening is ours on the riverside promenade, where the whole city comes out to walk.

A terracotta-colored building with traditional ornate roofs stands behind a formal garden with a central stone path under a clear blue sky.

Cooking what we bought, with the people who cook it every day

Today we shop for our own lunch, and then we cook it!

  • Shopping at the Central Market: a morning at the Central Market, under its yellow art deco dome, picking the ingredients ourselves.

  • Cooking with a local family: we cook a Khmer meal together in their kitchen, then eat what we make.

  • Free afternoon: Phnom Penh is a good city to have an afternoon in, between the National Museum and a coffee on the Mekong.

A row of weathered stone statues with carved faces leads to an ancient, ornate stone gate under lush green trees.
A person in orange robes walks up the stone steps of a large, ancient temple with carved towers, next to a tall palm tree.

Forty-five minutes instead of six hours, and straight into the walled city

A morning flight of 45 minutes, and we are in Siem Reap!

  • Into Angkor Thom: after check-in we go straight into Angkor Thom, the walled city.

  • Bayon, Baphuon and the elephants: the two hundred serene faces of Bayon, the pyramid of Baphuon and the Terrace of the Elephants, in the afternoon light and without the sunrise crowds.

Early night: tomorrow starts before dawn.

The Angkor Wat temple silhouetted against a golden sunrise, its form reflected in a tranquil pond surrounded by palm trees.
A low-angle shot of a man sitting on a wooden railing in front of ancient temple ruins being overtaken by the roots of a large tree.

Sunrise over the five towers, and breakfast among the stones

Alarm before dawn: this is the day we have been waiting for!

  • Sunrise at Angkor Wat: we reach Angkor Wat before the sun does and watch it climb over the five towers reflected in the moat.

  • Breakfast among the stones: we have breakfast right there, inside the archaeological park.

  • By tuk-tuk to Ta Prohm: then a local guide and our own tuk-tuks take us deeper in, ending at Ta Prohm, where the fig trees have swallowed the walls whole and nobody has tried to pull them off.

Close-up of intricate carvings on a reddish stone temple wall, featuring a standing deity in a decorative niche.
Ancient, moss-covered stone sculptures of an elephant and lions stand on a rocky outcrop in a dense green jungle.

Pink sandstone, a jungle monastery and acrobats

Our second full day in the park is slower and goes further out.

  • Pink sandstone at Banteay Srei: Banteay Srei is carved in pink sandstone so fine it looks like woodwork.

  • Into Preah Khan: Preah Khan is a twelfth-century monastery city the jungle still half owns.

  • Sunset from Pre Rup: we climb the steep steps of Pre Rup for the sunset over the forest canopy.

  • Evening at Phare: graduates of a Battambang arts school turn Cambodian stories into acrobatics.

A person in a small boat paddles through a village of colorful houses built on stilts over the water.

Where the biggest lake in southeast Asia lives on water

A free morning, then the water world of the biggest lake in southeast Asia.

  • Market, massage or more Angkor? The Old Market, a massage, or one more hour inside Angkor for whoever cannot leave it alone.

  • By private boat to Kampong Phluk: in the afternoon we head into Kampong Phluk, a village built on stilts ten metres above the ground. The water rises and falls by nine metres between seasons, and even the school stands on legs!

  • Sunset and last dinner: we watch the light turn orange over the Tonle Sap, then sit down to our last dinner together.

Tuk-tuks and scooters are parked on a city street corner in front of illuminated colonial-style buildings at dusk.

End of WeRoad services

Breakfast together and goodbyes: see you on the next trip!

  • Getting to the airport: airport transfers are not included, and Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is about 50 kilometres from town.

What's included

  • A WeRoad Coordinator flying out with you from the US, with the group for the whole trip

  • 7 nights in 3 and 4 star hotels, in double or twin rooms

  • 7 breakfasts, one of them among the stones of the Angkor park

  • 2 dinners: the welcome dinner in Phnom Penh and the farewell dinner in Siem Reap

  • Internal flight Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

  • Medical and baggage insurance - (coverage limits by destination country/region - €10,000 Italy, €20,000 Europe, €30,000 World, €50,000 USA/Canada)

What's not included

International flights to Phnom Penh and back from Siem Reap
  • Airport transfers on arrival and on departure
  • Lunches and dinners that are not listed above
  • Travel insurance, Cambodian e-visa and personal expenses

Optional activities

The money pot is around 120 euro per person. The Coordinator collects it at the start of the trip and the group spends it together on shared costs: meals that are not included, water, tips for local guides and drivers, and small expenses along the way.
  • Group meals that are not included in the package
  • Water, tips for local guides and drivers
  • Small shared expenses along the way, such as evening tuk-tuks and entrances to minor sites

Additional info

Learn more about accommodation, transport, and other useful travel information.
  • A group of 6 to 15 travellers, matched by age range

  • A Coordinator trained by WeRoad who takes care of the logistics, so you only have to show up

  • Assistance from the WeRoad team before departure and while you are on the road

  • A pre departure kit with practical information, packing list and visa guidance

  • All in country transfers between hotels, airports and sites

  • Free time built into the itinerary: a free afternoon in Phnom Penh and a free morning in Siem Reap

  • Info on private roomsShow all details

Why WeRoad

  • Small groups, on average 11 people

  • Move or change your trip for free up to 31 days before departure

  • Book with $ 0. Pay the $ 100 deposit only once the trip is confirmed

The Group Leaders

Our Group Leaders are chosen because they’re people just like you: passionate travelers who share the experience authentically, while having the skills to take care of the organisation, and help you get the most out of every moment of the trip.

Find your flight

For this trip, we recommend arriving and departing from these airports.

ArrivalPhnom Penh (KTI)
ReturnSiem Reap (SAI)
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About this trip

About WeRoad

About Cambodia

From
$ 1,390
Book with $ 0
•Free trip change
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