DAY 01: SIEM REAP - ARRIVAL
Welcome to Siem Reap! Your tour begins when you are warmly welcomed by our English Speaking Guide at Siem Reap International Airport. After you have collected your luggage he will then take you to your hotel for check in.
Stay overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 02: SIEM REAP - EXPLORATION (B)
After breakfast, enjoy a full day excursion to discover Angkor Thom and Temples. Firstly, you will visit the wonderful Angkor Thom (the Great City) including the Southern Gate, famous Bayon temple (12th century in the centre of city remains one the most enigmatic temples of the Angkor group composed of 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 smiling faces of Avalokitesvara. Baphuon temple is lying just to the north of Bayon a pyramidal representation of mythical Mont Meru. Terrace of Elephants used as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king’s grand audience hall ; Terrace of the Leper King a platform 7m high, with statue.
Afternoon, it is time to visit the wonderful Angkor Wat Temples - one of the seven greatest architectural wonders of the world, as a temple and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II at the peak of the Khmer empire in the first half of 12th. Angkor Wat is probably the best-preserved of the Angkorean temples, with a central tower surrounded by four smaller towers. The central monument represents the mythical Mount Meru, the holy mountain at the centre of the universe, which was home to the Hindu God Vishnu. The whole complex covers 81 hectares, a rectangular wall measuring 1025 meters by 800 meters borders the inner edge of the moat, and temple's greatest sculptural treasure is its 2 km-long bas-reliefs around the walls... In the late afternoon, visit to the Phnom Bakheng temple, is the first temple in Angkor region build by the Yacovarman I King in the first of 9th century, located on a slope gently hill where thousands tourist are grouping on the hilltop to catch a memorable time of life when viewing the marvellous sunset, the distant Angkor Wat in the jungle and Tonle Sap Lake.
Evening is your free time for walking at busy pub street. Pop up at a bar for cool drink or shopping at Angkor Night Market.
Stay overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 03: SIEM REAP - EXPLORATION (B)
In the morning, visit to Ta Prohm. One of the area’s most beautiful temples, Ta Prohm has been left relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. Visit as well Takeo. Visit Thommanon, small attractive temple in very good condition, built at the same time as Angkor Wat. It’s Angkor Wat style is most easily seen in the style of the carved Apsaras and the shape of the tower, Chaosay Tevoda, it seems to stand in partnership with Thommanon but actually was built much later in Suryavarman II’s rule.
In the afternoon, Visit Preah Khan temple. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Visit the unique brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Continue your visit to Neak Pean, a fountain (built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som, Eastern Mebon, guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation, and Pre Rup, the mountain-temple until sunset.
Stay overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 04: SIEM REAP - EXPLORATION (B)
In the afternoon, we travel through the traditional village of Preah Dark to the 12th century temple of Banteay Samre. Built by King Suryavarman II, the genius behind Angkor Wat, this temple has been extensively restored. The temple is unique in that over-quarrying of sandstone led to the use of laterite for the roofed corridors. The pediments above the inner doors here include some of the most accomplished carving from the Angkor period. We continue further north to Banteay Srei, Angkor’s ultimate art gallery. This petite pink temple is the jewel in the crown of Angkor-era sculpture. The elaborate carvings here are the finest found in Cambodia and the name translates as ‘Fortress of the Women’, thanks to the intricate detail here, considered too fine for the hands of a man. Originally believed to date from the latter part of the Angkor period, inscriptions at the site suggest it was built by a Brahman in 967. However, some architectural historians have suggested that the inscriptions may date from an earlier structure on this site and the temple is in fact later, marking a high-water mark in Khmer sculpture.
Visit the Roluos Group. The monuments of Roluos, which served as the capital of Indravarman I (reigned 877-89), are among the earliest large, permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of Khmer classical art; Preah Ko erected by Indravarman I in the late 9th century dedicated by the King to his ancestors in 880. Bakong the largest and most interesting of the Roluos group temples, with his active Buddhist monastery just to the north of the east entrance. Lolei built on an islet in the center of a large reservoir (now rice fields) by Yasovarman I, the founder to the first city at Angkor.
Stay overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 05: SIEM REAP - DEPARTURE (B)
We embark to visit the Khmer Village and enjoy view of the rice field and a lots of palm trees with great fresh air. We board on boat in Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. Here, enjoy a brief cruise past floating villages complete with schools, restaurants, and hospitals. Visit Senteurs D’Angkor and experience the authentic scents and tastes of Cambodia through a range of traditional handmade products that help create jobs and incomes for impoverished rural communities. Delicatessen delights include spices, traditional teas, highland coffees and local rice liquors. There are also medical balms and natural massage oils as well as perfumed candles and incense. Visit “Les Artisans d’Angkor - Chantiers Ecoles”, this centre is working with young artisans; the team creates, produce and market a unique collection of ornamental sculpture, lacquer ware, silk weaving and silk painting. The company promotes fair, sustainable development in order to provide benefits to the rural communities. Spend time at leisure at a local market for shopping (if time permits).
Transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for departure flight to the next destination.
