Cambodia Grand tour 8 Days 7 nights via Battambang

 

General information

DurationDestinationDeparture
8 days and 7 nights
Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom)
Cambodia (Phnom Penh)

Description

Tour Code: GT-CM07viaBTB

Title Tour: GT-CM07 - 1Pnh - 1Btb - 4ReapTsfviaKT - 1Pnh - FB

 

Category

 
Deluxe (Private Tour)
Full Board
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Superior (Private Tour)
Full Board
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First Category (Private Tour)
Full Board
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Smart (Private Tour)
Full Board
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Program

Day 1:
Phnom Penh (Lunch, Dinner)
Arrival and transfer to hotel. Lunch in a typical Cambodian restaurant. Half-day visit of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, which includes a visit to the National museum where you can see a precious treasure chest filled with the masterpieces of Khmer sculptures from the 5th to the 13th century. Continue to visit the area of the Royal Palace with the throne room, where even today the King grants his hearings and lastly, visit the contiguous complex of the Silver Pagoda. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 2:
Phnom Penh - Battambang (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Depart from Phnom Penh, along the Tonle Sap to the village of Kompong Louang, where the old traditions of silver manufacturing is still alive. Then visit Oudong which was the capital of Cambodia from the 17th century to the 19th century. Nothing remains of the ancient city but the real stand out is the Buddhist monument on the hill around which has dozens of Buddhist pagodas. Visit these ‘royal’ hills where you will find Buddhist monuments with the Kings’ ashes. We then travel to Kompong Chhnang, the fishing capital at the mouth of a big lake. Lunch in a typical Cambodian restaurant. We will pass through a workshop of potters from Kompong Chhnang. The sculptors work with marble from Pursat (A Cambodian province). We will then cross one of the most classic Cambodian landscapes with vast expanses of rice fields from which rise sugar palms that shade the thousands of houses built in wood and bamboo as well as hundreds of pagodas. At nightfall, we will visit the lively riverside of Battambang. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3:
Battambang - Siem Reap (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
In the morning, hike along the left bank of the Stung Sangker up the hill on which stands the Khmer Temple of Phnom Banan of the end of the 12th century. Return to Battambang and advance through beautiful rural scenery up to Ek Phnom. A Khmer sanctuary dating from the first half of the 11th century. After arriving back in town, visit the refined Vat Pippitharam, built at the beginning of the last century by the family of Vice-siamese of Battambang. Lunch in a typical Cambodian restaurant. We then leave Battambang to reach Sisophon, where if you point east – you are on a road that runs through plains that alternates with Preah Netr Preah limestone massifs. Arrival in Siem Reap in the late afternoon. Dinner at hotel.

Day 4:
Siem Reap (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Full-day visit of the Angkor temples - the largest archaeological area in the world, where archeologists classified 276 monuments of great importance. The undisputed masterpiece of Khmer art and architecture is Angkor Wat, with twelve hundred square meters of exquisite bas reliefs that offer a spectacular testimony of an art of exquisite refinement. It is considered one of the most beautiful monuments in the whole world. It was dedicated to Vishnu and is the only temple in Angkor facing west. Images that have created the “myth” of Angkor Wat are discovered in Ta Prohm, where giant trees are among the tangle of towering shrines, huge roots are wrapped around the galleries and shrubs sprout from the roofs of each building till visitors can no longer distinguish the work of man apart from the creations of nature. Lunch in a typical Cambodian restaurant. Then visit the fortified Citadel of Angkor Thom: the last capital of the Khmer kingdom. This area was fortified by Jajavarman VII in the year 1181- 1185. It has thick walls and 5 monumental entrances. At its core is the Bayon, a huge Buddhist temple decorated by more than 1200 meters of bas-relief containing more than 11.000 figures and with an impressive 54 towers with a Crown-Shrine to top it all off. This temple has been dedicated by the King to his mother and was one of the wealthiest temples, inhabited by more than 12000 people with vast stores for jewels and gold. Dinner at hotel.

Day 5:
Siem Reap (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Full day visit of more temples. One of the oldest sacred constructions is Prasat Kravan which was built in 921. It has five shrines with elegant shapes dedicated to the worship of Vishnu, built in brick and faces east. Bricks were also used to build in 952 – the Hindu temple of Mebon dedicated to the deity Shiva constructed on a tiny artificial island in the center of the now dry Eastern Baray. Nine years later the King Rajendravarman built Pre Rup: a huge mountain-temple that inhibits a warm ochre color. Lunch in a typical Cambodian restaurant. In the golden period of Jayavarman VII were built the “Royal Bath”, Srah Srang which in-between starts the path between the XII century sanctuaries. Such as the monastery of Banteay Kdei, the “Citadel of Cells”, Ta Som, the magnificent Buddhist shrine of Prah Khan, the Temple of the “Sacred Sword” and Neak Poan – a Buddhist temple known for its “coiled serpents” that are represented here. Dinner at hotel.

Day 6:
Siem Reap (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Full-day visit to the temples outside the ordinary circuit. Banteay Samre is a beautiful 12th century shrine that has been the subject of one of the most successful and accurate restorations, made with the method of anastylosis. To the North lies Banteay Srei, the ‘Citadel of Women’. Completely surrounded by jungle, it seems like a miniaturize temple, but is actually a marvel of elegance and harmonize proportion with spectacular bass- relief which represent the apex of the figurative art of Khmer. Lunch in typical Cambodian restaurant. On the way back, we will stop at the third spectacular example of Khmer art – Krol Ko of the 13th century. Surrounded by jungle and wild vegetation is Beng Mealea, the ruins of the temple offers a suggestive view and gives the sensation of being back in time during the 1913. The central Prasat collapsed as many other buildings, but we can still admire the decorative bass- reliefs as they were very well executed. Walk along the boardwalks that trace the path that leads to puntidomainanti, which is the rugged beauty of this site is fully captured. Visitors have said it makes you feel like Indiana Jones hunting for hidden gems. Dinner in Hotel.

Day 7:
Siem Reap – Phnom Penh via Kompong Thom (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Departure for Phnom Penh on road National 6 immediately out of the Kampong Thom. We will make a stop to visit the village of sculptors who’ve worked on the sacred stone of Phnom Santuk which have been considered sacred for centuries by Cambodian people as they are the ones that carved the mountains representing a series of Lying Buddha. Afterwards, we will make a stop in Skun, the home town of “Friend Spiders”. Lunch in typical Cambodian restaurant, Then we will cross the Tonle Sap to arrive into Phnom Penh. Dinner in Hotel.

Day 8:
Phnom Penh (Breakfast)
Transfer to the airport.

Price includes

- Hotel in Standard room with breakfast.
- Meals as per program.
- Transfers and excursions as per program.
- IT Guide.
- Assistance during your entire stay.
- Phone Number " URGENCY " 24 hours 24 IN ENGLISH.
- During long trips water and refreshing towels.

Price does not include

- Flights, if not stated in the program.
- Hotels peak season special supplements and policies such as Christmas and new year dinner new year minimum stay etc ..
- Everything not indicated in "Quote includes".

Itinerary

Day Overnight Itinerary highlights
1 Phnom Penh   Phnom Penh - Airport
2 Battambang
3 Siem Reap
4 Siem Reap
5 Siem Reap
6 Siem Reap
7 Phnom Penh   Kampong Thom
8   Phnom Penh

Accommodations provided in each place

To be advised