CTC8: Cambodia Discovery tour 7 days 6 nights

Day 1: Phnom Penh Arrival ( D)
Meet upon arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport. Transfer to the hotel.
Phnom Penh city tour: Visit the Victory Monument, and the National Museum, also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. A French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, designed it in Khmer style in 1917. The museum contains a collection of Khmer art - notably sculptures - throughout the ages. Visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. Located within the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90kilograms and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. End your afternoon with a visit to Wat Phnom Temple, Phnom Penh’s namesake, from where you can enjoy views over the tree-lined avenues of Phnom Penh during sunset. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel.

Day 2: Phnom Penh (B, L )
Breakfast at hotel. Visit the  Killing Field and the notorious Tuol Sleng Museum (S 21 prison). This former school was used as a prison by Pol Pot’s security forces and became the largest center for detention and torture during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. Lunch at local restaurant
Time at leisure at the Russian Market (Psah Tuol Tom Poung). Visit the Central Market, a landmark in the city of Phnom Penh. Sunset cruise on the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers.

Day 3: Phnom Penh - Kompong Cham - Kompong Thom (B, L, D)
Breakfast at hotel.
Depart to Kompong Cham by overland. Short tour of Kompong Cham to view examples of colonial architecture. Visit Wat Nokhor with its ancient temple and modern style pagoda (12th century).
Lunch at local restaurant.
Continue to Kompong Thom. En route, visit Wat Kohear Nokor (11th century). Continue to Phum Prasat with its single ancient temple. Arrive in Kompong Thom. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at Stung Sen Hotel (or best available).

Day 4: Kompong Thom - Siem Reap (B, L,)
Breakfast at hotel. Depart Kompong Thom for Sambor Prei Kuk, located 35km northeast of Kompong Thom. Visit the ancient capital of Chenla with its 100 temples dating from the Pre-Angkorian period. Return to Kompong Thom.
Lunch at local restaurant. Continue to Siem Reap. En route, visit traditional villages and stop at the ancient Naga Bridge (Spean Pratpo), located 40 Km from Siem Reap. Arrive in Siem Reap and transfer to the hotel. First visit of the Angkor Complex at sunset (after 17:00), if time permits.

Day 5: Siem Reap (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel.
In the morning, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat's five towers symbolize Meru's five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond.
Lunch at restaurant.
Visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara).

Day 6: Siem Reap (B, L, D)
In the morning, visit Prasat Kravan with its unique brick sculptures and Ta Prohm.  One of the area's most beautiful temples, Ta Prohm has been 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, Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Visit Preah Khan temple. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulders-hanging 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.  Continue your visits to Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake and visit the temple of Ta Som and Sunset at Pre Rup. Dinner and Apsara dance show at Angkor Village theatre. Accommodation at hotel.

Day 7: Siem Reap - Departure (B )
Breakfast at the hotel, Visit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. Transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for departure flight. End of tour.

Location	Standard	Superior	First class	Deluxe
Phnompenh	Cardamom 3 *	Landscape 3 *	Sunway 4 *	Intercontinental 5*
Kompong Thom	Stung Sen 2*
Siem reap	Casa Angkor  3*	Casa Angkor 3 *	Prince D’ Angkor 4*	Sokhar Angkor 5*