Welcome to Siem Reap (morning arrival), the charming gateway to the famed temples of Angkor. You will be greeted by your local English speaking guide who will accompany you to your hotel for check in.

Take a rest from your flight or discover Siem Reap on a stroll through its beautiful pagodas and the colorful markets on your own.

This afternoon, a local ‘remork’ (similar to the Thai tuk tuk) will take you on a journey to get the first glimpse of Angkor at the legendary Angkor Wat.

First of all, get an idea of the sheer size of the temple area and enjoy the spectacular view of Angkor from above as you ride in a tethered helium balloon that takes you 120m up in the air!

Built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, Angkor Wat is constructed following the model of the temple mountain symbolizing Mount Meru, the home of the gods. Inside the temple, the walls are covered with stone carvings and bas-reliefs depicting Hindu mythology and the wars Suryavarman II fought during his reign. Angkor Wat is well known for the more than 2,000 Apsara dancers decorating the temple. Construction is thought to have taken around thirty years of intensive labor. Today, Angkor Wat is figured on Cambodia's national flag as the temple symbolizes the soul of the Khmer people.

You will be there during sunset time, when Angkor Wat is less visited and the Apsaras will shine in the most beautiful light. Return to the hotel.

Overnight in Siem Reap

Siem Reap Airport Siem Reap (10 km): 15 mins

Today, depart on a scenic cycling tour through the most beautiful Cambodian countryside. You will pass rice fields and villages, where you will stop for refreshing breaks and a few chats with the locals. The road is all flat and easy to cycle, and the tour is fully supported, so if you or your children don’t want to continue by bicycle, you can continue by private vehicle.

Continue to Kompong Phluck where you will embark on an interesting boat trip on the Tonlé Sap Lake, where you will have the opportunity to learn about life on the lake. The Tonlé Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and officially designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, covering an area of around 250,000 hectares in the dry season. Due to a unique phenomenon, when the monsoon begins, the swollen waters of the Mekong River force the Tonlé Sap River to reverse its flow northwards, feeding the Great Lake and spreading over the surrounding flood plain.

Board a local boat and visit Kompong Phluck, a village where you will see houses on stilts that are submerged when Tonlé Sap Lake extends. On the way, you will pass floating houses and impressive flooded forests, portraying life on the water.  

Take a break by disembarking for a tasty picnic lunch served in a floating house and enjoy the views as the local community goes about its daily life.

(Note: Due to low water levels during the dry season, the boat trip is only possible from June to March. However an alternative floating village at Chong Kneas can be arranged instead).

Return back to Siem Reap in the early afternoon where you will have some free time at leisure before this evening attending a performance of ‘Phare, the Cambodian Circus’. Starting at 7 8pm, professional artists of Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) will perform an inspiring show suitable for people of all ages.  Set up in Battambang in 1994 by young returnee Cambodians from the refugee camps who learned about using art as a means of coping with trauma, PPS has played an influential role in promoting and developing Khmer culture over the years after the Khmer Rouge genocide. The hour long show mixes traditional and modern theater, music, dance, acrobatics, juggling and contortion performed in a story about Cambodian lives and society. Student performances can still be seen twice weekly in Battambang but now the circus has arrived in Siem Reap!

Overnight in Siem Reap

After breakfast, visit the ancient city of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8 m high wall drawing a perfect square. Enter the city through the ancient South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and four giant faces.

From here, continue to Bayon Temple in the exact center of the city. This 12th century masterpiece is a study in grandeur and is well-known for its 54 towers with enigmatic faces representing the 54 provinces of the Great Khmer Empire. The Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King are also must-visits as they are both known for their intricate bas-reliefs.

Angkor is full of magical highlights, visit another one! Explore Ta Prohm temple, that children will probably enjoy the most. The ‘Lara Croft’ movie was set and filmed here. Ta Prohm is unique in that it has been left largely as it was found: overgrown by jungle trees and vines, with many parts of the temple crumbling to the ground. This makes Ta Prohm one of the most memorable of the Angkor temples.

Enjoy the afternoon free at leisure, or if you are up for more adventure, you can add any of the following activities:

Optional: Flight of the Gibbon

Flight of the Gibbon is a Zip line Eco-Adventure Tour at the Angkor Archeological Park. Offering 10 zip lines at different heights, suspended sky bridges and the chance to abseil from a tree this is an excursion for those with a sense of adventure who want to soar over the jungle canopy like a gibbon!

Transfer to the zip line site before receiving a safety briefing and being outfitted. After the adventure begins: start with the easiest zip lines before proceeding to the highest and most exhilarating. The highest zip lines are at 50 meters above the canopy and the longest 350 meters. From the last zip line the final adventure is to abseil down before a soft trek through the forest takes you back to the starting point.

(Note – max 9 people in a single group, latest start time is 12pm, excursion lasts 3-4 hrs, maximum weight 125kg, not suitable for children under 5 yrs old or 1m height, no sandals permitted).

Optional: Horseback-Riding at Happy Ranch

Head to the Happy Ranch outside of Siem Reap, a western style horse ranch. There, you will get acquainted with your horse of pure Cambodian breed, a descendant of the Mongolian wild horses. Enjoy the countryside on horseback! During the 2 hour trail ride you will get to places far outside the tourist area, through the rice fields and local villages to the rarely visited temple of Wat Atvea. Explore the peaceful temple ruins of the Angkor-era, a truly authentic experience.

Note: Happy Ranch can arrange lead rides on gentle ponies for young children. Their experienced staff will walk alongside and lead them or just assist them when necessary. 

Optional: Quad Bike Adventure

An unforgettable experience as you will ride a quad bike especially designed for off road terrain through the beautiful countryside of Siem Reap Province. The 12 km guided tour will take you to local villages, where you can learn about the way of life in rural Cambodia and have the chance to meet and chat with the wonderful and friendly people. The highlight of the 2 hour tour is the sunset in the rice fields.

Children aged between 2 and 12 years at the time of travel will receive a 10% discount off the Adult Price.

Note: 2 adults can ride on the same quad bike with maximum weight of 130 Kgs.
In this case, the driver must have experience of riding a quad bike. 

Children are welcome to sit with their parents as passengers.

From 14 to 16 years old, children can ride their own quad only with an instructor as a pillow.

17 years old children can be allowed to ride alone their own quad only if they have an adult size and a similar or bigger quad at home.

Optional: Beng Mealea

Head to quiet Beng Mealea, around 65 km from Siem Reap. Enjoy a short walk through the dense jungle and feel like an explorer when you discover the completely overgrown temple. Undiscovered for centuries, Beng Mealea has only recently been made accessible and remains unrestored. It is one of the very few temples that actually give the opportunity to climb through it.

Children aged between 2 and 12 years at the time of travel will receive a 10% discount off the Adult Price.

Optional: Angkor Silk Farm

Drive through the countryside around the Western Baray where you can spot water buffalos in swampy ponds, kids in school uniforms on their bicycles and oxcarts. Visit the Angkor Silk Farm 15 km west of Siem Reap, where you can witness the entire process of silk creation from growing and harvesting mulberry as food for the silk worms, the breeding process and life cycle of the silk worm to the spinning the silk, the dying process and the creation of beautiful silk weavings on wooden hand looms. Children will get the opportunity to feed the silk worms – a fun experience!

Overnight in Siem Reap

Enjoy some time at leisure until the transfer to the airport for your individual departure flight.