Luxury Escape To Cambodia (11 days)

On this luxurious short tour of Cambodia explore the temples of Angkor and Lake Tonle Sap at a leisurely pace, and then relax at the Song Saa Private Island resort set on two pristine islands in the Gulf of Thailand. Starting in Siem Reap the tour includes a four-night stay at the tranquil Phum Baitang Resort, with two half day tours of the outer temples and the floating villages of Lake Tonle Sap, a welcome dinner and an exclusive breakfast at Angkor Wat for sunrise. Fly to Cambodia's south coast to board a speedboat bound for Song Saa Private Island located in the Koh Rong Archipelago. Spend three nights at this exclusive retreat relaxing and enjoying the exquisite food, array of activities and treatments on offer. Return to the mainland for the ultimate night at the Raffles Hotel in Phnom Penh and a farewell dinner at one of the capital's finest restaurants.

Guide Price

From £4,995 per person based.

Day by Day Itinerary

Click on each day to expand the itinerary detail. Or click on the print itinerary button above to preview the tour in full.

Day 1: Fly from London Heathrow to Siem Reap, via Bangkok

Flight: TG917 London Heathrow - Bangkok 21.30 - 15.05 (overnight)

Day 2: Arrive in Siem Reap and transfer to your hotel

Flight: PG907 Bangkok - Siem Reap 17.05 - 18.15

Meet & Greet: On arrival in Siem Reap, you will be welcomed to Cambodia by your private guide and transferred to your hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Phum Baitang (Terrace Villa)

Monk, Angkor

Monk, Angkor

Day 3: Afternoon tour, evening fine dining tuk tuk tour

Morning at leisure: This morning you have time to rest and relax at your hotel.

Afternoon tour of Banteay Srei and the Cambodia Landmine Museum: After a leisurely morning, start your tour of the temples of Angkor starts with a visit 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.

On the way back to Siem Reap, you will stop to visit the Cambodia Landmine Museum and learn more about the scourge of landmines and the shadow they cast over rural communities in Cambodia with a visit to this flagship museum promoting mine awareness and education. The Land Mine Museum displays a large collection of weapons of war, including guns, rifles, rocket launchers, mortars, bombs and landmines. The site includes a mocked up minefield and visitors can attempt to locate the deactivated mines. The museum is a rich resource of information about landmines and UXO with many educational displays detailing how certain mines are used and in what situations. There is also a DVD available telling the story of landmines and UXO in Cambodia and the disastrous impact they have had on the population. Not only a weapon of war, they are a weapon against peace. The Landmine Museum promotes land mine accident prevention awareness and public education; and provides educational facilities, programming and rehabilitation facilities for survivors of land mine injuries. It also provides education and support for dozens of at-risk, land mine-affected children who have suffered overwhelming hardships. The Cambodia Landmine Museum was created so that it might serve as a place of healing for bodies, hearts and minds.

Evening ‘Taste Khmer’ fine dining experience: This evening, you will be met at your hotel and taken on private tuk tuk tour to discover the best of the best of Khmer fine dining in Siem Reap’s top restaurants. The ‘fine dining’ route takes you to Mie Café for your starter. Mia Café is run by respected chef Pola who studied and worked in Switzerland then returned to create one of the hidden gems in the local restaurant scene. Continue to the Sugar Palm for main course, where legendary Chef Kethana has created a menu of authentic dishes that she learnt to cook from her mother and grandmother. Kethana consulted both Gordon Ramsay and Luke Nguyen for their TV shows in Cambodia, and her Fish Amok is highly revered as one of the best in the country. Finish the tour with dessert at Malis, one of Cambodia’s most cosmopolitan restaurants.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Phum Baitang (Terrace Villa)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Day 4: Morning visit Angkor Wat, afternoon boat trip on Lake Tonle Sap

Morning tour of Angkor Wat: The best time to visit Angkor Wat, the largest and most famous of the Angkor temples, is early in the morning, when the light is good and it is relatively quiet. Today you have the option of a sunrise tour departing before dawn, or a more leisurely visit after breakfast in your hotel. Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five beehive-like towers rising 65 metres from ground level. At the apex of Khmer political and military dominance in the region, Suryavarman II constructed Angkor Wat in the form of a massive 'temple-mountain' dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall and the walls of the temple are covered inside and out with bas-reliefs and carvings. Nearly 2000 distinctively rendered apsara carvings adorn the walls throughout the temple and represent some of the finest examples of apsara carvings in Angkorian era art.

Afternoon tour of Lake Tonle Sap: In the afternoon, travel by car to the edge of Lake Tonle Sap, and embark on a small wooden boat for the trip to Kompong Pluk. Cruise down a narrow waterway and enter this medieval floating village, where the houses stand on stilts as high as seven metres above the water. Everything lives on the water, pigs, dogs, crocodiles and people, all jockeying for space in this incredible floating town. Visit the local temple before boarding a bigger boat to take us through the flooded forest and across the Great Lake to the jetty, where you will be met and driven back to Siem Reap.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Phum Baitang (Terrace Villa)

Meals: Breakfast

Floating village, Lake Tonle Sap

Floating village, Lake Tonle Sap

Day 5: E-bike the backroads to Angkor

E-bike the backroads to Angkor: Today you will set off explore some of the most impressive temples at Angkor on a power assisted E-mountain bike with your guide, taking advantage of back roads and jungle paths to get off the beaten path and experience Angkor without the crowds. Leaving Siem Reap early, you will use a forest path to avoid the traffic and wind your way past the walls of Banteay Kdei to the North Gate of Ta Prohm. The ‘jungle temple’ has been abandoned to the elements, a reminder that while empires rise and fall, the riotous power of nature marches on, oblivious to the dramas of human history. Left as it was ‘discovered’ by French explorer Henri Mouhot in 1860, the tentacle-like tree roots here are slowly strangling the surviving stones, man first conquering nature to create, nature later conquering man to destroy.

You will then cycle on to Ta Nei, a small temple that has been forgotten in the jungle and sees few visitors. You will have to carry the bikes across an old French dam to cross the Siem Reap River before entering the immense walled city of Angkor Thom, the masterpiece of King Jayavarman VII, through the Victory Gate and continuing to East Gate. You will then ascend the walls of Angkor Thom and ride around the southeast quadrant to stop at atmospheric Prasat Chrung, a seldom-visited temple overlooking the vast moat of Angkor Thom. Continue your cycling from South Gate to the Bayon and explore the main temples of Angkor Thom, including Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Preah Palilay, Terrace of the Leper King and Preah Pithu. Bayon temple is famous for its enigmatic faces of Lokesvara, the Buddha of Compassion, said to bear an uncanny resemblance to the great King Jayavarman VII himself. Baphuon is nicknamed the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle as the French took it apart stone by stone in the 1960s for restoration, only for all records to be destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. Cycling along the back paths to the lesser known temples of Angkor Thom such as Preah Palilay and Preah Pithu is a rewarding experience.

You then head back out on to the trails to finish at Sras Srang, the ancient bathing pool of the kings. Here you will find Sala K'Dei, a wonderful Khmer style restaurant where you will enjoy a tasty lunch and cooling drinks after your ride. You will also get the chance to enjoy a relaxing foot massage while you wait for lunch to be served! After lunch you return to your hotel by car.

Please note: we cannot guarantee that any protective headgear provided on this excursion will be of the same standard as is available in the UK / EU / US. As a result you may wish to consider taking your own.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Phum Baitang (Terrace Villa)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Day 6: Fly to the south coast for a 3 night stay at Song Saa Private Island

Private transfer: This morning, you will be met and transferred to the airport in time to check in for the flight to Sihanoukville.

Flight: K6131 Siem Reap - Sihanoukville 14.10 - 15.20

Road & boat journey to Song Saa: Upon arrival in Sihanoukville, you will be transferred to the pier for the shared speedboat journey to Song Saa.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Song Saa Private Island (Jungle Villa)

Meals: Breakfast

Song Saa

Song Saa

Days 7-8: Relaxing at Song Saa Private Island

At leisure: Days at leisure to relax on Song Saa Private Island.

Accommodation: Stay these nights at the Song Saa Private Island (Jungle Villa)

Meals: Breakfast

Beach, Song Saa

Beach, Song Saa

Day 9: Travel to Phnom Penh for an overnight stay

Speedboat journey: After a leisurely morning, join a shared speedboat for the 1 hour journey to Sihanoukville.

Road journey from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh: This afternoon, you will be met at the boat jetty for the drive to Phnom Penh, a journey of approximately 4 hours.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal (Landmark Room)

Dinner at Malis Restaurant: This evening, you will be taken for a special farwell dinner at Malis, serving haute cuisine Khmer style! This trendy restaurant has taken traditional Khmer recipes and given them a modern twist. Relax in the stylish surrounds and enjoy first class local fare.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Rooftops, Phnom Penh

Rooftops, Phnom Penh

Day 10: Morning tour of Phnom Penh, evening flight to London Heathrow

Morning tour of Phnom Penh: After breakfast at your hotel, you will set off on a guided tour of Phnom Penh taking in some of city's most important landmarks. This morning visits will be made to the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, the National Museum and Wat Phnom.

Private transfer: This afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight to London Heathrow, via Bangkok.

Flight: TG585 Phnom Penh - Bangkok 20.25 - 21.30

Meals: Breakfast

Royal Palace, Phnom Penh

Royal Palace, Phnom Penh

Day 11: Arrive back in London Heathrow

Flight: TG910 Bangkok - London Heathrow 00.25 - 07.15