Siem Reap Spotlight

CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE

After a delicious breakfast at your hotel, you have the freedom to choose between two unique and exciting experiences for your day.

Option 1: Kompong Khleang Floating Village at Tonle Sap Morning Tour + Lunch at the Local House in Kampong Khleang

Travel approximately an hour out of Siem Reap to Kompong Khleang, a remarkable village built high on stilts. This village is home to around 6,000 people who primarily earn their living through fishing on the Tonle Sap Lake. Depending on the season, the village offers a very different view, making it interesting to visit year-round. During the monsoon season, the streets are filled with water, creating navigable canals that you’ll explore by boat. The best time to visit is between October and January when the area is at its photographic best. In the dry season from March to April, the houses reveal themselves, perched on wooden stilts up to 10 meters high.

OR

Option 2: Angkor Thom City, Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat Temples Private Tour

This morning, embark on a journey to explore the monumental magnificence of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the great Khmer Empire. You’ll visit the sprawling Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King, and the enchanting Bayon. The Bayon, in particular, is a 12th-century masterpiece located at the heart of Angkor Thom City. It’s an archaeological wonder known for its symmetry and grandeur. The exterior gallery walls feature extensive bas-reliefs, but the main attraction is the numerous towers, each adorned with gently smiling faces. The Bayon is surrounded by over 200 of these smiling faces, creating an atmosphere of godliness and majesty.

Following your exploration of Angkor Thom, your journey continues to Ta Prohm, a temple left largely in its natural state since its rediscovery by French explorers. Surrounded by the jungle, Ta Prohm’s stone hallways are overgrown with the roots and limbs of massive banyan trees, which envelop the stone like tentacles. It’s one of the largest temples at Angkor and was dedicated in 1186.

After your morning adventures, savor a delightful lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you’ll visit Angkor Wat, arguably the largest religious building in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. It stands out from other Khmer temples because it faces west and is inspired by 12th-century Hinduism. Its symmetrical towers are stylized on the modern Cambodian flag. Built under the direction of King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat took an estimated 30 years to construct and is believed to have been a funeral temple for the king. The temple is remarkably well-preserved and features intricate bas-reliefs that tell various stories. One of the most celebrated bas-reliefs is the “Churning of the Sea of Milk,” located on the east wing.

Optional: Enjoy an evening under the bigtop in downtown Siem Reap with an evening show at Phare, the Cambodian Circus. Run by the NGO of the same name which supports the futures of Khmer youth with art and performance training, Phare is a lively show combining elements of high flying, tight-rope walking, juggling, contortion, music, and theatre circus arts in one energetic showcase of Cambodian culture. Enjoy an evening of cultural discovery for a good cause and pick up a few souvenirs on your way out.