7D6N Family Soft Adventure Cambodia

Siem Reap Airport - Siem Reap (8 km): 15 mins

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 wats and the colorful markets on your own.

After some relaxation, you will visit the famous Angkor Wat by local ‘remork’ (similar to the Thai tuk tuk), built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century; it is constructed following the model of the temple mountain symbolizing the Mount Meru, 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. Moreover, 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.

Overnight in Siem Reap. 

Siem Reap – Tonle Sap (20 km): approx. 2 hr by bicycle

Today, depart on a scenic cycling tour about 2-3 hours 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.

Your destination is Kampong Phluck, a village where you will see houses on stilts that are submerged when Tonlé Sap Lake extends. Embark on an interesting boat trip on the Tonlé Sap Lake, where you will have the opportunity to learn about life on the lake. You will pass floating houses and impressive flooded forests, portraying life on the water. Tonle Sap is South East Asia’s largest freshwater lake with its size varying greatly depending on the season, as it is swelling to about 4 times its size in during the wet season. Enjoy a picnic lunch on one of the local houses (Note: Due to low water levels during the dry season, the boat trip is generally only possible from July to February. However an alternative floating village at Chong Kneas can be arranged instead).

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap – Banteay Chhmar (160 km): 3 hrs

Get up early this morning for a transfer to Banteay Chhmar (duration ca. 5 hours). You will stop on the way as much as you like.

Welcome to Banteay Chhmar and enjoy lunch at the community center. Then head out to visit Banteay Chhmar, a place of exceptional atmosphere which gets very few visitors. A notable feature of this temple that is applying for UNESCO World Heritage Site status is the magnificent bas reliefs on the outside of the inner sanctuary walls. Almost every step within this vast ruin; gives another fabulous picture of stone being consumed by nature. It is a spectacular sight with its Bayon Style towers, walls and enclosures cloaked with vegetation. Late afternoon take a local transport similar to a tractor called ‘kuyon’ to the Banteay Top temple to see the sunset. A fun way to travel Khmer style amongst some lovely scenery!

In the evening enjoy a simple but memorable dinner at the temple.

Overnight in a homestay in Banteay Chhmar.

Siem Reap – Banteay Chhmar (160 km): 2 hrs & 30 mins

After breakfast, visit the local market in Banteay Chhmar and experience a typical Khmer village. Your local guide will explain about some of the traditional life that takes place, including fishing, beekeeping, weaving and rice farming.

Enjoy your picnic lunch before your return to Siem Reap. Arrival late afternoon.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Enjoy the day free at leisure or take part in one of the optional activities.

Optional: Angkor Zipline

Angkor Zipline is a Zip line Eco-Adventure Tour at the Angkor Archeological Park. Offering 15 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 zipline 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. (Including the entrance fee to Wat Atvea)

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

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: 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 silkworms – a fun experience! No Charge

Optional: QUAD BIKE RIDE

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.

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 riding pillion.

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: ROLUOS GROUP

Head to the Roluos Group, around 15 km out of Siem Reap. The Roluos Group is the site of an ancient center of Khmer civilization known as Hariharalaya and as such the oldest temple complex of this area, dating back to the 8th and 9th century. Explore the three main temples Bakong, Preah Ko and Lolei on a short 3 km walking tour. The surrounding countryside with its paddy fields and sugar palm trees is very typical for Cambodia – enjoy the beauty on a cow cart ride to Roluos Pagoda, a great and fun way to get in touch with rural Cambodia and its friendly people. Here, in a small contemporary pagoda, Buddhist monks will celebrate a private blessing ceremony for you, wishing you health and a safe journey – a very special experience!

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap – Temples (06 km): 10 mins

A short transfer will bring you to the beginning of your temple exploration experience at the East entrance of Angkor Wat. You set out like the first explorers did on foot, trekking through the dense jungle of the magnificent temples of Angkor on a 6km trek. Walking from temple to temple is a unique way to see these magnificent ruins:

After a few kilometres you will reach the city of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8m high wall, drawing a perfect square.

Continue on foot 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 52 towers with enigmatic faces looking out over the provinces of the Great Khmer Empire.

Finishing the walk with a visit to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King, both known for their intricate bas-reliefs.

Drive to Sra Srang (Pool of Absolutions) for a lunch in a local house away from other tourists.

After lunch visit Ta Prohm temple built between the mid 12th to early 13th centuries, Ta Prohm is unique in that it is overgrown by jungle, trees, vines, and with many parts crumbling to the ground, it is one of the most picturesque Angkor temples. Alternatively, depending on the season and the crowds, you may wish to visit Preah Khan temple. Built by the same king in a similar style, this larger temple complex is also largely left in ruins and its labyrinthian layout and fewer visitors makes a more intimate experience even in the high season months.

This evening attend a performance of ‘Phare, the Cambodian Circus’. Starting at 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.

Siem Reap - Siem Reap Airport (8 km): 15 mins

Enjoy some time at leisure to relax at the hotel or to discover Siem Reap town on your own until the transfer to the airport for your onward flight.