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Place of Interest
The Majestic temples of Angkor in northwest Cambodia belong to the classic period of Khmer art and civilization. Today, a millennium after they were built, they awe visits with their perfection
and enmity. The temples are the creation of a succession of dominated most of Khmer Kings
who presided over an empire that dominated most of present-day Southeast Asia from 800 to
1430, reaching its peak in the 12th century. The period began with the ascension to the throne
by King Jayavarman II.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the largest temple in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. It is unlike all other Khmer temples in that it faces west, and it is inspired by 12th century Hinduism. Conceived by Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat took several decades to build. Intricate base relief surround Angkor Wat on four sides. Each tells a sty.
The way the light glows on the ancient stones makes sunrise and sunset the best time to wander
through Angkor Wat's 2 square kilometers, climb its tower.
Angkor Thom/ Bayon Temple
The ancient walled city of Angkor Thom, literally "Great City, "built
in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII, contains the famous Bayon temple with its me than 200 enormous mysterious smiling faces.
It also contains the 300 meter-long Elephant terrace with its large sculptured royal elephants and Garudas, the mythical guard
half-man, half-bird.
Also within the walled area is the terrace of the Leper King. A sandstone replica of the Leper
King is here.
Banteay Srei
This is the fabled pink temple of women, so called because it is
made of pink sandstone & considered a tribute to the beauty of women.
Its small size, delicate carving and remarkable state of preservation make Banteay Srei one of travelers' favorite temples.
Its Apsara
and male and female divinities represent the most
skilled craftsman ship of sandstone carvings.
It was dedicated in 987, making it one of the oldest temples in the region, though it was not rediscovered until the 1900s.
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Neak Pean |
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Prasat Neak Pean (Intertwined Naga) was built by Jayavarman VII, consists of a square pool with four smaller square pools arranged on each axis. In the center of the large central pool is a circular "island" encircled by the two Naga who intertwined tails give the temple its name. Water once flowed from the central pool into the four peripheral pools via ornamental spouts, which can still be seen in the pavilions at each axis of the pool.
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Bakheng Mountain
Dominating the flat landscape, this 10th Century mountain temple
is the most popular spot in the area to watch a classic sunset
over Angkor Wat and the surrounding fest.
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Kbal Spean |
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The original “ River of a Thousand Lingas ”, Kbal Spean is and intricately carved riverbed deep in the foothills the Cambodian jungle. Lingas are phallic representations sacred to Hinduism as symbols of fertility, and hundreds of them are carved into the rock here, as are several carvings of Gods and animals above the small waterfall. The area was only rediscovered in 1969 when French researcher Jean Boulbet was shown the carvings by a local hermit.
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Kbal Spean lies 50Km northeast of Siem Reap 18Km from Banteay Srei on a dirt road. It takes from 1-2 hours to get there from Siem Reap.
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Les Artisans D’ Angkor Chantiers-Ecoles |
A complete visit of Arts and school will take you through the
various training and production workshops of the Chantiers-Ecoles. Discover the traditional techniques used for wood sculpting, stone carving, lacquer work, polychromy and stone patina work, with the
explanations of our experienced guides.
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Truly a cosmopolitan city right where four rivers converge, Phnom Penh shows off a mix of
French as well as Chinese influence with distinctively Khmer characteristics. Restored French colonial homes, grand boulevards lined with giant trees, Chinese merchant houses along the
river banks are reminiscent of a time gone by.
Places of interest in Phnom Penh are the Royal Palace and
its Silver pagoda, the National Museum, Wat Phnom, the Independence Monument, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields, just outside the capital.
Royal Palace |
Built in 1866 by His Majesty Preah Bat Norodom, the Royal Palace
is now home to his Majesty Preah Bat Nodom Shihanouk and
Her majesty Preah Reach Akka-Mohesey Norodom. Most of the buildings inside the palace are closed to the public, except for
special occasions. Also within the palace walls is the Silver Pagoda, which draws its name from the 5,000 silver tiles that pave its floor.
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Inside the pagoda there are hundreds of gifts to Cambodian king, including a solid-gold Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds weighing 90 kilograms.
National Museum |
Located just north of the Royal Palace, the National Museum was recently rested to its former glory as one of the finest examples of Khmer architecture. On display there are more than 5,000 artifacts and objects of 'art from the 6th to the 13th centuries. They include sandstone sculptures, royal barges, palanquins and silk, intricately woven with silver and gold threads. There are also rare religious objects in gold, silver and bronze.
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Independence Monument |
The Independence Monument commemorates the 1953 end of
French rule over Cambodia. Designed by a Cambodian architect,
the Naga (a mythical bird symbolizing strength and benevolence) motif of the monument is a symbol f the country's lirations.
The Naga also adorns most important buildings in the country, including the Olympic Stadium and the Chatomuk Hall, which
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Inside the pagoda there are hundreds of gifts to Cambodian king, including a solid-gold Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds weighing 90 kilograms. |
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Wat Phnom |
Legend has it that after a major flood a wealthy Khmer widower named Daun Penh found a large tree on the bank of the Tonle Sap with four ancient statues of Buddha hidden inside. In 1434 she decided to erect a large hill and build a temple to house sacred
relics. Today, Wat Phnom remains the highest artificial hill in
Phnom Penh and the center of many forms of religious activities.
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Toul Sleng and Killing Field |
When the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975 they converted a former high school in the suburbs of Phnom Penh into a detention and torture center known as Toul Sleng, or S-21. A genocide
museum was established at Tulo Sleng after 1979 and today
it remains as it looked when abandoned by the Khmer Rouge.
Hundreds of faces of those tortured line the walls inside the
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old school. Most of the 17,000 people detained at Toul Sleng were eventually transported
to Choeung Ek,
mass gravesite located 15km outside Phnom Penh.
Known to locals as the Killing Field, Choeung Ek serves as a memorial to those killed under
the Khmer Rogue rule. These sites can be extremely distressing, but are and essential part
of understanding Cambodia’s tragic past. |
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The history of Sihanoukville goes back only as far as 1955 when the area known as kampong Som. In August of that year, a French/Cambodia construction team cut a base camp into the unoccupied jungle where the Hawaii Sea view Restaurant now sits. They laid the groundwork
for the construction of the new Port of Kampong Som. Prior to 1954, Indochina (Laos,
Cambodia
and Vietnam) was a single political unit under French jurisdiction. During this
period, Cambodia maintained international sea trade via the Mekong River. But the
dissolution
of
French Indochina in1954 meant the Mekong delta reverted to the control
of
Vietnam.
Seeking unfettered access to the ocean, plans were made to construct a new
ocean
port.
Kampong Som was selected for water depth ease of access. |
Ochheuteal Beach |
Ochheuteal Beach is now the most popular in Sihanoukville, offering the full Spectrum of beach venues from upscale hotels and dining
to laid-back budget beach bars and bungalows. Ochheuteal is long, sandy and narrow, with ‘Serendipity Beach’ at the northern end,
a Golf-course development at the southern end, and a cluster of
mid-range hotels and restaurant near the MP base in the middle.
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Little shack style restaurants and bars, grass umbrellas, beach
chairs line the beach from one
end to the other. |
Victory Beach |
At over kilometers, Victory Beach is quite long, but like
Independence Beach, the sandy area is narrow, making low tide the best time. Victory two beaches divided by a rocky point and a small hill.
Set at the base of the very popular Weather Station Hill,
the section
of Victory Beach in the area in the area of the Vietnam Cambodia
Monument (Victory Monument’) is the most popular
of Victory. The beach is a bit quieter and more relaxed then
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Ochheuteal and there are a few good beach bars and restaurants right on the sand such as
Tahiti, Mari-yan Beach (offering the only pentanque court on the beach), and Map Water
Sports with jet skis, boat trips and more.
Victory is a particularly good sunset beach. |
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Independence Beach / 7-Chann Beach |
Independence Beach is more than a kilometer long, but the sandy area is quite narrow, making the beach best when the tide is low. Grass umbrellas and drink vendors now line the beach from end
but it is more tourists toward the southern end, near the beach’s
only hotel, Sea Breeze. At the other end is a small fresh water
lake (which is the source of the town’s fresh water and is rumored
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Sokha Beach |
Occupying all of Sokha Beach, the new Sokha Beach Resort, Sihanoukville’s first full resort complex, is offering upscale accommodation restaurants, water sports, and more. Sokha Beach is about 1 Kilometer long and comparatively wide so that there is plenty of sand left during high tide. It is perfectly groomed these days, fairly quiet by comparison to Ochheuteal, and is open to the general public as well as guests of the resort.
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Sunset: Sihanoukville |
offers several excellent spots to watch sunset. Most people opt for the beaches. Victory is the most ideally oriented beach for sunset. The view from the other beaches is the sometimes partially obstructed depending on the time of year. Perhaps the best sunset point is at the top of Sihanoukville Mountain. The rocks at the top face west offers a beautiful view of the town, port, ocean and islands.
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| Preah Vihear Temple |
The Preah Vihear Temple is a Khmer Hindu temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains. The temple complex runs 800m along a north-south axis. It was built mainly during the 11th and 12th centuries during the reigns of the kings Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II.
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The history of Prasat Preah Vihear
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The Temple of Prasat Preah Vihear was built over a period of time stretching through the reign of seven Khmer Monarchs. The Temple was started during the reign of Yasovarman I, who was in power from 889-910AD and was finished during the years of Suryavarman II (who built the great temples of Angkor) 1112-1152AD.
Prasat Preah Vihear translates into English as 'Sacred Monastery' and was a major pilgrimage
site during the Angkor years. The Temple was dedicated to Shiva, a Hindu deity and
worshippers from all over the Khmer World (and some from further away) came to ask
for Shiva's blessing.
The pilgrims visiting the site started to dry up in the late Thirteenth Century, when
Srindravarman deposed his Father-in-law, Jayavarman VIII. Srindravarman was a follower
of Theravada Buddhism and he promptly made it the State religion. Theravad had spread
from Sri Lanka and has already gained massive converts.
The records from the reign of Srindravarman are pretty poor and we do not know much
about his years in power. We do know however, that no more major temple complexes
were built as Therevada Buddhism needed no such temples to worship at.
Prasat Preah Vihear, it would seem was left to be a small Khmer outpost as the power shifted to the Phnom Penh region from Angkor. The power of the Thai Ayutthaya Kingdom threatened the Khmer and there was many attempts on Khmer lands. Thai records from the time mention the conquering of Angkor by Ayutthaya forces.
Today, Prasat Preah Vihear is a contentious issue between Cambodia and Thailand. The area was under Thai control for several centuries, until it was handed back to Cambodia during the time of the French protectorate. In 1959 after Cambodian independence, the Thais again seized the area, only for the Cambodians to take it to the International Court. The World backed Cambodian sovereignty and in a 1962 ruling, the area was again given back to Cambodia. |
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RATES
Tour Duration: 10 Days / 9 Nights
Tour Operates: Year Round / On Demand
Tour Price: USD 1655 per person
Please Note: The price is a guideline and will vary according to travel dates and room availability. The price is based on two people travelling together during high season and sharing a twin or double room.
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CAMBODIA |
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INCLUSION |
EXCLUSION |
- Accommodation at selected hotels
- Meals as mentioned (B= Breakfast)
- Local English-speaking guides
- Tours and transfers as mentioned by private air-conditioned vehicles
- Entrance fees for mentioned visits
- Boat ride as mentioned
- Domestic flight PNH-REP
- Elephant ride to visit the sunset at Bakheng Mountain.
- Trekking with moto trailer surround Angkor Wat.
- Water and towers fresh for your whole trip
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- Visa for Cambodia (Visa issued on arrival, USD 20/ passenger, please bring 1 passport photo)
- Domestic Flight Phnom Penh-Siem Reap on day 2
- Domestic airport departure tax Phnom Penh USD 6/ passenger
- International Airport departure tax Siem Reap USD 25/ passenger
- Meals other than mentioned
- Camera/video entrance fees
- Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature
- Any services other than mentioned
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For an accurate quotation please send an inquiry
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