Ancient Splendors of Angkor

Day 1: Arrive Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Arrive in Cambodia’s beguiling capital, Phnom Penh. A showcase of French colonial architecture, its romantic facades hark back to a century ago when it was known as the Paris of the East, the loveliest city in Indochina. Phnom Penh sits at the scenic confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers, where it has grown from its origins as a small 14th-century Buddhist monastery. Our introduction to the metropolis of today begins with a river cruise, during which we’ll see vistas of the city skyline and floating fishing villages nearby. We continue our tour by cyclo – Phnom Penh’s ubiquitous pedaled rickshaws -- to the National Museum, Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda complex where we learn about the cultural and historic heritage of the city. As the sun sets, we reach the hilltop pagoda of Wat Phnom, the temple built in 1373 from which the city would draw its name. The elegant Raffles Hotel Le Royal, built in 1929, provides our overnight accommodations, a refined oasis rich in colonial ambience.

Day 2: Siem Reap / Angkor Wat

After indulging in our hotel’s lavish breakfast buffet, we fly to Siem Reap, our base for exploring the magnificent ruins at Angkor. One of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia, this maze of ancient temples and capitals of the Khmer empire from the 9th through 15th centuries is stunning in its magnitude and intricacy. More than 1,000 temples lie among the forests and rice fields; UNESCO declared the entire city of Angkor a World Heritage Site in 1992. We spend the day discovering the largest and most impressive of the ruins, the grand temple complex of Angkor Wat. Built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple, Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which narrates stories from Hindu mythology. Only from the air can one really grasp the size of the temple and its environs, which we survey from a hot air balloon this afternoon. We conclude a most remarkable day with a walk to the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng, where we watch the sun set over the ruins nestled in the tangled jungle below. The temple, built two centuries before Angkor Wat, is a symbolic representation of Mount Meru, home of the Hindu Gods.

Day 3: Angkor

We rise early to continue exploring the archaeological park at Angkor, beginning with Ta Phrom temple built in the late 12th century. Unlike most structures at Angkor, Ta Prohm has not been restored. The École Française d'Extrême-Orient, in charge of conservation work at Angkor since 1907. opted to leave Ta Phrom in its romantic state of neglect as a “concession to the picturesque.” We too are impressed with the silk cottonwood and strangler fig trees growing out of the ruins, their roots coiling around the ancient stones in an evocative merger with the jungle surroundings. Moving on to Bayon, we find a richly decorated temple-mountain carved with 200 serene stone faces, their massive visages smiling enigmatically from the 37 towers that cluster around the temple’s central peak. Bayon also boasts fabulous bas-reliefs, 4,000 feet long and featuring 11,000 sculptured persons. We continue to Banteay Kdei, once a Buddhist monastery, where we ride on elephants through the temple park. Back at our hotel there’s a chance to rest before dinner, followed by a mesmerizing performance of Apsara, Khmer classical dance presented in elaborate costume.

Day 4: Tonle Sap / Angkor

A morning excursion to Tonle Sap, Cambodian for “Great Lake,” is an immersion into the fishing culture central to the economy and well-being of the nation. Southeast Asia’s largest lake is an ecological hotspot, designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. During the dry season, the Tonle Sap is a sedate river that drains into the Mekong. But with the arrival of the monsoon, the flow reverses and swells the river’s banks, flooding a vast area to create a freshwater habitat perfectly suited for breeding fish. The region is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities who reside in floating houseboat villages. We visit them on a boat tour, stopping for lunch in a local home. Returning to Angkor, we explore the red sandstone temple of Banteay Srey. Built in the 10th century in honor of the Hindu god Shiva, the intricately carved temple contains fine examples of classical Khmer art. Then, on to Pre Rup, a temple once used as a funeral site where we will watch the day die as well, as the sun sinks over the jungle. This evening we enjoy dinner at one of Siem Reap’s fine local restaurants.

Day 5: Angkor / Depart

We leave the city’s din for a morning excursion into the tranquil countryside, a landscape defined by rice paddies and water lilies, water buffalo in swampy ponds, and children in school uniforms riding bicycles and oxcarts. At the Angkor Silk Farm, we witness the entire process of silk creation: the growing and harvesting of mulberry leaves as food for the silk worms, the breeding process and life cycle of the silk worm, the spinning of the silk, and the final dyeing process. We share a farewell lunch together before transferring to the airport for our onward flights.

2012 Trips

This adventure is designed to depart on request with a minimum of two travelers. Call our Asia360 specialists and we will help you create an unsurpassed travel experience.

$1,995
Single Supp.: $622

Deposit: $500

Prices are per person based on double occupancy and are given in US Dollars.