What this trip is really like
Two nights in each city changes the trip: a full day for the capital, the road north broken at pagodas and a workshop, an evening of street food in Siem Reap, and a temple day that ends at Bakheng.
Length-wise this falls between our shorter 4-night express option and the longer 6-night version. Two full nights in the capital mean an entire day of sightseeing rather than a quick look on the way through, and once that six-hour road journey delivers you to Siem Reap, two more nights are waiting there.
That road day still earns its keep: once in Siem Reap there is time for a perfume-and-soap workshop, a pair of riverside pagodas, plus the Street 60 food stalls, all ahead of the trip's one full Angkor day — Ta Prohm, Baphuon, Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat and a Bakheng sunset.
Highlights
- A full sightseeing day in Phnom Penh
- Overland transfer to Siem Reap with local pagoda and workshop stops
- Senteurs d'Angkor natural products workshop
- Wat Bo and Wat Preah Prom Rath riverside pagodas
- Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Baphuon and Ta Prohm
- Sunset from Bakheng Mountain temple
The trip, day by day
Day 1 — Land in Phnom Penh
Touching down in Phnom Penh, you pass through Phnom Penh International Airport before a private car takes you on to the hotel, without a guide for this leg. The rest of your day is free, and Phnom Penh's sightseeing programme begins the next morning.
Day 2 — A full day in the capital
Breakfast is followed by a full day exploring Phnom Penh, shaped around whatever interests you most — riverside spots, markets and heritage buildings can all be fitted into the one day of touring. Evenings are left open.
Day 3 — Road to Siem Reap, pagodas and a street-food evening
After breakfast and checkout, the road carries you on to Siem Reap — roughly six hours, with the bus fare already covered. Check into the hotel on arrival, then head straight into an afternoon of touring around town.
At the Senteurs d'Angkor workshop, local plants and flowers become oils, balms and soap. Next come two riverside temples — Wat Bo, then Wat Preah Prom Rath — before the circuit finishes at Street 60, where residents gather to eat once the working day ends.
Day 4 — Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, sunset at Bakheng
Angkor Wat — the world's largest temple and unusual among Khmer sites for facing west — opens the full day of touring. The South Gate then leads into Angkor Thom, where the 11th-century Baphuon, raised for Shiva, the Hindu god, stands close to Bayon Temple's carved stone faces.
From there, the route calls at the Elephants' Terrace and the Leper King's terrace, with a lunch break near Srah Srong that comes at your own expense, then continues on to Ta Prohm's tangle of banyan roots before the day ends with sunset seen from Bakheng Mountain temple.
Day 5 — Departure
Nothing else is scheduled until a private transfer has you at Siem Reap International Airport, ready for your onward flight or your flight home — the departure day carries no sightseeing of its own.
Where you sleep
| CITY | Option 1 | Option 2 |
|---|---|---|
| SIEM REAP | Holy Angkor / Kou Prey | Royal Empire Hotel / Landing Gold by Amatak |
| PHNOM PENH | Salita / Rose Emerald | Pacific Phnom Penh |
What's included
- Rooms with breakfast in the grade you choose — we favour Khmer-owned hotels and guesthouses
- Meals named in the day-by-day, taken where possible at family-run places rather than hotel dining rooms
- A Cambodian guide who speaks English and knows the temples as more than a checklist
- Private air-conditioned transport for transfers and touring days
- Angkor passes and every other entrance fee on the route
- The Mekong sunset boat and Tonle Sap boat where the plan includes them
- Two bottles of drinking water per person on every touring day
- Taxes and service charges
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Cambodian visa (on arrival or e-visa) — we tell you which suits your passport
- Single-room supplement if you are travelling alone
- Meals not named in the day-by-day, drinks, laundry and optional outings
- Travel insurance
- Tips for guide and driver
- Early check-in and late check-out (rooms are normally ready from 14:00 and given up by 12:00)
- Bank transfer charges
Book this trip
- Days
- 5 days / 4 nights
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