The Cuisine of Vietnam & Cambodia

Upon arrival at Siem Reap airport, you will be welcomed by your guide and transferred to your hotel. The room will be available from 2:00 PM. Enjoy some free time for your own exploration (without a guide or driver). Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will depart for the Angkor Reach restaurant, the starting point for the bicycle ride through the ruins of Angkor and the dense forest.
Upon arriving at Angkor Thom, you will continue to explore along the wall, providing a beautiful view of the moats and the opportunity to encounter monkeys and the songs of birds.
You'll visit the famous Bayon, with its 54 gigantic enigmatic towers, each adorned with four faces representing universal love, limitless compassion, friendliness, and equanimity. Then, you'll explore Baphuon, the three-tiered pyramid that was a significant project of the EFEO, the Royal Palace, the Terrace of the Leper King, showcasing numerous admirable sculpted apsaras figures.
Your tour continues along the Terrace of Elephants, which hosted royal audiences and public ceremonies. Next, you'll visit Ta Prohm, a temple engulfed by the jungle, famously discovered in 1860 by the French explorer Henri Mouhot.
In the afternoon, you'll visit the temple of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site. With its towering spires and unique bas-reliefs, it stands as one of the most extraordinary monuments ever conceived by the human spirit. Built in the 12th century in honor of Vishnu, Angkor Wat is the most renowned and majestic of all the temples.
You'll spend the night at a hotel in Siem Reap.

Departure from your hotel after breakfast, with a 15 km journey from Siem Reap to the local market in Roluos, the meeting point with Mrs. Ry to purchase vegetables, freshwater fish, meat, and spices. She will assist you in preparing typical Cambodian cuisine.
Next, you will continue the day with a visit to Kampong Pluk village on the edge of the Tonle Sap, the Great Lake of Cambodia, where you'll observe the life of the lakeside villages, fishing techniques, private fish farms, and crocodile breeding. Every year, the water level of the lake varies from 4 to 8 meters, flooding all the lands and forests in this region (from August to January). Depending on the season, we may explore these flooded forests using wooden canoes.
Return to Mrs. Ry's traditional house, where we will continue our culinary learning experience with our hosts. Lunch will be with this family, offering a simple yet typical Khmer meal.
In the afternoon, enjoy a bike ride through the small rural villages on the outskirts of Siem Reap. During the rainy season, the rice fields extend as far as the eye can see, offering sublime landscapes of lush Cambodian countryside. Encounter the villagers who will introduce you to their homes, see children leaving school, and witness farmers tending to their cows...
Dinner and overnight stay at Madame Ry's in the village of Prei Monti. (Basic comfort: bed + blanket + mosquito net. Outdoor shower without hot water).

After breakfast, we'll embark on a journey through landscapes adorned with banana and coconut trees until we reach Beng Mealea, nestled at the foot of the Phnom Kulen mountain range. The ambiance of this place allows us to envision the excitement experienced by the first explorers of Angkor in the late 19th century. Beng Mealea is regarded as one of the most remarkable Khmer temples, so much so that it's considered a prototype of Angkor Wat.
Continuing by vehicle, we'll head towards the pilgrimage trail for a roughly 2-hour hike (45 minutes of stair climbing). Our ascent of Phnom Kulen, the sacred mountain of the Khmers, begins. This region has been recently opened up by archaeologists.
Halfway through, we'll be delighted to discover a waterfall upon our arrival. You'll enjoy visiting the river with a thousand lingas and the waterfall.
After lunch, we'll explore the Preah Ang Thom Pagoda, home to an ancient Buddha statue dating back to the 15th century.
Later, we'll hop on motorcycles to reach the village of Ang Long Thom, where we'll stay the night with our hosts. We'll travel along a small path weaving through rice fields and open fields. By the end of the day, we'll reach the village situated atop the mountain.

After breakfast, you'll set out on the road to Kampong Thom to explore the pre-Angkorian capital of Isanapura, now better known as Sambor Prei Kuk, the first true temple city in Southeast Asia. The brick temples of Sambor Prei Kuk contrast with their illustrious cousins in the city of Angkor.
Discovering these ancient structures in addition to Angkor provides a fascinating insight into the evolution of Khmer architectural styles over the centuries. You'll visit the main temples in the area, including the Prasat Tao, with its magnificent lions boasting impressive manes, and the Prasat Sambor, with its collapsed sanctuaries.
Return to Kampong Thom for the road trip to Kampong Cham. Visit a rubber plantation. At the end of the day, enjoy a bike ride to Koh Pene. Overnight at the Kampong Cham hotel.

After breakfast, you'll visit the local market of Kampong Cham, along with its colonial buildings situated along the Mekong River. There will be a visit to a rubber plantation and its factory before transferring to Kratie.
Arriving in Kratie in the afternoon, you'll take a ferry to reach Koh Trong, an island measuring 10 km in length and 4 km in width, offering a perfect setting for interacting with the local populations. Several villages dot the landscape, one of which has an uncommon feature: it's a floating village.
No paved roads, no cars; instead, fields of crops surround you, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The feeling of being disconnected from the world takes hold. The sun illuminates the green of rice paddies and fields, where horse-drawn carts and ox-drawn plows are operated by local farmers. The giant white cows with their large ears catch your attention.
You'll have the opportunity to explore the island on a bicycle, discovering local life. Dinner and overnight stay will be with the island's inhabitants on Koh Trong.

On the morning after breakfast at hotel departure from Koh Trong Island to PhnomPenh and to explore the highlight attractions along the way and stop to visit the largest rubber tree plantation in Cambodia and drive through many huge fruits plantation, it is very beautiful spectacular views after enjoying the amazing views of the trip and continue to visit Phnom Santuk, it is one of the natural and cultural attraction in Kampong Thom province and it is also located in the center of Cambodia after that continue to visit the pre Angkor Ancient city that known as Sambor Prei Kuk and it located in the jungle and it was listed by USNESCO for the world heritage site. Continue to visit Skoun village by car. Skoun Village where is also known as the “Spider Village”, should take one to experience in your life time. Overnight in PhomPenh.

Breakfast at hotel. Start a full day visit PhnomPenh. Visit to the Royal Palace compound build in 1866 by the Predecessors of King Norodom, is the most conspicuous feature and also one of impressive colorful Khmer-style Palaces. Nearside the Royal Palace is Silver Pagoda (The Emerald Buddha temple), display plenty of Buddha Statues that were decorated and made by diamond, emerald, gold and silver. Travelers will proceed to visit Independence Monument which was constructed in 1954 after Cambodian took their country back from French colony, continuing visit to National Museum, the distinctive red building with a beautiful Khmer architecture was build since 1917 and contains more than 5000 art objects made of sandstone, bronze, silver, copper, wood and others. Overnight at hotel in Phnompenh.

Free at your own leisure. Then transfer to the embark for the speed boat to Chau Doc (vietnamese TL picks up the group in Phnom Penh). Enroute cross border (Vietnam: Vinh Xuong, Cambodia: Kaom Samnor). Pick up and transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel in Chau Doc.

In the early morning, transfer to have a climbing on Sam mountain (the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta - 230m). The views from the top are spectacular if weather permitting and you can easily look out over Cambodia (1.5h).  Visit Ba Chua Xu Temple, Tay An Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb. Then, take a short transfer Cu Lao Ong Ho for a biking tour to discover the daily life of local people. Overnight in a homestay.

Early morning, visit Long Xuyen floating market. Then, transfer back to Ben Tre take boat trip along the Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces to give you a picture of how the local economy works. Stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life, before boarding your rickshaw, travelling into the forest where you can visit. Homestay fruit orchards before stopping at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch. After lunch, hop onto a bicycle for a fun ride through the forest to Mr Khanh’s house. He is a passionate antiques collector and his house is jam packed full of fascinating artefacts from Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia. 

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer back to Saigon and free at your own leisure.
Overnight at hotel

Breakfast at your hotel and start a full day city tour. You will visit the Re-unification palace - the former residence of president Nguyen Van Thieu, then the War Museum full of relics from the US and French Vietnam wars. Stroll around busy Ben Thanh market, Dong Khoi and Nguyen Hue Street. Continue visiting Thien Hau Pagoda & China Town. In the late afternoon, you wll start a streetfood tour on a motorbike.
The “Saigon by Night” tour is one of the most fun things to do in Vietnam at night and offers a completely different experience than our day tours. We’ll bring you to 4 of the most popular local districts in Saigon that most tourists don’t frequent and also give you a chance to try some delicious Vietnamese street food! Eat your fill of dishes like the extremely popular “Banh Xeo” (crispy, fried pancakes stuffed with various meats and vegetables ) and the lesser known Bo La Lot (Grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves)  which is our personal favorite! Don’t worry vegetarians, we also have you covered with a variety of delicious options!

Breakfast at hotel, then visit the underground system while learning more about war stories - Cu Chi tunnel from our local experienced guide. Enter the tunnels where Viet Cong villagers used to live and fight during wartime. Back to Saigon and you are free at your own leisure. Overnight in hotel.

After breakfast, you'll have free time until the transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departing flight. Check-out time from the hotel is by noon, giving you a bit of time to gather your belongings and prepare for your departure. This arrangement ensures a smooth transition to the airport for your onward journey.