5-Day Ultimate Cambodia Highlights Tour

Day 1 Phnom Penh Arrival

Today, you will arrive safely at the Cambodian international airport and be warmly welcomed to Phnom Penh, a city that combines traditional Khmer and colonial French styles with charming French villas and tree-lined sidewalks. After a short rest, you will visit the impressive Khmer-style Royal Palace complex, which was built in 1866 by King Norodom’s predecessors. Next, you will see the Silver Pagoda (the Emerald Buddha temple), which contains numerous Buddha statues made of gold, diamonds, gemstones, and silver. You will also visit the Independence Monument and the National Museum, a beautiful Khmer architecture building that contains over 5,000 art antiques made of bronze, wood, gold, silver, copper, sandstone, and other materials. You’ll pass through the riverfront park where four rivers meet, including the mystical Mekong River. You will also walk up to the sacred hill of Phnom Daun Penh, which is the name of a pagoda and the capital city today.

Enjoy your evening and overnight stay in Phnom Penh.

Distance: 10 km from the airport to central Phnom Penh, which takes approximately 35 minutes by transfer.

Day 2 Phnom Penh City full day of exploration (B)

After having breakfast at your hotel, we will visit the Tuol Sleng prison, which is now the Genocide Museum. This was the most secretive part of the Khmer Rouge regime and is also known as S-21 (short for Security Office 21). It was a premier security camp designed specifically for the interrogation and extermination of anti-Angkor elements. We will then continue to the Choeung Ek museum, where approximately 17,000 men, women, children, and infants were transported for extermination between 1975 and 1978 after being detained and tortured at S-21.

After visiting these historical sites, we will take a break from the past and visit the bustling Russian Market, where you can witness the locals going about their daily activities and also do some shopping. Later, we will go on a cruise to see the sunset on the Mekong and Tonle Sap River at the “Four Arms” section where the Mekong meets the Tonle Sap River and then splits into two branches. The tour will end at 5 pm, after which you will be free to explore the local nightlife in Phnom Penh capital. There are many charming and good restaurants located along the street by the riverbank where you can relax with your party. You will stay overnight in Phnom Penh.

Day 3 Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (B)

After having breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Siem Reap. Upon your arrival at noon, you will be warmly welcomed by your tour guide and car driver at the airport. They will then transfer you to Siem Reap City to begin your tour of the Angkor Complex.

Your first stop will be Angkor Thom, a fortified city that covers an area of 10 square km. Enclosed by a wall and wide moats, the city includes many of Angkor’s most popular sights. You will enter through the monumental South Gate over a causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. Your tour will continue to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper Kings, former spaces for public ceremonies, both adorned with dramatic bas-reliefs.

Next, you will visit the ruined Baphuon, Royal Enclosure, and Phimeanakas before continuing to the mysterious Bayon Temple. In this temple, one of the most popular and compelling in Angkor, you will explore the galleries of beautifully preserved bas-reliefs and ascend narrow stairs to reach the central sanctuary, where you will find giant stone faces smiling enigmatically down at you from every angle.

You will then visit a temple to watch the sunset and enjoy the stunning views of the Cambodian countryside from the upper terraces of an ancient Angkorian temple. Finally, you will return to your hotel for check-in and spend the night in Siem Reap.

Day 4 Siem Reap full day of Exploration (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, we will begin our tour of the Angkor temples. Our first stop will be Angkor Wat, which is the crowning jewel of Khmer architecture and the national symbol of Cambodia. It is the largest, best-preserved, and most religiously significant of the Angkor temples, impressing visitors with its sheer scale and beautifully proportioned layout. As you approach the temple, you will cross a vast moat and continue along a broad causeway lined with naga balustrades. Upon entering the main building, you will ascend through a series of galleries and courtyards before reaching the central sanctuary, which offers beautiful views back over the causeway and across the surrounding countryside. Along the way, you can admire the intricate stone carvings that adorn nearly every surface, with some 1,700 Apsaras or celestial dancers sculpted into the walls. The outer gallery walls feature the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, narrating stories from Hindu mythology, including the famous Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Angkor Wat is stunning at any time of day, but sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful times to watch the play of light on the stones.

Next, we will visit Ta Prohm, one of the most popular attractions in Angkor. Much of the jungle has not been cleared, giving the temple a mystical atmosphere, and it looks very much like most of the Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first stumbled across them.

We will then continue our temple tour to Banteay Srei Temple. Seemingly miniature in comparison to the other Angkor temples, Banteay Srei is considered the jewel of classical Khmer art. Built of pink sandstone, its walls are covered in exquisitely preserved carvings of unusual delicacy. Because of its small size, fairy-like atmosphere, and extraordinary examples of Khmer sculpture, this temple is often a favorite with visitors.

Afterward, we will visit Takeo, Thommanon, and Chau Say Tevoda, all beautiful temples in the area. Finally, we will end the day at Ta Prohm, which has been left relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the way most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them.

After the temple tour, we will transfer back to the hotel for check-in. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 5 Siem Reap Concludes/ Departure (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, it’s time to bid farewell. You have the rest of the day free to spend at your leisure until it’s time for your transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Your driver will take you to the airport at any time, and we advise you to arrive at least 3 hours prior to your flight departure.

Thank you for choosing Legend Travel Group for your trip. We hope to have the pleasure of serving you again on your next adventure! Airport transfer is included.

This concludes our services.