RIVER CRUISE TOWARD ANGKOR TOUR

After breakfast at hotel, we start visiting Toul Sleng which was once a Tuol Svay Prey High School is now a frightening reminder of the horrors of Pol Pot regime. The school was used as a torture chamber and it was believed that 16,000 people died there. Before lunch we stroll around the Russian market for shopping.
In the afternoon, visit the Royal Palace, constructed over a century ago to serve as the residence of the King of Cambodia, his family and foreign dignitaries, as a venue for the performance of court ceremony and ritual and as a symbol of the Kingdom. It serves to this day as the Cambodian home of King Norodom Sihamoni and former King Norodom Sihanouk. The Royal Palace complex consists of several buildings, structures, gardens and especially Silver Pagoda sitting next to the Royal Palace, built in 1962 famous for its lavish decorations of silver paved floor and several Buddha statues made from precious metals & stones.
Overnight in Phnompenh

Transfer to pier to embark the Toum Teav Boat.
Start your cruise on the Bassac River to Oudong. Visit of the ancient capital of Cambodia. Visit the various temples and the three large stupas where the ashes of three former kings are preserved. Then stop at Prek Kdam to visit Kô Chhen, a small silver handicraft village. Lunch on board. On the way to Kompong Tralach, stop & visit its wonderful pagoda.
Dinner and overnight on board
Overnight at Toum Teav boat cruise

Breakfast on board.
Sail to Kompong Chnang for a short visit of this small town and continue to Shnok Tru, the last big village before the Bassac River meets the Great Lake of Tonle Sap. Lunch on board.
Continue to Kompong Luong, one of the largest floating villages on the lake.
Dinner and overnight on board while anchored near Kompong Luong
Overnight at Toum Teav boat cruise

Breakfast on board.
Half day on the Great Lake of Tonle Sap. Relax in the library or on the deck prior to arrival in Siem Reap. Sail along a small canal, disembark at Chnok Trou and transfer by daily speedboat from Chnok Trou to the pier of Siem Reap.

Arrive at Siem Reap Pier, transfer to hotel.
In the afternoon, free leisure at hotel or visit the“Chantiers-Ecole, Les Artisans d’Angkor”, a vocational training center, this revives the classic Cambodian techniques and styles of wood and stone carving and polychrome.  Stroll around at the local market of Siem Reap.
Overnight in Siem Reap

Note: During the dry season (March-July), the low level of the Tonle Sap River does not permit the Toum Teav boat to disembark at pier. The boat will disembark at Chnok Trou, the last village before the Tonle Sap Lake. In this sense we will operate by road from Chnok Trou to Siem Reap. Please find below the details.

Option program on day 5 during dry season
Disembark from Toum Teav boat at Chnok Trou and meet our guide for transfer to Siem Reap overland.
Drive to Siem Reap via Pursat, Battambang and Sisophon. Lunch at local restaurant in Battambang.
Continue to Siem Reap and visit the Silk farm of Pouk on the way.
Arrive Siem Reap and direct transfer to hotel for check-in. Dinner and overnight at the hotel

After breakfast at hotel. Firstly, we will proceed to the former capital Angkor Thom home to dozens of temples including the enigmatic faces of Bayon, the imposing Terrace of the Elephants, and the three-tiered Baphuon. Preah Khan is a huge, highly explorable monastic complex, full of carvings, passages and photo opportunities. It originally served as a Buddhist monastery and school, engaging over 1000 monks. After lunch, we continue to discover Ta Prohm Temple unlike most of the other Angkor temples, Ta Prohm has been left just it was founded: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.  Late afternoon, visit the famous Angkor Wat, built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. The largest and best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre - first Hindu, then Buddhist - since its foundation. We end the excursion by climbing up Bakheng Mountain for stunning sunset and panoramic views of Angkor Wat and its environs.
Overnight in Siem Reap

After breakfast, drive to the Kulen range and take a walk through the forest (45 minutes) to reach Kbal Spean, the “River of 1.000 Lingas” where the symbol of the Hindu god Shiva has been repeatedly chiseled into the rocky riverbed. It was believed that the lingas spiritually fertilized the waters that irrigated the rice fields below.

Visit the famous temple of Bantey Srey which is 36 Km far from Siem Reap and loosely translates to “the Citadel of Women”. This small pink sandstone temple (late 10th century) is considered as the crown jewel of classical Khmer art with the delicate beauty of its carvings. Continue to Bantey Samre (mid 12th century), which has been admirably restored. On the way back, we visit some local village and see how local make sugar palm.

Overnight in Siem Reap

Breakfast at hotel. Drive through the Cambodia countryside (approx. 2 hours) towards Beng Mealea Temple, built under Suryavarman II (1112-1152), Beng Mealea shares the same design as Angkor Vat, but on a single level instead of a multilayered one. Left to the devouring jungle, it is not yet scheduled for restoration and remains in the same condition as the Angkor Temples when they were discovered by the 19th century explorers. Picnic lunch or at a local restaurant here, the rest of day for free at leisure. Buffet dinner with Apsara Dance Show in local restaurant
Overnight in Siem Reap

Breakfast at hotel.
Free leisure till transfer to airport for departure flight