DAY 1 : SIEM REAP ARRIVAL (-/-/D)
Upon arrival at Siem Reap International Airport, your family will be met by our representative and transferred to hotel for check in. Your guide will brief an orientation of the city along the way. Once checked in we leave you at your leisure.
In the afternoon, you will have the first orientation tour of Siem Reap town by tuk tuk. This is a funny thing to do for families because the tuk tuk can easily hold a family of four and you can see many interesting things such as : a pig being transported on a motorcycle, a family of 5 all on one moped and kids waving to us from their yards.
Before dinner time, enjoy a 45-minute traditional show where the children dance and sing in beautiful costumes. The show is organized at a wonderful orphanage by ACODO assocation that is aiding young Cambodian children to have a better future. Packing some school supplies or toiletries to donate is appreciated. Then you’ll have a cozy welcome dinner with delicious Khmer food.
The evening is at your leisure and we recommend the visit to Psar Chaa-Old Market in town with the kids. They can practice their bargaining skills and spend their allowance on the colorful trinkets. Teenagers are enchanted with this place. The market has lovely silk products such as dresses, purses, pillows, scarfs and table cloths. There is also beautiful paintings, jewelery, cheap clothing and imitation watches and sunglasses.
Children will also enjoy a visit to Madame Sachiko Cookie Shop. Here you can taste delicious cookies made from local Cambodian ingredients such as cashew nuts, palm sugar and honey. The kids will love the Angkor Wat shaped cookies and sampling the various flavors such as coconut cookies, black pepper cookies and lotus tea cookies. These make great souvenirs to bring home
NOTE : kindly note that should you arrive early, an early check-in is not included and subject to hotel’s availability.
DAY 2 : SIEM REAP (B/L/-)
Start the day with a local tuk tuk to a tethered helium balloon for seeing Angkor Wat from the air. Enjoy a bird’s eye view of Angkor and its historical landmarks as you sail with the clouds and admire the majestic Angkor Wat. The duration of balloon ride is approximately 10 minutes.
Turn down to the ground and go into the Angkor Wat temple with your guide, exploring the endless corridors and climbing through hidden passageways. Inside the temple, the walls are covered with stone carvings and bas-reliefs depicting Hindu mythology and the wars Suryavarman II fought during his reign. Angkor Wat is well known for the more than 2,000 Apsara dancers decorating the temple. Today, Angkor Wat appears on Cambodia’s national flag as the temple symbolising the soul of the Khmer people.
Continue to Ta Prohm which is another excellent place to see with kids. This temple complex is located deep within the jungle and has huge tree roots growing through the ruins. This maybe a difficult spot to visit with babies or toddlers as the grounds are very uneven and bumpy, but older kids will have a blast climbing around here. Rent the Tomb Raider movie before you go so the kids can have a preview of this amazing place. You will be given a map and it is your task as a family to unravel a mystery inside Ta Prohm, that will lead you to the final clue...
Have lunch at Butterflies Garden Restaurant where you can enjoy the meal amongst beautiful flowering plants and fruit trees. Kids will adore seeing the colorful butterflies and the fish pond.
In the afternoon, enjoy a three-hour horse riding through the neon rice fields and sleepy, picturesque villages outside of Siem Reap. Get acquainted with your horse of pure Cambodian breed, a descendant of the Mongolian wild horses.
DAY 3 : SIEM REAP (B/-/-)
In the morning, we visit visit the ancient city of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. Your tour starts at the South Gate of Angkor Thom where you take elephant ride to the Bayon temple for 20mn. This 12th century masterpiece is magnificent and famous for its 54 towers with enigmatic faces representing the 54 provinces of the Great Khmer Empire. The Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King are also a must-see as they are known for their intricate bas-reliefs.
Return to hotel and the afternoon is at your leisure. You and your family can engage in some family-friendly competition at Angkor Wat Putt, Cambodia’s first miniature golf course. With greens that require shots through pint-size renditions of Angkor’s most famous temples, the 14-hole course will put any golfer’s skills to the test (incentive for mom and dad: a hole-in-one wins a free beer)
DAY 4 : SIEM REAP / TONLE SAP (B/L/-)
We start the morning with a visit to a school and join the kids as they sing songs and play games. Then we journey towards Tonle Sap Lake, stopping on the way at a village pagoda for a monk blessing ceremony - to wish you luck on your Cambodian adventure. From here we journey to a village completely built on stilts, Kampong Phluck on the shores of the mighty Tonlé Sap Lake
where we take a boat trip to discover local life. Tonlé Sap is South East Asia’s largest freshwater lake with its size varying greatly depending on the season - it swells to about four times its size during the wet season. We pass floating villages, complete with floating hospital, schools and even a floating basketball court! We also visit a crocodile farm. Enjoy a picnic lunch on one of the local houses.
The remainder of the afternoon is at your own leisure to relax or take in the sights. We recommend you to join a two-hour Khmer Ceramics Class. Kids love creating their own pottery masterpieces. The pots will be fired and glazed and delivered to your hotel within 24 hours. You will also have a tour of the facility and can see the artisans at work. This is a fabulous thing to do in Siem Reap with your family and creates a lasting memory to display in your home on return!
NOTE: Due to low water levels during the dry season, the boat trip to Kampong Plick is only possible from June to March, but we can arrange an overland visit to Kampong Pluck that is an equally interesting experience, as you can walk among the stilted houses
DAY 5 : SIEM REAP / PHNOM PENH (B/L/D)
After breakfast, free at leisure until time to transfer to the airport for your departure flight to Phnom Penh.
Upon arrival you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel for check in. Despite its turbulent recent history, the bustling capital of Cambodia retains its colonial-era charm; with wide tree-lined boulevards and parks and a mixture of eastern and western architectural styles.
You’ll have lunch at Le Jardin. This restaurant offers seating in a beautiful shaded garden. There is a sand pit, tree house and play area complete with toys for the kids and delicious ice cream!
Hop in a cyclo this afternoon to further see the city. Your first stop will be the National Museum, where over 5000 Khmer artifacts are displayed, covering almost 1000 years of the Kingdom’s history. This beautiful museum also has gorgeous grounds for the kids to stroll in with flowers, sculptures and a pond. Next is the 19th century Royal Palace, which houses a collection of Buddha images; as well as the Silver Pagoda, the floor of which is covered entirely in heavy silver tiles. Continue to Wat Phnom, a beautiful Buddhist temple sitting atop the highest hill in Phnom Penh. Children will love seeing the monkeys that hang out here, as well as the birds kept in cages for good luck and the elephant ride.
Head to the lively riverfront area next for a sunset cruise. See the area come to life whilst enjoying a welcome cocktail, soft drink for your children and snacks on the private boat. Kids will witness life on the river banks, waving to the kids playing nearby. (NOTE : we can replace the sunset cruise by another activity with a cultural focus. Book a seat with magical shadow puppets, hand-carved characters that have been telling stories for centuries)
For this evening, let’s support a good cause and bring the family to Romdeng for dinner. This restaurant is a training grounds for former street children. It has lovely traditional Cambodian decor with art work done by students in the organization. Your adventurous teenagers or kids may want to sample the deep fried tarantula or stir fried beef with red tree ants . For those less adventurous there is delicious meals such as fish amok and chicken stir fry with basil and red peppers.
DAY 6 : PHNOM PENH DEPARTURE (B/-/-)
Enjoy free time before the transfer to airport for your onward flight