Grand Tour Of Cambodia - 12 Days / 11 Nights

Imagine a country full of ancient and modern history, saturated with beautiful religious monuments, teeming with wildlife, and lush with rice fields, grasslands, and rivers. This is probably not how most people think of Cambodia, but after travelling through the country on this 12-day tour, your opinion is likely to change. Get off the tourist trail and let the travel experts of Exotissimo show you the real heart of Cambodia.

The tour starts in the capital of Phnom Penh, where the former granduer of French Indochina shines through in glimpses amongst the modern buildings of this rapidly growing city. Although the city was the epicentre of the tragic Khmer Rouge regime of the late 1970s, Phnom Penh's main sights remained relatively untouched. The splendour of the Royal Palace, graceful lines of the National Museum, and the tree lined river quay are just some of the highlights of the capital.

From Phnom Penh, head north to the rural areas of Kampong Thom and Kratie. Situated upon river banks, these two towns receive gloriously few tourists. Pre-Angkorian temples, rice fields, and dense grasslands dominate the scenery of these towns. But perhaps the biggest draw to the area, is a chance to see the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins that inhabit the shallow pools of the Mekong around Kratie.

As you continue your loop through rural Cambodia, travel toward the country's second biggest city, Battambang. Full of semi-neglected, French colonial buildings and situated on the banks of the Sangker River, the town has a quiet charm about it. But the surrounding countryside is what really makes Battambang shine as it is filled with rice paddies as far as the eye can see, stilted wooden houses, fruit farms, and, of course, temples.

Your tour ends in Siem Reap, the base town for exploring the Temples of Angkor. Built between the 9th and 13th century, hundreads of temples lie within the area that once served as the capital for the mighty Khmer empire. With your expert guide, your tour will not only expose you to the beauty of the temples, but also to the wonders of this ancient kingdom.

See the best Cambodia has to offer as you travel from city to countryside on the 'Grand Tour'. Visit ancient wonders and witness the everday life of the local people, whose giant smiles and friendly greetings will be a constant reminder just how special place Cambodia is.