Angkor Family Holiday

📍 Siem Reap Angkor International Airport - Siem Reap (52 km): 1 hrs

Welcome to Siem Reap (morning arrival), the charming gateway to the famed temples of Angkor. You will be greeted by your local English speaking guide who will accompany you to your hotel for check in. 

Take a rest from your flight or discover Siem Reap town on your own. 

This afternoon, a local ‘remork’ (similar to the Thai tuk tuk) will take you on a journey to get the first glimpse of Angkor at the legendary Angkor Wat. 

Built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, Angkor Wat is constructed following the model of the temple mountain symbolizing Mount Meru, the home of the gods. 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. Construction is thought to have taken around thirty years of intensive labor. Today, Angkor Wat is figured on Cambodia's national flag as the temple symbolizes the soul of the Khmer people. 

Then enjoy the spectacular view of Angkor from above as you ride in a tethered helium balloon that takes you 120m up in the air! See Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, the West Baray and other ruins amongst the surrounding jungle and rice paddies. 

Return to the hotel.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Inclusions:

Take a break from temple touring to experience authentic rural lifestyles. Drive to the outskirts of Siem Reap, past expansive rice fields and through local villages where rice and fish can frequently be spotted drying alongside the road. 
The road is all flat and easy to cycle, and the tour is fully supported, so if you or your children don’t want to continue by bicycle, you can continue by private vehicle.

Next, board a private wooden vessel for a boat trip along a canal that leads to the Tonle Sap Lake. 
Cruise along the canal with houses on either side: depending on the time of the visit, the houses will either have immediate access to the water or stand perched on stilts high above the ground, a phenomena caused by the annual rising and receding waters of the Tonle Sap Lake, Southeast Asia’s largest lake. Pass by the boats and nets used by local fishermen, some of whom will be fishing in the waters through which the boat passes. Nearing the lake, see floating houses that move location with the annual ebb and flow of the lake’s waters. 

Along the way, gain a better understanding of the local lifestyle with lunch in a family house. This is a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the way of life of the local people- sitting inside a stilted house while watching the boats pass outside. 

With a full belly and a camera-full of remarkable images, return to Siem Reap in the afternoon.  

(Note: Due to low water levels during the dry season, the boat trip is generally only possible from August to January, although water levels vary year-on-year. However an alternative floating village at Chong Kneas can be arranged instead or the stilted village can be visited by foot).

You will have some free time at leisure in the hotel before attending a performance of ‘Phare, the Cambodian Circus’. Starting at 8pm, professional artists of Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) will perform an inspiring show suitable for people of all ages.  Set up in Battambang in 1994 by young returnee Cambodians from the refugee camps who learned to use art as a means of coping with trauma, PPS has played an influential role in promoting and developing Khmer culture over the years after the Khmer Rouge genocide. The hour-long show mixes traditional and modern theatre, music, dance, acrobatics, juggling and contortion performed in stories about Cambodian lives and society. 
Note: You can either choose to have dinner before or after the show on your own account. 

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

This morning, embark on an adventure unlike any other! Head to the ancient city of Angkor Thom for a photography scavenger hunt. Upon arrival, receive a map and a set of clues. Armed with these items and a camera, set off into the sprawling complex in a quest to capture a dozen unique pictures. 

Start with a visit to the South Gate, where remarkable statues depicting mythological demons and gods line the fifty-metre walkway. Start unlocking the answers to the clues, being led past other smaller monuments and into the heart of Angkor Thom.

During the game, discover interesting facts about sites such as the historic Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King. Explore ancient Bayon Temple and admire the enigmatic faces that cover the temple’s 52 towers. Finish with an exploration of the forested temple complex of Preah Pithu in search of hidden statues, carvings, and chambers!

After collecting all the photos, meet up with the guide. Discuss the answers to the quiz and share the picture clues with the group of participants, receiving a magnificent prize for completing the scavenger hunt successfully. 

Enjoy the afternoon free at leisure, or if you are up for more adventure, you can add any of the following activities:

Optional 1: Zip Line Eco-Adventure

Enjoy a Zip line Eco-Adventure Tour at the Angkor Archeological Park by Zipline adventure share transportation. Offering 9 zip lines at different heights, suspended sky bridges and the chance to abseil from a tree this is an excursion for those with a sense of adventure who want to soar over the jungle canopy like a gibbon!

Transfer to the zipline site before receiving a safety briefing and being outfitted. After the adventure begins: start with the easiest zip lines before proceeding to the highest and most exhilarating. The highest zip lines are at 50 meters above the canopy and the longest 350 meters. From the last zip line the final adventure is to abseil down before a soft trek through the forest takes you back to the starting point.
Note: max 9 people in a single group, latest start time is 12pm, excursion lasts 2 - 2.5 hrs, maximum weight 125kg, not suitable for children under 5 yrs old or 1m height, no sandals permitted.

Optional 2: Horseback-Riding at Happy Ranch (3 hrs)

Head to the outskirts of Siem Reap to the Happy Ranch, a western style horse ranch. There, you will get acquainted with your horse of pure Cambodian breed, a descendant of Mongolian wild horses, and then enjoy the countryside on horseback! During the two-hour trail ride you will visit places far outside the tourist areas, through the rice fields and local villages to the rarely visited temple of Wat Atvea. Explore the peaceful temple ruins of the Angkor-era: a truly authentic experience.

Note: Happy Ranch can arrange lead rides on gentle ponies for young children. Their experienced staff will walk alongside and lead them or just assist them when necessary.
 

Optional 3: Quad Bike Adventure

An unforgettable experience as you will ride a quad bike especially designed for off-road terrain through the beautiful countryside of Siem Reap Province. The 12 km guided tour will take you to local villages, where you can learn about the way of life in rural Cambodia and have the chance to meet and chat with the wonderful and friendly people. The highlight of the two hour tour is the sunset in the rice fields.

Note: Children aged between 2 and 12 years at the time of travel will receive a 10% discount off the Adult Price. Two adults with maximum weight of 130 Kgs can ride on the same quad bike. In this case, the driver must have experience riding a quad bike. Children are welcome to sit with their parents as passengers. From 14 to 16 years old, children can ride their own quad only with an instructor riding pillion. 17 year-old children are allowed to ride alone only if they are adult size and have a similar or bigger quad bike at home.

Optional 4: A Visit with Hero-Rats at Apopo Visitors Center (Private)
Travel by ramork (a local form of transportation) to the APOPO visitor’s center for an exclusive tour of this fascinating and life-saving organization. Welcome by APOPO Center’s guide and spend up to an hour learning about the devastating impact of explosives that lie buried in the Cambodian countryside and get first-hand experience about this creative solution to the problem. 

In a simulated minefield built for training purposes, help guide the rats as they sniff their way along the ground in search of explosive material. Visit the room where the rats live and pose for a photo with the furry rodents and their handlers. Watch an informative video and take the opportunity to learn more about landmines, Cambodia, APOPO, and the HeroRATs through a Q&A session. Every guided tour is led by a mine action professional with real-life experience of humanitarian demining. 

Time:  08.30 -10.00 – 14.00-16.00

Optional 5: Child Friendly Street Food Discovery

Bring an appetite and sense of adventure on this unique Siem Reap nightlife tour. After sunset, travel by remork (Cambodian tuk-tuk) to Street 60 on the outskirts of town. Busy most every night, this street has the feel of a night market with locals throwing down bamboo mats to enjoy a smorgasbord of freshly cooked dishes. It’s an evening picnic of barbecue heaven. The aromatic smells will certainly make the mouth water. Make a stop at a stall famous for its pickled fruit and fried insects. These are popular snacks for the Cambodian people. Taste the contrasting flavors of sour fruit dipped in a salty and spicy dip, or try a selection of crispy crickets, grasshoppers, or silkworms. As you walk down the street past various stalls selling everything from clothing to toys, stop to sample some barbeque or exotic local treats such as roast pork belly, snails, and grilled frog. Mingle with the locals as they watch their evening meal being prepared over the hot coals and join them on bamboo mats for a picnic-style meal.
Continue the culinary adventure to Wat Damnak to the handful of smoke-filled corrugated-iron roofed shacks and fancier open-sided eateries on Wat Damnak Street, for one of Siem Reap’s most popular street food snacks, sach ko ang jakak, (beef skewers) marinated in palm sugar, soy and kroeung (a paste of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime, garlic), and then barbecued over coals on a traditional clay grill. Cambodians love barbecue. All well and delicious, but what truly qualifies this barbecued beef is its accompaniment: a sweet-sour pickle-salad of thick cucumber slices finely shredded green papaya and ginger. 
Next, explore the streets around Psar Chas (Old Market), which are lined with various stalls selling pancakes, fruit shakes, fried bananas, waffles, coconut rice cakes, and various fried rice and noodle dishes. Take your time to sit down anywhere and enjoy anything you like! Make sure to stop at one of the many fresh fruit stalls to try a range of exotic local fruit, including dragon fruit, longans, mangoes, mangosteens, snake fruit, and the smelly but very tasty durian! This stop will mark the end of your tour and your driver will bring you safely to your hotel or, at your choice, drop you off at Pub street or in the city center of Siem Reap.

Note: This food tour is not vegetarian friendly. 
Time : 17:00 – 20:30

 

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Siem Reap Hotel - Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (52 km): 1 hrs

Enjoy some time at leisure until the transfer to the airport for your individual departure flight.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast