Cambodia Bird Watching & Nature

📍 Siem Reap Airport - Siem Reap (50 km): 60 mins

Welcome to Siem Reap by morning flight, 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. Settle in and enjoy some time at leisure to refresh.

This afternoon, get your first glimpse of Angkor. Enjoy the spectacular view from above and get an idea of the sheer size of the temple area as you ride in a tethered helium balloon that takes you 120m up in the air! Floating for 10 min and then descending back to Earth. Be amazed by the sheer enormity of Angkor Wat and impressed by the size of the overall temple area

From there, depart on a sightseeing tour of 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 more than 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. 
    
Overnight in Siem Reap.

Inclusions:

📍 Siem Reap – Temples (06 km): 10 mins

Today embark on an authentic rural Cambodia tour to learn about life in a typical village. Meet friendly locals and discover traditional village customs and cultures.
Start with an early morning visit to Ta Brak village. Like most villages in Asia, Ta Brak is busiest in the morning hours. Sit down with a local family and enjoy breakfast (take-away from the hotel) while observing the activities of the village.
Take an ox cart ride, a traditional countryside method of transporting people and goods. The 30-minute journey passes through the village on the way to the local market. Explore the colorful displays of vegetables, herbs and other locally-grown produce, and mingle with the shoppers who come every morning to buy the fresh ingredients.
 
Continue on foot through the village, providing ample opportunities to stop and chat with locals and to observe their activities. Depending on the time of year, they may be planting rice, weaving thatch coverings for their roofs, harvesting vegetables, or other similar tasks. For a truly immersive experience, lend a hand and join the locals in these activities!
Before leaving the village, partake in a special Buddhist tradition. Local monks will impart wishes of good luck and success in a solemn, age-old ceremony.

Return to your hotel for a lunch break (own expense). 

This afternoon, visit the ancient city of Angkor Thom in a local tuk tuk. Angkor Thom is the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8 meter-high wall, drawing a perfect square. Enter the city through the ancient South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and four giant faces.

From here, continue to Bayon Temple in the exact center of the city. This 12th century masterpiece is a study in grandeur and is well-known for its 52 towers with enigmatic faces looking out over the provinces of the vast and great Khmer Empire. The Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King are also must-visits as they are both known for their intricate bas-reliefs.

Angkor is full of magical highlights, including Ta Prohm, which was featured in the original “Tomb Raider” film. Built between the 12th-13th centuries, Ta Prohm is unique in that it is overgrown by jungle, trees, vines, and with many parts crumbling to the ground, it is one of the most picturesque Angkor temples. Return to Siem Reap.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Siem Reap – Ang Trapaeng Thmor (90 km): 2hr & 30 mins

Roll out of bed early today to begin the Siem Reap bird watching tour. At 5:30am you will be picked up by our Bird Guide and driver in A/C 4WD car toward Ang Trapeang Thmor which is about 2 ½ hours from Siem Reap.

This area was originally constructed for irrigation during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. These days it is surrounded by rice paddies and is home to a great diversity of water birds. A local bird watching guide will select the best places for spotting some of the 200 species that live here or come for breeding. Keep a close eye on the sky for the endangered species that sometimes pass over the wetlands. As well the endangered Eld’s Deer is often sighted here.

You will enjoy the breakfast packed from Siem Reap with a few stops along the way.

Following by the bird watching, we will visit the local silk weaving village. Conclude the Siem Reap bird watching tour late in the afternoon with a return back to the city. 
Note: A variety of bird species can be spotted year-round, but the best season is from January to May.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Siem Reap – Banteay Srei (37 km): 45 mins

Early morning wake up, driver further away from Siem Reap, passing local villages and farms, to Kbal Spean. This is one of Cambodia’s earliest Hindu sites and refreshingly different from the other Khmer monuments. Take a 3-kilometre trek through the jungle to appreciate the scope and beauty of Kbal Spean. The trek ends at the ‘River of 1000 Lingas’, a riverbed featuring stone carvings of Hindu gods, animals and phallic symbols. Learn about the history of Hinduism in Cambodia while exploring this unique river. (Please note the trek is fairly easy going but as the walk is uphill and on uneven ground it is most suitable for clients with an average level of fitness and not suitable for clients with mobility problems.)

Siem Reap countryside day tour continues with a visit to two fascinating centres. The first is the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB), the first nature conservation project in Cambodia. A knowledgeable staff member will explain about the threats to Cambodia’s wildlife and the efforts of ACCB to protect the environment and promote wildlife conservation through education. Also see the various endangered species, reptiles and a beekeeping project that are on site.

Lunch at a local restaurant 

After lunch, visit the “gem” of the Angkor area, the pretty temple of Banteay Srey. The so-called “Citadel of the Women” remains the best preserved temple in Cambodia. It displays some of the finest examples of classical Khmer art as this small temple is noted for its truly remarkable fine bas-reliefs. Banteay Srey is unique in that it is constructed of pink sandstone, which is seen nowhere else in Angkor.

Also don’t miss to visit the Banteay Samre. The structure with its typical lotus flower shaped tower has compact proportions. This temple was built during the most elaborate period of Khmer architecture and its condition is almost perfect

Continue on to the APOPO visitor center for an exclusive tour of this fascinating and life-saving organization. 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. (Note:  The last tour to visit to APOPO center is at 16h30)

After a day in the fantastic outskirts of town, the tour concludes with a drive back to Siem Reap.

Overnight in Siem Reap.
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Siem Reap – Prek Toal (120 km): 3hr

Today, you will embark on one of the most stunning boat trips in Cambodia, as you will be taken from Siem Reap to Prek Toal (duration 3h one way). First, you will float across the mighty Tonlé Sap Lake until it meets with the Stung Sangke River. 

The largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia is an exceptional water system as it is swelling to almost five times its size during the raining season. The water of its main drainage, Tonlé Sap River, is being pushed back from the Mekong, carrying an incredible amount of water from the rains, causing the river to reverse its direction and thus causing the lake to overflow, flooding nearby fields and forests and supporting an extraordinarily rich and diverse ecosystem. The lake is also an important breeding ground for fish, providing more than half of the amount of fish consumed in Cambodia. The particular water system requires the people living of the lake to adapt to the living conditions. You will see many villages on the way where people live on stilted or entirely floating houses. 

The Prek Toal biosphere covers 31,282 hectares and is the living area of water birds such as Greater and Lesser Adjuncts, Black-headed Ibis, Painted Stork, Milky Stork, Spot-billed Pelican, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle and many more. Visit the Prek Toal Environmental Research Station with a specialist bird guide and take a boat trip through the sanctuary. Packed lunch will be served on board. Return to Siem Reap in the late afternoon.

Overnight in Siem Reap.
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Siem Reap – Siem Reap airport (50 km): 60 mins

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

Visit the Old market independently. The riverside market has dozens of souvenir stalls offering a fairly wide range of souvenirs. The opposite side of the market carries items of interest primarily to locals, and also harbors dozens of small food stalls serving various inexpensive local foods that hygienically and gastronomically adventurous visitors may find inviting. The central aisle, where fruits, vegetables and meat are sold, is colorful and very photogenic. The Old Market is also an important landmark as several restaurants, hotels, bars and shops are in the area.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast