Cambodia: Angkor Wat

Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival at Phnom Penh, transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a Phnom Penh city tour: Visit the Independence Monument, and the National Museum, also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. Visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. End your afternoon with a visit to the city’s namesake, Wat Phnom. Return to your hotel for overnight. (B)

Transfer from hotel to Phnom Penh International airport. Departure to Siem Reap by Cambodia Angkor Air or similar airline. Upon arrival at Siem Reap International airport, meet and transfer to hotel. Afternoon, visit Ta Prohm. The latter is one of the most beautiful temples in the area. Visit the most famous of all temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodia flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Enjoy the sunset at Angkor Wat. Return to your hotel. (BL)

In the very early morning, you may like to watch the sunrise from Angkor Wat or Phnom Bakheng, one of the two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and the surrounding plain. Return to your hotel for breakfast. Afterwards, visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Royal Enclosure, the Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Later, visit Preah Khan temple, built by the King Jayavarman VII and, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. Visit Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake, Ta Som. Return to your hotel. (B)

Say goodbye to Cambodia and transfer to the airport for your return flight. (B)