4 Days Private Guide Tour Discover Angkor

Itinerary

Day 1: Day 1: Welcome to Siem Reap

Stop At: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap 17254 Cambodia
Fly to Siem Reap, CAMBODIA

Meet & Greet: Welcome to Cambodia. Upon arrival at Siem Reap International Airport, obtain your Cambodia visa (please refer to your Special Program Note), and then clear Immigration and Customs. After collecting your baggage, exit the airport to meet outside a local Guide of Global Travel & Tours. He/she will be holding a sign with your names on it. Please note that local guides are not allowed inside the airport.

Private transfer: From the airport, you will be privately transferred to your lovely boutique hotel.
Siem Reap is the base for exploring the fabled temples of Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire. Settle in and enjoy the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Lodging: Lotus Blanc Hotel (Deluxe Room) – Siem Reap
Duration: 5 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Lodging: Lotus Blanc Hotel (Deluxe Room) – Siem Reap

Day 2: Day 2: Siem Reap

Stop At: Ta Prohm, National Road #6, Siem Reap 17252 Cambodia
Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch

These temples were built from the 9th to 12th centuries by a Khmer empire that controlled not only Cambodia but large parts of what are now Laos, Thailand and Vietnam as well. With their grandeur of scale and extraordinary delicacy in detail, the temples rank among humankind's most supreme artistic expressions. Spend the early morning visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, visit Bayon temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), Baphuon (recently re-opened after years of restoration), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Next, you’ll continue to Visit one of the area’s most beautiful temples, Ta Prohm, which has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them (Think Lara Croft- Tomb Raiders).

Enjoy our lunch at a local restaurant.

In the late afternoon and sunset hours, explore Angkor Wat, the largest and most breathtaking monument at Angkor. Built as the funeral temple for King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1112 to 1152, Angkor Wat never fails to reward the first time, or repeat, visitor with its grand scale, surreal bas reliefs and unbelievable attention to detail. There are several great spots from which to watch the sunset and your guide will discuss the options with you.

Lodging: Lotus Blanc Hotel (Deluxe Room) – Siem Reap
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Lodging: Lotus Blanc Hotel (Deluxe Room) – Siem Reap

Day 3: Day 3: Siem Reap – Beng Mealea – Koh Ker - Siem Reap

Stop At: Beng Mealea, 40 km east of Angkor Wat Cambodia
Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch

Full day tour of Beng Mealea and Koh Ker: Today, meet your personal guide and driver and travel to the lost temple of Beng Mealea, the titanic of temples, a slumbering giant lost for centuries in the forests of Cambodia. It is the most accessible of Angkor’s lost temples, a mirror image of Angkor Wat, but utterly consumed by the voracious appetite of nature. Constructed by Suryavarman II (1113-1150), the builder of Angkor Wat, the forest has run riot here and it is hard to get a sense of the monument’s shape amid the daunting ruins. Here it is possible to enjoy an Indiana Jones experience clambering about the vast ruin. For those who want a more gentle adventure, there is also a sturdy wooden walkway running right into the heart of the temple. It is also possible to visit a nearby Angkor-era quarry from where stone was cut to build these massive monuments.

We then head into the bush to the remote Angkor capital of Koh Ker is an Angkorian site in northern Cambodia 70 miles northeast of Siem Reap; it was briefly the capital of the Khmer empire between 928 and 944 under king Jayavarman IV and his son Hasavarman II. After the Khmer empire had been established in the Angkor area (Roluos), Jayavarman IV moved the capital in 928 to Koh Ker. Here a vast number of temples were built under his reign, until his successor returned to the Angkor area about twenty years later. The Koh Ker site is dominated by Prasat Thom, a 30-meter-tall temple-mountain raising high above the plain and the surrounding forest. Great views await the visitor at the end of an adventurous climb. The area was only recently de-mined and the road improved. This makes Koh Ker very attractive for anyone who would like to experience what Angkor must has been like half a century ago. Picnic lunch at Koh Ker.

After exploring Koh Ker through the afternoon, begin the drive back to Siem Reap arriving this evening for a well-deserved opportunity to freshen up and good night's rest.

Lodging: Lotus Blanc Hotel (Deluxe Room) – Siem Reap
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Lodging: Lotus Blanc Hotel (Deluxe Room) – Siem Reap

Day 4: Day 4: Depart Siem Reap

Stop At: Banteay Srei, Siem Reap Cambodia
Meals included: Breakfast

This morning, journey north to visit Banteay Srei. This petite pink temple is the jewel in the crown of Angkor-era sculpture. The elaborate carvings here are the finest found in Cambodia and the name translates as ‘Fortress of the Women', thanks to the intricate detail here, considered too fine for the hands of a man. Originally believed to date from the latter part of the Angkor period, inscriptions at the site suggest it was built by a Brahman in 967. However, some architectural historians have suggested that the inscriptions may date from an earlier structure on this site and the temple is in fact later, marking a high-water mark in Khmer sculpture. Stop at a local village to visit families who are producing palm sugar. Make a short stop at the Land Mine Museum, a rather humble look at the land mine problem, past and present, in Cambodia. Next, you’ll continue for a tour of the surrounding countryside and take an ox-cart ride through the villages and the rice fields. At the end of your ride, have a fresh coconut drink with the family and do not hesitate to talk with the local people to get to know more about their lives. Then drive to the fishing village of Kompong Pluk near Siem Reap and board a private boat. Visit Kompong Pluk village with its houses standing on stilts and board a pirogue to discover the seasonally flooded forest.

You will have free time in the afternoon until transfer to the airport in time for your flight to the next destination. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey.
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.