Uncover Cambodias Soul

The moment you touch down in Cambodia, we willl whisk you away to your hotel. There, a refreshing welcome drink awaits you, along with a friendly member of our operations team. They will be your personal Cambodia guru, providing a captivating introduction to the country and the extraordinary journey you are about to embark on. The rest of the day is yours to design. Unwind by the pool with a tropical cocktail, letting the Cambodian sunshine melt away any travel fatigue. Or, if you're eager to explore, delve into the vibrant heart of Siem Reap.

This morning, we prioritize relaxation. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and a refreshing dip in the hotels beautiful swimming pool, the perfect antidote to jetlag. Feeling recharged? Take a stroll through Siem Reaps vibrant city center, soaking up the local atmosphere. After lunch (not included), your friendly guide will bring your jeep to your hotel where your jeep adventure will start. You will drive along the small red dirt roads through local villages and skirt lotus fields, giving you a truly authentic experience. We will also pass a temple from the Angkor era. The surrounding lotus fields are so important to Cambodians as the lotus flower acts as a symbol of purity, the ability to overcome adversity and challenges, and rebirth. Your guide will explain this, and many other things, to you in detail. We also drive through vast rice fields and by the time the sun goes down, we will pick a nice spot with the jeep somewhere among the paddies. Here we will open a bottle of sparkling wine and toast to a beautiful sunset.

This morning, you will depart by jeep to the magnificent World Heritage Site UNESCO, the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. We have scouted out some back roads to the temples that still exist so you can get away from the tuk-tuks and busses for a much nicer and more relaxing drive to the temples. With a little imagination, todays trip will give you a picture of the lost temples as they have lain for thousands of years. An English-speaking guide will lead you through the historic park, where you can see majestic structures and admire the splendor of the ancient kingdom. Most of the temples date back to the 12th century and house some of the most anticipated bas-reliefs and beautiful sculptures such as Garudas and Apsara dancers. First, visit the temple of Angkor Wat, the largest of all temples that has survived the sands of time and is in excellent condition. Here you can admire its dominating towers and sheer presence while taking the time to walk around inside. Continue on to Angkor Thom with its spectacular Bayon Temple. Here, a tour of the superbly preserved temple will allow you to admire 54 intricate and visually stunning four headed Buddha statues truly one of the most impressive sights of the temple complex.

Lunch will be taken near the man-made lake of East Baray, which was created to supply water to the temple complex. After lunch and a short rest, you will visit Ta Phrom Temple. Made famous by the hit movie Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie, the temples iconic trees with their gigantic roots hugging the walls have slowly taken over, creating a visually stunning and unique backdrop that makes a breathtaking end to your templing day.

After a good breakfast we leave Siem Reap and drive into the Cambodian outback to the mysterious 12th century temple of Beng Melea, one of Cambodias true hidden gems. Heavily overrun by trees, vines and moss, Beng Melea gives you a truly evocative insight into the majesty of the ancient temples. After lunch you will drive Koh Ker. It is a stunning and unique pyramidal temple built in 931AD. Walking in you could almost feel you were approaching a Central American Mayan sight such as Chichen Itza. Koh Ker also has a unique political history having been set up as a new capital away from the Angkor area by Jayavarman IV. However, its importance was short lived, after the Kings death power was returned to the Angkor area around 944 AD. A tiring climb up wooden steps to the top of the Pyramid will soon be forgotten when you take into account the breath-taking views afforded from the summit.

We leave our accommodation again with our vintage jeep and set out to the beautiful countryside. We will stop by the local fish market on the way where you can observe traditional Khmer fish trade, a daily event.  We then resume our journey with the visit of one of the most impressive floating villages in Cambodia, Kampong Kleang. When we arrive at the village, we will board a boat and head out in exploration of the floating village. At lunch time, we will take you to a stilt house in the village to share a typical Khmer lunch with very friendly locals. Next, we proceed to the Vietnamese floating village. This village is unlike the rest of Kampong Kleang. The Vietnamese Village is not composed of stilt houses. The houses there are built on floating objects that keeps them afloat on the Tonlé Sap. Your host family will provide a local meal and you will have the chance to experience more of this exceptional village on stilts. In the afternoon we continue our way to Kampong Thom. We will have a stop in Kampong Kdei and you visit an ancient Angkor bridge. In the late afternoon you will check in your hotel.

After a delicious breakfast, we will drive our jeeps through the beautiful Cambodian countryside to our first stop of the day. We will stop to see some truly impressive carvings. From huge blocks of stone, sometimes up to 8 meters tall, the stonemason chisels and carves some extremely impressive sculptures. The sheer amount of detail that goes into some of his work is extraordinary and you will have plenty of time to admire his work. We continue our scenic drive to our second stop for the day and visit a local rubber plantation. Here you will learn more about the workings of the local rubber industry, how the latex is collected, cleaned and dried before being shipped to an outside rubber factory. After this excursion, we will take a ferry north of Stung Trong and cross the mighty Mekong River. It is the twelfth longest river in the world and flows from the heights of the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea, some 4,500 km from its source. It is the lifeblood of many people, and its impressive size and power can only be experienced firsthand. On the east side of the Mekong is the old French colonial town of Chloung. In this peaceful and traditional town, we will spend the night in the former governors mansion built in 1916, where we can experience Cambodias colonial past first hand.

We drive our jeeps along the banks of the Mekong River and pass some of the Muslim Cham villages. These were formed when the Cham fled the Vietnamese conquest and stayed in their new homeland, adding a new dimension to the area. At Kampi, 12 km north of Kratie, we board the boat to try to spot the Irrawaddy Dolphins. These rare, endangered freshwater dolphins live in a beautiful section of the Mekong River near a small rapids. The chance of seeing them playing in the rapids is very high, so have your camera ready. After Kampi, we will head back to Kratie where we will take a ferry to Koh Trong Island. With a local guide, you will explore this island paradise by bike and get explanations about the way of life of the inhabitants and the products that are grown there. Back on the mainland we drive back to Chloung with our jeeps.

Leaving Chloung after breakfast, you will follow the path of the mighty Mekong towards the city of Kampong Cham. During the dry season when the water level in the Mekong River is low enough, a bamboo bridge is constructed to connect to Koh Pen Island. In the past, we were able to drive our jeeps across this bridge, but unfortunately this is no longer possible. However, you can still walk across it. We continue our way along the Mekong and drive through small quaint villages. We will cruise down Highway 6 and hop across the Tonle Sap River. The last bit to Farmhouse is through cute little villages. This is a unique project that provides training and work for hundreds of Cambodians. They are self supporting and try to be as sustainable as possible.

Today, let us take it easy. Start the day with a massage or use the pool. Afterwards we will explore the countrysite of this region. Kampong Chhnang is known for its many potteries. The word Chhnang also means pot in Khmer. We will visit three different places. Each place tells about a different way of making pots. Location 1. Here the pots are made entirely by hand. This is the oldest form of pot making. Location 2. The pots are made and shaped with the help of a wheel. Both locations are under the house of a family. So no stores with tourists or a tourist trap to buy souvenirs. Site 3. At this site there is a small factory behind a families house where clay baking ovens are made. Both at the second and third location you have the opportunity to show your own pottery skills if you want. In the afternoon we will drive to the capital city od Cambodia, Phnom Penh

Over the past days, you have experienced Cambodia in a way few travellers ever do. Driving your own vintage jeep through the countryside, along remote roads and through small villages has shown you a side of the country that most visitors never see.

Today, it is time to say goodbye. After breakfast, your private driver will collect you from the hotel and transfer you to Phnom Penh International Airport for your onward flight. You may be leaving Cambodia today, but the memories of the road, the people and the adventures along the way will travel home with you.

Until next time — Cambodia has a habit of calling you back.