Marvellous Angkor Wat

At Siem Reap International Airport, you’ll be welcomed by our guide and head for your hotel. This afternoon, we’ll embark on “tuk-tuks” and visit the lovely Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm shrine and the Angkor National Museum, dedicated to the preservation of Angkor-era artifacts. This is the perfect setting to learn about the art and culture of Khmer civilization from the 9th to 14th-centuries. Next is a stop at Wat Preah Enkosei, a modern, working temple. Here we’ll take in the Preah Vihear (Monastic hall), a pleasant mustard-yellow hall with balustraded terraces set amidst ancient temples and stupas. You’ll witness monks preform a Water Blessing Ceremony, ensuring good luck and safe travels. Tonight we’ll share dinner in a local restaurant and enjoy a mesmerizing Aspara Dance show — we’ll spend the night here in Siem Reap. (D)

Today we head to the World Heritage Site Angkor Wat and begin our visit at the South Gate of Angkor Thom, the capital of the Khmer Empire, marvelling at the colossal human faces carved from the stone walls. You’ll visit the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, the pyramidal Phimeanakas Temple, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and Ba Phuon temple, built in the 11th century and dedicated to the God Shiva. Next we move to Ta Prohm, made famous in Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider. One of the nation’s most popular sites, this is a fantasy of jungle meets architecture, the giant trees strangling the stonework in an incredible interplay of man and nature filled with many-columned galleries, libraries, courtyards and reflective ponds. Weather permitting, you might experience the site at sunset from a tethered balloon. ($15/pp). We’ll sleep in Siem Reap. (B, L)

Begin today at the “floating” village of Kampong Phluk, home to some 3000. Here, flooded forests surround a lake home to myriad wildlife — even the monkeys eat seafood! During the dry season, the buildings of this village soar atop stilts and the inhabitants move out onto the lake. In the wet season, the villagers move to the floodplain, the stilts now hidden under water. Kampong Phluk’s economy is based on fishing, primarily shrimp, and amidst the bustle of this busy community we’ll share in a delicious lunch. We’ll overnight in Siem Reap. (B, L)

Today is yours to relax and explore until we head for the airport and the journey home. (B)