Cambodia Tours

Angkor

The Prize of Southeast Asia and indeed, the world, the Temples of Angkor are to the a surprise to almost every visitor the greatest monuments they have ever seen. At Angkor are the largest complex of ruins ever constructed and the most magnificent in the world, once the center of Asia's largest city of over one million people. Many people have heard of the main temple. Angkor Wat, but the temple Angkor complex of the same name consists of over 70 discovered ruins spread over 75 square miles not including far-flung ones all over the country. Astonishingly, the main temple of Angkor Wat itself is over a half-mile wide and one of the most astonishing monuments ever constructed.

There are astounding structures of equal impact all around—a density of ruins unparalleled anywhere else in the world, including the Nile Valley. A short one-hour hop from Vietnam or Thailand, Angkor provides an easy stop during any trip in the region and Siem Reap, the nearby base for exploring the temples, has become one of the region's most dynamic towns, including night markets and world-class dining and hotels.

Experience a hidden Angkor with us, away the crowds, exploring special places and at the right time of the day. There are dozens of plans for how tour the temples, but we have over 20 years experience curating the perfect itineraries for visiting the temples with the balance of monuments and other attractions in the area, with time enough for relaxing at the resort pool before dinner. Enjoy special activities such as a private camp for lunch or in an elegant traditional villa for dinner within the temple complex.

More than temples

Many other unique sights, outdoor adventures, thrilling activities, markets and cuisine, performances, elephant camps, and other places provide interesting time beyond the temples.

 View Unique Experiences in Cambodia

Culinary Cambodia

Every traveler knows the best way to get into the heart of a place is to experience the food (and is also what can make or break a travel experience). And as as you may have already heard, anyone who has traveled to the region will mention three things that stood out most: the people, the sights... and especially the delightful food culture. This trip emphasizes all of these with sightseeing from the vantage point of an insider.

On this ultimate culinary adventure trip, enjoy the cultural and natural highlights of the temples and Cambodia, with a focus on cuisine for — as many of our past traveler's have said — the experience of a lifetime.

Indochina features some of the most delicious and innovative cuisine in the world, and our local culinary guides and guest chefs will reveal the hidden delights of Cambodian food. We can organize a variety of private trips to explore the distinctive cuisine of each region with a mix of activities, including hands-on cooking, kitchen, farm, and market visits.

Mekong River Cruise

We only recommend the Mekong cruises if you a longer trip, one that also explores the North and Central Vietnam which has far more beautiful landscapes and waterways, traditional culture, and where all of Indochina's terrific World Heritage sites are located. Halong Bay, for example, is one of the world's most spectacular cruises and should not be missed. We can also arrange short boat rides on scenic river along the way, including the tranquil Perfume River in Hue, busy Thu Bon in Hoi An, and a picturesque dinner cruise along the Mekong River in Luang Prabang. Smaller luxury cruise ships (typically around 20 cabins), such as the Aqua Mekong, are designed for shallow water providing not only a more intimate cruise but also access to the furthest reaches of lake, rivers, and canals, and feature fine wood interiors and comfortable travel.

Mekong cruises are ideal after visiting North Vietnam, and of course, after or before exploring the magnificent temples of Angkor, embarking from a port not far from the temple complex. Enjoy a tranquil 7-night cruise on vast Tonle Sap Lake and the legendary Mekong River, through the Mekong Delta past fishing villages and endless expanse of rice fields. This popular cruise also tours historic Saigon in Vietnam and the busy capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, with stops in rural towns, farms, remote, river islands, plantations, colorful pagodas while vividly taking in the unique cultures along the Mighty Mekong, marveling at the river life, cruising by hundreds of painted junks and sampans in the floating markets and past villages that dot islands and line the shore. On Tonle Sap Lake, Southeast Asia's largest lake, bird watchers will be delighted to spot rare migratory birds.

Our take: Mekong cruises can be a pleasant experience, but only after exploring the far more beautiful landscapes, waterways, and World Heritage Sites of northern Indochina.

Cambodia with Kids

Vietnam and Cambodia are no longer a challenging place to travel with kids, and in fact have become delightful destinations with many newer attractions, activities, comfortable hotels, and certainly ease of travel throughout the country and the region. It's not just about some temples... We've been organizing our Cambodia family tours for over two decades from our local offices in Hanoi and Phnom Penh and understand what kids enjoy doing most, while allowing parents to kick back and enjoy an issue-free and pleasant time. With our long experience, local knowledge, meticulous planning, and in-country offices, your trip will not only be a smooth one, but educational, thrilling, and a delightful one with curated activities and sights to keep kids of all ages thrilled and engaged. Along with Vietnam, Cambodia has become a terrific place for family travel with kids of all ages.

Enjoy a variety of activities aside from the temples, including biking and hiking, with unique activities such as street circus performances, elephant camps, a silk farming village, and visiting a local school—all away from the crowds you've no doubt read about. Contact us to begin planning your family's adventure.

Cambodia Wildlife

View Cambodia’s rare wildlife and birds in care centers and also their natural habitats on this overland journey from Phnom Penh. In the south, visit the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Center where over 1,200 rescued wildlife are cared for, including rare Cambodian tigers, endangered Asian elephants, Malayan sun bears, gibbons, and Siamese crocodile. In Mondulkiri Province, visit the Elephant Valley Project, the first and the largest elephant sanctuary in the region caring for a dozen elephants.

Continue north for a trek into the rainforest at the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary to spot endangered black-shanked douc langur primates, Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbons, and bird life in the wild. Here too are waterfalls and rivers to cool off in. After Keo Seima, journey towards Kratie to view rare endangered exotic Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins in their habitat along the Mekong River. On the way to Siem Reap, stop to explore UNESCO World Heritage Sambor Prei Kuk Pre-Angkorian ruins complex.

Basing in Siem Reap to explore the temples of Angkor, there are also wildlife highlights including rare sarus cranes and a large concentration of other rare water birds in Prek Toal National Biosphere, and the Angkor Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity, a wildlife rescue and breeding center.

 Read more about Prek Toal Biosphere

Angkor & Cambodia Photography

One of the most visually dynamic destinations in the world, from rustic French-colonial architecture, surreal karst landscapes of Halong Bay, rice fields expanses, traditional village life, and magnificent monuments. Even more impressive are the Cambodians are engaging, fascinating, and always welcoming and friendly.

Enjoy access to the most intriguing sites at optimal shooting times, and important person portraits facilitated by your specialist guide. We've twenty years of hosting professional and amateur photographers, and can address your specific interests as well. At trip's end, spend one to two full days photographing the magnificent ruins in neighboring Cambodia accompanied by a local professional photographer/guide.

Romance in Cambodia

Plan your honeymoon or anniversary to one of the most exotic and romantic destinations in the world. The magnificent temples are once-in-a-lifetime sight and stunning backdrop. Enjoy special experiences, including private dining in the temples complex, blessing ceremony with an elder monk, exploring temples away from the crowds, jungle camp escape, world-class resorts, and fabulous dining. Bangkok and the Thai islands are two local places to include in your romantic journey, or an elegant luxury train journey to Singapore.

Assistance Programs in Cambodia

Cambodia experienced war, genocide, occupation, and famine which killed millions of Cambodians while destroying their communities and society. The intervening period has been a difficult recovery and many charities, support organizations and international governmental assistance groups are present throughout the country. Visit and learn about local Cambodian organizations such the Golden Silk Farm and Artisans d'Angkor which provide vocational training, where we can meet the founders.

To get further involved, sponsor and help build a well or donate supplies to a local school during your visit. For longer volunteering opportunities from a few days to a few weeks, please contact us for ideas.

 Read about support projects in Cambodia

Vietnam & Angkor

"Vietnam. It grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Once you love it, you love it forever." - Anthony Bourdain

During exceptional periods ancient civilizations are transformed forever, and for Vietnam and Cambodia, that time is now. Fortunately, despite rapid development in cities such as Saigon, there are still places more ancient than modern and Cambodia and Vietnam remain full of sights that will transport you into the past: fields of rice under the tropical sun, elegant French Colonial architecture under a canopy of frangipani trees, straw-roofed sampans drifting down languid rivers, young monks draped in saffron-colored robes swaying down quiet alleyways, and magnificent temples from another millennium.

Journey into the heart of Vietnam, exploring authentic treasures, places that have firmly retained their pleasant old-world environments and rich traditions very different from our own, making Vietnam not only a fascinating, but an exhilarating place for travel.

Explore Hanoi, the stoic capital which recently celebrated it's one thousand year anniversary; on Halong Bay drift through landscapes that have inspired generations of poets and artists; in Hue, discover sublime Imperial ruins along the majestic Perfume River; in Hoi An, a beautiful 16th-century trading port, explore everyone's favorite town in Vietnam; and at Angkor, marvel at Cambodia's surreal, jungle-shrouded city of massive, carved temples which are the largest concentration of ruins on Earth.

Throughout, experience immersive cultural encounters with a rich mosaic of its peoples, encountering them in their villages, schools, galleries, homes, and temples. And in the emerald green rice paddies surrounding these places, further discover a timeless Indochina, as it has existed for hundreds of years.

Luxury Indochina: Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia

Over the last two decades, Indochina remains an exotic region but has also developed into a premier luxury travel destination with the opening of international resorts, including the Aman, a variety of world-class dining venues and more comfortable travel infrastructure. Leverage our over 20 years organizing trips of the highest quality that includes meticulous pre-trip planning, attentive and experienced in-country managers, premier guides, with private-only insider experiences and sightseeing away from the crowds.

Indochina with Thailand

Experience the best of Indochina with Thailand, over two to three weeks on a Grand Tour, exploring the most interesting and exciting of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and at trip's end, Bangkok and the picturesque Thai Islands.

The Land of Smiles is also the land of the exotic with postcard-perfect palm-fringed tropical islands surrounded by impossibly bright blue waters, night markets alive with people and scents of curries, swirling incense in a 16th -century temple, massive golden temples inlaid with mosaics of colored beads, and saffron-robed Buddhist monks casually strolling by.

Imagine drifting down lush rivers on a bamboo raft, trekking with an elephant through tropical jungle in the legendary Golden Triangle, cycling to remote hilltribe villages, wandering local markets to sample the world's most delicious street food... There is no place quite like Thailand. Contact us for more trip ideas with Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.