Overview
With the haunting remains of temples and shrines scattered across a tropical landscape, Angkor is a lasting monument to the glory of a bygone Khmer civilization and one of the wonders of the modern world. With a private guide, discover majestic temples adorned with intricate bas-reliefs or entwined by encroaching vegetation, climb up towers for sunset views of the countryside, contemplate the past as you pause beside huge moats and man-made lakes, and pass through imposing gateways decorated with colossal sculptured Buddha images.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Siem Reap, Cambodia / Angkor National Museum
Morning flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. After exiting through immigration, you are met by your guide for a transfer to the Angkor National Museum, with its wonderful collection of Cambodian artifacts showcasing the origins of Khmer art, culture, and architecture. After lunch at a local cafe, transfer to your hotel for check-in and enjoy the rest of your day at leisure. Overnight at hotel...L
Siem Reap, Cambodia / Angkor National Museum - Day 1
Le Méridien Angkor
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights), Siem Reap, Cambodia
This hotel has mastered the art of hospitality. Guests are welcomed into an airy lobby and greeted with a drink and a cool refreshing towel. Guest rooms are spacious and comfortable, with garden or pool views. Because of its location near Angkor, you'll find wonderful architectural touches that pay homage to the ancient Khmer civilization. If you have time, enjoy high tea in the lobby lounge and a meal at their restaurant or cafe, serving everything from traditional Khmer dishes to French and Italian cuisine. For those that want to get active, the hotel has a fantastic pool and a fitness center that's open 24 hours.
La Résidence d’Angkor (Optional Upgrade)
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights), Siem Reap, Cambodia
La Résidence d’Angkor is an intimate, luxury Khmer-style hotel set within a beautiful walled garden. Light and airy guest rooms are tastefully decorated in an elegant, understated style with traditional hardwoods, bamboo, and natural textiles. Each features a balcony overlooking the pool, river, or lush tropical gardens. A freshwater swimming pool (inspired by Angkor’s Baray Lakes) is nestled among a garden of palms, bougainvillea, and frangipani, while a spa offers traditional and relaxing treatments guaranteed to leave you feeling totally refreshed. La Résidence d’Angkor is an Orient Express property.
Day 2
Angkor Wat / Angkor Thom
Begin your explorations of the glorious temples of Angkor with a visit to Angkor’s grandest and most inspiring temple complex: Angkor Wat. This architectural masterpiece was constructed in the 12th century and covers an area of over 500 acres. Explore its many galleries with columns, libraries, pavilions, courtyards, and ponds full of water reflecting the temple. Intricately carved bas-reliefs extend the length of the outer walls and corridors, depicting mythological scenes of Hindu epics and day-to-day life at the time of Angkor’s construction. In the afternoon visit the “Ancient City” of Angkor Thom, whose centerpiece is the magnificent Bayon Temple, noted for its gigantic Boddhisattva sculptures and its remarkable bas-reliefs. You will see the South Gate with its impressive causeway flanked by gods and demons, the Elephant Terrace, and the Leper King Terrace, all within Angkor Thom. Overnight at hotel...BL
Angkor Wat / Angkor Thom - Day 2
Le Méridien Angkor
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights), Siem Reap, Cambodia
This hotel has mastered the art of hospitality. Guests are welcomed into an airy lobby and greeted with a drink and a cool refreshing towel. Guest rooms are spacious and comfortable, with garden or pool views. Because of its location near Angkor, you'll find wonderful architectural touches that pay homage to the ancient Khmer civilization. If you have time, enjoy high tea in the lobby lounge and a meal at their restaurant or cafe, serving everything from traditional Khmer dishes to French and Italian cuisine. For those that want to get active, the hotel has a fantastic pool and a fitness center that's open 24 hours.
La Résidence d’Angkor (Optional Upgrade)
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights), Siem Reap, Cambodia
La Résidence d’Angkor is an intimate, luxury Khmer-style hotel set within a beautiful walled garden. Light and airy guest rooms are tastefully decorated in an elegant, understated style with traditional hardwoods, bamboo, and natural textiles. Each features a balcony overlooking the pool, river, or lush tropical gardens. A freshwater swimming pool (inspired by Angkor’s Baray Lakes) is nestled among a garden of palms, bougainvillea, and frangipani, while a spa offers traditional and relaxing treatments guaranteed to leave you feeling totally refreshed. La Résidence d’Angkor is an Orient Express property.
Day 3
Angkor Wat Sunrise Visit / Ta Promh / Banteay Srei
Today, wake up early for a view of Angkor Wat at sunrise! With the light shining from behind, the complex reflects beautifully on the large pond located in front of it (you will leave the hotel around 5:30 am for this visit, although it is optional if you do not want to go). Have a boxed breakfast prepared to eat near the ruins, or return to the hotel for breakfast, later heading to Ta Promh. At Ta Promh, huge fig, banyan, and kapok trees have grown throughout the temple monuments of Ta Promh, their giant roots often splitting open ancient Buddha sculptures with surreal effect. The site has a mysterious and evocative “forgotten city” feeling and is a favorite with visitors. After lunch at a local restaurant in Siem Reap, discover the enchanting 10th century Banteay Srei Temple, the “Citadel of the Women,” beyond the main Angkor complex. It seems as if the temple, which is in an amazing state of preservation, was designed to leave no space undecorated, and its extraordinary fine carvings in pink sandstone are quite unique. Overnight at hotel...BL
Angkor Wat Sunrise Visit / Ta Promh / Banteay Srei - Day 3
Le Méridien Angkor
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights), Siem Reap, Cambodia
This hotel has mastered the art of hospitality. Guests are welcomed into an airy lobby and greeted with a drink and a cool refreshing towel. Guest rooms are spacious and comfortable, with garden or pool views. Because of its location near Angkor, you'll find wonderful architectural touches that pay homage to the ancient Khmer civilization. If you have time, enjoy high tea in the lobby lounge and a meal at their restaurant or cafe, serving everything from traditional Khmer dishes to French and Italian cuisine. For those that want to get active, the hotel has a fantastic pool and a fitness center that's open 24 hours.
La Résidence d’Angkor (Optional Upgrade)
Days 1 to 3 (3 nights), Siem Reap, Cambodia
La Résidence d’Angkor is an intimate, luxury Khmer-style hotel set within a beautiful walled garden. Light and airy guest rooms are tastefully decorated in an elegant, understated style with traditional hardwoods, bamboo, and natural textiles. Each features a balcony overlooking the pool, river, or lush tropical gardens. A freshwater swimming pool (inspired by Angkor’s Baray Lakes) is nestled among a garden of palms, bougainvillea, and frangipani, while a spa offers traditional and relaxing treatments guaranteed to leave you feeling totally refreshed. La Résidence d’Angkor is an Orient Express property.
Day 4
Preah Khan / Neak Pean
In the morning we visit Preah Khan, the “Sacred Sword,” a magnificent structure dedicated to the Buddhist religion by King Jayavarman VII. This huge temple complex is also largely overgrown with great trees and smothering roots still clinging to the sandstone and laterite walls, and is presently under careful restoration by the World Monuments Fund of NYC. You'll also visit Neak Pean, an artifical island in Preah Khan Baray with a Buddhist temple on it. Return to the hotel for check-out (12:00 pm), and have lunch at a local restaurant. Time permitting, visit “Les Artisans d’Angkor,” a school promoting the arts and crafts of Cambodia (your baggage can be stored at the hotel during lunch and this visit). Transfer to the airport for an afternoon or evening flight...BL
