THE HEART OF CAMBODIA - 5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS (IC/SICCA)
PHNOM PENH - SIEM REAP

Day 1 Phnom Penh
Explore PHNOM PENH , Start your tour with an insight into Cambodia 's cultural heritage with a visit to the ROYAL PALACE , still the official residence of King Norodom Sihamoi and the adjacent SILVER PAGODA, also known as the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha. Continue to the elegant NATIONAL MUSEUM , which contains a comprehensive collection of Khmer Art. Finally, explore the modern-day city, visiting one of Phnom Penh's two great markets, the CENTRAL MARKET, located in a distinctive domed Art Deco building or the sprawling RUSSIAN MARKET, a labyrinth of stalls selling everything from CDs and DVDs to silks, crafts, jewellery and more.

Just outside Phnom Penh , in a peaceful rural setting, the KILLING FIELDS OF CHOEUNG EK provide a stark reminder of the atrocities under the Pol Pot regime. Thousands of people were killed here between the years of 1975 and 1978 and buried in mass graves.

Learn about a chapter from Cambodia 's more recent, tragic, past at the TUOL SLENG MUSEUM ( Museum of Genocide ). Formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School , in 1975, this became the interrogation and torture facility for the Khmer Rouge regime - at that time known as Security Prison 21, or simply S-21. Kept largely unchanged, this prison now showcases photographs and exhibits about the thousands of victims that passed through these doors - only seven of whom came out alive. Overnight in Phnom Penh .

Day 2 Siem Reap (Breakfast: Hotel)
Transfer by vehicle to Siem Reap. Afternoon free for leisure. Overnight in Siem Reap

Day 3 Siem Reap (Breakfast: Hotel)
The crowning jewel of Khmer architecture, ANGKOR WAT is the national symbol and the highlight of any visit to Cambodia . The largest, best preserved, and most religiously significant of the Angkor temples, Angkor impresses visitors both by its sheer scale and beautifully proportioned layout, as well as the delicate artistry of its carvings. To approach the temple, first cross the vast moat, continuing along a broad causeway lined with naga balustrades. As you enter the main building, ascend through a series of galleries and courtyard before reaching the central sanctuary, which offers beautiful views back over the causeway and across the surrounding countryside. On the way, stop to enjoy the intricate stonecarvings that adorn nearly every surface, with some 1,700 Apsaras, or celestial dancers, sculpted into the walls. Along the outer gallery walls run the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which narrates stories from Hindu mythology, including the famous Churning of the Ocean of Milk . Angkor Wat is stunning at any time of the day, but sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful times to watch the play of light on the stones.

The fortified city of ANGKOR THOM covers an area of 10 square km. Enclosed by a wall and wide moats; the city includes many of Angkor 's most popular sights. Enter by the monumental SOUTH GATE over a causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. Continue to the TERRACE OF THE ELEPHANTS and the TERRACE OF THE LEPER KINGS, former spaces for public ceremonies, both adorned with dramatic bas-reliefs. Visit the ruined BAPHUON, ROYAL ENCLOSURE and PHIMEANAKAS before continuing to the mysterious BAYON TEMPLE . In this temple, one of the most popular and compelling in Angkor , explore the galleries of beautifully preserved bas reliefs and ascend narrow stairs to reach the central sanctuary, where you will find giant stone faces smiling enigmatically down at you from every angle.

Watch the sun set over the Cambodian countryside from the upper terraces of an ancient Angkorian temple.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 4 Siem Reap (Breakfast: Hotel)
CHAU SAY TEVODA: built during the second quarter of the 12th century opposite of Thommanon, it was dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.

THOMMANON: temple which mirrors Chau Say Tevoda (just to the north), as it was built around the same time and has a similar plan. It is also dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.

A massive Buddhist temple dating from the second half of the 12th century, BANTEAY KDEI is surrounded by four concentric walls, the outer walls measuring 500 by 700 meters.

SRAS SRANG: a basin opposite of Banteay Kdei measuring 800 by 400 metres with a tiny island in the middle where only the stone base remains of what was once a wooden temple.

PRASAT KRAVAN: the five brick towers were built for Hindu worship in 921 and are notable for the bas-reliefs cut into the bricks on the interior walls. Overnight in Siem Reap

Day 5 Siem Reap (Breakfast: Hotel)
Time at leisure.

Updated: Jul19,2010