This 3-day tour will allow us to live one of the most intense experiences of the whole trip. A mystical journey through the most beautiful temples of Cambodia that will leave us speechless.
Highlights
1
1
Itinerary idea in detail
Includes international flights from a choice of UK airports, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
-
1
8:00am Pick up outside of the terminal ( The distance walking about 6 – 10 minutes by walk ) and transfer to visit the Intra Ngean Pagoda for views over the town, continue to Independence Beach and Ocheuteal Beach, a long sweep of snow white sand facing the typically calm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. A break here for a short stroll along the beach at leisure and a cool drink under the shade of the pine trees. A stop at a local market to see Khmer commerce at first hand. Passengers may wander the stalls and perhaps purchase a traditional Krama – the colorful Cambodian headscarf so commonly worn by all Khmers. Prior to returning to the ship stop at the fishing village of Tumnuk Rolok where the fresh catch of the day is hauled in prior to finding its way to the seafood markets and restaurants of Phnom Penh. With the brightly painted fishing vessels and local people going about their daily tasks it can be quite a photogenic sight and provides some insight into the simple but important livelihood of this fishing town. Then transfer to airport for your flight Sihanoukville to Siemriep on K6#130@13:30 – 14:30. On arrival, pick up and transfer to visit Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. If time permit, we visit Takeo, Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon. Then walk up to the mountain-temple of Pre Rup until sunset. This evening, enjoy dinner with Apsara dance show. Overnight at your hotel.
NOTE: We use Cambodia Angkor
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hyatt Siem Reap or Raffle Hotel -
2
Transfer to the archaeological site for the sunrise from the Phnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat.
Return to your hotel for breakfast.
Then continue to visit the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century) and visit Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara) You’ll meet here with a project archaeologist who will then escort you on a private tour of the Bayon’s south library which is currently undergoing restoration, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
Afternoon, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks – the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. Then transfer to airport for your flight to Saigon on K6#822@21:15 – 22:30. On arrival, pick up & transfer to your hotel in Saigon.
NOTE: We use Cambodia Angkor
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Hyatt Saigon or Reverie Hotel – 5 Star -
3
After breakfast, depart with your guide & van for explore Saigon: begin with visits to the highlights of downtown including the Reunification Palace, formerly the South Vietnam’s Independence Palace, until stormed by tanks on April 30, 1975. Preserved in its original state, the original war tanks are on display. See the Notre Dame Cathedral and the 1880s General Post Office. Then transfer to visit Fine Art Museum & walking on Le Cong Kieu Antique Street. If interesting, visit a unique religious temple called the Cao Dai Temple on Tran Hung Dao Street. Continue visit the War Remnants Museum featuring a detailed photographic exhibition and vast collection of planes, tanks and weapons & Ben Thanh Market. If time permit, from Ben Thanh Market, stroll down to Dong Khoi street past iconic landmarks such as the Saigon Opera House, the former Hotel De Ville which is a superbly designed dating back to 1908 and the Rex Hotel where the derogatorily named five o clock follies’ took place each day during the American War’ as it is known in Vietnam. See the City Hall which is one of the nicest Colonial construction in Saigon & have time leisure walking on the first walking street in Saigon then see the Saigon Opera House. Its architectural style is influenced by the flamboyant style of the French Third Republic with the façade shaped like the Petit Palais which was built in the same year in France in 1911. Then transfer to the port.
Accommodation options
While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, Audley trips are 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Booking Policy
- English speaking, local guide
- All accommodation listed
- Land transportation by private air-conditioned vehicles
- Any domestic flights listed (unless marked otherwise)
- All admission fees at attractions, temples and activities as mentioned in the itinerary
- All meals listed
- International flight reconfirmation.
- Entry visas
- International airport departure taxes
- Any meals not listed in the itinerary
- Drinks, other than water on activity days
- Personal expenses (laundry, telephone, drinks, tip…)
- Travel insurance
- All other services not listed in ‘inclusive’
We'll help plan your trip based on what you like and want to do. We know a lot about the place you're going, so we can give you good advice. Whether you're into history, food, or culture, we'll make sure your trip is just right for you. With us, your travel will be easy and fun!
We carefully choose our expert guides and travel concierges to make sure you have an authentic experience. They're passionate about their work and will bring your destination to life with care and enthusiasm.
We design our luxury trips with responsible travel principles in mind. This means we prioritize experiences that benefit both you and the planet.
It is easy to customize your Highlights of Vietnam tours with us
What our clients say about us
Heather
9 May 2024 ★★★★★Our 2-week trip to Thailand was fantastic! Chiang Mai felt completely magical and Koh Samui was beautiful. We managed to have fun even on the rainy days. Our guides were perfect, very knowledgeable and a lot of fun, with great insights into the local culture. I've been recommending Absolute Asia Tours to all my friends and I can't wait to travel with you guys again! The coordination of everything was very well done.
Gari
22 May 2024 ★★★★★Our recent trip to China and Mongolia was a great success. Overall we found Absolute Asia Tours services to be excellent throughout the two weeks we were in Asia. For us, Mongolia was definitely the highlight. We thoroughly enjoyed or local guides and drives and they were unfailingly knowledgeable, helpful and amusing. Their languages skills were excellent and we felt that we recieved real insight into this fascinating country. We were intinially drawn to the idea of this trip by the reports of the world class fihing and we were absolutely not disappointed. The fishing guide was first rate and we caught more fish than we could have hoped for - more than 25 each day - with the added bonus of being the only other people in sight for miles arround. AAT created a private ger camp for us on the Onon River and we enjoyed delicious food prepared by our chef in a beautiful unspoled atmosphere. They alo arranged for us to visit a nomadic family and spend time with them at home and organized a dinner with an anthropologist with expert knowledge of the region. AAT fullfilled their promise to tkae us to us to one of the world's best fishing destinations in comfort and style. We would be happy to travel with AAT again and will definitely recommend them to our friends.
Cherry
16 May 2024 ★★★★★We've had two "A+" experience with Absolute Asia Tours. It is a pleasure to work with an organization where I feel confident that what you say will happen, happens. This was true with our complicated China itinerary six years ago, and was true with our recent itinerary in Vietnam. your on the ground guides and logistics were top - notch, and I would recommend you to anyone to visit Asia.
James
17 January 2024 ★★★★★Absolute Asia tours gave us a wonderful tour of Southeast Asia (working with sister-agency My Way Travel based in Vietnam). For our Siem Reap/Angkor Wat journey, our party of two had a private driver and guide named Jak, who was a cheerful and knowledgeable companion, explaining the history, culture, architecture and religious significance of the sites while keeping it always fun. We moved efficiently from site to site, and finished with a boat tour of the fishing village on stilts at Kampong Pluk on the Tonle Sap Lake. During most of our trip we stayed at top-notch locally-owned hotels, but in Siem Reap we were at the excellent local Hyatt hotel. Absolute Asia and My Way Travel our outstanding local providers, less expensive than name-brand group tours, and customized to our interests and schedule.
Hope
2 January 2024 ★★★★★We had an awesome time on cycling tour with AAT! It was incredible, filled with good vibes, laughs & a fantastic way to explore Vietnam & Cambodia. Tony our guide made it special by introducing us to locals and showing us the real charm of these countries. The whole tour was well-organized & the way they took care of us awesome. It's an unforgettable trip and I'll definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to experience the beauty of Southeast Asia.
Nas
1 January 2024 ★★★★★My group of six completed a 30 day cycling tour in Asia with AAT. We traveled form Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Saigon to Siem Reap. Every day we pedaled through stunning countryside views, passing villages, fields & limestone karsts. Our guide Tony was fantastic-interesting, friendly & personable. This experience stood out as the highlight of our Asia trip.