Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Battambang and Angkor
8 days from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap: two nights in the capital, two in Battambang's countryside, then three in Siem Reap with two full days at Angkor and a sunset on the Tonle Sap.
8 days · Phnom Penh to Siem Reap · up to 12 guests
Angkor Wat at dawn, from the reflecting pool Photo: Radek Kucharski, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angkor_Wat_Dawn2.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 5 h on day 3
- Activity level
Easy
Sightseeing on foot for 2 to 4 hours most days, on uneven temple stone, steep steps and dusty paths, in heat of around 30°C. There is one pre-dawn start (Angkor Wat at sunrise), one long drive of about five hours broken by a village stop and lunch, an easy flat bike ride in Battambang (a tuk-tuk if you prefer) and the steep stair to Angkor Wat's upper level, which you can sit out.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 335 (estimated price)
- Season
- November to February
Highlights
Why this trip
- Angkor Wat at sunrise, then inside while the crowd goes back for breakfast
- Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, visited early, with a briefing beforehand and time to be quiet afterwards
- A sunset boat where the Tonle Sap meets the Mekong in Phnom Penh
- Two nights in Battambang: village workshops by bike, the bamboo train and Prasat Banan
- A long stream of bats leaving the caves of Phnom Sampov at dusk
- Banteay Srei's pink sandstone carvings close to opening time
- Stilt houses and a canoe through the flooded forest at Kampong Phluk, with a sunset on the Tonle Sap
- Phare, the Cambodian Circus, included
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 5 h, on day 3.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 335 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 5 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Phnom Penh
Techo International Airport to your hotel in central Phnom Penh
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Phnom Penh
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Techo International Airport, which replaced Phnom Penh's old city airport in 2025 and sits south of the capital. A driver meets you in arrivals for the drive in, up to about an hour depending on traffic. Our hotel is central, a short walk from the riverfront where the Tonle Sap river meets the Mekong.
Afternoon
If you land early the afternoon is yours: walk along Sisowath Quay, look into Wat Ounalom, the riverside monastery, or sit out the heat by the pool. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the week: how the days are paced, what to wear for the palace and the temples, and how we approach tomorrow's visits to Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, so that nobody walks in unprepared.
Evening
Then we walk to a welcome dinner of Khmer dishes, such as fish amok steamed in banana leaf and peppery beef lok lak, at a restaurant near the river.
Included
- Pick-up at Techo International Airport, Phnom Penh
- Welcome briefing with your guide, including how we visit the genocide memorials
- Welcome dinner
Optional experiences
- The National Museum of Cambodia, next to the Royal Palace, for its Angkor-era sculpture, if you arrive early
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Plan to land by mid-afternoon to make the 6 pm briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed in the morning.
Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek and the Royal Palace
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum to Choeung Ek, then the Royal Palace and the riverfront
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Phnom Penh
- Drive about 1.5 h
This is the hardest day of the trip, and we plan it with care. We reach the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum soon after it opens, while it is cool and quiet. A high school until 1975, it became S-21, the Khmer Rouge's main prison, where thousands of people were held and very few survived. A local guide who knows the history walks us through, and you can step out into the courtyard at any time. We then drive about 15 km south to Choeung Ek, where many S-21 prisoners were killed. Here you walk alone at your own pace with the site's audio guide, ending at the memorial stupa.
Afternoon
After a quiet sit-down lunch and a rest at the hotel, the afternoon turns to what Cambodia has kept: the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, whose floor is laid with silver tiles.
Evening
We end on the water, on a boat at sunset where the Tonle Sap and the Mekong meet. The evening is free.
Included
- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) with a local guide
- Choeung Ek memorial with the site's audio guide
- Sit-down lunch
- The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda
- Sunset boat at the meeting of the Tonle Sap and the Mekong
Easier option: If you would rather not visit Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, tell your guide on day 1: a local guide takes you to Wat Phnom and the Central Market instead, and you rejoin the group for lunch.
Free time: Rest after lunch; evening free
Activity: Shoulders and knees covered at the palace. At the memorials, no photos in the cells and voices kept low.
Kampong Chhnang's potters and on to Battambang
Phnom Penh to Kampong Chhnang, then Battambang on National Road 5
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Battambang
- Drive about 5 h
Morning
We leave after breakfast for Battambang, about 290 km north-west on National Road 5 and about five hours of driving. That is over our four-hour cap, and there is no better way: Battambang has no scheduled flights and the restored railway runs few, slow passenger trains. So we split the day in two. After about two hours we stop at Kampong Chhnang, on the Tonle Sap river, whose name means 'port of pots'.
Afternoon
In a village on the edge of town, potters shape the local clay into water jars and stoves by hand, without a wheel, and we watch and try for about an hour before a sit-down lunch. The afternoon is the second half of the drive, past rice fields and sugar palms and through Pursat, reaching Battambang in the late afternoon. The town sits on the Sangker River, with streets of French-era shophouses and far less traffic than the capital.
Evening
The evening is free, and your guide can point you to riverside places for dinner.
Included
- Drive from Phnom Penh to Battambang with your guide
- Pottery village visit at Kampong Chhnang
- Sit-down lunch in Kampong Chhnang
Free time: Evening free in Battambang
Activity: The longest drive of the trip, with a village stop and lunch in the middle and short breaks on the way.
Battambang's countryside, the bamboo train and the bats
Battambang to village workshops and Phnom Banan, then Phnom Sampov at dusk
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Battambang
- Drive about 2 h
We start early, while it is cool, riding bicycles or tuk-tuks on quiet roads through the villages outside town. We stop where families make rice paper, dry bananas in the sun and roast kralan, sticky rice with coconut and beans packed into bamboo. The original bamboo train, a platform of planks on two axles that locals ran on the old French railway, stopped in 2017 when the line was rebuilt for real trains. A version now runs on a short track of its own near Phnom Banan, and we ride it there. Then we climb the steps to Prasat Banan, an 11th-century hilltop temple with five towers and a wide view over the fields.
Afternoon
Lunch is home-style Khmer food in the countryside, and the middle of the day is free in town.
Evening
At dusk we drive to Phnom Sampov to watch a stream of bats, said to number in the millions, pour out of a cave at sunset. The hill also holds the Killing Caves, a Khmer Rouge execution site with a small memorial; we go up only if the group wants to, and the bats are watched from the road below.
Included
- Morning ride through the villages, with rice paper, dried banana and kralan makers
- The bamboo train near Phnom Banan
- Prasat Banan hilltop temple
- Lunch in the countryside
- The bats of Phnom Sampov at dusk
Optional experiences
- Phare Ponleu Selpak, the Battambang arts school where Cambodia's circus performers train, puts on shows on set evenings; your guide can book seats.
Easier option: Ride in a tuk-tuk instead of on a bicycle, and wait in the shade at the foot of Phnom Banan instead of climbing.
More active option: Cycle the whole morning loop, about 25 km on flat village roads, with the vehicle following behind.
Free time: Middle of the day free in Battambang
Activity: The bike ride is flat and slow. The climb to Prasat Banan is a few hundred steep steps. The bat flight depends on the weather and lasts well after sunset.
To Siem Reap, sunset at Pre Rup and the circus
Battambang to Siem Reap via Sisophon, then Pre Rup
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
After a slow breakfast, take a last walk by the river and through Psar Nat, Battambang's art deco central market from the 1930s, before we leave at about 9:30 am. Siem Reap is about 175 km away, around three and a half hours on the Sisophon road through flat rice country, with a coffee stop on the way.
Afternoon
We arrive in time for lunch, and the afternoon is free to rest, swim or wander to the Old Market.
Evening
At about 4:45 pm we drive to the Angkor ticket office, where your three-day pass is printed with your photo; a pass bought late in the afternoon also lets you in for that evening's sunset. We watch it from Pre Rup, a 10th-century temple-mountain of brick and laterite where the sun goes down over rice fields and palms, with fewer people than at Phnom Bakheng. In the evening we go to Phare, the Cambodian Circus, a show of theatre, music and acrobatics by performers who trained at the Battambang school you passed yesterday.
Included
- Morning walk through Psar Nat market in Battambang
- Drive from Battambang to Siem Reap with your guide
- Lunch on arrival in Siem Reap
- Three-day Angkor pass
- Sunset at Pre Rup
- Phare, the Cambodian Circus
Free time: Afternoon free in Siem Reap
Activity: The steps at Pre Rup are steep; you can watch the sunset from the base.
Angkor Wat at sunrise, Ta Prohm and the Bayon
Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, then Angkor Thom and the Bayon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
We leave the hotel at about 4:45 am, the one pre-dawn start of the trip, and walk across the causeway to the pools in front of Angkor Wat as its towers appear against the sky. Built in the early 12th century under King Suryavarman II, and listed by UNESCO with the rest of Angkor in 1992, it is the largest temple in the complex. When most people head back for breakfast at about 7, we eat ours, packed by the hotel, and go in: along the carved galleries, with the Churning of the Ocean of Milk among them, and up the steep stair to the central towers. Next is Ta Prohm, where the roots of silk-cotton and strangler fig trees grip the walls, before it is at its busiest.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a restaurant near the park, then the hotel for a rest through the heat. At about 3 pm we return through the South Gate of Angkor Thom to the Bayon, whose carved stone faces are best in late light, then the Baphuon and the Terrace of the Elephants.
Included
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat
- Angkor Wat with a licensed Angkor guide, including the upper level when open
- Ta Prohm
- Lunch near the park
- Angkor Thom in the late afternoon: the South Gate, the Bayon, the Baphuon and the Terrace of the Elephants
Easier option: Skip the sunrise and sleep in: after breakfast at the hotel, a driver brings you to meet the group at Angkor Wat at about 8 am.
More active option: In the late afternoon, walk a stretch of the Angkor Thom wall from the South Gate, about 3 km on a shaded earth path, and rejoin the group at the Bayon.
Free time: Middle of the day free at the hotel; evening free
Activity: About 4 hours on foot in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, on uneven stone. The stair to Angkor Wat's upper level is steep, needs covered shoulders and knees, and closes on Buddhist holy days.
Banteay Srei and a sunset on the Tonle Sap
Siem Reap to Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre, then Kampong Phluk on the Tonle Sap
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 3.5 h
Today goes further out. We leave at about 7 am for Banteay Srei, about 35 km north-east, to arrive close to opening, ahead of the tour buses. Consecrated in 967, it is small and built of pink sandstone carved so finely it looks like wood.
Afternoon
On the way back we stop at Banteay Samre, a 12th-century temple in the style of Angkor Wat that few groups visit, and lunch is at a village restaurant nearby. The middle of the day is free at the hotel. At about 3:30 pm we drive south-east to Kampong Phluk, a village of stilt houses on the edge of the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO biosphere reserve. We go with an operator that works with the village and pays its community fee, and we skip the orphanages, school visits and rice-donation stops that some boat trips push. From the stilt houses, people from the village paddle us in small canoes through the flooded forest, then we watch the sun go down over the lake.
Evening
The farewell dinner is back in Siem Reap.
Included
- Banteay Srei close to opening, with your Angkor guide
- Banteay Samre
- Lunch at a village restaurant
- Kampong Phluk by boat, with a canoe through the flooded forest
- Sunset on the Tonle Sap
- Farewell dinner in Siem Reap
Easier option: Skip Banteay Samre and the canoe: stay in the shade, then on the larger boat for the sunset.
Free time: Middle of the day free at the hotel
Activity: If the water in the flooded forest is too low for the canoes, which can happen by February, the boat runs out to the open lake instead.
Depart from Siem Reap
Your hotel in Siem Reap to Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Your last morning is free. Walk to the Old Market for silk scarves and Kampot pepper, visit the Angkor National Museum to put the temples you have seen in order, or swim and pack. Your three-day pass still has a day on it, so if your flight leaves after about 2 pm, your guide takes the group to the Roluos temples on the way to the airport: Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei, among the earliest temples of the Angkor period, built in the late 9th century. Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport opened in 2023 about 50 km east of town, so the transfer takes around an hour and is timed to your flight. Hotel check-out is usually around noon; if you need the room for longer, we can book a late check-out at cost. Plan to reach the airport two to three hours before an international flight. Any flight on day 8 works, and if you would like to stay on in Siem Reap, ask us for extra nights when you book.
Included
- The Roluos temples on the way, for flights after about 2 pm
- Drop-off at Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI)
Optional experiences
- Angkor National Museum
Free time: Free until your airport transfer
Activity: Any flight time works today; allow about an hour for the drive and two to three hours at the airport.
- Phnom Penh2 nights
- Battambang2 nights
- Siem Reap3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: November to February is the dry, cooler season: mostly sunny, around 30°C by day and the low to mid 20s at night, with fresher early mornings in December and January. It is also the busiest time at Angkor, which is why the sunrise, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei are timed early. The Tonle Sap is still high from the rains in November and falls through February; if the flooded forest is too low for the canoes, the boat runs out to the open lake instead. March to May is very hot and June to October brings the monsoon rains.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors to Cambodia who want more than Angkor
- Travellers who want the country's recent history told honestly and with care
- Two or three nights in each place, with free middles of the day in the heat
- Solo travellers who want company at meals and on the boats
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: temples mean steep steps, uneven stone and dusty paths
- Young children, as the genocide memorials are not suited to them; ask us about a private trip
- A beach holiday on the coast or the islands
- Travel between March and October
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Phnom Penh2 nights
- Battambang2 nights
- Siem Reap3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 2 in central Phnom Penh near the riverfront, 2 in central Battambang and 3 in central Siem Reap
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard or better, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Techo International Airport, Phnom Penh, on day 1 and drop-off at Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport on day 8
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group for the whole trip
- The sunset boat on the Tonle Sap and Mekong in Phnom Penh
- Bicycles or tuk-tuks in the Battambang countryside, and the bamboo train
- Boat and canoe at Kampong Phluk on the Tonle Sap
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from arrival to departure
- A local guide at Tuol Sleng and in the Battambang countryside
- A licensed Angkor guide at the temples on days 6 and 7
Activities
- Phnom Penh: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Choeung Ek with its audio guide, the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda
- Kampong Chhnang: a pottery village
- Battambang: village workshops by bike or tuk-tuk, the bamboo train, Prasat Banan, Phnom Sampov at dusk and Psar Nat market
- Angkor: a three-day pass, sunset at Pre Rup, Angkor Wat at sunrise, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre and the Roluos temples
- Siem Reap: Phare, the Cambodian Circus
- Tonle Sap: Kampong Phluk and its flooded forest, with the community fee
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 6 lunches, on days 2 to 7
- 2 dinners: welcome in Phnom Penh and farewell in Siem Reap
Not included
- International flights into Phnom Penh and out of Siem Reap
- Cambodian visa
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, local guides, drivers and boat crews
- Optional activities: the Phare Ponleu Selpak show in Battambang, the National Museum in Phnom Penh and the Angkor National Museum
- Late check-out on day 8
- Personal expenses such as laundry and massages
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 335 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 1,380 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 1,495. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 1,625.
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 2 dinners, airport transfers, a private vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local and licensed Angkor guides, a three-day Angkor pass, every entry on the plan, the Phnom Penh sunset boat, the Tonle Sap boat and canoe, the bamboo train and Phare circus.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to hear the guide in a temple gallery, share one boat on the Tonle Sap and sit around one table at lunch.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport in Phnom Penh to the airport in Siem Reap. A local guide joins at Tuol Sleng and in the Battambang countryside, and a licensed Angkor guide leads the temple days. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Easy to moderate. Most days have 2 to 4 hours on foot on uneven stone in heat of around 30°C, with steep steps at Angkor Wat, Pre Rup and Prasat Banan. The Battambang bike ride is flat, and a tuk-tuk is always an option. You can sit out any climb or the sunrise.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own costs from CAD 335 more, about 21% of the price, and we show it before you request to book. You get the same rooms, meals and seats as everyone else, and with a group of 7 to 12 there is always company at the table.
When is the best time to go?
November to February, the dry and cooler season, with sunny days around 30°C and water still in the Tonle Sap's flooded forest. It is the busiest time at Angkor, so we time the big temples early. March to May is very hot, and June to October is the rainy season.
How do I book, and when do I pay?
Pick your start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and start from CAD 1,625 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 2,925 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers and local guides.
Do I need a visa for Cambodia?
Most visitors, Canadians included, do. You can apply online for an e-Visa before you travel or buy a visa on arrival at the international airports, and you fill in an online arrival form before landing. Your passport needs six months' validity. We send the current rules with your final itinerary.
Do I have to visit the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng?
No. They are an important part of understanding Cambodia, and we visit them early, with a briefing the evening before and a quiet afternoon after. If you prefer not to go, a local guide takes you to Wat Phnom and the Central Market instead, and you rejoin the group for lunch.
Is the floating village visit ethical?
We have designed it to be. We go to Kampong Phluk, not the busiest floating village, with an operator that works with the village and pays its community fee, and the canoes are paddled by people who live there. We make no orphanage, school or rice-donation stops, and nobody will ask you to buy gifts for children.
Can I combine this trip with Vietnam?
Yes. Our 15-day Vietnam and Cambodia trip runs from Hanoi to Siem Reap with one night in Phnom Penh and three at Angkor. This 8-day trip goes deeper into Cambodia, with Battambang and two nights in the capital, and can follow a Vietnam trip that ends in Ho Chi Minh City, a short flight away.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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