CAMBODIA & LAOS FOR FAMILY

After breakfast, you’ll start to visit the Victory Monument, and the terracotta red National Museum also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. A French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, designed it in Khmer style in 1917. The museum contains a collection of Khmer art – notably sculptures – from throughout the ages. Visit the nearby Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. Located within the grounds of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90 kilograms and a small 17th-century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha.

Back to the city for the Toul Tom Pong Market (Russian Market) is the city’s best place to shop for art objects, including textiles, antiques, wood and marble carvings, ritual objects and old Indochinese coins.

End the afternoon with the visit of the Wat Phnom Temple, Phnom Penh’s namesake, from where you can enjoy views over the tree-lined avenues of the city during sunset.

Overnight in Phnom Penh
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

In the morning, after breakfast, we’ll head out of Modern City to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center which is well worth a visit if your family are animal lovers. Occupying a vast area of 6,000 acres south of the capital, this wildlife sanctuary focuses on rescue, rehabilitation, care and release of wildlife and is an ideal place to see over 1,200 Cambodian animals, including crocodiles, deer, elephants, gibbons, leopards, lions, tigers, sun bears, ginormous pythons, birds, etc. Most of these creatures were rescued from poachers and traffickers, and are kept in excellent, spacious enclosures where they are allowed to roam free. They will be well cared for here at the reserve until they recover when they will be released back into the wild. The center has been receiving help from Wildlife Alliances, Free the Bears and other international wildlife NGOs to improve and expand the enclosures over the years.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Siem Reap.

Upon arrival at Siem Reap airport, you’ll be met and transferred to the hotel for check-in.

Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)

At 4.45am, you may wish to wake up early and set out for Angkor Wat, in front of the water lily pond, enjoying the temple’s reflection and the sunrise over the complex. Then, we will start to explore the intricately carved remains of Angkor Wat, one of the world’s most impressive temple sites. The temple still displays hundreds of fine carvings of Apsara and scenes from Hindu mythology. The Khmer constructed the temple between the 9th and 13th Centuries. Strolling around the massive hallways, you will find many small shrines still in use by the Cambodians. Back to the hotel for breakfast.

Options:
– If you wish to sleep in and avoid waking up at 4:45 am, you can start your day later in the morning
– You can have your breakfast at the hotel before heading out for the sunrise if you prefer

In the afternoon, you’ll head 30km north to visit the captivating and beautiful temple of Banteay Srei or ‘Fortress of the Women’. The journey allows you to experience the beautiful Cambodian countryside as you pass through small typical villages. Banteay Srei is the birthplace of Khmer classical style architecture. One of the smallest temples in the region, Banteay Srey is also one of the most beautiful, showcasing the most exquisite, deep and complex carvings in all Khmer architecture. Also, we will pay a visit to the Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre (BBC), which is one of the most visited tourist spots in the country, with the largest butterfly exhibition in Southeast Asia.

Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

After breakfast, we will drive to visit the walled city of Angkor Thom, the royal city itself, covering four square miles and located in the complex’s geographic center. The Bayon is an awesome sight. At first glance, the complex seems a shapeless mass of stone. Suddenly, further scrutiny reveals a face, enigmatic and silent, watching with half-closed eyes. Soon, another face is made out, and another, and still yet another, until they are all around – silent, heavy, and impressive, starting from a primitive remote past. We will then go on to the surroundings of the complex including the Baphou, Elephant Terraces, King’s Terrace and Royal Palace area.

Then, we will continue to explore the picturesque Ta Prohm, which has nearly disappeared into the jungle and remains overgrown, an oddly haunting and exotic scene. The magnificent roots of a tree, pushing between the huge stone blocks of the temple in a sort of embrace, evoke feelings that you will remember forever.

Early in the evening, you will be taken by Tuk Tuk on an openly aired tour through the suburban streets of Siem Reap, and afterward, attend blessing ceremony by Buddhist monks for happiness, prosperity, and safety for your journey.

Tonight the tour guide will see you again and transfer you to see the remarkable Phare Circus troupe perform a live show that blends circus arts with riveting theater, dance and music to tell uniquely Cambodian stories — historical, folk and modern.

Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)

In the morning, we’ll drive about 45 minutes into the countryside near Siem Reap, stopping en route to visit a local village, arriving at a boat quay for a 1½ hour ride on Tonle Sap Lake, also known as the Great Lake of Cambodia, where we will see many communities on floating houses and boats, including schools, markets, police stations, children playing and swimming, and freshwater aquariums with different fish species displayed – a wonderful example of floating village life.

Also, an ox cart tour is a safe journey in Cambodian village bear by the rural area. Take Ox-cart riding for 30-40 minutes around a typical village to enjoy the natural beauty of Cambodia countryside. You will also stop along the road to take photos of real Cambodian life and houses on stilt.

Then, you’ll be met and transferred to the airport for the flight to Luang Prabang. On arrival at the Luang Prabang airport, you will be met and transferred to check in the hotel.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
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After breakfast, we’ll visit the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. Our next stop in the city is the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. From there, we will take the boat downstream the Mekong River to Ban Sing, enjoying the peaceful scenery of the countryside. We will then transfer to the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfall, where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails. You can also see up close Asiatic bears at the Bear Rescue Centre along the jungle walk to the waterfall.

Arriving in Luang Prabang, we will also take a look at the Traditional Art & Ethnology Center to learn about the many Lao ethnic groups.

From there, we will ascend the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view of the city and its glowing reflection on the Mekong River. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

● 8:30 am – 9:00 am: Picked up by our English-speaking guide from your hotel lobby within Luang Prabang, Laos
● Arrival at Shangri Lao Resort: Welcome greeting by your guide and participate in a short briefing about elephants
● Receive Bottle: To reduce plastic bottle usage, we give out reusable aluminum water bottles that you will fill up and refill with water and take home with you after the tour
● Elephant Feeding: Get up close and personal with elephants, including one baby elephant
● Explore Elephant Village: Visit elephant hospital, museum, photo gallery and dung paper making area
● Mahout Training: Receive your basic mahout training on how to control an elephant just like a mahout!
● Bareback Elephant Ride: Enjoy the impressive experience of a 1 km bareback elephant ride! One person per elephant
● Lunch: Dine at our Shangri Lao Restaurant. A three-course set menu lunch is served (vegetarian options available)
● Bathe Your Elephant: Take your own elephant down to the Nam Khan River for an exhilarating once in a lifetime bathing experience!
● Boat trip to the Tad Sae Waterfall: Take a traditional Lao long boat to the Tad Sae Waterfall and relax, dip your feet or take a swim in the clear, cool water
● Depart: Transfer back to your Hotel in Luang Prabang between 3:30 pm and 4:00 PM

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

After departing at 8:30 am from your hotel, transfer to Nahm Dong Park, which locates in Ban Xiengmouk, 10Km from the city center.

Arriving at the park, we will have a short welcome by the park manager before joining the morning activities here. We will first start with the Zipline flying over the jungle and the waterfalls admiring the amazing evergreen scenery. The zipline will take about 1 hour. Then we will walk back via the jungle trail crossing some flying bridges, small streams, and clear natural pools, where you can take a refreshing splash if you wish so.

The picnic lunch will be served at the viewpoint where you can spread your view over the region, including the view of Mount Phousi in the city center. You will be free to take some rest at one of the viewpoints salas or continue the exploration of the park and the nearby village.

We’ll then transfer back to the airport to take the flight to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Vientiane
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

In the morning, we will first visit Wat Si Muang, which is very famous for its supernatural power. We will then transfer out to see Buddha Park, an enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow, close to the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately 200 religious images dating back over 500 years, which were created by a mysterious monk spreading his philosophy on life and revealing his ideas about the universe.

In the afternoon, we’ll see the major sights of the capital; including the oldest Wat Sisaket, the temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image.

On the way to Lao’s national icon, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we will stop en route to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. A spectacular view over the Mekong River at sunset is a perfect way to finish the day.

Overnight in Vientiane
Meals: (Breakfast/Lunch/_)

Today’s breakfast will be included at the hotel and check-out time will be at midday. You will be free at your leisure until you’ll be met and transferred to the airport for your international departure flight.

Meals: (Breakfast/_/_)