Cultural Cambodia
-Extension to Highlights of Vietnam.

After breakfast, we bid a fond farewell to Hanoi and Vietnam. You will be transferred to Noi Bai Airport for your flights to Siem Reap, Cambodia (approx. 1hr 50mins).

Siem Reap, the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire, is the base from which we explore the fabled temples of Angkor.

After passing through immigration in Cambodia, we will be met by our local English speaking guide in the arrivals lounge and transferred to our hotel. Enjoy dinner together this evening.

Today, you should wear comfortable shoes, bring a sun hat to cover your head and don't forget to bring something to cover your arms and knees. The sun will be hot and the humidity very high as we explore the temples.

We travel from our hotel through the South Gate of Angkor Thom and begin to imagine the manpower and ingenuity required to construct this city in the late 12th century.

At Bayon Temple we explore the 54 towers and 200 enigmatic smiling faces, hearing some of the history and legends behind them from our local guide. We will walk along the Terrace of the Leper Kings, with its exceptionally well-conserved early carvings and see the Terrace of Elephants. This terrace served as the giant viewing platform for royal ceremonies. Here the royal family were usually accompanied by parasol holders as it does get very hot here. You will be glad of your long sleeves as protection from the sun and you may want to think about bringing along your own umbrella to provide some shade.

After lunch we return to Siem Reap and visit the Artisan D’Angkor; a training centre set up to preserve and develop traditional Khmer crafts and to train the local people in traditional Cambodian skills to alleviate rural poverty. This is the place to see master craftsmen at work, producing local lacquerware, silks, silver items and much more.

There will be some free time for some independent exploration during the afternoon, but make sure you return to the hotel in good time to rejoin the group for some excellent entertainment this evening. Tonight we have dinner together at the Angkor Theatre where we can also enjoy a traditional Apsara Dance Show.

This morning we will head out very early to experience an unforgetable spectacle - the sunrise over the temple of Angkor Wat.

Angkor Thom is the largest religious site in the world and Angkor Wat is perhaps its most famous temple. Instead of returning to the hotel after we have witnessed the sunrise, we will have our packed breakfast in a local restaurant, before we continue.

After breakfast, we set out to visit the legendary Angkor Wat. Built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. Angkor Wat is constructed following the model of the temple mountain symbolizing Mount Meru, the home of the gods. Inside the temple, the walls are covered with stone carvings and bas-reliefs depicting Hindu mythology and the wars Suryavarman II fought during his reign. Angkor Wat is well known for the more than 2,000 Apsara dancers decorating the temple. Construction is thought to have taken around thirty years of intensive labor. Today, Angkor Wat is figured on Cambodia's national flag as the temple symbolizes the soul of the Khmer people.

Our next stop will be Ta Prohm, where the jungle has tried to reclaim the monuments. Although the site has been restored, giant tree trunks still reach through the ancient stone. Here you can get a feeling of how the first European explorers would have found the ruins of Angkor Thom. This temple, dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII, was constructed as a Buddhist monastery and was enormously wealthy in its heyday.

At lunchtime, there will be the opportuntiy to return to the hotel after our very early start. Alternatively, you may wish to continue the tour and visit Banteay Srei, a 10th century temple located outside the main Angkor Thom city. Unique to Banteay Srei is the rare pink sandstone and its exquisite ornamental carvings of gods, demons, coiling serpents and floral garlands. Most of the bas-reliefs found on the walls depict scenes of Hindu episodes of the Ramayana.

Dinner this evening will be together at a local restaurant.

We have one more, final day of visiting temples in Cambodia. Today's itinerary includes several stops - Prasat Kravan's unique brick towers contain large wall sculptures of Vishnu and Laksmi. East Mebon is located on an islet in the centre of the Eastern Baray. The base of the temple is guarded at its corners by stone figures of harnessed elephants.

Pre-Rup is a Hindu Temple and an architecturally and artistically superior mountain temple, while Neak Pean is a small temple that's located in the middle of a reservoir, reachable only by boat. The last temple Preah Khan which means sacred sword, is a huge, complex full of carvings, passages and photo opportunities

We return to Siem Reap for a lunch at Lum Orng where they serve Farm to Table cuisine.

In the afternoon, you have the opportunity to do some final souvenir shopping (an ideal place to buy some early Christmas presents) as we'll head to the Senteurs d’Angkor. Here you can visit the handicraft shops where local artisans from Siem Reap sell their products. There is also a botancial garden you can visit.

Just around the corner is another artist's studio, Theam’s House. Lim Muy Theam is a Cambodian artist and designer who draws inspiration from both Khmer and contemporary international design. For more than 10 years Theam has trained a team of artisan apprentices who work either at the studio or in their villages. Here you can explore the art studio and observe various works being created such as lacquerware, painting and fine sculptures.

Our farewell dinner this evening will be at the hotel. With the final souvenirs bought and bags packed, we meet in the bar for a pre-dinner glass of wine, to toast our time in Indochina.

Today we say farewell to Indochina and the friends we have made along the way. You will be transferred back to Siem Reap International Airport for your flight home.