Khmer Empire: Angkor, Battambang, Mondulkiri and the Mekong in 15 Days

Your guide meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. The afternoon is yours to rest. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner of Cambodian dishes while watching Apsara dance, the graceful classical art form whose roots go back to the Khmer empire.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: D

Travel by tuk-tuk into the Angkor complex. Pass through the South Gate of Angkor Thom, once one of the largest cities in Asia, and visit the Bayon with its many towers of four-faced Buddhas. Your guide adds smaller, beautiful temples along the way. Finish with Angkor Wat at sunset, then return to the hotel for a quiet evening.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, L

Drive along a country road to Banteay Srei, a small temple of pink sandstone with exquisite carving, stopping at Preah Dak village on the way. Continue to Banteay Samre and its reliefs of Vishnu and Krishna. In the afternoon, take a private boat on the Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake, to a fishing village where homes and schools float on the water.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B

After breakfast, travel by road to Battambang, Cambodia's second city and one of its most charming. Elegant French-era houses line the Sangker River. After checking in, take a late afternoon walk with your guide through the old streets to see the best of its colonial architecture and shophouses.Overnight: Battambang · Meals: B, L

Explore by tuk-tuk. Visit Wat Samrong Knong, then follow the river road through villages and rice fields to Ek Phnom, an 11th-century temple ruin built under King Suryavarman I, beside a modern pagoda. Stop at a market where prahok fish paste is made and see how sticky rice is steamed in bamboo. After a short walk in the local market, end with a ride on the bamboo train.Overnight: Battambang · Meals: B, L

Drive to Phnom Penh with stops that bring Cambodian crafts to life. Visit a silversmith village, see clay pots shaped by hand in the pottery villages of Kampong Chhnang, and walk through a busy fish market. Arrive in the capital in the afternoon and check in to your hotel.Overnight: Phnom Penh · Meals: B

Start at the National Museum, home to over five thousand objects including Angkor-era statues. Visit the Royal Palace, still the residence of the King. Then your guide leads a respectful visit to Tuol Sleng Museum, the former S-21 prison, and the memorial at Choeung Ek, 15 kilometers south of the city. If time allows, finish at the Russian Market for silk, silver and carvings.Overnight: Phnom Penh · Meals: B, L

Head east toward Mondulkiri, one of Cambodia's most beautiful and least visited provinces. Along the way, climb Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei, the Men's and Women's Hills, for panoramic views, and visit Wat Hanchey, an 8th-century religious center with one of the best views over the Mekong. Stop at a rubber plantation in Memot before reaching Sen Monorom.Overnight: Mondulkiri · Meals: B, L

Today is about Mondulkiri's nature. Drive through forest and grassland to Bou Sra, a wide, three-tier waterfall that drops tens of meters into natural pools. There are no marked trails, so take your time to explore, swim and enjoy a picnic lunch by the falls. In the afternoon, visit a coffee plantation to learn how beans are grown here and taste a fresh cup in its small cafe, furnished with coffee-wood tables.Overnight: Mondulkiri · Meals: B, L

Enjoy a slower start in the cool highland air. Later, walk to the Sen Monorom waterfall close to town, then drive to Samot Cheur, the Sea of Trees, a viewpoint over endless emerald forest. In the late afternoon, head to Wat Phnom Doh Kromom, a hilltop temple on the edge of town, to watch the sun set over the rolling hills of Mondulkiri.Overnight: Mondulkiri · Meals: B, L

After breakfast and a free morning, make the long drive north to Stung Treng, a river town where the Sekong joins the Mekong. On arrival, check in and relax for the evening.Overnight: Stung Treng · Meals: B

Drive about an hour and a half north, close to the Lao border, then continue by boat into a wide, rocky stretch of the Mekong with deep pools and powerful falls. Walk close to the falls and visit a small fishing village that still uses traditional plant medicine. By boat, look for rare Irrawaddy dolphins. After lunch, kayak through flooded forest in a protected Ramsar wetland full of birds, then return by longtail boat.Overnight: Stung Treng · Meals: B, L

Drive south to Kratie, a small, easygoing town on the banks of the Mekong. Kratie is known for its Irrawaddy dolphins, and this afternoon you take a boat out to watch them surfacing in the river, one of Cambodia's most memorable wildlife moments.Overnight: Kratie · Meals: B, L

Return to Phnom Penh by way of Chhlong, a quiet Mekong village of Khmer wooden homes and colonial buildings. Its best-known landmark is a 19th-century wooden house supported by a hundred columns. Arrive in the capital in the afternoon for a final night in the city.Overnight: Phnom Penh · Meals: B, L

Enjoy a free morning in Phnom Penh, perhaps a riverside coffee or some last shopping. At the right time, your guide and driver take you to the airport for your onward flight.Meals: B