15 days 14 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
A 15-day private Cambodia tour: Angkor and the Tonle Sap, Battambang and its countryside, Phnom Penh's museum and history, two nature days in the Mondulkiri highlands, then the Mekong falls near Stung Treng and the dolphins of Kratie. All overland with your own guide and driver.
From US$1,820 per person for the whole tour, based on 4 travellers sharing double rooms in 4★ hotels as listed (couples travelling alone pay a little more). It changes with hotel level, season and group size, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Siem Reap, Apsara welcome dinner | Siem Reap |
| 2 | Angkor temples by tuk-tuk | Siem Reap |
| 3 | Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre, Tonle Sap boat | Siem Reap |
| 4 | Drive to Battambang, colonial walk | Battambang |
| 5 | Ek Phnom, bamboo train | Battambang |
| 6 | Silversmiths and Kampong Chhnang potters, to Phnom Penh | Phnom Penh |
| 7 | National Museum, Royal Palace, Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek | Phnom Penh |
| 8 | Wat Hanchey, drive to Mondulkiri | Mondulkiri |
| 9 | Bou Sra waterfall, coffee plantation | Mondulkiri |
| 10 | Sen Monorom falls, Sea of Trees, hilltop sunset | Mondulkiri |
| 11 | Drive to Stung Treng | Stung Treng |
| 12 | Mekong falls, dolphins, kayaking | Stung Treng |
| 13 | Drive to Kratie, dolphin boat trip | Kratie |
| 14 | Chhlong village, back to Phnom Penh | Phnom Penh |
| 15 | Departure from Phnom Penh | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 15 days / 14 nights · Siem Reap – Battambang – Kampong Chhnang – Phnom Penh – Mondulkiri – Stung Treng – Kratie – Chhlong – Phnom Penh
This Khmer Empire tour traces Cambodia from its great temples to its far frontier. You begin in Siem Reap with Angkor by tuk-tuk, Banteay Srei and a private boat on the Tonle Sap. Then you head west to Battambang, a gracious river city of colonial houses and Angkor-era hilltop ruins, where you ride the bamboo train and learn how sticky rice is cooked in bamboo.
On the way to Phnom Penh you stop at silversmith workshops and the pottery villages of Kampong Chhnang, before a full day with the capital's museum, palace and history. From there the road rises to Mondulkiri, a highland province of rolling grasslands, forest and waterfalls, where you spend two easy days at Bou Sra falls, a coffee plantation, Sen Monorom and the viewpoint known as the Sea of Trees.
The final stretch follows the Mekong: rapids and dolphin pools near Stung Treng, a kayak through flooded forest, dolphins at Kratie and the riverside village of Chhlong. Private guiding throughout makes the long journey feel personal and unhurried.
Moderate. Expect several long road days, especially Phnom Penh to Mondulkiri and Mondulkiri to Stung Treng, plus some walking on uneven paths to waterfalls and temples. A short, easy kayak paddle is included. Suits active older travelers and families with children over 10.
4-star and best-available hotels: Saem Siem Reap, Battambang Resort, Anik Palace in Phnom Penh, Nature Lodge in Mondulkiri, Stung Treng Resort and Rajabori at Kratie, or similar. Nature Lodge offers simple country cottages in a green setting.
November to March is best, with dry roads and pleasant highland temperatures in Mondulkiri, which is noticeably cooler than the lowlands. The waterfalls are fullest at the end of the rainy season, around October and November. Heavy rain from June to October can slow travel on rural roads.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request.
More ideas: All private tours in Cambodia · Discover Cambodia: Temples, Battambang, the Coast and Koh Kong in 14 Days · Kingdom of Wonder: Angkor, the Wild Northeast, Kampot and Koh Rong in 16 Days · Cambodia Soft Adventure: Phnom Penh, Angkor and the Mekong to Kratie in 13 Days
Photos: Dtfman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 pl, via Wikimedia Commons; Pierre André Leclercq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Marcel40chaudron, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; David Sim, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; PsamatheM, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Adriaan Castermans, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Khmer Empire: Angkor, Battambang, Mondulkiri and the Mekong in 15 Days is a starting point. Our Hanoi travel designers adjust every day to your pace, interests and hotel style, then run the trip with your own guide and driver.
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
Most travel days are three to five hours. The longest are Phnom Penh to Mondulkiri, with several stops, and Mondulkiri to Stung Treng, which can take six hours or more. Your vehicle is private, so you can rest and stop whenever you need.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Lodging is simple and close to nature rather than luxurious, and the waterfall paths are uneven. The pace on Days 9 and 10 is gentle, and your guide adjusts walks to suit you.
Very much so. Tuk-tuks, the bamboo train, waterfall swims, kayaking and dolphin spotting keep the days varied. The history visits in Phnom Penh are handled sensitively; your guide can tailor them for younger travelers.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese: tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the December to April high season.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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