Discover Cambodia

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2: Siem Reap

Welcome to Cambodia! Arrive in Siem Reap in the country’s northwest where you will meet your ACIS Tour Manager and transfer to the hotel. Relax or begin exploring before this evening’s highlight—a special dinner and Apsara dance performance, held at a charming wooden theater. Showcasing Khmer cultural heritage, dancers, singers and musicians perform both classical and village dances to the music of a traditional orchestra, accompanied by authentic cuisine.

Day 3: Siem Reap

Today you’ll be fully immersed in the sights of the Angkor Archaeological Park, beginning with a visit to the late-12th century Angkor Thom. The last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire, it includes the Bayon Temple’s serene stone faces, the Terrace of the Elephants, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Continue to the atmospheric Ta Prohm temple, reclaimed by the jungle as towering fig trees have entwined the ancient ruins. Then following lunch at a local restaurant, visit the stunning 12th century Angkor Wat. As Cambodia’s most celebrated and expansive temple complex, it is considered the largest religious structure in the world and a masterpiece of Khmer architecture.

Day 4: Siem Reap

This morning’s visit brings you to the red sandstone Banteay Srei, the intricately carved "Citadel of Women" dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, and then to Banteay Samré, a 12th-century Hindu temple built in the style of Angkor Wat. After lunch at a local restaurant, take a boat ride on Tonlé Sap Lake to see the remote floating village of Kampong Khleang, a quiet and authentic fishing community with a unique way of life on the water.

Day 5: Battambang

Depart Siem Reap and travel to Battambang today, stopping en route in the Preah Netr Preah District where you'll have the opportunity to see how the local Cambodian families craft traditional stone and wood carvings. After arrival and lunch in Battambang, head to Phnom Sampeau. This limestone hilltop is known for its scenic views, temples, sacred caves and the spectacular sight of millions of bats emerging at dusk.

Day 6: Battambang

Today explore the beautiful countryside around Battambang on a bicycle tour, as you learn about everyday life in the rural communities which make up over 70% of Cambodia’s population. Visit with local families to see how they produce traditional products such as rice paper, dried banana, bamboo sticky rice, fish paste and more using the same methods they have for generations. You’ll get to taste and experience some of these products, discover a traditional Khmer house while enjoying seasonal fruits and coconut water, and then finish your morning tour by visiting a memorial site for the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Head this afternoon to Phnom Banan, a mountaintop Angkor-era Khmer temple with five distinctive towers. Nearby you'll learn how local rice wine is made and take a scenic ride on the unique Bamboo Train.

Day 7: Phnom Penh

Journey from Battambang to Phnom Penh, stopping on the way in Kampong Chhnang at a pottery village to see how locals make the delicate and beautiful pottery for which this "Port of Pottery" province is known. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to Phnom Penh. This bustling Cambodian capital city sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers and boasts a rich history, both ancient and modern, grand and tragic.

Day 8: Phnom Penh

This morning’s sightseeing tour of Phnom Penh includes a visit to the Royal Palace, built in 1866 by King Norodom, and the Silver Pagoda, located within the Royal Palace compound and so named because its gleaming floor is made up of over 5,000 silver tiles. In the afternoon, gain a greater understanding of Cambodia’s more recent past and the horrific human rights abuses committed by the Khmer Rouge regime. First visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, established on the premises of the regime’s S-21 prison building that was formerly a high school, then visit the Killing Fields (Choeung Ek Genocidal Center), a profoundly moving experience. These sobering sites bear witness to the atrocities of the regime and serve as powerful reminders of the country's resilience and healing.

Day 9: Departure

Rise early this morning for an excursion to Koh Dach, a thriving but tranquil island in the middle of the Mekong River. Board a tuk tuk at your hotel, which will ride the ferry crossing with you to provide transport around the island. Koh Dach is famed as an important silk weaving center and you will learn how local craftspeople grow, dye and weave silk, while also seeing its pagodas, traditional market, and community vegetable farm. Later you will return to Phnom Penh, check out of the hotel and have lunch before transferring to the airport. Depart for your overnight flight back to the USA.

Day 10: United States

Arrive in the USA.