Day 1: Siem Reap arrival - Tonle Sap Lake – Roluos Group Temples

When you arrive at the airport in Siem Reap, you will be welcome by a Cambodia Journey Wisdom representative just outside the exit door of airport. And we will drive you out to hotel by passing the main roads, markets, some recommended restaurants and shops before dropping you off at your hotel to check in.

*Or other option we will pick you up at your own place.

We will visit the biggest fresh water lake in South-East Asia called Tonle Sap Lake. Where we will take a traditional wooden motor boat on a tour along the lake to visit the local floating village, fishing village (get experiences with local people’s life activities at the lake which is completely different), flooded forest and the big open of the lake like the sea.

Break time for lunch at a beautiful garden restaurant.

After that we will continue the tour to Roluos group temples which are older than Angkor. Once it was the seat of Hariharalaya, first capital of Khmer Empire north of Tonle Sap lake. They mark the beginning of classical period of Khmer civilization, dating from the late 9^th century. Some were totally built with bricks, others partially with laterite or sandstone. At present it is composed by three major temples :

Preah Ko (Khmer, The Sacred Bull) was the first temple to be built in the ancient and now defunct city of Hariharlaya. The temple was built under the Khmer king Indravarman I in 879 to honor members of the king’s family, whom it places in relation with the Hindu deity Shiva.

Bakong is the first temple mountain of sandstone constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire in 881, it served as the official state temple of King Indravarman I in the ancient city of Hariharalaya.

Lolei was the last of the three temple to be built as part of the city of Hariharlaya that once flourished at Roluos, and in 893 the Khmer king Yasovarman I dedicated it to Shiva and to members of the royal family.

Finish tour day 1 and drive back to town. Enjoy dinner, shopping and massage before drive back hotel.

PHNOM KULEN NATIONAL PARK, SIEM REAP

Day 2: Banteay Srei – Kulen Mountain Waterfall  (Grand Reclining Buddha – 1000 Lingas River )

Kulen Mountain This trip will take a bit early around 8 am due to the time limit of one way drive up to the mountain close at 12 pm for the traffic coming back down. We will heading north toward the holy mountain in Cambodia and is of special religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists known as Phnom Kulen (Mountain of lychee) and discover the birthplace of the Khmer Empire. On this tour we will being tropical forest, the Grand Reclining Buddha, and a famous waterfalls which is from the spring water that flow across the River of the 1000 Lingas. We will see the intricate fertility carvings that are a legacy of the God-Kings who ruled Cambodia. You will explore the vast plateau of Phnom Kulen. A beautiful and a sacred place, Phnom Kulen is a quarry of sandstone for the structure of Angkor areas. The waterfall is a dramatic sight, tons of water tumbling down the rcoks. Plunge into the pools and cool-off from landmarks. The mineral water called Au Kulen which is made from this place is same idea of Evian water.

Banteay Srei After lunch we will start the tour to Banteay Srey temple (the citadel of the women) is a 10^th Century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. The temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as a “precious gem”

Finish tour day 2 and drive back to town. Enjoy dinner, shopping and massage before drive back hotel.

Day 3 Temple Grand Tour(Pre Rup – East Mebon – Ta Som – Neak Pean – Preah Khan)

After breakfast we will start our tour to the grand circuit. We will visit 5 temples:

Pre Rup is a Hindu temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built as the state temple of Khmer king Rajendravarman and dedicated in 961 to the Hindu god Shiva. The temple’s name is a comparatively modern one meaning “turn the body’. This reflects the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the services progressed.

East Mebon was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, built in the general style of Pre Rup under the Khmer king Rajendravarman in 953. It’s honors the parents of the king.

Ta Som is a small temple at Angkor, built at the end of the 12^th century for king Jayavarman VII. The king dedicated the temple to his father Dharanindravarman II who was king of the Khmer Empire from 1150 to 1160.

Break time for lunch and drink near Jayatataka Baray.

Neak Pean (“The entwined serpents”) at Angkor, is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Jayatataka Baray, buit during the reign of king Jayavarman VII in the second half of the 12^th century. Neak Pean was originally designed for medical purpose. It’s represents Anavatapta, a mythical lake in the Himalayas whose waters are thought to cure all illness. It is one of the many hospitals that Jayavarman VII built. It’s based on the ancient Hindu belief of balance. Four connected pools represent Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. Each is connected to the central water source, the main tank, by a stone conduit “presided over by one of Four Great Animals (maha ajaneya pasu) namely Elephant, Bull, Horse, and Lion, corresponding to the north, east, south, and west quarters.

Preah Khan (“Royal Sword”) is a temple at Angkor built in the 12^th century for king Jayavarman VII’s victory over the invading Charms in 1191 to honor his father.

Finish tour day 3 and drive back to town. Enjoy dinner, shopping and massage before drive back hotel.

Day 4: Temple Mini Tour (Angkor Wat – Angkor Thom Gate – Bayon – Terrace of Elephants  – Ta Prohm)

After breakfast we will start our tour to the grand circuit. We will visit 3 main temples, 1 gate, 1 terrace:

Angkor wat (“Capital Temple”) is one of Cambodia’s popular tourist attractions, is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres). It was built by the Khmer king Suryavarman II in Yasodharapura 1113-1150. It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple.

The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolizes the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat symbolize the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean.

One of the first Western visitor to the temple was Anto’nio da Madalena, a Portuguese friar who visited in 1586. 

Angkor Thom Gate is the fascinating south gate of Angkor Thom’s, topped with the four serenely smiling faces of Avalokiteshavara.

Bayon (the original name is Jayagiri “Victory Mountain”) is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12^th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, it stands at the centre of Jayavarman’s capital. The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces on the temple’s tower to other statues of the king has led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are representations of Jayavarman VII. Others have said that faces belong to the bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara.

Terrace of Elephants is part of the walled city of Angkor Thom. The terrace was used by Angkor’s king Jayavarman VII as a platform from which to view his victorious returning army. The 350m long Terrace of Elephants was used as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king’s grand audience hall.

Break time for lunch and drink.

Ta Prhom is modern name of the temple at Angkor, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12^th and early 13^th centuries and originally called Rajavihara.  It was founded by the Khmer king Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm is in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors.

Finish tour day 4 and drive back to town. Enjoy dinner, shopping and massage before drive back hotel.