3 Days Private Guide Tours: From Phnom Penh to Battambang & Siem Reap, Exploring Local Lifestyle

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Travel overland to the provincial town of Battambang to see local lifestyles and explore the surrounding countryside. Continue your journey overland to the lively city of Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor. All our tours are exclusive private tours, so you will not be put together with other guests

Duration: 3 days

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Day 1: Phnom Penh – Battambang

Kampong Chhnang - Embark on a road trip from Phnom Penh to Battambang with sightseeing along the way: Today, meet the personal guide and driver and set off from Phnom Penh to Battambang via overland transfer (290km, approximately 4-5 hours’ drive). Travel to the bustling riverside town of Kompong Chhnang, where a visit to the silversmith village and the pottery village awaits. Continue the journey to the quaint town of Krakor and detour from the main road to explore the remarkable floating town of Kompong Luong. As the largest floating community on Tonle Sap Lake, it is home to nearly 10,000 residents. Everything here floats on water, including schools, clinics, shops, and even the petrol station. Experience life in this authentic floating community, untouched by mass tourism, by exploring it by boat.

Pursat - After lunch, proceed to Pursat to admire the stone carvings.

Battambang - Later, continue to Battambang, Cambodia’s second-largest city. Situated on a fertile plain, it supplies much of the country’s rice and other essential crops. Check into a charming hotel and enjoy the rest of the afternoon soaking up the atmosphere of this picturesque riverside town or take a stroll to discover its stunning colonial architecture.

Day 2: Battambang

Wat Ek Phnom - Enjoy a full-day tour of Battambang: After breakfast, drive along the scenic Sangker River to Wat Slaket pagoda, the residence of the provincial Buddhist patriarch. Visit a Khmer Ancient House and stop to observe the production of rice paper used for spring rolls. Continue to Wat Ek Phnom. Visit the Provincial Museum and the local market. Then, transfer to a local village for a ride on the Bamboo Train. This train consists of a simple bamboo platform on four wheels with a small motor, created by local villagers to transport goods. Travel 8km on the train to the next village through beautiful landscapes and rice paddies. Upon arrival at the village, visit a workshop specializing in wooden sculpture.

Phnom Sampeau - Proceed to visit Phnom Sampeau, a small mountain located 8km outside of Battambang. Its elongated form runs parallel to the road leading there, with dramatic limestone cliffs emerging from the forest cover. A charming village road leads to the mountain’s base, passing a grand pagoda, a cave in the rock face, and a carved Buddha’s head built into the same rock face. On the winding road to the top, halfway up is a cave used by the Khmer Rouge to deposit victims’ bodies. The bones remain today, serving as a stark reminder of Cambodia’s recent history. Continue to the top, where modern pagodas and breathtaking views of Cambodia’s stunning landscapes await. Enjoy a magnificent view of the surrounding plains until sunset.

Day 3: Battambang – Siem Reap

Ang Trapeng Thmor Reserve - Journey to Siem Reap: This morning, drive to Phnom Srok Village near the Baray, an agricultural Cambodian community where silk yarn is extracted from boiled grubs and traditionally woven in looms beneath village houses. Next, continue to Ang Trapaeng Thmor, a large Angkorian reservoir or Baray rebuilt by the Khmer Rouge, still used today to irrigate rice paddies south of the reservoir. In 2002, it was declared a Sarus Crane Reserve, providing a vital feeding ground for these near-threatened and graceful birds. It is now a sanctuary for wildlife, including the critically endangered Eld’s Deer, which emerges from the forest to drink as waters recede during the dry season. Flocks of ducks can be seen flying over the water, while semi-submerged trees are filled with storks and pelicans, and there are a couple of fruit bat colonies.

Puok - Continue driving to the district of Puok to visit the Silk Farm. Learn about the various stages of the intricate process of producing handmade silk, including growing mulberry trees, silk worm breeding, and training in the ancient craft of silk dyeing and weaving. From here, transfer to check into the hotel and enjoy the afternoon and evening at leisure. Siem Reap by road. Siem Reap serves as the base for exploring the legendary temples of Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire.

What's Included