Battambang Tours

Day 1: Phnom Penh – Oudong – Kampong Chhnang – Battambang

Start early today for the nearly five-hour drive to Battambang. Leave the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh behind as you head north to Kampong Luong which is a silversmith village. Observe silversmiths creating ornate and fashionable silver objects. Continue with a visit to Oudong, which functioned as the former capital of Cambodia between the early 17th century and late 19th century. Nowadays Oudong still holds great significance as the three hills are home to various stupas containing the remains of several former Khmer Kings. The main stairway (over 500 steps) leads to the newest of the temples and is home to a Buddha relic. The views from the summit of the surrounding countryside are impressive and worth the climb. Continue to the small riverside town of Kampong Chhnang, enjoying a picnic lunch en route. It is famous for its beautiful landscape and local villages which produce pottery in the midst of the rice fields. Learn how the community makes pottery the traditional way and observe how sugar is collected from the sugar palm trees. Let your guide assist you with translating if you are interested to learn more about village life. Transfer onwards to Battambang and check into your hotel upon arrival. In the late afternoon, you are transferred to visit Phnom Sampov, a natural site located along National Road 57 in Sampeou Commune, Battambang district, about 12Kilometers from Battambang city. Atop a 100-meter-high mountain stands a pagoda and three natural caves: Pkasla, Lakhaon, and Aksopheak. We drive down the hill to wait for watching the bats will be flying out of the cave for food when it is dark. Return to Battambang for dinner and overnight

Included for the day:
Transport: Private vehicle and driver
Tour guide: English-speaking tour guide
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Deluxe Villa Hotel or a similar standard hotel

Day 2: Battambang – Bamboo Train – Banteay Chhmar

To avoid the hit of hot weather, and also to get on time to see the activities of the villagers working in the field, we will wake up early today and at 6.00 am we drive to Bamboo Train Station. Enjoy the Bamboo Train riding through the villages and rice paddies, the unique creative bamboo platform attached motor-engine which runs over the train rails provides a beautiful landscape, and fresh air and you absolutely have fun. Next, we will drive to visit one of the Ancient Khmer Traditional houses, and meet the house’s own with a warm greeting and he/she take you around the house. The picnic breakfast will be arranged for you in the area of their house. Return to the hotel for check-out and then drive to other villagers along the Stueng Sangke River bank, many stops to visit the daily activities of the villagers are making rice wine, banana cake, and rice paper. Lunch at the local restaurant in town, then we drive to Banteay Chhmar which is 128km from Battambang and will take around 2 hours to drive. On arrival, we will be welcomed by the Banteay Chhmar Community Eco-based Tourism with cold drinks and fruits.
Then we will visit Banteay Chhmar Temple, which is one of Cambodia’s most important and least understood temples from the Angkorian period. The temple complex, its moat, baray (reservoir), and surrounding unspoiled environment comprises a unique archaeological site and a vital link in Cambodia’s cultural heritage. For these reasons, it is now one of Cambodia’s top priorities for inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its remoteness from Angkor Wat, in part, explains the lack of in-depth documentation and study of the temple. The Ministry of Culture & Fine Arts (MCFA) is responsible for overseeing the temple complex. Return to the community and get into one of the local houses assigned by the head of the community, we will have dinner and overnight with this local family.

Included for the day:
Transport: Private vehicle and driver
Tour guide: English-speaking tour guide
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Homestay with the local family

Day 3: Banteay Chhmar – Phum Srok Village – Siem Reap

Breakfast at the community, today we will take the countryside tour by starting to walk through the main market of Banteay Chhmar, then ride the ox-cart through the village to learn the local lifestyle and also visit the silk center. Next, we ride on the small tractor (Koh Yorn) to visit one of the biggest manmade lakes that remained from The Khmer Rouge Regime. Say goodbye to the community and drive to Siem Reap via the countryside road that is full of rice paddies and lotus farms, stop at Phnom Srok to have homemade lunch with the local family. Phnom Srok is an ancient moated city, now the capital of Phnom Srok district. The outer moat surrounding the city is a little more than 1 km wide and just under 1km tall now enclosing contemporary Khmer life, residences, businesses, schools, etc. There are a few ancient remains to be seen bar the Preah Srok site and remnants that are believed to be held within the monasteries. Regardless, Wat Sovanakar is quite pretty, as is Wat Chey Udom and the moat on the southern and northern sides are well kept with nice bridges with classical Khmer naga balustrades. After lunch, walk through the village and say hello to different families, visit one Buddhist Monastery before heading to Siem Reap.
Arrive in Siem Reap at about 5 pm – drop off – end of services!

Included for the day:
Transport: Private vehicle and driver
Tour guide: English-speaking tour guide
Meals: Breakfast, lunch