Monsoon Hotel Phnom Penh

[Casimiro Lurten]

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The day is free to recover from the flight. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is an exciting, absorbing city where bicycles battle with lorries and temples stand alongside modern developments. Devastated by the Vietnam War, HCMC is now a bustling free-market city, where anything goes. The Ben Thanh Market and Notre Dame Cathedral are highly recommended.

After breakfast, we leave Ho Chi Minh City and drive (approximately six hours including a lunch stop) to Chau Doc on the Mekong Delta. After checking into our hotel, we transfer out of town for a 30-minute walk to the top of Sam Mountain for sunset, enjoying views over temple-studded countryside and into Cambodia from the summit. Alternatively, there is a cable car to the top, which costs 75,000 Vietnamese dong (US$3.30) one way.

In the afternoon, we visit two sites that give us a vivid impression of the past horrors here. First is the city-centre Genocide Museum, which is located within the former Khmer Rouge prison known as S-21 or Tuol Sleng. And 9mi (15km) out of town is the Killing Fields, a mass grave and execution site for S-21 inmates. Visiting these two sites is a sobering experience but provides an essential understanding of what the people here endured just a few decades ago.

Battambang itself is an attractive riverside hub with traces of French elegance, friendly Khmer people and well-preserved colonial architecture. There are also striking examples of art deco architecture at the central market, the Victory swimming pool and the train station.

Before sunset, we take a short drive out of town and visit Phnom Sampov (a limestone mountain and pilgrimage site), known for having spectacular views of Battambang and a massive cave home to millions of bats that pour into the sky at sunset.

Following breakfast, we have a leisurely half-day bike ride through the Battambang countryside. Stop along the way to learn about rural life and discover cottage industries producing ripe paper, dried bananas and bamboo sticky rice. The 15mi (24km) cycle is easy riding on flat terrain with lots of stops along the way. If you would like to opt out and hop on a tuk-tuk instead, let the leader know at the beginning of the trip so they can make alternative arrangements.

After, we transfer (approximately two hours) to the village of Banteay Chhmar and experience true Cambodian hospitality by staying with local families in traditional wooden-stilted Khmer houses. This afternoon includes a village walk followed by an authentic home-cooked dinner.

After a home-cooked breakfast, we visit the market with our hosts to pick fresh vegetables, meat and herbs before returning to help them prepare and cook a delicious lunch. We enjoy our creation before departing the village in the early afternoon and transferring to Siem Reap (approximately three hours).

To make the trip extra special, we rise early to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat, a spectacular Khmer temple complex thought to be the largest religious building on the planet. We then visit the many structures inside the royal city of Angkor Thom, including the magnificent Bayon, which comprises 54 intricately carved towers in a single temple. We also see the less-visited outlying Ta Prohm temple, which is still covered in jungle as it was first found.

This morning, we continue our exploration of Angkor with a visit to the small 10th-century temple of Banteay Srei, located 22mi (35km) from Siem Reap town and containing fine examples of Khmer sculpture.

The afternoon is free for you to independently explore Angkor, wander around Siem Reap town or enjoy an optional boat ride on Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and a sanctuary for wildlife including the critically endangered Siamese crocodile.

We have an early start to travel from Siem Reap to Bangkok (approximately 10 hours). After the border crossing (which usually takes up to an hour), we meet our Thai tour leader and have our first taste of Thai food at a local restaurant before continuing onto Bangkok. Famous for tuk-tuks, khlong boats and incredible street food, the capital is an assault on the senses and provides a real contrast to Cambodia.

The tour ends this morning after breakfast. Catch your free transfer to the airport to begin your journey home. Alternatively, speak to your sales representative to extend your stay in this thrilling city.

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

It is designed for travellers seeking an introduction to Southeast Asia but may be limited on time. It starts in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, travels through Cambodia and ends in Bangkok, Thailand, providing a diverse experience for first-time visitors to the region.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Please note, unless specified otherwise, the transfers will be to the start (or pre-tour) hotel and from the end (or post-tour) hotel and will be on the date on which the tour starts/ends; transfers to other hotels in the same city and/or on different dates may attract an extra charge. Transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts.

Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm your vaccine recommendations and requirements with your doctor or travel clinic.

Dengue fever, a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes, is a known risk in places visited. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm all the above with your doctor or travel clinic.

Dengue and zika, both viral diseases spread by mosquitoes, are a known risk in places visited. There are currently no vaccines or prophylaxes available, so take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to speak to your doctor or travel clinic about vaccinations for hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. The risk of malaria is slight, but you may want to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Similarly, dengue and zika, both viral diseases spread by mosquitoes, are known risks in Vietnam. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally need a visa to enter Cambodia. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Travellers from the UK, US and Canada normally do not need a visa to enter Thailand. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip.Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

UK passport holders normally do not need a visa to enter Vietnam for visits up to 45 days, while those with a US or Irish passport normally do need a visa to enter. Visa requirements for EU citizens vary by country.

Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

The food on this trip is a real highlight for many. Southeast Asian cuisine is typically freshly prepared dishes with strong aromatic flavours. There is a focus on herbs and citrus, ensuring each dish packs a punch; chilli features highly too, but is easily avoided if desired.

Most dishes come with rice and many are served in a banana leaf with a variety of dips and herbs served separately. Visiting three countries means a different culinary experience every time you cross the border; try banh xeo (huge sizzling pancakes) in Vietnam, fish amok curry in Cambodia for a creamy, fragrant coconut-based dish; and freshly made pad Thai noodles from the Bangkok street stalls. Western food is readily available almost everywhere in the bigger cities, but not in Banteay Chhmar.

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