Taste the Cambodian Cuisines in this 9-days Cambodia vacation

To start the Cambodia vacation package, you would be arriving in the beautiful Phnom Penh which is the cultural and financial capital of Cambodia and to where all the international flights arrive. From Phnom Penh, you would be visiting different places in these nine days taking you to more than 5 locations inside Cambodia. Check out the details of the tour here in the following section –

Day 1: Arrival in Phnom Penh

On the first day of the tour, you would be arriving in the beautiful capital city of Phnom Penh where you would meet the tour operators who would take you to the pre-booked hotel where you can relax and have some meal after a long flight. For long, Cambodia’s major attraction has been the ruins of Angkor and Angkor wat temple complex but apart from that Cambodia has other major attractions that bring life to its cultures such as cuisines, temples, and beautiful small villages. Phnom Penh is another sensational place that can blow your mind because of its beauty.

It is located at the meeting point of the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap River and hence life was first started here in the riverfront area. This place is also sacred for Phnom Penh and is visited locally and internationally as well. So, on the first-day post after your arrival, there will be a meeting in the evening where the tour guide would help you understand the itinerary for the tour. This tour would largely focus on the cooking and will combine the mix of local and international influence on the flavors as well as how that has changed quite dramatically over the years. Today, you will also try to start the tour with an ‘eating for a cause’ at a hospitality school which provides training to the youth of Phnom Penh. Here, you can sample some modern Cambodian cuisines at dinner time after which you can choose to visit some club or have a drink at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club or maybe take a walk at the famous Sisowath Quay to have some coffee or cocktail in the cafes near it.

Day 2: Sightseeing in Phnom Penh and transfer to Kampot

On the morning of the second day, you will be taking a cycle rickshaw tour around the capital city to discover some of the best sights, smells, and sounds of the city. This small tour would include a visit to the wonderful art deco-designed Psar Thmei located at the Central Market. While traveling through the area, do taste some of the local street foods of the city like the Sticky Rice with beans wrapped in a banana leaf or spiced fried crickets. After this, you will leave the capital city and then will be off to understand the tragic past of the country on a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located in a former high school that served as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) for the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979. You will then visit to see the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek which is testimony to the tragic killings ordered by the Khmer Rouge. After having lunch, you will then drive south toward another city Kampot which is one of the most attractive old towns of the country. After around three hours of drive, you will reach Kampot by evening and settle down. Kampot is highly known for its pepper products and sale and was supplied most to the French restaurants during the colonial times. These days, Kampot is known for its durian, a spiky, pungent fruit that either incites adoration or sheer loathing. Once you settle down in the hotel, come out to take a walk along the riverside which has ancient French colonial buildings or enjoy a coffee at the veranda of a riverside restaurant while admiring the beauty of the Bokor Mountain Ranges. Settle here for the night.

Day 3: Sightseeing in Kampot

After having breakfast on the third day of the Cambodia Vacation package, you will be taking the tour of the countryside of Kampot where you can taste the locally grown and seasonal produce to enchant your mind. You will be treated with Durian or rambutan depending upon the season as well as some local fruits such as lychee, pineapples, mangoes or bananas. The next destination of the day would be the Kampot Pepper Project which is the flagship project for Pepper which has been produced in Cambodia for centuries, something which attracted colonial powers. The pepper produced here is considered as the finest in the world and is shipped to almost all countries. Not the only economy, but pepper is also seen as the symbol of Cambodian regeneration because the pepper production was completely wiped out by rice production during the times of Khmer Rouge.

You will then continue to the lively markets of Kep Crab where you can see fresh crabs put in pots that float in the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Here, you can enjoy the lunch of fresh crabs cooked to perfection and is eaten on a pier. After lunch, you can take a walk along the Kep beach while exploring the old oceanfront buildings made by French because Kep was once the most prestigious and popular beach town of Cambodia but the new Khmer Rouge destroyed the ports and its mansions and villas and life was devastated to a great extent here. You can also go swimming in the South China Sea or relax in a hammock. Stay here for the night.

Day 4: Coming back to Phnom Penh

Today, you will be rising early to see the arrival of the fishing boats with their daily catch. For breakfast, you can have the choice to make a meal of crab, prawns or squid cooked up with Kampot green peppercorns and served with rice. Alternatively, you can also try Kampot's tastiest baguettes by visiting the fire oven. This has come from the French colonization of the region and is ubiquitous and you can find it on all the karts who combine this with meat, sauce and salad and workers enjoy this as well. In the afternoon, you will come back to Phnom Penh and then will take a guided tour of the markets to learn about the major blocks of Khmer cuisines. You can also try your hands on cooking to make Khmer staples such as Samlor Machu Yuon (sour "Vietnamese" soup with fresh fish and tamarind) or Bok Svay (pounded green mango salad, usually served with dried fish or prawn). Stay here for the night.

Day 5: Visiting Battambang

Today, you will be traveling by a private bus to Battambang which is around 6-7 hours from Phnom Penh including stops. This is Cambodia’s second-largest city and is a riverside town developed by the French for their elegant generals. This town has been properly preserved by the governments and hence you can be privy to its elegance. It is famous for its many statues of the animals and other divinities and has lesser traffic than Phnom Penh and there are lesser tourists also so it’s a great place to relax while away from the hustle of the city. You can have some optional activities in the afternoon where you can join a local Battambang foodie for a home-cooked meal, tasting local dishes such as amok, Khmer curry, and fried spicy chicken with homemade rice noodles. Stay here for the night.

Day 6: Visiting Banteay Chhmar

Today, you will be taking a bicycle ride to see the rich countryside and the ride will be easy and into the remote villages as well. you can stop in the middle to see the rice paper-making, fruit drying and preparation, production of the famous prahok (fish paste) and rice wine-making. Do taste the awesome Kralan (sticky rice in bamboo), the stalls of which are plenty here on this site. You will then be traveling to Banteay Chhmar which is also called the Citadel of the Cat. There is a ninth-century temple here which is the center of attraction of the tourists and is considered a heritage here in Cambodia. This temple is similar to the famous Bayon and has face towers which are surrounded by an impressive 9 kilometer-long wall. In the evening, you should try the traditional Khmer dinner and stay here for the night.

Day 7: Visiting Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Today, you will rise early to visit some temples and have a traditional Khmer breakfast. You will then be departing for Siem Reap by a private transfer which takes around 4 hours. This small town is the gateway to the famous Angkor and Angkor wat temple complex which is among the most popular destinations for the traveler in all Cambodia and SouthEast Asia. You should try some of the best local street foods here such as the barbecued corn and meat on skewers; Khmer Fried Chicken; green mango served with chili and salt; ducks eggs and more. Get to have the orientation of the temple visit by the local guide in the evening and then have a good night's sleep in the pre-booked hotel.

Day 8: Visiting Angkor and Siem Reap

Today, you would be spending a complete day visiting temples with the local guide to one of the most famous Angkor wat temple complex which was built between the 9th and 13th centuries when the Khmer empire was the pre-eminent influence in Southeast Asia. The complex and the ruins are scattered here for an area of around 160 square kilometers. The major cluster of temples, however, is closer to Siem Reap and hence you can check out the complete wreckage of the place. This excursion would include a visit to Angkor Wat, Bayon, and the jungle-covered Ta Prohm. Know the history of the place from the local guide and then a transfer to Phnom Penh would be made in the night for the departure proceedings the next day.

Day 9: Departure from Phnom Penh

Today is the last day of the trip and the time has come to say goodbye to one of the best historical experiences you had along with awesome food tasting, cooking classes and many more. Your tour operator would help you transfer to the airport for the departure depending upon the timing of the flight. Meanwhile, you can go for some souvenir shopping.