Phnom Penh

After introductions, we’ll jump in tuktuks for our top-rated food tour of Phnom Penh. As we visit 4 safe-to-eat restaurants (with a cold beer in hand), we’ll meet the makers of our favorite local dishes and discover how deep Cambodian cuisine reaches within Southeast Asia. From banana leaf salad to Khmer curry with rice noodles to streetside BBQ ribs, this is the perfect start to our food-focused itinerary! End the night with a handcrafted cocktail that highlights regional ingredients and get to know your fellow travelers.

After a leisurely morning, we’ll continue our Phnom Penh food crawl with a classic local breakfast of noodle soup, Khmer coffee, savory turmeric crepes, and a walk through a bustling local market. We’ll eat (and caffeinate) our way from breakfast through lunch while getting up-close-and-personal with local ingredients and culture.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

It’s essential to understand Cambodia’s dark past in order to appreciate today’s vibrant culture and growing economy. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 Museum) is the former site of a secondary school which was used as a prison where an estimated 20,000 Cambodians were imprisoned between 1976 and 1979. After a visit to the museum, our goal is that we gain an understanding for what the country has gone through just a few decades ago. We believe this gives us the insight to truly appreciate the rest of our trip and the local people we’ll meet along the way.

Phnom Penh sits on the banks of the Tonlé Sap, Mekong, and Bassac Rivers, providing copious amounts of freshwater fish – a staple in Cambodian cuisine. We’ll hop on a private boat for a happy hour cruise and sail the waters where these three rivers converge.

Phnom Penh

Finish the day with a huge dinner spread of local dishes alongside lush Cambodian vibes.

Battambang

The vast and rural countryside that sits between Cambodia’s two largest cities is filled with rich-green rice paddies, roaming water buffalo, and incredibly welcoming people. We’ll make a few stops along the way to stretch our legs and grab a local lunch. Battambang’s low key vibe offers the country’s best natural resources fueled by the presence of artists and a large NGO community. It also makes it one of the best places to eat and explore in Cambodia – both of which we’ll do during our time here. In Battambang’s old-town, there’s one restaurant (in our humble opinion) that ranks above all others. Jaan Bai, meaning ‘Rice Bowl,’ is a social enterprise run by the Cambodian Children’s Trust. Not only do they create jobs for underprivileged youth, but their use of local high quality ingredients create some of the best SE Asian inspired dishes we’ve ever tasted (think turmeric pork chops, pork belly baos, and green chili coconut sambals). Their cocktails are a highlight as well!

Battambang Province

In stark contrast to the capital city, Cambodia’s second largest city is charmingly authentic. We’ll hop on bikes (or a tuktuk for those who don’t cycle) and explore the nearby countryside’s rural roads, villages, and families who are passing down their craft from generation to generation. Along the way, we’ll try bamboo sticky rice – every local’s favorite snack, visit a local market to learn about Cambodia’s most staple ingredient, and meet a local family who has been shelling out fire-cooked rice paper for decades (and then devour some made-to-order spring rolls); plus a lot more surprises!

Battambang Bat Caves

After a quick rest at the hotel, we’ll hop in tuktuks for another countryside exploration. The highlight involves a short hike up a hidden path to the mouth of a hillside cave. Here, millions of bats emerge to go insect hunting every evening – dotting the setting sun with a slow, endless wave that lasts for up to an hour. It’s the most memorable sunset we’ll ever have!

For dinner, we’ll chill along the banks Battambang’s Sangkae River with a cold beer, fresh-to-order papaya salad, and a smorgasbord of local dishes – just miles from where the river drains into SE Asia’s largest freshwater lake – the Tonle Sap.

Battambang

For centuries, Battambang was renowned for their artists – until they were targeted by the Khmer Rouge. After breakfast, we’ll join a local artist to discover today’s street-art scene which is putting Battambang back on the map as the art and soul capital of Cambodia.

Then we’ll visit Battambang’s largest local market to shop for lunch – a cooking class where each of us will prepare 4 popular Cambodian dishes (including fish amok and a coconut milk dessert). Chef Nary will introduce each ingredient and demonstrate the process in his own kitchen, complete with recipes for us to enjoy back home!

Phare, The Cambodian Circus

This afternoon’s journey will take us to Siem Reap (aka: Temple Town), famous for Angkor Wat’s temple complex just a few miles outside of town. But it’s also famous for its small-town vibes, food & drinks, and hospitality – including the Phare Circus, a show where performers use theater, music, dance and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories. After the Khmer Rouge ended, some survivors used art as therapy, and they eventually started a free art, music, and theater school to share their skills with others. The circus allows these students a way to use their skills as a way to make a living. We’ll pre-game with dinner on the circus grounds before enjoying the 1 hour seasonal show. Enormously different from the circus you may remember as a child, the acting, acrobatics, and high-energy music will captivate you!

Bayon Temple

Angkor Wat is just one of over 72 major temples and 100’s of smaller ruins that encompass a 400 square km area outside Siem Reap. Those numbers are mind-boggling, but this UNESCO World Heritage Site is also the largest religious monument in the world. With endless temples, before-its-time architecture, and man-made water systems, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an exceptional ancient civilization.

Ta Prohm

We’ll start our day where Indiana Jones searched for the Ark of the Covenant and Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft raided tombs in the tree-entwined lesser known temples. We’ll explore dirt roads with hidden forested ruins, and climb ancient gates for unique views and larger-than-life carvings. We’ll feel like modern day explorers by lunch!

Siem Reap

Speaking of lunch, we have the unique opportunity to visit a local family who lives in a traditional home within the ruin-laden jungle. We’ll enjoy a homemade lunch, a fresh coconut, and learn about their life before and after the discovery of Angkor Wat and the impact tourism has had on the area. After some rest (and pool time) at your hotel, we’ll head out on our award-winning Siem Reap food tour. Our collection of stops include the only restaurant in town serving Mekola minority cuisine, a home-cooked meal with fresh-caught fish in a small countryside home, and killer sunset views in the rice paddies. We’ll end the night at a local bar with a cold draft beer or house cocktail.

Angkor Wat

The view of Angkor Wat’s three iconic pagodas are a sight to behold at any time of day, but sunrise is when the temple comes alive. Take it all in as it becomes one with the horizon and slowly transforms, minute by minute, as the sky lights up and Angkor Wat emerges from its slumber. After sunrise, we’ll get up close and personal with Angkor Wat itself as we explore its 12th century walls that took over 30 years (and 5 million tons of sandstone) to complete. Decorated with thousands of legendary stories and topped with three pagodas, we’ll have plenty of time to learn, explore, and create our best insta-moment.

Siem Reap

We’ll end the night, and our trip, with happy hour at one of our favorite outdoor barscapes, and a multi-course dinner to bid farewell. It’s hard to top the previous 7 days, but we think this is THE bang to go out on.

Siem Reap

Departure Day: Drop-off at the Siem Reap airport (REP) is included any time today.