Cambodia Angkor Wat & Kulen Mountain Trek Modern Cambodia is still finding its feet Our Angkor Wat Trek offers a unique and Our trek finishes in one of the wonders of after the Pol Pot era and decades of civil challenging way to experience this the ancient world - the Temples of Angkor war, but peace has come to this beautiful exciting country, from the bustling and the heart and soul of the Cambodian land, and this incredible country offers charm of French colonial Siem Reap and nation. Scattered over 400 square some of Asia’s ultimate adventures. village life on the flood-plain of the kilometres, there are 100’s of sacred mighty Tonle Sap Lake to the rain forests temples, the biggest being Angkor Wat, Contemporary Cambodia is the successor and unseen treasures of the sacred the world’s largest religious building and state of the mighty Khmer Empire, which Phnom Kulen Mountain. We will pass one of the most inspired and spectacular at the height of their power during the through villages and have the monuments ever built. Angkor period (9th to 14th centuries) opportunity to meet gracious, resilient dominated Indochina, from Vietnam to local people and learn more about this We typically trek for 5-7 hours each day, Burma, expressing their divine confidence timeless tropical landscape. In the mainly on flat terrain, with one a big in the monumental temple mountains, evenings we will camp on the grounds of climb of around 500m on day 5. Whilst monasteries and palaces of Angkor. working Buddhist pagodas or local the terrain is moderate, the heat and schools. humidity can make this a tough trek. Detailed itinerary Day 1: Depart London Day 3: Siem Reap to Chao Srei Vibol Day 4: Wat Preash Bat Bun Tham to Beng Depart London for Kuala Lumpur. Pagoda to Wat Preash Bat Bun Tham Mealea to Svay Leu Approx. 20km, 5-6 hours trekking Approx. 20km, 7-8 hours trekking Day 2: Siem Reap After breakfast, we take a short transfer After a delicious breakfast at camp, we Arrive Kuala Lumpur for our onward flight out of town and begin our trek. Heading start our day’s trek heading our across to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Upon arrival we out south-east across dazzling green rice- paddy fields where we are treated to have a short transfer to our hotel. We will paddies and farmland, we pass through fabulous views of Phnom Kulen in the have some free time in the afternoon to several small villages. Cambodia is one of distance. Following cow tracks we find our enjoy this charming town, with its shaded the friendliest countries in South-East Asia way to Beoung Mealea and the fascinating boulevards on the banks of the Siem Reap and we will get plenty of smiles and waves ruins of this little visited temple. After our River, markets, shops and cafes. In the as we pass! We’re never far from a temple visit we have a short transfer to our evening we will have a full briefing about or pagoda, and we make time to stop at a campsite at Svay Leu Pagoda. There is the challenge ahead, followed by dinner at couple for a closer look. After a lunch- often a lively local market near the pagoda Madam Butterfly restaurant, set in a break in one of the villages, we continue which we should have time to explore – a typical wooden Khmer house. our trek through rice fields and green real insight into the way of life in this pastures, now heading north to the remote area. pagoda, from there we have a short transfer to our overnight camp at Wat Preash Bat Buntham. Detailed itinerary Day 5: Svay Leu to Kulen Mountain We may meet a few local people who still After lunch at Angkor Café overlooking Approx. 26km, 7-8 hours trekking use the path for hunting, cutting lianas and Angkor Wat the afternoon is free to After an energising breakfast we set off on to work on the farms higher in the hills. explore the temple complex including the a challenging haul to the top of Kulen Our trek continues south-east on a small spectacular walled city of Angkor Thom Mountain (487m), Cambodia’s sacred jungle type trail down the mountain. Back and the famous Bayon, or you may prefer mountain. Deeply revered, the local people on the flat plains, we continue our trek on to shop in the markets of Siem Reap. In make pilgrimages to the pagodas and ruins sandy, sometimes muddy tracks. There is the evening we celebrate our huge on the mountain top. The mountain forms little shade as we pass a few villages, local achievement with a celebration dinner a high plateau, from where there are schools and an abundance of pagodas. We with Khmer cuisine at Viroth’s, a stylish fabulous views across the forests and fields will be hot and tired by the time we reach restaurant set in a quiet garden. below. We head west across the mountain, our evening’s campsite, our final goal taking undulating tracks through the nearly within reach. Day 8: Siem Reap to London forests and villages. We stop for lunch in Depart for flight back to London via Kuala Anlong Thom, a small village of stilted Day 7: Tbang to Angkor Thom to Angkor Lumpur. thatched houses. Our trek continues to the Wat. Approx. 7km, 2-3 hours trekking ‘Big Buddha’, which overlooks the central We enjoy a final breakfast together in Day 9: London plain; a short distance on is a very camp before setting off on the final trek to Arrive London early morning. picturesque waterfall. We camp overnight Angkor Wat. The first section of our trek is near the falls and we will have time to on a tarmac road before we return to cow Itinerary complex and subject to change bathe in the ‘River of 1000 Lingas’ and cart tracks leading towards the Angkor © The Ultimate Travel Company admire the elaborate carvings in the complex. We reach the first of our Angkor riverbed itself. temples at Prasat Ta Som, then transfer to Challenge grade Angkor Wat. We pass many temples and Moderate Day 6: Kulen Mountain to Tbang Pogoda ruins as we near our goal – the magnificent Approx. 18km, 6-7 hours trekking 12th Century Angkor Wat. It is worth Best time of year We leave our campsite on an old trail, now climbing the remarkably steep and narrow January to March, October to December little-used since the recent construction of steps of the central spire for the a road. unparalleled view over the whole temple. .