Amazing Cambodia with flavorful cuisine in 7 days

Join a half-day cooking class, including visiting the local market. Markets in Cambodia are most interesting in the morning hours, when fresh produce arrives and most Cambodians do their shopping. After preparing the ingredients, the chef will give you recipe formulas to create two Cambodian dishes. Zip across the city in a Tuk Tuk and discover the best Cambodian cuisine at four food stalls and one craft beer bar. On this trip, you will learn how deep Cambodian cuisine reaches within Southeast Asian culture.

In the afternoon, visit the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum; the notorious Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are must-sees. A visit to these sights provides a deep insight into the painful-bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge. In the late afternoon, explore the Russian Market for silver and gold jewelry, gems, silk, kramas, stone and wood carvings, T-shirts, CDs, and other souvenirs.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Phnom Penh cooking class

After breakfast, head to Wat Phnom temple, the founding place of the city on a small hilltop. Then continue along the riverfront to the Royal Palace. This palace dates back to 1866 and houses the Silver Pagoda, named for the over 5000 heavy silver tiles that cover its floors. Its original name is Wat Prakeo, meaning the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In this temple, you will see a collection of Buddhas in gold, silver, crystal, and bronze.

Your next stop is the National Museum, built in the traditional Khmer style. It houses the world’s foremost collection of ancient Khmer artistic, archaeological, and religious artifacts from the 4th to the 13th centuries. Over 5,000 pieces are on display, constituting the repository of the Kingdom’s cultural wealth. In addition, the roof space is home to a large bat colony!

We will stop at Central Market, located in the heart of Phnom Penh. The Khmer name of the market is Phsar Thmei, which means the new market. The Central Market was built in 1937 during the French colonial period, in the Art Deco style, and is painted in bright ochre. In the late afternoon, enjoy an atmospheric sunset river cruise and watch how Phnom Penh’s popular riverfront comes to life in the early evening, with a coconut juice degustation on board.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Meals: Breakfast.

Phnom Penh sunset river cruise

After breakfast, travel by road from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. On route, you will witness the everyday lives of Cambodians as you pass through interesting provincial towns, bucolic villages, and delightful scenery. This is no ‘freeway dash’ as you will often slow down to let cows and water buffalo wander across the road, pass horse-drawn carriages, and school kids walking and cycling to/from school.

En route, you stop in Skin, also known as Spiderville, for the local delicacy of deep-fried tarantula. Stop off in Kompong Kdei to look at Spean Pratos, an ancient Angkorian bridge. Before arriving in Siem Reap, you board a local boat to Kampong Khleang, meaning the village of the stilts, a lively commercial fishing village located south on the edge of the Tonle Sap lake. All houses are stilted, and some are up to four & five meters tall. Enter the stilted village, now flooded, and travel through this large town to a more separate Vietnamese village on the edge of the Tonle Sap. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, you will check into your hotel.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Meals: Breakfast.

Siem Reap Kampong Khleang

This morning, you will visit the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom. First on the agenda is Ta Prohm, a ruined and mysterious temple with its own story about giant tree roots and strange shapes. This mystery attracts both domestic tourists and overseas explorers to set foot in Cambodia. Continue to Banteay Kdei (the citadel of Chambers), the Victory Gate, the Terrace of the Leper King, the Royal Palace, Baphuon, and Bayon.

Bayon Temple is considered the heart of the Angkor Thom Complex. It is a massive temple, built in the 12th century, and played an important role in the Khmer’s spiritual life. One of the most curious things at Bayon Temple is the almost 200 smiling faces carved into the walls. Some of the carving details on the temple have been damaged by time and climate. However, the soul of this ancient Khmer architecture remains.

The afternoon tour gives you time to explore Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The temple architecture is modeled after the great Meru Mountain of India. The highest central tower is 65m, representing the legendary Mount Meru, and its five towers correspond to the peaks of Meru. The entire structure has been built from sandstone and honeycomb. The magic is that the giant blocks of stone are stacked on top of each other without any binders or reinforced concrete.

After touring, you get dropped off at your hotel. Stay overnight in Siem Reap.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Siem Rep Banteay Kdei

Khmer Food Lovers is a cooking class for individuals and groups, where participants learn how to prepare Khmer dishes, including a guideline for choosing products at a local market. These courses are designed and taught by chefs, who make every effort to ensure you have a good time. Once you have completed your cooking class, you are comfortably seated on the terrace in their garden to enjoy the food you have cooked.

In the late afternoon, a Tuk Tuk rider will meet you at your hotel and take you to the local night market, offering a variety of local foods, snacks, and tropical fruits. Wander around the night market, get an overview of Cambodian street food, and sample special Cambodian snacks such as grasshoppers, spiders, cockroaches, or crickets. Continue your ride to a local restaurant to try local dishes.

Stay overnight in Siem Reap.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

After breakfast, your private transfer meets you at your hotel and escorts you to the airport. You board the plane filled with mixed emotions. You’re ready to journey home, but you know that you will miss Cambodia. Luckily, the memories will last a lifetime.

Meals: Breakfast.

Siem Reap International Airport