Cambodia - Trekking The Ancient Trails of Angkor Wat

Arrive at Siem Reap International airport, meet up with our team and transfer to your hotel. The rest day is at your leisure. In the evening, our guide will make a presentation about the region and the specific expedition before we go out to for some traditional Cambodian dishes at a good restaurant. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Meals: Dinner

After breakfast at our hotel, our adventure begins with a relatively easy trek away from the bustling city. First, our shuttle brings us 5km out of town, where we get off at an old market and commence hiking past local schools, villages and across rice fields. We stop to visit the charming Wat Tanak - an old Khmer style pagoda - before continuing on a dirt trail leading to the Roluos temple group, which include Bahkong, Preas Kor, and the Lolei temples. We rest for lunch at Vat Lor before carrying on. After a healthy amount of time at the temples, we hop on bus and transfer 12Km to Phnom Bok Mountain, where we climb up the 640 steep stairs to the peak. Breathtaking panoramic views await you at the top. Take this opportunity to also visit the 10th Century temple located nearby. There was a military camp stationed here during the war between the Khmer rouge and government soldiers and old artillery remain dotted along the paths.  Tonight we set up our camp in a pagoda’s compound at the foot of the mountain.

Trekking distance: 18km

Difficulty: Moderate

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Following breakfast, our itinerary takes us through picturesque rural Cambodia. We pass through jungle and by waterfalls along a fairly easy track. Enjoy a picnic lunch at a pagoda before our bus takes us to Wat Rattana Teay. In the afternoon we’ll encounter a few challenging climbs, but admiring the verdant and rugged Kulen Mountain (highest in Cambodia) generally takes one’s mind off of weary legs. We arrive to our campsite in the late afternoon and you have some leisure time explore the village before we regroup for dinner. Overnight at a well-set-up camp at Wat Preas Ang Thom.

Trekking distance: Approx 19km

Difficulty: Moderate/Challenging

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Breakfast first, then we carry on westwards to Boeung Mealea. We will be rewarded with more dramatic views of Mt. Kulen and after a few ascents and descents, we’ll begin to come across Anlong Thom, Thmar Chrougn and Ta Penh villages. Enjoy a lunchbox picnic at a village before we carry on. We spend rest of the day descending on exceptional single tracks to Nevenea, a new pagoda that was built in 2001-2002. We’ll spend some time at the pagoda and interact with the Khmer monks. Afterwards we head onto village footpaths, passing by a local market. At Svay Leou, there will be a bus waiting for us so we can rest a bit and transfer the rest of the way to Beoung Mealea. Tonight we sleep in a camp at the Mealea Pagoda.

Trekking distance: Approx 20km

Difficulty: Moderate

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Following breakfast, we start our day with a short transfer (8km) by bus to avoid the newly paved road. Our trekking begins on small footpaths, passing by local villages and rice paddies. We stop in one of the villages and use the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Cambodian rural life. A highlight of the day is visiting the Preach Bat Boun Than pagoda, which is surrounded by a lush forest. After your exhilarating morning hike, it’s time for some well-deserved rest and relaxation – and we only have a few hours to go in the afternoon. The route from here to Wat Lor is mixture of paved and sandy road. Overnight in Tented Camp at Wat Lor.

Trekking distance: Approx 18km

Difficulty: Moderate

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today is our final day trekking and we head back towards Siem Reap. After breakfast we take a morning countryside walk past the Banteay Samre, Sras Srang, Bantey Kdei, Pre Rup and Angkor Wat temples. Lunch will be near the Kravan temple. In the afternoon we trek only 10Km to reach the main entrance of Angkor Wat. After a very fulfilling day, we hop on bus and transfer to Siem Reap.

Trekking distance: Approx 20km

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner