Countries Of Ancient Temples - 10 Days - CAT01

Upon arrival at the Bangkok airport, you will be welcomed by Asiatica’s Tour Guide. Transfer to the city center and check-in at the hotel. You will have a free day for relaxing or for a first discovery of the city. Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast, around 8:30, you will departure for the visit of the Grand Royal Palace, the official residence of the kings of Thailand since 1785. This complex is surrounded by a circle of walls 1900m long and stands on an area of ​​218.400m², is used for royal ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, state banquets. You can admire famous and luxurious palaces, buildings and temples such as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Keow), considered the most sacred Buddhist temple, which houses inside a large statue of Buddha carved in jade. I'm going back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, free time for personal activities. Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast, departure to visit the famous Khmer complex of Pimai, which is the largest sandstone sanctuary in Thailand, built in the center of Pimai even before Angkor Wat, which seems to have served as a model. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon and in the evening, visit the Khao Yai National Park - the oldest Thai park. Established in 1962, it has been a UNESCO heritage since 2005. An essentially mountainous park whose highest peak measures 1,351 meters, Khao Yai in its monsoon tropical forests is home to hundreds of species of animals, some of which are classified as endangered species. Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast, departure for Arayanpratet  - a small town on the border with Cambodia. Crossing Poi Pet, the guide in Cambodia will welcome you and transfer to Siem Reap on the car with about 3 hours of road. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Overnight at Hotel.

All this day, you will visit the city with the Tuk-Tuk to breathe the fresh air around the city.

In the morning, you will visit Angkor Wat, the most famous and the largest monument of the complex. The temple has been indicated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its slender towers and extraordinary bas-reliefs.

Ramble on the road in tuk-tuk to visit a more beautiful temple of the Small Circuit group: Ta Prohm temple - the kingdom of trees. The incredible scenery of trees embracing temples represents a special mark of times.

In the afternoon, you will visit Angkor Thom, the south gate, the spectacular Bayon temple, with more than two hundred enigmatic faces, the temple of the king's legend and the snake, Pimeanakas, the area where the royal palace was once located, the splendid terraces of elephants and the leper king. At the end of the elephant terraces, you can get to the Phnom Bakeng hill to admire the sunset. Return to hotel for overnight stay.

Today you will go on a excursion to Kbal Spean (the river of thousand lingas), which located 49km (1h30 drive) to the North of Angkor. In the eleventh century, the hermits carved the sandy bed of the river that fed Angkor. You will reach the site after 45 minutes traveling by car crossing the forest. At the beginning, on the first floor, there are some lingas which, in the form of paving stones, gave their name to the site: the "thousand linga river", later on the rocks there are figures of deities: Vishnu asleep on a snake, Nandin the bull, Shiva and Urma.

In the afternoon, you will visit Palma, a sugar production village, where has the most famous sugar in the world for its sweet taste. Continue the trip to visit Banteay Srei (Citadel of Women), consecrated to Shiva, whose architecture and sculptures of pink granules present a masterpiece of Khmer art. Then visit Banteay Srame, a Hindu temple with the similar architectural style with Angkor Wat. Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast, you will embark on a boat for a cruise on the Tonle Sap Lake to visit the fishing villages. Then visit the Hariharalaya archaeological site, the pre-Angkorian city that was the throne of the Khmer Kings of the ninth century. In this place, today known as Rolous, we can admire temples, built with even more rudimentary and primitive techniques than Angkor, but equally full of charm.

Continue to visit the Pre Rup temple, the most beautiful temple of the Grand Circuit group. The temple was built by bricks in the year 960, when the kingdom ruled by Rajendravarman II. At the end of today, we have some time to visit the Artisan d'Angkor art school.

Overnight at Hotel

In the afternoon, you will take part in city tours: the Royal Palace including the Silver Pagoda, which was built in 1866 during the French protectorate of King Norodom; the National Museum, built by King Sisowath in 1920; and Wat Phnom pagoda, located on a hill in a panoramic position. Walk to Tuol Tumpoung market (also called the Russian market), an ideal place to buy antique items and fabrics. Overnight at Hotel.

Departure towards the south to Phnom Chisor to discover a beautiful temple of the eleventh century, erected on the hill, which you will reach after climbing a long staircase. From the temple you can admire a magnificent view of the plains, the lake and the rice fields. Going down you visit a village where people weaving silk. On the way back, you will visit the "Prasat Neang Khmau”, the temple of the Black Lady whose history is related to the temple of Chiso. Continue the excursion to Tonle Bati Lake, where there are two Angkorian temples "Ta Prum and Yeay Peou". Walk along the shore of the lake.

Free time enjoying yourself until the transfer to the airport for the return flight. End of our services.