Departing after breakfast accompanied by your guide, your day will be spent travelling through a number of relatively untouched villages and learning about the day-to-day lives of the local people. This is a world away from Siem Reap, and provides you with the perfect opportunity to get ‘off the beaten track’ and gain a better understanding of Cambodian rural life, along with an insight into traditional Khmer culture; something which few visitors are lucky enough to experience.

Your first stop is the village of Krabei Real, where there is time to explore the local market and to purchase some supplies for your lunch. Continue on, this time without the benefit of air-conditioning, using a more typical method of transportation for this region. The (almost!) pollution free ox and cart is still widely used throughout Cambodia, and allows you to travel at a gentle, almost hypnotic pace along the narrow, sandy, village roads. Winding your way through the rice fields, you’ll pass houses, schools and pagodas. Many of the families in this area are skilled rattan weavers, using techniques passed down through the generations to create a wide variety of crafts and day-to-day items to sell in the markets of the nearby towns.

After around an hour, arrive at the home of a local family who have been carefully chosen by Selective Asia. Having been welcomed by your hosts, there will be plenty of time to relax and chat with the family as they prepare lunch using the produce selected at the market (with your guide acting as interpreter). If you wish to assist then you are very welcome to do so, and this is also a fantastic opportunity to further your understanding of typical Khmer cuisine. This is likely to be very different from the dishes you may have sampled in the more westerner-orientated restaurants of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh!

Having enjoyed your lunch, there is time to explore the village before returning to Siem Reap. En route, stop to visit the workshops of the Angkor Artwork - all products sold are produced using long forgotten traditional methods and the quality of craftmanship is outstanding. If time permits, make a stop at Siem Reap’s market before arriving back at your hotel. The remainder of your day is at leisure.

You will be collected just before 5am from your hotel (it IS worth it) and transferred to nearby Srah Srang – an expansive lake within the Angkor compound that was historically used by the local temples as a place for ritual washing. Here, a gourmet breakfast will be awaiting your arrival. Arranged by the renowned kitchen at the Heritage Suites, arguably the best in Siem Reap, the menu includes treats ranging from freshly baked croissants and fresh seasonal fruits, to eggs any-which-way and Cambodian fried rice, served alongside fresh juice, tea and coffee.

Having enjoyed a leisurely breakfast as the sun rises over the water, begin your exploration of the Angkor temples.

With the crowds at the most famous Angkor temple sites often being counted in their 1000’s, many visitors are unaware that there are further lying temples where there’s more of a tranquil ambiance and less jostling for photo opportunities.

Departing early from Siem Reap and driving two hours north east, your first stop is the 10th century capital of Koh Ker. Whilst there are known to be over 200 temples within the boundaries of this ancient city, only 96 have been discovered thus far and in fact most of your morning is likely to be spent at just one; Prasat Thom, much of which is partially buried. Whilst the visitor numbers vary from one day to another they are always low, and it is not uncommon for you to have the site to yourself. At the far end of Prasat Thom there is towering pyramid, somewhat reminiscent of the Mayan or Inca architecture.

Having seen more of the surrounding temples, return in the direction of Siem Reap, stopping to explore another of the lesser visited temples - Beng Mealea, similar in size to the better known Angkor Wat (both were built by Jayavaram VII). Utterly swallowed by jungle, and with minimal restoration work, it is easy to imagine what it must have been like for early explorers discovering these temples for the first time.

Return to Siem Reap in the late afternoon.

Morning departure for Phnom Penh by car (driver only). Taking approximately 5 hours, you’ll pass through provincial towns, villages and roadside hamlets offering you an insight into life away from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. There will be the opportunity to stretch your legs and enjoy a coffee in Kampong Thom and stop at Skun Village, famous for its deep-fried tarantulas, if you so wish.

Upon arrival, transfer directly to your hotel. Phnom Penh was once considered one of the most beautiful cities in the Orient and despite its recent turbulent history it still retains a certain Colonial charm. Today this rapidly developing city buzzes with energy and an air of opportunity as Cambodia advances into the 21st century. A great place to find yourself at sunset is on the banks of the Mekong River with a cold drink, watching the city slow down.

Your afternoon is at leisure until 5pm when you will be met by your guide in a tuk-tuk, your transportation for the evening, for a memorable food-focused experience.

First stop is the Foreign Correspondents Club, more commonly known as the FCC. This legendary colonial watering hole oozes history, having been the social hub for foreign journalists and aid workers during the Khmer Rouge era. Some interesting memorabilia adorns the walls which your guide will talk you through, before leaving you on the rooftop terrace to enjoy a cocktail and views across the Mekong & Tonle Sap rivers as the sun sets.

Re-joining your guide in the tuk-tuk, it’s time for a completely contrasting experience…Cambodian's don’t shy away from entomophagy (that’s ‘snacking on insects’ in layman’s terms), and they have long been seen as a good source of nutrition. Head down to the river where roadside stalls sell a variety of edible bugs which you will have the opportunity to try. Your guide is on hand to decipher the surprisingly tasty offerings.

Continue by tuk-tuk to the Russian Market. By day this market is a tourist hotspot, but come evening the food stalls come alive, attracting local diners with typical Khmer food such as Banh Chheo, chicken rice porridge and beef skewers. Choose what you wish to eat, pull up a plastic stool alongside the locals and soak up the atmosphere. Next up, and your final food stop for the evening, are the popular seafood stalls where you can enjoy freshly barbequed seafood before returning to your hotel, again by tuk-tuk.

Morning tour of the Royal Palace, situated on the site of the former citadel and built by King Norodom in 1866, the Palace still serves as the King and Queen's residential quarters. Also within the walls of the Palace is the Silver Pagoda, so called because of five thousand silver tiles that line its exquisite floor. You will also visit the National Museum, which houses the world’s leading collection of Khmer art and sculpture, and Wat Phnom the founding site of the city. All are within easy walking distance of each other and are a great introduction to this laid-back city.

Lunch is at Friends, a ‘kindness restaurant’ where ex-street children are trained in hospitality and restaurant skills, helping them to break away from life on the streets.

In 1975, after years of guerrilla warfare, the radical Communist Khmer Rouge party, under its leader Pol Pot, seized power of Cambodia and declared ‘year zero’. They immediately abolished money and private property, and ordered the entire population of Phnom Penh from their homes and into the countryside to cultivate the fields. Over the next three years an estimated 2 million Cambodians died, many from starvation and exhaustion. Many others were tortured and executed for being supposed ‘enemies of the state’.

The afternoon is spent learning more about these terrible years, through visits to the infamous Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes and Cheung Ek, better known as the ‘Killing Fields’. It is an incredibly moving experience, but these are two visits you will be glad to have made. During your visit to Cambodia, you will barely meet a single person who didn’t lose a member of their family during these years, yet they are all willing to talk openly about it with you. They wish you to hear about it and see these places, to ensure that it never happens again.

After breakfast, transfer out of town by car before you saddle up on two wheels for a pleasant cycle into the countryside.

The hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh seems a lifetime away as the trail passes through villages and rice fields with plenty of panoramic views to enjoy along the way. After an hour or so you will reach a small village which is at the base of an impressive temple indicating Oudong’s historical governance. Take a break before climbing the hill to admire the remnants of this ancient capital of Cambodia and the King’s main residence from 1618 to 1866. Consisting of a series of stupas at the top, there are rewarding views across the surrounding plains. Phnom Oudong was bombed and desecrated by the Americans and then the Khmer Rouge, but still possesses a beauty that no war has been able to steal from it.

Return to the small village at the base of the hill and enjoy a lunch at a local kiosk restaurant, close to the popular village market which is particularly busy at weekends when locals gather to eat and socialise.

After lunch, return to your hotel where the remainder of your day is at leisure.

Morning departure for Koh Kong, south west from the capital (driver only). As you drive further west, your journey will take you along the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor which stretches along either sides of NR48 from Koh Kong Town to the Gulf of Sihanoukville. It is home to many of Cambodia’s outstanding natural sites including the southern and central Cardamom Protected Forests, the mangrove forests of Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary, the beaches of Koh Kong and the Botum Sakor National Park.

Shortly before Koh Kong you will arrive at the Tatai Bridge from where you will be transferred by private boat to your lodge. For clients choosing standard or first class accommodation, it's the wonderful Rainbow Lodge; for those selecting superior or deluxe it's the unique 4 Rivers Floating Lodge. Having checked-in, we’d suggest enjoying a sunset drink whilst you soak up the peaceful atmosphere of this incredible setting.

Your day is at leisure.

There are optional excursions arranged on a daily basis by the lodge. These include boat trips through the mangrove forest, trekking and waterfall visits and last just a few hours or all day.

Your morning is at leisure until you take a boat to Tatai Bridge where you will be met by your driver for the 4 hour journey (driver only) by road to Sihanoukville.

On arrival in Sihanoukville, transfer to the port where you join a shared speedboat for the one hour boat ride to the island of Koh Rong or neighbouring Koh Rong Samloem.

These archetypal tropical islands, with talcum-powder white sand beaches and crystal clear waters are, as yet, largely untainted by tourist development. Upon arrival you will be welcomed by the resort staff. Check in to your room and the remainder of your day is at leisure.

Explore, relax and enjoy the sand....

Morning departure by shared speedboat for the one hour journey to the mainland. On arrival at Sihanoukville port you will be met by your Selective Asia driver and transferred to Phnom Penh Airport for your onward flight.