8 days / 7 nights
Start: Phnom Penh (PNH)
End: Siem Reap (SAI)
From $1,400 USD per person
Discover the Tastes, Temples, and Tales of Authentic Cambodia
The Essentials:
This one-of-a-kind experience travels from the capital city of Phnom Penh, through the vibrant countryside of Battambang, and finishes with a bang in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat’s ruined temples. We’ll discover Cambodia’s incredible cuisine, history, and beauty, and meet the locals who have called this place home for generations.
Price
Join-in trips start at $1,400 USD per person, which may increase slightly due to seasonality. You can browse the calendar for each trip’s specific price. A $500 USD per person deposit is required to reserve your spot. Click here for more pricing details.
Group Size
Small groups of 4-10 people, or contact us to ask about a private trip.
Accommodations
Boutique guesthouses that offer impeccable comfort and amenities while exemplifying Cambodian hospitality and culture.
Inclusions
- 7 Nights Accommodations
- All Meals, Including Soft Drinks & Beer
- All Tickets/Entrance Fees
- English Speaking Lost Plate Trip Leader
- Ground Transportation, Including Airport Transfers
- Online Pre-trip Briefing & Q&A Session
- Cambodia Travel Guide PDF
Highlights
- 2 Days Exploring Angkor Wat's Temples
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat
- Phnom Penh & Siem Reap Food Tours
- Local Cooking Class
- Explore Battambang's Countryside
- S21 Genocide Museum
- Sunset River Cruise
- Phare Cambodian Circus
Quick Links:
Day to Day Itinerary:
This itinerary is subject to changes and adjustments based on seasonality and local operations.
Phnom Penh
Arrival & Check-In: Airport pick-up is available from Phnom Penh’s PNH airport. Flight arrivals should be at or before 3pm.
Lost Plate’s Phnom Penh Evening Food Tour: Jump in tuktuks for our top-rated food tour of Phnom Penh where we visit 4 safe-to-eat restaurants (with a cold beer in hand). Meet the makers of our favorite local dishes from banana leaf salad to Khmer curry with rice noodles to streetside BBQ ribs.
Driving: Approx. 45 mins from the airport to your hotel.
Hotel: Rambutan Resort (or similar), a boutique guesthouse in the heart of Phnom Penh’s vibrant BKK1 district.
Meals: Dinner
Phnom Penh
Morning Market, Breakfast, & Coffee Tour: Start with a classic local breakfast of noodle soup and Khmer coffee, walk through a bustling local market, and finish with savory turmeric & coconut milk crepes, plus more!
S21 Genocide Museum: It’s essential to understand Cambodia’s dark past in order to appreciate today’s vibrant culture and growing economy. This museum is the former site of a secondary school which was used as a prison where an estimated 20,000 Cambodians were imprisoned between 1976 and 1979.
After a visit to the museum, our goal is that we gain an understanding for what the country has gone through just a few decades ago. We believe this gives us the insight to truly appreciate the rest of our trip and the local people we’ll meet along the way.
Free Time: Relax by the pool, visit one of our many markets, or take a stroll along the city’s riverside.
River Cruise: Phnom Penh sits on the banks of the Tonlé Sap, Mekong, and Bassac Rivers, providing copious amounts of freshwater fish – a staple in Cambodian cuisine. We’ll hop on a private boat for a happy hour cruise and sail the waters where these three rivers converge.
Dinner: Finish the day with a huge spread of local dishes alongside lush Cambodian vibes.
Driving: All of the rides around the city today will be short rides by tuktuk.
Hotel: Same as previous night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Phnom Penh > Battambang
Drive to Battambang & Hotel Check-In: The vast and rural countryside that sits between Cambodia’s two largest cities is filled with rich-green rice paddies, roaming water buffalo, and incredibly welcoming people. We’ll make a few stops along the way to stretch our legs and grab a local lunch.
Riverside City Walk: Battambang’s low key vibe offers the country’s best natural resources fueled by the presence of artists and a large NGO community. It also makes it one of the best places to eat and explore in Cambodia.
Dinner: In Battambang’s old-town, there’s one restaurant (in our humble opinion) that ranks above all others. Jaan Bai, meaning ‘Rice Bowl,’ is a social enterprise run by the Cambodian Children’s Trust. Not only do they create jobs for underprivileged youth, but their use of local high quality ingredients create some of the best SE Asian inspired dishes we’ve ever tasted (think turmeric pork chops, pork belly baos, and green chili coconut sambals).
Driving: Battambang is a 4-5 hour drive from Phnom Penh, which we’ll enjoy in our own private van.
Hotel: Cambana La Riviere (or similar), a boutique guesthouse in the heart of Battambang.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Battambang
Countryside Bike/Tuktuk Tour: Hop on bikes (or a tuktuk for those who don’t cycle) and explore the nearby countryside’s rural roads, villages, and families who are passing down their craft from generation to generation. Along the way, we’ll try bamboo sticky rice, visit a local market to learn about Cambodia’s most staple ingredient, and meet a local family who has been shelling out fire-cooked rice paper for decades (and then devour some made-to-order spring rolls); plus a lot more surprises!
Free Time
Bat Caves at Sunset: Roam the nearby rice terraces and village by tuktuk to reach the mouth of a hillside cave. Here, millions of bats emerge to go insect hunting every evening – dotting the setting sun with a slow, endless wave that lasts for up to an hour. It’s the most memorable sunset we’ll ever have!
Dinner: Visit a long-standing restaurant in old-town’s quiet lanes that features a balcony seating area and is known for its delicious selection of Cambodian dishes.
Driving: The morning bike ride will be 3 hours, with a lot of stops along the way. Total distance is 20km. The afternoon exploration will involve riding in tuktuks for a total of 1 hour, broken up by plenty of long stops.
Hotel: Same as previous night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Battambang > Siem Reap
Street-Art Walk: For centuries, Battambang was renowned for their artists – until they were targeted by the Khmer Rouge. After breakfast, we’ll discover today’s street-art scene which is putting Battambang back on the map as the art and soul capital of Cambodia.
Cooking Class & Market Visit: Visit Battambang’s largest local market to shop for lunch – a cooking class where each person will prepare 4 popular Cambodian dishes (including fish amok and a coconut milk dessert). Chef Nary will introduce each ingredient and demonstrate the process in his own kitchen, complete with recipes for to enjoy back home!
Drive to Siem Reap & Hotel Check-In
Phare Cambodian Circus & Dinner: An incredibly unique show where performers use theater, music, dance and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories. After the Khmer Rouge ended, some survivors used art as therapy, and they eventually started a free art, music, and theater school to share their skills with others. The circus allows these students a way to use their skills as a way to make a living.
We’ll pre-game with dinner on the circus grounds before enjoying the 1 hour seasonal show. Enormously different from the circus you may remember as a child, the acting, acrobatics, and high-energy music will captivate you!
Driving: Siem Reap is a 3 hour drive from Battambang, which we’ll enjoy in our own private van.
Hotel: Rambutan Resort, a boutique guesthouse in the center of Siem Reap.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Siem Reap
Angkor Wat is just one of over 72 major temples and 100’s of smaller ruins that encompass a 400 square km area outside Siem Reap. Those numbers are mind-boggling, but this UNESCO World Heritage Site is also the largest religious monument in the world. With endless temples, before-its-time architecture, and man-made water systems, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an exceptional ancient civilization.
Temple Exploration: We’ll start our day where Indiana Jones searched for the Ark of the Covenant and Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft raided tombs in the tree-entwined lesser known temples. We’ll explore dirt roads with hidden forested ruins, and climb ancient gates for unique views and larger-than-life carvings. We’ll feel like modern day explorers by lunch!
Free Time
Lost Plate’s Siem Reap Sunset Food Tour: Head out on our award-winning Siem Reap food tour. Our collection of stops include the only restaurant in town serving Mekola minority cuisine, a home-cooked meal with fresh-caught fish in a small countryside home, and killer sunset views in the rice paddies. We’ll end the night at a local bar with a cold draft beer or house cocktail.
Driving: Today’s temple exploration will be done by tuktuk. We’ll be out until after lunch with many long stops along the way. Our food tour is 4 hours by tuktuk with plenty more long stops.
Hotel: Same as previous night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Siem Reap
Sunrise at Angkor Wat: The view of Angkor Wat’s three iconic pagodas are a sight to behold at any time of day, but sunrise is when the temple comes alive. Take it all in as it becomes one with the horizon and slowly transforms, minute by minute, as the sky lights up and Angkor Wat emerges from its slumber.
After sunrise, we’ll get up close and personal with Angkor Wat itself as we explore its 12th century walls that took over 30 years (and 5 million tons of sandstone) to complete. Decorated with thousands of legendary stories and topped with three pagodas, we’ll have plenty of time to learn, explore, and create our best insta-moment.
Brunch: Enjoy breakfast/lunch at our hotel and get some rest after what already feels like a full day.
Free Time: We’ll have plenty of time this afternoon to relax, sightsee, and/or grab any last-minute souvenirs to bring home. We’ll give you plenty of options to choose from, and our tuktuks are at your disposal.
Farewell Dinner: It’s hard to top the previous 7 days, but we we’ve got a great dinner lined up for your final night in Cambodia.
Driving: Our drive to Angkor Wat and back will take about 30 minutes each way, by tuktuk.
Hotel: Same as previous night.
Meals: Brunch, Dinner
Departure
Airport Drop-off: Will be provided for each individual guest to coincide with your flight. Siem Reap’s SAI airport is a 45 minute drive from the city center.
Must-See Tour Highlights:
We spent years researching and designing this unique 8-day trip that covers all of our favorite highlights in Cambodia. Yes, this is a food-forward trip -but Cambodia is so much more than their cuisine and use of ingredients, which is why we’ve taken this trip a step further.
We’ll explore the countryside to meet families who have been perfecting their craft for generations. We’ll wind through dirt roads and trails to discover the lesser known ruins of Angkor Wat. We’ll confront Cambodia’s precarious history and see how the country is rediscovering its roots. And of course, we’ll eat (and drink) ourselves silly.
If you want to experience the real Cambodia, everything from the bustling capital of Phnom Penh to remote fishing villages, then this is the trip for you.
Our trips are all-inclusive and do not have any shopping stops where you are obligated to purchase something. The only thing not included is your tourist visa, transportation to/from Cambodia, activities during your free time, and gratuities for your guide.
Where We'll Stay:
- Phnom Penh (2 nights)
- Battambang (2 nights)
- Siem Reap (3 nights)
Rambutan Resort Phnom Penh
Cambana La Riviere Battambang
Rambutan Hotel Siem Reap
Accommodations may change based on group size and availability. If so, an equivalent will be used.
- Join-in trips require a minimum of 4 people to operate. You should only purchase your transportation to/from Cambodia after you receive a tour confirmation notice. Private tours (for an additional fee) are always an option if your join-in trip does not hit the minimum amount of people.
- A deposit of $500 USD per person is required to secure your spot. This deposit is non-refundable for any reason unless the trip is cancelled by Lost Plate due to the minimum group size not being met.
- Solo travelers not sharing a room will incur a single occupancy fee of $300 USD. See more details in our FAQ below.
- Payment of your remaining balance will be collected 14 days before the trip starts.
- If you need to cancel, the amount you have already paid cannot be refunded. This is because spots on each trip is limited, and because we arrange accommodations when you reserve your spot. You are able to transfer your spot to someone else.
- Payments can be made by credit card, WeChat, or Alipay.
We spent years researching and designing this unique 8-day trip that covers all of our favorite highlights in Cambodia. Yes, this is a food-forward trip -but Cambodia is so much more than their cuisine and use of ingredients, which is why we’ve taken this trip a step further.
We’ll explore the countryside to meet families who have been perfecting their craft for generations. We’ll wind through dirt roads and trails to discover the lesser known ruins of Angkor Wat. We’ll confront Cambodia’s precarious history and see how the country is rediscovering its roots. And of course, we’ll eat (and drink) ourselves silly.
If you want to experience the real Cambodia, everything from the bustling capital of Phnom Penh to remote fishing villages, then this is the trip for you.
Our trips are all-inclusive and do not have any shopping stops where you are obligated to purchase something. The only thing not included is your tourist visa, transportation to/from Cambodia, activities during your free time, and gratuities for your guide.
Where We'll Stay:
- Phnom Penh (2 nights)
- Battambang (2 nights)
- Siem Reap (3 nights)
Rambutan Resort Phnom Penh
Cambana La Riviere Battambang
Rambutan Hotel Siem Reap
Accommodations may change based on group size and availability. If so, an equivalent will be used.
- Join-in trips require a minimum of 4 people to operate. You should only purchase your transportation to/from Cambodia after you receive a tour confirmation notice. Private tours (for an additional fee) are always an option if your join-in trip does not hit the minimum amount of people.
- A deposit of $500 USD per person is required to secure your spot. This deposit is non-refundable for any reason unless the trip is cancelled by Lost Plate due to the minimum group size not being met.
- Solo travelers not sharing a room will incur a single occupancy fee of $300 USD. See more details in our FAQ below.
- Payment of your remaining balance will be collected 14 days before the trip starts.
- If you need to cancel, the amount you have already paid cannot be refunded. This is because spots on each trip is limited, and because we arrange accommodations when you reserve your spot. You are able to transfer your spot to someone else.
- Payments can be made by credit card, WeChat, or Alipay.
