Cambodia Dark Tourism Tour

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YPT doesn’t only take you to some of the least explored countries of the world: we also take you well off the beaten track in some of the more popular destinations! And so, we head to Cambodia for our Dark Tourism tour. We make use of our extensive knowledge of the country, after living here for several years, to show you sites that you won’t find in any guide book.

The Cambodia Dark Tourism Tour

The trip has you starting in the world-famous city of Siem Reap. Here, you’ll see a number of museums and ancient relics related to the contemporary/Khmer Rouge history of Cambodia, of course without missing the wonder of the world and UNESCO beauty that is Angkor Wat, where you even get to take in the famous sunrise.

We’ll then take you directly north towards Thailand to the Cambodian border town city of Anlong Veng, not only the last hideout of the Khmer Rouge, but the capital of the last Khmer Rouge state.

Unique highlights of Anlong Veng include abandoned checkpoints, homemade museums and unmarked graves related to the former leaders of the Khmer Rouge. No trip to Cambodia is complete without a true jungle trek into the wilderness as we take you to where very few foreigners have visited before, the last home and bunker of Pol Pot – the leader of the Khmer Rouge.

You’ll then head to the southwest of the country to Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia and home to some of the most important and forgotten sites related to the Killing Fields. You’ll also ride on a makeshift bamboo train locals created to make use of the old abandoned French railway lines and visit the Phnom Sampeau bat cave, where we quite literally watch a million bats leave their cave.

We then go fully off the beaten track to the rural province of Kampong Chhnang to see the floating villages, the prison caves and finally the abandoned force labour built Kampong Chhnang Airport. These sites are so unique you will find scant photos aside from our own.

The final stop for the tour is in Cambodia’s capital – Phnom Penh. Here, you’ll visit the sadly famous S-21, a former high school converted to a torture prison against the innocent, and then the actual Killing Fields located just outside the city. Tourism doesn’t get more dark than here.

However, we will also have a reason to celebrate as our arrival in Phnom Penh will coincide with the Khmer New Year celebrations, which traditionally lasts three days, and during which the streets are filled with people dressed in colourful traditional clothing, dancing, playing games and splashing each other with water. Yes that is right, we finish the tour with a (optional) street side water fight.

ITINERARY

Thursday 9th April – Siem Reap

Arrive in Siem Reap at your own convenience and meet the YPT guide at our centrally located hotel at 2:00pm. Location details will be confirmed nearer to the tour.
Explore the old French town and visit the night market before having dinner in one of the many great restaurants on Pub Street – there will be Angkor beers and, for anyone daring enough to try, fried tarantula or scorpion.
Overnight in Siem Reap.

Friday 10th April – Siem Reap

Morning

Wake up nice and (very) early to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat for incredible photos.
We grab breakfast and then begin exploring the remaining areas of Angkor archaeological park. Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and water for the trip to this unique UNESCO heritage site.
Our visit will include the Ta Prohm temple (nicknamed the “Tomb Raider Temple”), where trees grow out of the ruins, making it a photographer’s dream.
We’ll also visit the remains of the Royal Palace and the Bayon temple. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Angkor Thom. Its most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces of The Buddha.

Afternoon

Drop by the Siem Reap War Museum which houses a vast outdoor collection of Soviet helicopters, tanks and small weapons, all of which can be handled, so it makes for a pretty good photo op!
Visit the Angkor National Museum to have a better understanding on local art, culture and the architecture of the Khmer Kingdom.
Dinner in Siem Reap and drinks on Pub Street.
Optional Apsara show (extra fee), to discover Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage and traditional performing arts.
Overnight in Siem Reap.

Saturday 11th April – Anlong Veng

Morning

Breakfast and then head to Landmine Museum and Relief Centre houses abandoned children who attend the school next to the museum, it gives an interesting insight to the still present effects of the Vietnam War.
Begin our journey north towards the Thai border to Anlong Veng – the last hideout and retirement home of the Khmer Rouge (2 hour drive). It doesn’t get much more dark tourism than the history of the Khmer Rouge!

Afternoon

On arrival, we grab a local lunch of noodle soup and check into our hotel.
Driving tour of Anlong Veng, specifically visiting the former house of Ta Mok – a close comrade of Pol Pot.
Drive up the mountains right along the border and visit the graves of Son Sen and Ta Mok before heading to the unkept grave of Pol Pot.
Next stop is the Anlong Veng Peace Observatory for a spectacular view of the Cambodian plateau and the former mountain home of Ta Mok.
You will then be taken to the former home and bunker of Pol Pot buried deep in the Cambodian jungle. This is an amazing journey where you will see some incredible scenery.
Dinner and drinks in Anlong Veng.
Overnight in Heng Hotel, built along the same road as Pol Pot’s grave.

Sunday 12th April – Battambang

Morning

Breakfast at hotel
This morning, we’ll drive to Battambang city (4 hours).
Founded in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is the second largest city of the country. Its centre is particularly charming, with many buildings remaining from the colonial times.

Afternoon

Ride the famous bamboo train! This is literally a train built of bamboo sitting on wheels. It’s still used by the locals to transport rice on abandoned train tracks. We’ll ride a couple of stops and then visit a brick factory at the end of the line.
Visit Phnom Sampeau cave, this was one of the killing caves of the Khmer Rouge. We climb to the top and watch as hundreds of thousands of bats exit the cave every evening at dusk.
Dinner and check out the Battambang nightlife.
Overnight at Sanctuary Villa.

Monday 13th April – Kampong Chhnang

Morning

Breakfast and drive to Kampong Chhnang (3 hours).
On arrival we check into hotel
Visit the bustling market and floating village. Kampong Chhnang is one of the main rice production and fishing areas of Cambodia.

Afternoon

Have lunch back in town
Head out to the Khmer Rouge abandoned airport, built by forced labour, and nearby mass graves.
In the late afternoon, we visit the 18th century Khmer fortress of Udong, where we can climb to the top for stunning 360 degree views or enjoy a Khmer BBQ and some cold beers at the bottom!
Overnight in Kampong Chhnang

Tuesday 14th April – Phnom Penh

Morning

Breakfast and drive 3 hours to Phnom Penh, the capital city.
As we arrive in the city, you may notice it’s extra lively today. The reason is that today is the first day of the Khmer New Year celebrations, which traditionally lasts three days.
During that time, the streets are filled with people dressed in colourful traditional clothing, dancing, and playing games. In Phnom Penh, during the weekend, a large parade featuring floats, musicians, and performers will be organized.
While locals do not refer to this period as the “Water Festival” (which in Cambodia is the Bon Om Thook festival in November, focusing on boat racing), they do partake in the tradition of water fights. People take to the streets armed with buckets, hoses, and water guns, and everyone gets soaked!

Afternoon

Check into hotel and lunch.
Stop by the Royal Palace, home to Cambodia’s kings since the 1860s. You’ll also be able to see the Silver Pagoda, made with over 5,000 silver tiles.
Tuol Sleng (S21) genocide museum where there is an opportunity to meet one of the last survivors of the prison. Prisoners tortured here were mostly transferred to Choeung Ek.
Visit the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek – the largest mass grave in the country and a cruel reminder of the atrocities inflicted upon people during the Khmer Rouge period. This is one of the most haunting places in the world and the history is still recent.
Wander around the Boeung kak region of Phnom Penh. This used to be a bustling region of the central city, however the residents were all evicted to make way for property developments. Now the area is left barren, as the ground is too soft to build anything on. 4000 residents were evicted from this area and protests sometimes still occur.
Make a stop to see the outside of the house of the prime minister, which is located right next to the independence monument in the very centre of Phnom Penh.
We recover from the long day with dinner and a pub crawl in Phnom Penh to party Cambodia style and celebrating the Khmer New Year like a local! Prepare to get wet as the water fights continue!
Overnight at OK Boutique Hotel.

Wednesday 15th April – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap

End of tour, with YPT able to arrange airport transfer, or join our Khmer New Year Extension
We take the 10am bus back to Siem Reap arriving at 4:00pm, with lunch on the way.

Afternoon

Check into our centrally located hotel
At night we head out to Pub Street for one of the most epic parts of Khmer New Year, the water fights. This is truly a sight to behold, with people of all ages coming out on foot and in cars armed with water guns, buckets and balloons, with the aim of getting people as wet as possible.
As it is new year, there is an abundance of free concerts, open restaurants and street food, where we will arrange dinner.
We finish the night partying away with the crowds in Pub Street
Overnight in Siem Reap

Thursday 16th April – Siem Reap

We enjoy our first late start of the whole trip!
Breakfast in the hotel
In the late morning we get a chance to walk around the main market in Siem Reap

Afternoon

For lunch we head out into the countryside for a traditional Khmer New Year feast, where we can enjoy some drinks, as well as learn about the traditions of Khmer New Year in Cambodia
After lunch we jump in our private TukTuk to Tonle Sap Lake, here we can enjoy a boat trip, as well as the chance to cool down with a swim in the river.
Tonle Sap also marks one of the best places to try traditional Khmer food (including bugs), so we’ll stop here for dinner and drinks.
At night, we party Khmer style at one of the traditional dances parties. This involves lots of food and drink, as well as people merrily dancing traditionally around a pole.
Head back to our centrally located hotel
Overnight in Siem Reap

Friday 17th April – Siem Reap

Breakfast in the hotel
End of tour with YPT able to arrange airport transfer, or ongoing flights to our Extreme Phlippines Tour

GALLERY

Siem Reap War Museum

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