After breakfast, your driver will take you south to Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta, a journey of around three and a half hours. The afternoon is spent on foot exploring the city’s historic and cultural landmarks, beginning at the riverside wharf before continuing to Can Tho Prison and its stories of wartime resistance. A Khmer temple nearby offers a quieter moment with a monk for a blessing, followed by a visit to a Vietnamese temple to observe the distinct traditions of each.

The route continues along De Tham Street, known for its street food, with a stop at a Khmer-Chinese eatery for the local specialty of mung bean and shrimp. The walk finishes back at the wharf, passing the Old Market’s outdoor vendors before settling in at a riverside café for a cold drink.

The morning begins with a cycle to the busy local market in Phong Dien, where fresh produce spills across the stalls in the early hours. The route continues into the surrounding villages through tropical fruit gardens heavy with durian, mangosteen, and jackfruit, crossing small bridges over the canal network that defines life in the delta.

A stop at a local café for a cold drink and conversation with villagers is followed by a visit to a Khmer Theravada temple to observe traditional ceremonies. After lunch, you can return to the lodge or continue exploring the orchards of Giai Xuan and My Khanh villages. The full cycling distance covers between 12 and 18 miles depending on the route taken.

The morning is spent on the water, starting at the Cai Rang Floating Market where boats loaded with produce jostle for position in one of the Mekong Delta’s most active trading spots. From there, a visit to a traditional rice noodle factory shows the handmade process from start to finish, with fresh noodles to taste, before continuing to a bamboo craft village to watch local artisans at work.

After checking out, your driver will take you toward Chau Doc with a stop at Tra Su Forest, a protected cajuput forest in An Giang Province that serves as a sanctuary for birds and wildlife. A sampan takes you deep into the forest along narrow waterways, where the sounds of birds and insects and the scent of flowering trees make for one of the quieter and more atmospheric experiences in the delta.

This morning, transfer to the pier for a speedboat journey along the Mekong River from Vietnam into Cambodia, with border formalities completed on the water. The boat arrives in Phnom Penh in the early afternoon, where your guide and driver will meet you at Chak Tomuk pier for the transfer to your hotel.

Cambodia’s capital sits at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers and carries a complex and compelling history that makes itself felt throughout the city. The evening is yours at leisure, and the riverside promenade near the Royal Palace is worth a stroll, with plenty of good restaurants along the waterfront.

Set out on a full day exploration of Phnom Penh, beginning with a visit to Tuol Sleng Prison, the former high school converted by the Khmer Rouge into a detention and interrogation center. Here, the documentation of atrocities committed during Cambodia’s ultra-radical Marxist period makes for a sobering but essential visit. From there, the route continues to Choeung Ek, the killing fields outside the city, where an audio tour guides you through one of the most significant memorial sites in Southeast Asia.

The afternoon shifts to the city’s architectural and cultural landmarks. Wat Phnom, a 14th-century stupa atop the only hill in Phnom Penh, is the oldest building in the city and its tallest religious structure. The Royal Palace, built in 1866 under King Norodom, showcases classic Khmer architecture alongside the Silver Pagoda, whose floor is laid with more than 5,000 silver tiles and whose remaining contents offer some of the finest surviving examples of Khmer craftsmanship. The National Museum rounds out the afternoon with its extensive collection of sculpture and artifacts recovered from the Angkor Empire before returning to the hotel for the evening.

After breakfast, your guide and driver will take you north from Phnom Penh toward Kampong Thom, a journey of around three and a half hours. On arrival, a local guide will take you into Sambor Prei Kuk, a UNESCO-listed pre-Angkorian capital that predates the temples of Angkor by several centuries. Spread across a forested setting, the site contains some of the earliest surviving examples of Khmer temple architecture, its distinctive brick sanctuaries and intricate carvings forming the stylistic foundation for everything that came after.

Lunch is at a local restaurant within the Sambor Prei Kuk community before the road continues another three and a half hours northwest to Siem Reap, arriving in time for check-in with the evening at leisure.

Today you’ll set out before dawn for Angkor Wat, entering from the quieter east side to watch the sun rise over the temple’s iconic towers before the crowds arrive. Built in the 12th century as the funeral temple of King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument on earth. You’ll return to the hotel for a late breakfast before heading back out for a full day at the wider Angkor complex.

The afternoon covers the South Gate of Angkor Thom and the Bayon, with its forests of carved stone faces, followed by Baphoun, Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, and the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King. Ta Prohm comes later in the day when the crowds thin, its massive tree roots pushing through the stone blocks in a way that has made it one of the most photographed temples in the region. The day ends with sunset at Pre Rup or Srah Srang before returning to the hotel.

Today takes you out of Siem Reap and into the Khmer countryside for a full day of rural life. The morning begins with a drive to Kna Por village, surrounded by rice fields, where different families open their doors to share their trades and daily routines. You’ll gain insight into the production of rice wine, woven mats, and traditional brooms before a remork takes you to the village outskirts to take in the scenery, watch locals working in the fields, and learn about the role of water buffaloes in Cambodian agriculture. The route also includes a visit to the ancient ruins of Banteay Ampil Temple before lunch at a local restaurant on the way back to town.

In the afternoon, a vintage jeep takes you through rural roads to Wat Cedei, a local Buddhist temple where a resident monk shares his daily life and faith, and offers a blessing believed to bring good fortune and protection. From there, the jeep continues deeper into the countryside to the sunset spot, where cocktails, canapés, and a foot massage are waiting.

Say goodbye to Cambodia and head to the airport to catch your departing flight.