Crackin' Cambodia - 2016
GBP
Day 1 : Bangkok
Welcome to Thailand’s crazy sweet capital. Bangkok actually means ‘City of Plums’, and the acronym of its ridiculously long official name is KTMARMAMPNRBUMAPASSWP. Seriously. Now, go forth with your new knowledge and prosper. Or just go forth and eat your body weight in pad thai, satay roti and green chicken curry. That’s what most of us do in Bangkok.
Day 2 : Siem Reap - Angkor
It’s the one you’ve all been waiting for – the mighty Angkor kingdom. Make Siem Reap your base, drop your backpack and head straight to Angkor Wat for epic sunset views. Explore Elephant Terrace, Bayon and Ta Prohm (yep, the Tomb Raider temple), before splashing some cash at the Siem Reap Night Market. How’s that for an awesome coupla days?
Day 5 : Kompong Cham
Kick on to Kampong Cham for some serious decision-making. Bike around Koh Paen or take in some ancient mountain temples? Check out the 11th century Wat Nokor or cross the bamboo bridge to Koh Paen island? Hmm, tough choices…
Day 6 : Phnom Penh
Silver Pagoda, Emerald Buddha, Choeung Ek Museum, the Killing Fields, markets, cafes, art deco, Sisowath Quay. Yes, there’s plenty to do in Phnom Penh. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure kinda day. We recommend seeing and doing all of it. Sorry we can’t be of more help.
Day 7 : Homestay
A homestay in a local village will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Partly because of the friendly company and partly because of the delicious home-cooked Cambodian food. This leg of the trip is taken by private bus, so lap up the luxury while you can.
Day 8 : Sihanoukville
Head on to beachside Sihanoukville, apparently tipped to be South East Asia’s next hot spot. Get in before the crowds – you won’t regret it. If you’ve got spare time, boat out to one of the nearby islands, dig into a barbecue, and chillax on the sand.
Day 10 : Phnom Penh
Back on the bus and back to Phom Penh. Every traveller needs to experience a massage by way of bumpy road. Back in the city, perhaps get an actual massage. No points for guessing which one you’ll prefer. Do and see all of the things you didn’t get to do and see last time.
Day 11 : Ho Chi Minh City
Hello Vietnam. Get to grips with Ho Chi Minh City, perhaps Vietnam’s best. It’s fast, it’s loud and it’s colourful. It also has the largest concentration of bars, pubs and clubs in all of Vietnam. Uh oh… Fit it all into one day, then say ciao to your new travel mates after breaky.
Basic Details
Starts in: Bangkok
Ends in: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Group Size: maximum 16
Highlights
- The bustling streets and cyclos of Saigon
- Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Phnom Penh
- Sihanoukville beach resort
What's Included
- Gecko’s expert English-speaking local tour guide throughout the tour. - Free time to explore Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap, the temples of Angkor and Bangkok. One day Angkor Wat pass to get you started - Local homestay experience in Cambodia.
Meals Included: 2 breakfasts, , 1 dinner
What's NOT Included
International flights, arrival and departure transfers, departure and airport taxes, visas, all other meals, all optional tours or activities during free time, transfers outside of the tour program, travel insurance, tips and items of a personal nature.
Accommodation Styles
- Homestay
- Basic hotel
Important Information
Crossing cultures When you are taking a tour that covers 3 different countries, you will be tempted at times to draw comparisons between them. However, you will get the most of your travel experience if you try to understand and respect each culture and the people living there, regardless of whether you preferred the destination you were in previously. There are some cultural elements that do cross over between countries in South East Asia: · Patting someone on their head is considered extremely rude and insulting. · Public displays of affection are not acceptable, especially kissing. · Losing your temper or showing anger and shouting or yelling will lose respect immediately, to remain cool, calm and collected at all times is an admired quality · When visiting temples ensure your shoulders and knees are covered. They are places of worship please treat them as such. · The monarchy is held in high esteem in Thailand & Cambodia, please treat them with respect
Local Tour Guides By employing and training local site guides to lead our group holidays, there is a two-fold benefit. Firstly, we provide employment opportunities for the local community. Just as importantly is the benefit to you, the traveller. Your tour guide’s friendship, humour, passion and intimate knowledge of the region will be key factors in making your holiday a success.
Tipping Tipping has become an accepted part of tourism in South East Asia. Your tour guide will be able to advise you in this area; however, as a guideline we would recommend tipping 10% of the total bill in restaurants and a small tip to hotel bellboys for carrying your bags. At you pre-tour briefing your tour guide will discuss with you the idea of running a tipping kitty, whereby everybody contributes an equal amount and then the tour guide pays the tips and keeps a record of all monies spent (except restaurant tips). The record can be checked at any time and any money remaining at the end of the tour is returned to group members. This is often the easiest way to avoid the hassles of needing small change and knowing what is an appropriate amount to tip. It is customary to tip your tour guide, at the end of the trip, if you are happy with the service. A minimum tip of US$2 per day, from each member of the group, is the usual amount expected.
Thai Visas Please note that any travellers of certain nationalities (ie. Australians, Americans, Canadians, British and New Zealanders) do not normally require a visa for Thailand if flying in and staying up to 30 days. However, travellers will only get 15 days of stay if arriving without a visa at a land border checkpoint from a neighbouring country. Travellers arriving in Thailand this way and planning to stay in the country longer than 15 days should obtain a Thai visa before they leave home. All other nationalities should check for visa requirements with their travel agents. Please note that those nationalities requiring a visa may need to acquire one before they arrive Thailand, as a visa on arrival is not available at certain land borders.
Infrastructure and Tet Holiday Period Please note that Vietnam and Cambodia are developing countries whose infrastructure may differ from what you expect in your homeland. Expect poor road conditions and be prepared for some inconveniences due to such things as restaurants or tourist sites being closed and our regular transport services not always being available, especially so during the Tet holiday period (Vietnamese New Year), Chinese New Year and Songkran festival (Cambodian and Thai New Year). During Tet (Vietnamese New Year)/Chinese New Year most businesses will be closed as Vietnamese people usually spend this period returning to their homes and celebrating with their families. This will involve a major burden on all forms of transport, and despite booking in advance, tickets for planes and trains especially are extremely difficult to obtain. Even if bookings are obtained, transport services during this period will be overcrowded and heavy delays are to be expected, so you will need to make sure that you pack your sense of humour. In order to facilitate your travels during the Tet period, we may need to substitute your train/plane journey with a private bus trip, if required. This is an 'adventure' trip and we hope to expose you to all aspects of the local cultures. Please be open-minded. Please note that, on your tour, you may link up with passengers booked on other tours in our Gecko’s Asia program. (any additional information from trip notes that may only apply to some trips)
BROCHURE MISPRINT INCLUDED MEALS
There was a misprint in the 2015 brochure. Included meals were listed as 4 breakfasts and 1 dinner but should have read 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner. We apologise for this misprint in the brochure.
Single Supplements
A single supplement is available to be pre booked on this trip. On the following nights a single room is not available:Day 7 Homestay
Local Emergency Contacts In the case of a genuine crisis or emergency, the Gecko's Cambodia office can be reached on Tel: +855 92 555 969
Emergency Funds
Please also make sure you have access to an additional US$400, to be used when unforeseen incidents or circumstances outside our control (eg. a natural disaster, civil unrest or an outbreak of bird flu) necessitate a change to our planned route.
About this page
The information provided here is given in good faith and has been compiled with all reasonable care. However, things change and some of the information may become out of date. Please keep this in mind when you read it and check with us if you want to be sure about something. You can check the most up-to-date version of the trip notes online at www.geckosadventures.com. If you have any queries, please contact your travel agent or your nearest Gecko's office. We are here to help you!