Indo China holiday
| country: | Cambodia |
| location: | Indochina holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 14 Feb, 7 Nov |
| price: | £2095 (14 days) excluding international flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Indo China holiday
Cambodia may be famous for the Angkor Temples at Siem Reap, but despite having a stunning coastline to rival its better-known neighbours, to date it is not particularly famous for its beaches. In keeping with our philosophy to continually push the limits of adventure travel, we have come up with this new and exclusive trip focusing on the remote area of the Cardamom Mountains followed by a week enjoying Cambodia’s best beaches. Avoiding the more popular northern routes, we begin our tour by heading southwest into the Cardamom protected area, once a stronghold for the Khmer Rouge, to enjoy a homestay in the heart of this pristine forest reserve.
Continuing on to the coast, we stay in Sihanoukville, a town surrounded by palm-fringed white-sand beaches and tropical islands, before taking a boat across to the paradise that is Bamboo Island - think Thailand’s Ko Samui 30 years ago and you’ll start to get the idea. You won’t find any supermarkets here; you won’t even find any Reggae Bars; what you will find however are some clean and simple huts, and one of the most beautiful and truly unspoilt beaches in the whole of Southeast Asia. Returning to the mainland we visit Kep, full of faded grandeur and once the place to go for the Cambodian Royal Family, and then one last chance to enjoy the tranquil beaches of Cambodia with a visit to the virtually deserted Rabbit Island. You’ll return home from this Indo China holiday safe in the knowledge that there are still some secrets left in the world.
Price details: Included are full board, local flights, transport as outlined in itinerary, twin-share accommodation, mineral water, and entrance fees. Excluded are local airport taxes, insurance, visas, beverages, tips to the local guides and all costs of a personal nature.
Cambodia may be famous for the Angkor Temples at Siem Reap, but despite having a stunning coastline to rival its better-known neighbours, to date it is not particularly famous for its beaches. In keeping with our philosophy to continually push the limits of adventure travel, we have come up with this new and exclusive trip focusing on the remote area of the Cardamom Mountains followed by a week enjoying Cambodia’s best beaches. Avoiding the more popular northern routes, we begin our tour by heading southwest into the Cardamom protected area, once a stronghold for the Khmer Rouge, to enjoy a homestay in the heart of this pristine forest reserve.
Continuing on to the coast, we stay in Sihanoukville, a town surrounded by palm-fringed white-sand beaches and tropical islands, before taking a boat across to the paradise that is Bamboo Island - think Thailand’s Ko Samui 30 years ago and you’ll start to get the idea. You won’t find any supermarkets here; you won’t even find any Reggae Bars; what you will find however are some clean and simple huts, and one of the most beautiful and truly unspoilt beaches in the whole of Southeast Asia. Returning to the mainland we visit Kep, full of faded grandeur and once the place to go for the Cambodian Royal Family, and then one last chance to enjoy the tranquil beaches of Cambodia with a visit to the virtually deserted Rabbit Island. You’ll return home from this Indo China holiday safe in the knowledge that there are still some secrets left in the world.
Price details: Included are full board, local flights, transport as outlined in itinerary, twin-share accommodation, mineral water, and entrance fees. Excluded are local airport taxes, insurance, visas, beverages, tips to the local guides and all costs of a personal nature.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Phnom Penh: Joining the tour at our hotel in Phnom Penh this evening, we will have time to enjoy dinner at a traditional Cambodian restaurant before retiring for the night for a well-deserved rest after your long flight. Hotel (D) |
| Day 2: | Phnom Penh: After being destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s, Cambodia’s capital city is now a thriving epicentre. Sitting on the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers with wonderful crumbling colonial architecture, it’s a city spinning into the future. You’re as likely to see an elephant on the main road as a Mercedes! We hit the ground running this morning, exploring the highlights of this truly fascinating city, including the National Museum and the Royal Palace. This evening we will enjoy sundowners at the FCC (the infamous Foreign Correspondents Club) overlooking the promenade, followed by dinner at one of Phnom Penh's lesser known but landmark restaurants serving authentic and delicious traditional Khmer fare in a fantastic colonial building. Hotel (B, L, D) |
| Day 3: | Phnom Penh - Chi Phat (Cardamom Mountains): This morning we will depart for the Cardamom Mountain Range, a wild and remote part of the country containing impenetrable jungle, which is said to be the most pristine forest left in Southeast Asia. The road into the Cardamoms has only been complete for around a year, newly opening this area up to visitors, and the final part of our journey will be by boat - the only access to remote Chi Phat village. Our guesthouse is part of a pioneering community-based ecotourism project launched by the Wildlife Alliance, giving a unique opportunity to explore the Cardamom ecosystem while contributing in a small way to its protection. Don’t come expecting minibars and swimming pools! This is a chance to experience true Cambodian village life and facilities will be basic. There will be time to relax and enjoy our surroundings before a sundowner and dinner this evening. Guesthouse (B, L, D) |
| Day 4: | Chi Phat: Today we will have the chance to explore the forest trails of this protected area on foot or by bicycle. A variety of birds can be seen in the reserve, including hornbills, rachet tailed drongos, sunbirds and coucals. There will be an opportunity to visit the picturesque ‘hidden’ waterfall, Chruos Chhay Ospoat, which you can walk behind and discover the ‘bat cave’. This waterfall is perfect for taking a refreshing shower!. Guesthouse (B, L, D) |
| Day 5: | Chi Phat: We will set out exploring the rivers of the reserve by boat today. Fish eagles, kingfishers and wading birds can sometimes be seen along the river and so we will be keeping our eyes peeled. Monkeys can also often be seen along the banks of Stung Proat, an unlogged tributary of the Preak Piphot River. Guesthouse (B, L, D) |
| Day 6: | Chi Phat - Sihanoukville: This morning we will leave our hosts and make the easy trip to the coast to reach Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s prime seaside resort located on a peninsular jutting out into the Gulf of Thailand. We shall stay at the Independence Hotel - built in the 1960s and architecturally overseen by King Sihanouk himself, this is a modernist dream of a hotel overlooking the sea with its own pool and beach. Independence Beach is one of the few unspoilt beaches in Sihanoukville and you’ll have the chance to relax in comfort. We’ll enjoy dinner tonight at a hilltop restaurant with stunning views over the town and coast. Hotel (B, L, D) |
| Day 7: | Sihanoukville:: A free day today to enjoy the beach and relax. For those needing a little nightlife after the peacefulness of the previous days, whilst not being overdeveloped, Sihanoukville offers many vibrant bars. Hotel (B, L, D) |
| Day 8: | Sihanoukville - Bamboo Island: Departing Sihanoukville early this morning, we will take a short boat ride across to Bamboo Island (Koh Russei) within Ream National Park, where we will enjoy 3 nights on this remote beach paradise. We shall stay in basic but clean huts on one of Cambodia’s most beautiful beaches. There will be time to relax, swim, enjoy the local food and soak up the sun! We will be some of the last people to stay on Bamboo Island before the developers sadly move in next year. Huts (B, L, D) |
| Day 9: | Bamboo Island: A free day to relax and enjoy this tropical paradise. You may like to do some snorkelling, or simply relax in a hammock with a good book. Huts (B, L, D) |
| Day 10: | Bamboo Island: Another day to relax and enjoy the beach at your leisure. Huts (B, L, D). |
| Day 11: | Bamboo Island - Kep: Today we take a boat back to the mainland and drive on to Kep, which was the place for dignitaries and royalty to be seen in the 1960s. The Khmer Rouge destroyed it in the mid 1970s but now it's back on the road to recovery. Deserted modernist villas abound in this slightly weird town. Famous for its crab and seafood, Kep is one of the more underused stop offs in Cambodia ... but not for long, we’re sure! We will be staying at Kep Lodge with its beautiful sunset views and swimming pool. Hotel (B, L, D) |
| Day 12: | Kep: Today you are free to explore Kep by yourselves if you wish, and there are many activity options to choose from. But if you still haven’t had enough of the beach, we will have a boat on hand to visit Rabbit Island, a pristine and virtually deserted island 40 minutes off the coast. Or you might want to hire a small sailing boat! Dinner tonight will be at the wonderful Kep Sailing Club. Hotel (B, L, D) |
| Day 13: | Kep - Phnom Penh: Today we depart Kep early for the 5-hour journey back to Phnom Penh. Arriving early afternoon we will have time to visit Phnom Penh’s great boutiques and market stalls for some last minute shopping. Tonight we’ll have one last chance to watch the sunset from the FCC before heading out for our final dinner at another fantastic local restaurant. Hotel (B, L, D) |
| Day 14: | Phnom Penh: The tour ends this morning after breakfast at our hotel. (B) |
how this holiday makes a difference
 Three decades of war in Cambodia have left scars in many forms throughout the country. Unfortunately, one of the most lasting legacies of the conflicts continues to claim new victims daily. Land mines, laid by the Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin and Hun Sen regimes, the Vietnamese, the KPNLF, and the Sihanoukists litter the countryside. In most cases, even the soldiers who planted the mines did not record where they were placed. Now, Cambodia has the one of the highest rates of physical disability of any country in the world. While census data for Cambodia is sketchy, it is generally accepted that more than 40,000 Cambodians have suffered amputations as a result of mine injuries since 1979.That represents an average of nearly forty victims a week for a period of twenty years. We are proud to support 2 NGO’s dedicated to helping eradicate this problem. The first, Adopt-a-minefield is an NGO that saves and improves lives by raising funds to clear landmines and help landmine survivors in various places and around the world. For further details please visit www.landmines.org.uk The second organisation is the Mines advisory group (MAG), is an international implementing NGO for the MAT Project in Quang Binh Province. MAG clears and destroys the landmines and left-over weapons that make areas unsafe after war. Each Mines Advisory Group mobile Mine Action Team (MAT) removes the burden of mine disposal from the local villagers and provides immediate assistance in the removal of all reported items from within household areas, villages and communities. When you take one of our Indo China holidays, we make a contribution to “Carbon Clear” – an organisation who work with hundreds of organisations to measure their carbon footprint and reduce their carbon emissions. By incorporating home-stays, locally owned hotels, restaurants and the services of guides into our itineraries, we ensure that money goes directly into the local economy and local communities benefit from tourism. We also supports emergency relief efforts in the areas we travel to, such as the Pakistan Earthquake Fund set up in 2005 and a variety of other community benefiting NGOs around the world. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |