Cambodia photography holiday
| country: | Cambodia |
| location: | Angkor Wat |
| departures: | 2008: 2 Nov 2009: 24 Jan, 26 Feb, 8 Apr, 17 May |
| price: | From £1650 - £1875 (11 days) including flights from the UK, from £925 excluding flights. Price includes twin share bed & breakfast accommodation. Additional cost for optional beach extension |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This unique photographic tour of Cambodia, accompanied by professional travel photographer Nathan Horton, aims to encourage keen amateur photographers, not only to get to know their cameras better but to engage with their subject matter in more meaningful ways.
In contrast to other photography courses, and in keeping with our philosophy, this trip intends to emphasize a travel photography that appreciates local people, their cultures, traditions and religions and encourages a positive impact on the places and people it visits.
The itinerary leads you overland, from Cambodia’s vibrant and fascinating capital Phnom Penh, to the fabulous ruined Khmer cities of Angkor, one of the 7 wonders of the world. In addition to these ruined cities covered in steamy jungle, where flocks of parrots and squabbling monkeys dart between mysterious stone carvings - you will also discover remote and rarely visited jungle temples, scenic landscapes, river life and villages where little has changed in a thousand years, and the markets and street life of the bustling, friendly towns.
Highlights include:
Hands on photographic assistance, tips and advice Photographic presentation Temples of Angkor Dawn at Angkor Wat Remote Beng Melea Cambodian River trip Floating fishing villages Phnom Penh Kompong Chnang Scenic Cambodian countryside.
Trip details: Accommodation is in hotels and transport is by minibus, boat, tuk-tuk and flight. Bed and breakfast is included throughout. Maximum hiking time is 3-4 hrs per day during the Angkor visit. Travellers not taking up the flight option would join the tour in Phnom Penh on day 2 and depart in Phnom Penh on day on day 10.
In contrast to other photography courses, and in keeping with our philosophy, this trip intends to emphasize a travel photography that appreciates local people, their cultures, traditions and religions and encourages a positive impact on the places and people it visits.
The itinerary leads you overland, from Cambodia’s vibrant and fascinating capital Phnom Penh, to the fabulous ruined Khmer cities of Angkor, one of the 7 wonders of the world. In addition to these ruined cities covered in steamy jungle, where flocks of parrots and squabbling monkeys dart between mysterious stone carvings - you will also discover remote and rarely visited jungle temples, scenic landscapes, river life and villages where little has changed in a thousand years, and the markets and street life of the bustling, friendly towns.
Highlights include:
Trip details: Accommodation is in hotels and transport is by minibus, boat, tuk-tuk and flight. Bed and breakfast is included throughout. Maximum hiking time is 3-4 hrs per day during the Angkor visit. Travellers not taking up the flight option would join the tour in Phnom Penh on day 2 and depart in Phnom Penh on day on day 10.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Departure from London. |
| Day 2: | Morning arrival in Phnom Penh, via Bangkok, and check-in to a small, comfortable, downtown hotel close to the historic riverbank quarter. Leisurely afternoon walking tour of the City taking in the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the lively waterfront area. (Photographic themes: – Phnom Penh street scenes, historic buildings; French colonial style and Buddhist temples.) |
| Day 3: | Day tour of some of the sites of Cambodia’s fascinating capital city; the bustling Central Market, the infamous ‘Killing Fields’ site and the highly moving Khmer Rouge Genocide Museum at Tuol Sleng. (Photographic themes: - street scenes, markets, people, architecture, historical sites.) |
| Day 4: | Up country through Cambodia’s scenic countryside to the small provincial town of Siem Reap in Western Cambodia – our base for the next few days and jumping off point for the nearby Angkor Temple complex. Stops on the way at the famous ‘spider village’ of Skuon, (tasting not compulsory), the rarely visited but well preserved 10th century temple of Kuhananokor and lunch by the Tonle Sap Lake. A dusk visit to the atmospheric ruins of Ta Prom completes our day. (Photographic themes: - landscapes - countryside, villages, rural life, ‘on the road’.) |
| Day 5-6: | Angkor; an unforgettable two-day tour of this fabulous site – its vast jungle clad temples and mysterious stone carvings. A comprehensive tour of the major sites - plus some lesser known ones - including sunrise and sunset visits. (A detailed itinerary of our Angkor visit is available upon request.) (Photographic themes: - architecture, historical sites – ruined temples, dawn at Angkor Wat - landscapes, jungle/forest – flora and fauna) |
| Day 7: | Off the beaten track with a morning trip to the remote site of Beng Melea Temple – until recently off limits due to appalling roads and uncleared mines – but for the few who have visited, certainly one of the most memorable temple sites. Stop off at the lively rural market Dam Daek and afternoon at leisure in Siem Reap – relax by the pool, a visit to the unusual landmines museum or the local markets? (Photographic themes: - rural markets and villages, landscapes, historical sites, rarely photographed temples.) |
| Day 8: | Spectacular boat journey across the Tonle Sap Lake, past the ‘flooded forest’ and Prek Toal bird sanctuary and on down the Sangker River and it’s floating fishing villages to the town of Battambang. Afternoon to check out the town’s French colonial architecture. (If water levels are low in March and April, this journey will be overland.) (Photographic themes: - river and lake scenes, floating fishing villages, architecture and street scenes of Battambang.) |
| Day 9: | Morning departure for the fascinating river port town of Kompong Chnang. Tour of the bustling town and markets on foot and by boat – since half the town is actually floating on the Tonle Sap River! In the afternoon we’ll continue via the hilltop pagodas of Udong – former capital of Cambodia - before continuing south to Phnom Penh. (Photographic themes: - landscapes, temples, river scenes, street scenes, markets, people.) |
| Day 10: | At leisure in Phnom Penh and evening departure for London, via Bangkok. (Photographic themes: - street scenes, markets, people, architecture, historical sites.) |
| Day 11: | Morning arrival at London Heathrow Airport. |
Optional beach extension: | |
| Day 10: | Morning at leisure in Phnom Penh and afternoon flight to Koh Samui. |
| Day 11-14: | At leisure on Koh Samui. |
| Day 15: | Morning on the island and return flight to London via Bangkok. |
| Day 16: | Morning arrival at London Heathrow Airport. |
how this holiday makes a difference
 In marked difference to some photography trips, and in keeping with our philosophy, this tour emphasizes photography that appreciates local people, their cultures and religions, and encourages a positive impact on the places and people it visits. Please note that all group sizes are between 2 and 9 persons. Groups are accompanied at all times by Nathan Horton a professional photographer and one or more local guides. All transportation is organized by local operators and using local drivers. We feel that our ‘discreet’ group sizes lead to less impact both on the environment and the people that we visit as well as allowing for more supervision, advice and explanations with the high ratio of guides/tour-leader to clients. With regular visits to the sites (and if present souvenir shops) we help sustain local businesses and enterprises, such as the handicraft school for handicapped persons in Siem Reap, to the ‘land-mine museum’ in Siem Reap where we help support the organizer’s mine clearance operations through donations. |
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. |