Cambodia history and culture holiday

Planet

We carefully choose suppliers in Southeast Asia who reflect our responsible and sustainable ethos. Our current supplier not only has a foundation that works with, supports and advises many different projects and NGO’s in Asia, they are also Travelife certified. Travelife is an internationally accredited certification scheme that helps organisations improve their social, economic and environmental impacts that they have as a business.

In this itinerary, you will join a cycling tour in Battambang which is run by Soksabike, a social enterprise which promotes responsible tourism. Soksabike works to minimise negative environmental impacts by organising their operations with an awareness of these issues and by training staff about how to protect the local environment. They also support sustainability initiatives in the local area.

You will also take a tour of La Plantation, a family-owned project which is committed to growing organic and sustainable spices. The farm supports rural communities within the Kampot region by providing employment with good working conditions following Fair Trade principles, promoting respect for the local environment and funding educational programs for children. La Plantation also works to promote farm to table commercialisation and follows Sustainable Agriculture practices through organic agriculture, permaculture and crop rotation.

People

Wherever possible, we encourage you to spend as much time as possible in local communities, interacting with local people to find out more about their way of life and traditional, cultural practices.

While touring the temples of Angkor in Cambodia, most visitors will head back to Siem Reap for lunch before returning to the Angkor Archaeological Park in the afternoon. However, in this itinerary you will instead head to a village located within the park and enjoy a local lunch cooked by a family. This means less fuel will be used moving back and forth between the park and Siem Reap, you will contribute less to traffic congestion within the town, and will contribute more to the local community by eating lunch in their village.

By attending the Phare Circus you will be supporting performers who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and been given the opportunity to perform by graduating from the Phare Ponleu Selpak’s vocational training centre.

When exploring the communities near Siem Reap, on Tonlé Sap Lake, and in the Banteay Chhmar homestay community, you will have plenty of opportunities to interact with local people, get involved in some of their daily activities and enjoy meals together. By visiting these villages, you will also be contributing to the continuation of their traditional ways of life.

During your time in Phnom Penh we will ensure that you not only visit some of the key sights the city is known for, but also residential neighbourhoods, parks and local bars/eateries which are off of the tourist trail.

We always ensure we use local English speaking guides wherever possible. Our guides are fantastic ambassadors for their own regions, whether it’s explaining the history, culture or food etiquette, but best of all, they act as a bridge to the local people you meet along the way.