10–12 Days in Cambodia — Temples & Beach
3 destinations · 11 days
At a Glance
- ✓ Angkor Wat at sunrise
- ✓ Tonle Sap floating villages
- ✓ Phnom Penh's Royal Palace & history
- ✓ Island escape on Koh Rong Samloem
- ✓ Bioluminescent plankton night swim
- ✓ Sihanoukville ferry crossing
The classic 7-day loop is a sprint. Add three to five more days and you get something better: the same Angkor temples and Phnom Penh history, plus the part most short trips skip entirely — Cambodia’s south coast islands. This is the route for travelers who want culture and a proper beach reset before flying home.
Day 1: Arrive in Siem Reap
Afternoon: Arrive and settle in. Keep it slow — a long lunch at Mahob or Haven Restaurant eases you into Khmer cuisine before the temple marathon begins.
Evening: Wander the Old Market (Phsar Chas) and Pub Street. Catch an Apsara dance performance with dinner at Angkor Village Theatre or Koulen II.
Stay: Old Market area, Siem Reap.
Day 2: Angkor Wat & Angkor Thom
5:00 AM: Tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat for sunrise over the moat — the single most photographed view in Cambodia, and worth the early alarm.
8:00 AM: Breakfast near the temple, then explore the inner galleries and upper terrace.
10:30 AM: Drive to Angkor Thom and the Bayon — 54 towers of serene stone faces at the city’s centre.
1:00 PM: Lunch and a break during peak heat.
3:30 PM: Ta Prohm, the jungle temple where silk-cotton trees grow through the stonework. Best photographed in late-afternoon light.
Stay: Siem Reap.
Day 3: Remote Temples & Tonle Sap
Morning: Quieter corners of the Angkor park — Preah Khan and Ta Som see a fraction of the crowds of the main circuit.
Afternoon: Boat out to Kompong Phluk, a stilted floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. Between June and October you can kayak through the flooded mangrove forest.
Evening: Cooking class — make fish amok and 3–4 other Khmer dishes, then eat your work.
Stay: Siem Reap.
Day 4: Banteay Srei & Free Day
Morning: Banteay Srei, the “Citadel of Women” — intricate pink sandstone carving, 25km outside the main park.
Afternoon: Free time. Options: Angkor National Museum, a spa visit, or simply resting before the next leg.
Evening: Final Siem Reap dinner — try Cuisine Wat Damnak or The Sugar Palm for refined Khmer cooking.
Stay: Siem Reap.
Day 5: Siem Reap → Phnom Penh
Morning: Bus (6 hours) or flight (45 minutes) to Phnom Penh.
Afternoon: Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda — throne hall, royal grounds, and the pagoda floor laid with silver tiles.
Evening: Sunset on the riverside promenade, then dinner on Street 278.
Stay: Riverfront, Phnom Penh.
Day 6: Phnom Penh — History & Markets
Morning: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Memorial (Killing Fields). Difficult, essential context for modern Cambodia. Allow 2–3 hours and take your time.
Afternoon: Russian Market for silk, crafts and excellent street food at the stalls around its edges.
Evening: Dinner at Malis for elevated Cambodian cuisine, or Daughters of Cambodia’s social-enterprise café.
Stay: Phnom Penh.
Day 7: Phnom Penh → Sihanoukville
Morning: Bus to Sihanoukville (4–5 hours) or a short domestic flight.
Afternoon: Arrive, check into your beach accommodation, decompress by the water.
Evening: Seafood dinner on Otres Beach.
Stay: Sihanoukville or Otres.
Day 8: Ferry to Koh Rong Samloem
Morning: Speedboat ferry (45–60 minutes) to Koh Rong Samloem — quieter and less developed than Koh Rong proper.
Afternoon: Swim, snorkel, do nothing. Saracen Bay’s water is some of the clearest on the south coast.
Evening: A bioluminescent plankton night swim — disturb the water after dark and watch it glow. Most beach bars can point you to a calm spot.
Stay: Koh Rong Samloem.
Day 9: Island Time
All day: No itinerary today on purpose. Beach, hammock, a short jungle walk to the island’s quieter west-coast beaches if you want to move at all.
Stay: Koh Rong Samloem.
Day 10: Return & Departure (or extend)
Morning: Ferry back to Sihanoukville.
Afternoon: Onward bus/flight to Phnom Penh for international departure, or extend with 1–2 more days in Kampot (1.5 hours from Sihanoukville) for pepper farms and the Kep crab market before flying out.
Practical Notes
Getting around: Tuk-tuks in Siem Reap ($5–10/day); buses between cities $8–15; Sihanoukville–Koh Rong Samloem ferry $15–25 round trip.
Budget guide:
- Budget: $40–60/day
- Mid-range: $90–160/day (this itinerary assumes mid-range, including one boutique island stay)
- Luxury: $250+/day
Book ahead: Island bungalows on Koh Rong Samloem sell out in peak season (Dec–Feb) — book 2–3 weeks ahead. Angkor passes are bought at the ticket booth on arrival, no advance booking needed.
