PHNOM PENH - KAMPONG SPUE 4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS

Upon your arrival at Pochentong airport, Phnom Penh, you will be met by your driver and transferred to your hotel for check in. After checking in, you will be taken on a tour of Phnom Penh city. Time for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a visit to the Royal Palace built in 1866 by King Norodom. See the different structures of this pagoda-style compound and stroll in its beautiful garden. Then, visit the Silver Pagoda so named because of its floor that is comprised of 5,000 silver tiles. A gold Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha are also housed here. Then, visit to the National Museum, built in 1917 it is an exceptional example of traditional architecture and is exclusively devoted to preserving and displaying Khmer art and sculptures. Hundreds of pieces are housed here including both pre-and post-Angkorian pieces. In the evening you will have dinner at Tonle Basac restaurant and then you are free to enjoy the delights of Phnom Penh nightlife.

After breakfast, start the day to visit Toul Sleng Museum, In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It soon became the largest such center of detention and torture in the country. More than 17.000 people held at S-21 were taken to the extermination camp at Choeung Ek to be executed; detainees who died during torture were buried in mass graves in the prison ground. The museum displays include room after room of these photographs of men, women and children covering the walls from floor to ceiling; virtually all the people pictured were later killed. Then, visit to the city's namesake Wat Phnom. Founded in 1373, the pagoda was built to house Buddhist relics washed ashore by the river. Continue visiting the Independent Monument which was built in 1958 following the country's independence from France. Time for lunch at local restaurant. In the afternoon, continue to visit Killing fields of Choeung Ek (16 km south of Phnom Penh). Between 1975 and 1978 about 17.000 men, women, children and infants (including nine westerners) detained and tortured at S-21 prison were transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. They were often bludgeoned to death to avoid wasting precious bullets. Fragments of human bone and bits of cloth are scattered around the disinterred pits. Over 8000 skulls, arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the clear glass panels of the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988. Then, enjoy shopping at the Russian Market (Psah Tuol Thom Pong), a lively outdoor market where you will find antiquities, silver and gold jewelry, gems, silk, kramas, stone and wood carvings, as well as T-Shirts, CDs and other souvenirs until time for dinner at local restaurant.

Morning, pick up from hotel in Phnom Penh for overland excursion along the way to Ou Dong stopover in Phnom Baset, visit the Pre-Angkorian temple (8thC) and the pagoda to view the reclining Buddha. It located 32 km to northwest of Phnom Penh, Phnom Baset features at the top of the hill a brick sanctuary called Prasat Srey Krup Leak ("Temple of the Perfect Woman"). The extraordinary design of the temple resembles a cave and faces the west, which contrasts with many Khmer temples, which usually face east. The site had been used as a place of worship for many years before the Brahmans transformed it into a specifically Hindu-oriented site.
Enjoy the beautiful view of the surrounding plains and rice-fields from the hilltop temple. Continue driving to Ou Dong where a picnic lunch will be served. About an hour west of Phnom Penh, just off Route #5, lay the hills of the abandoned royal city, Ou Dong. It was the capital of Cambodia from the early 17th century until 1866 when the capital was moved to Phnom Penh. Several temples, stupas and other structures cover three hills. The walk up the hill pro- vides an excellent countryside view. There are stupas containing the remains of several Cambodian kings including King Monivong (1927-1941) and King Ang Duong (1845-1859). The earliest structure is from the 13" century. These hills were also the site of some of the Khmer Rouge's most prolonged resistance against the encroaching Vietnamese army in 1979.
Afternoon visit the various temples and the three large stupas where the ashes of three former kings are preserved. Next visit the Vihara of 18Cubit Buddha, until transfer back to have dinner in Phnom Penh.

After breakfast, free time at leisure or do some last minute shopping at local market until time for your departure flight.