8-Day Angkor & Cambodia Classic

Your flight arrives at Siem Reap International Airport, where Oliver or a member of our team will meet you in Arrivals. A short transfer to your hotel in the old French Quarter — Siem Reap's most atmospheric neighbourhood, a 10-minute tuk-tuk from the temple complex. This evening, a welcome dinner at a garden restaurant in the old market area, where Oliver introduces the days ahead over traditional Khmer amok (fish in a lemongrass-coconut curry sauce) and Angkor beer.

A 5.15am departure for the single finest experience in Cambodia. Arriving at Angkor Wat's western causeway in darkness, Oliver guides you to the best position on the moat bank. As the sky lightens, the five towers emerge — first as silhouettes, then in detail, the stone turned pink and gold by the rising sun. After the sunrise, you enter the temple proper: the extraordinary bas-relief galleries (800 metres of continuous narrative carving), the central sanctuary and the views from the upper terraces. Return to the hotel for a mid-morning pool break. Late afternoon: the Angkor Wat Gallery of One Thousand Buddhas. Dinner at the hotel.

An early morning start (7am, the light is best) for Angkor Thom — the ancient walled capital of the Khmer empire, enclosing 9 square kilometres. The Bayon temple at the city's centre is one of the world's great architectural achievements: 216 carved stone faces gazing serenely in every direction from 54 towers. Oliver's explanation of the symbolism is transformative. The Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the Baphuon temple follow. Back to the hotel for the hottest midday hours. Late afternoon: Ta Prohm jungle temple.

A morning drive south to the Tonle Sap — Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake, which expands to five times its dry-season size during the monsoon. A boat trip through the floating villages where entire communities live on the water — houses, schools, churches and pig farms on wooden platforms. Oliver explains the extraordinary ecology of the lake, which feeds 60% of Cambodia's population with protein. Return for a free afternoon — Siem Reap's night market, the Old Market or the hotel pool.

The outer Angkor temples, less visited but in some respects more remarkable than Angkor Wat itself. Banteay Srei — the "Citadel of the Women" — is a 10th-century temple of breathtaking intricacy carved in pink sandstone; the level of detail on its walls is extraordinary. After lunch, Preah Khan — a vast, half-collapsed Buddhist monastery slowly being reclaimed by the jungle, its jungle-shrouded halls and galleries in beautiful decay. Afternoon free.

A morning domestic flight south to Cambodia's capital — a city of two million on the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. Check in to your riverside hotel. Afternoon orientation: the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda — the working palace of King Norodom Sihamoni, its grounds open to visitors, the Silver Pagoda floor tiled with 5,000 silver tiles. Dinner at a riverside restaurant watching the Mekong at sunset.

A morning visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum — the former Khmer Rouge detention centre where an estimated 17,000 people were held during the 1975–79 regime. Oliver prepares you carefully for this visit and provides the historical context that makes it comprehensible rather than simply overwhelming. After lunch and recovery time, the Russian Market — Phnom Penh's most interesting bazaar, a corrugated iron labyrinth of silk, silverware, spices and street food. Free evening.

A final breakfast on the river terrace and private transfer to Phnom Penh International Airport. Eight days — an education and an inspiration.