Select your country

North America

United States
Canada
Mexico

Oceania

Australia
New Zealand

Asia

China
Japan
Singapore

South America

Brazil
Peru

Europe

France
Germany
Italy
Spain
United Kingdom
AGENT PORTAL
Menu
  • Home
  • Why Aqua
  • Destinations
    • Mekong River Cruise
    • Amazon River Cruise
    • Indonesia Cruise
      • Bali – Komodo National Park Cruise
      • Ambon & Spice Islands Cruise
      • Raja Ampat Cruise
      • Limited Repositioning Cruises
      • Close
    • Galapagos Cruise
    • Special Voyage
      • Aqua Blu – Departures with Chef Benjamin Cross
      • Aqua Nera – Departures with Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino
      • Close
    • Private Charter Cruise
      • Mekong Private Charter
      • Amazon Private Charter
      • Indonesia Yacht Charter
      • Galapagos Private Charter
      • Close
    • Close
  • Cruise Ships
    • Aqua Mekong
    • Aria Amazon
    • Aqua Nera
    • Aqua Blu
    • Aqua Mare
    • Close
  • Blog
  • Exclusive Offers
    • Loyalty Membership
    • Special Offers
    • Close
  • Contact Us
    • Sign-up: Guest Newsletter
    • Download Our Brochure
    • Review Your Voyage
    • Careers
    • Close
Check Dates and Rates
OVERVIEW
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
BEST TIME TO VISIT
CHOOSE YOUR ITINERARY
Go back to Overview

Cambodia

Home to the UNESCO-listed Angkor Wat temple complex at Siem Reap, Cambodia is a treasure trove of cultural relics from the Khmer empire. Today, intriguing remnants of Khmer culture exist alongside ethnic tribal traditions — with stunning green hills and sprawling rice fields as backdrop.

Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is located between Thailand and Vietnam in Southeast Asia. The country’s capital and largest city is Phnom Penh, which serves as the state’s political and financial heart. Ninety-five percent of the country’s 16 million population practice the official religion of Theravada Buddhism.

The Mekong river and the Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, is the wellspring of Cambodian life, responsible for supplying fish and feeding the extensive rice fields in Cambodia’s vast low-lying plains. A visit to villages in the Mekong basin, with its people still immersed in age-old practices and crafts such as silk weaving, is like going back in time. What draws visitors is also the fact that the Mekong countryside landscape is incredibly photogenic.

While pastoral and laid-back, the Mekong plains have also seen the most vibrant chapters of history, the most impressive of all being the Khmer empire and its capital of Angkor. Enduring for many generations, the Khmer empire flourished from the 9th to 15th century. At its peak from 1010 to 1220, Angkor became a megacity that housed 0.1% of a 300 million global population at the time. Today, this ancient city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes Angkor Wat, the largest and best preserved of the Angkor temples.

The rest of Cambodia also shines. The urban centers of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap each has its own distinctive flavour, where old traditions exist alongside new and equally impressive modern influences, including fine dining that showcases the best of traditional Khmer cuisine. A cultural renaissance is currently in full swing as the country celebrates its rich Khmer heritage and embraces its colonial past as a 18-19th century French protectorate.

Their easy-going and welcoming nature aside, the Cambodia people displays resolute strength and character that has helped them rise from the strife-torn Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s. Thankfully, the best days of Cambodia are here and now.

Angkor Wat

Morning blue sky Angkor Wat in Cambodia landscape travel photo

Regarded as the largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat (translating to “City of Temples” in English) is the most significant relic from the ancient Khmer empire.

Constructed in the early 12th century, the temple complex of Angkor Wat is sited next to the equally impressive ruins of Angkor Thom, a fortified city that was built later in the century. The ruins of Angkor stretch over more than 248 square miles (400 sq km) — larger than New York’s five boroughs combined. Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom holds a massive collection of intricate sandstone carvings, iconic pagodas and elaborate large-scale rock sculptures of gods in the temple of Bayon.

Forgotten and nearly reclaimed by nature centuries after the decline of the Khmer empire, Angkor Wat was rediscovered only in 1861 by French explorer Henri Mouhot. Originally built as a Hindu temple, Angkor Wat was converted to Buddhist use sometime in the late 13th century. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, the preserved Angkor Wat continues to be a big part of Cambodian life as Buddhist place of worship today.

Read more

Siem Reap

Downtown Siem Reap, Cambodia

Besides being known as the home of the Angkor Wat, Siem Reap is an alluring city with Old World flavour and small-town charm.

Siem Reap is a provincial capital at the heart of the Cambodian rice paddy countryside. It’s Old Market (Psar Chas) is a delightful sensory experience. The area around the Psar Chas is the historic heart of the city that features preserved shophouses from the French colonial era. Most of these shophouses now play host to an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars. Similarly, Kandal (“middle”) Village is a colonial-era neighbourhood dotted with art studios, fashionable boutiques and aromatic cafes.

The city is also home to the Tonle Sap lake, whose water level changes dramatically according to the seasonal flows of the Mekong river. A staggering 1.2 million people live here on spectacularly constructed stilt homes. The Tonle Sap is also the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and the key source of freshwater fish for Cambodia, with areas that are protected for ecological and wildlife conservation.

Every year, Siem Reap hosts the Khmer Empire marathon (August) and Angkor Wat International Half Marathon (December), attracting participants from around the world. Not to be outdone by Phnom Penh, Siem Reap is also growing as a luxury destination, with world-class wining and dining and sumptuous spas. Siem Reap is served by an international airport, and is also the embarkation city for selected Aqua Mekong itineraries.

Read more

Phnom Penh

The Royal Palace In Phnom Penh, Cambodia

“A city of white buildings, where spires of gold and stupas of stone rocket out of the greenery into the vivid blue sky.” The words of American visitor Robert Casey in 1929 still hold true today as Phnom Penh steps into modernity.

Home to 1.5 million, the riverside capital of Phnom Penh is incredibly charismatic and increasingly sophisticated, with a growing reputation as a destination for luxury travellers. Historic buildings such as the art deco Central Market and the glittering Royal Palace stand alongside ever-rising skyscrapers like the Hotel Rosewood. Meanwhile, vintage cyclos cruise alongside imported European sports cars.

It is this contrast that makes Phnom Penh endlessly engaging for visitors. Luxury travelers, who’ll definitely feel at home with the city’s assortment of five-star accommodation and world-class dining, will nonetheless be intrigued by colourful rough edges such as the riverfront market, the Russian market and the iconic French quarter. All over the city, beautiful pagodas and stupas stand out.

As Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh is also the hub for the country’s key traditional festivities such as the Khmer New Year and Water Festival and, on a somber but no less significant note, this is where visitors from around the world commemorate victims of the Khmer Rouge regime — at the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek massacre site further afield.

Having memorialized the worst part of its history while celebrating the best, this is a positive vibe about Phnom Penh in recent years. Compared to other more developed Southeast Asian cities, it still retains an unhurried and laid-back atmosphere, which makes Phnom Penh a perfect introduction to the country and an ideal starting and finishing point for cruising the Mekong. Phnom Penh is served by an international airport, and is also the embarkation city for selected Aqua Mekong itineraries.

Read more

Sihanoukville

With its long sandy beaches and palm trees, Cambodia’s resort destination shows off a different side of the country to visitors.

Joining Song Saa Private Island Resort and Sokha Beach Resort, Six Senses is the latest name in luxury hospitality to establish a presence in the picturesque beach destination of Sihanoukville. Offering a perfect contrast to the rustic countryside of the Mekong and vibrancy of the cities, this is a detour that more and more visitors to Cambodia are finding time for. Travelers arrive by road or domestic flight from Phnom Penh.

Read more

General Information
Capital:
Phnom Penh
Largest City:
Phnom Penh
Official Language:
Khmer
Currency:
(Cambodian riel) ៛
Calling code:
+855
Drives on the:
Right
Time difference:
Cambodia is 7 hours ahead of GMT.
Date Format:
dd-mm-yyyy
Overview
Begin your journey with us
Check Dates and Rates

Or contact us for more information

Get our e-Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest offer.
Request a Brochure
Start planning your once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
  • Cruise Ships
    • Aqua Mekong
    • Aria Amazon
    • Aqua Nera
    • Aqua Blu
    • Aqua Mare
  • Destinations
    • Peru & the Amazon
    • Cambodia, Vietnam & The Mekong
    • Indonesia — Bali – Komodo National Park
    • Galapagos Cruise
  •     
    • Indonesia – Ambon & Spice Islands
    • Indonesia – Raja Ampat
    • Indonesia – Limited Cross-Destination
    • Private Charter Cruises
  • Exclusive Offers
    • Loyalty Membership
    • 20-30% Early Bird Bonus
    • Local Resident Offer
  •     
    • Chef Hosted Departures – Benjamin Cross
  • Company
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Career
Copyright © 2019 Aqua Expeditions · All Rights Reserved · Terms & Conditions · Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions · Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2019 Aqua Expeditions · All Rights Reserved