Cambodia vacations, including Angkor

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION
We keep a careful eye on our carbon footprint, so this tour (as with all our tours) is offered as a genuinely small group experience. By limiting the maximum group size to 12, we can reduce our impact on local communities and on the environment. It also makes for a more personal and rewarding tour for our guests.
We call this tour Cambodia Overland and the clue is in the title: we avoid taking internal flights. Instead, you will find yourself traveling by road and river; not forgetting the extraordinary Bamboo Train in Battambang. There are plenty of opportunities for walking too, on the introductory exploration of Phnom Penh and at the magnificent Angkor complex, for example.
The cuisine is a central to any memorable Southeast Asian experience. Where meals are included on the itinerary, we will take you to restaurants and cafes which use locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. The superb Khmer Kitchen in Siem Reap springs to mind – the owners of this family-run restaurant take full advantage of the their location next to the Old Market to purchase fresh local produce. Vegetarian and vegan options are widely available at all destinations.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
The varied nature of this tour is one reason for its popularity, covering the ancient Khmer empire, the turbulent more recent past and modern day Cambodian life. We use experienced local guides to share their expertise on each of these themes in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang. Perhaps most importantly, an Angkor specialist will lead you through the wonders of this awe-inspiring site. The significant entry fee is included in the cost of the tour and your visit will help to support and sustain the temples and infrastructure for future generations.
Land mines remain a physical and environmental threat in some areas of Cambodia, which makes the optional visit to the Apopo Centre a must-do. You will not only learn how highly- trained giant rats are humanely deployed in the ongoing process of mine clearance, but your entrance fee will also contribute to the financial costs of continuing this important work for the foreseeable future.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
Aside from Apopo and visits to locally-owned restaurants and cafes, you will have several other opportunities to make a positive economic contribution at the local level; for example, the Saray Water Hyacinth Handicraft CBT (Community Based Tourism) Project at the floating village of Prek Toal, a laudable community eco-tourism initiative (at certain times of the year you cannot move for water hyacinth on the Sangkar River!).
Perhaps most significant from both a cultural and economic perspective is the morning tour of Battambang and its environs, taking in a truly local market and then some of the traditional cottage industries and handicrafts. We think the dried bananas are to die for and the sheer variety of banana on offer is an eye-opener!
You will be staying in locally-owned and independently-operated accommodation throughout. A notable mention for Moloppor Villa in Battambang, which is family-run as you are likely to find out - the owners live on site.
Our itineraries include sites and places that other operators rarely visit. This has numerous advantages: it provides a unique point of interest for our clients, it adds cultural value and experience and, importantly for a responsible approach to travel, it ensures that the economic benefits of tourism are more widely spread. This tour visits Prasat Kok Rocha and Kampong Preah, for example.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
As is implied from the observations above, we work with locals who are steeped in the communities to which they belong, from guides to drivers to boatmen to (Bamboo) train operators. In keeping with the ethos of our family-run business and having operated in the region for over 25 years, we view all those we work with as friends/family and not just employees. All are paid at least the minimum wage.