Cambodia Water & Moon festival holiday

country:	Cambodia, Laos
departures:	2008: 31 Oct 2009: 13 Nov
price:	From £1600 - £1700 (15 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK

Cambodia holidays

Festival holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

From the magnificent temples of Angkor, we travel slowly down the Tonle Sap river and lake, stopping to visit obscure floating villages, and witness the biggest and most spectacular festival of the Cambodian year; the annual Water & Moon Festival
[or ‘Bun Om Tuk’ in Khmer.] The Angkor era was based on the success of harnessing the reversal of the Tonle Sap's waters and the Water Festival is the ancient way of paying respect to this phenomenon. [Yes, the Tonle Sap defies gravity and flows uphill for half the year!] Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians flock to Phnom Penh to watch huge dragon boats each propelled by up to 70 oarsmen (or women) race for the honour of their village.

Fireworks light up the night sky as revellers party for 3 days non-stop, a Cambodian Mardi Gras!

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	UK – Bangkok: Depart UK, to fly via Bangkok.
Day 2:	Bangkok – Siem Reap: Arrive Bangkok and connect with a flight to Siem Reap. We check into the sumptuously restored FCC Siem Reap [with its private swimming pool and garden]. After a few hours rest we then jump aboard tuk tuks to take us for dinner at the best local Khmer back street restaurant in Siem Reap.
Day 3:	Siem Reap: Visit Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom [The Bayon] in the morning before the sun gets too hot. In the afternoon there will be time to visit the markets and old colonial square with all its boutiques and cafes/bars or to see more temples.
Day 4:	Siem Reap: We have an entire day to visit the most interesting of the temples. The Bakong, Ta Promh and Preah Khan will be achievable in one day and encompass the best that the Angkor group has to offer. The last two temples have been left to the jungle and are virtually held together be huge tree roots. Then we go on for drinks and dinner at the sumptuously restored FCC Siem Reap followed by a wander around town [or Tuk Tuk ride] and a nightcap on Siem Reap's strip of bars before bed.
Day 5:	Siem Reap – Kompong Phluk: Leave Siem Reap and travel to the Tonle Sap Lake and tributaries to visit floating stilted villages and see the fascinating and various fishing techniques used by the Khmer people. We also board local dugout canoes to drift through the inundated forest. Overnight in Kompong Phluk
Day 6:	Kompong Phluk – Kampong Khleang: Early morning we strike out for Kampong Khleang where we explore the village and meet the locals. This is as real as the Cambodian rural experience gets! Overnight in village.
Day 7:	Kampong Khleang – Phnom Penh: We will leave Kampong Khleang by boat to meet our transport to Phnom Penh; city of coffee, croissants and Machiavellian coalitions. All crumbling colonial architecture this is a truly fascinating city in a country with a dark past. We stay right on the banks of the Tonle Sap by Quatre Bras (Four arms; Mekong upper, Mekong lower, the Bassac and of course the Tonle Sap river). This evening, we will go to dinner at a traditional roadside Cambodian restaurant. Then on to the FCC, we retire upstairs to soak up the atmosphere of the crowds gathering for the festival.
Day 8:	Phnom Penh: Water and Moon Festival. After breakfast in our hotel the overlooking the 'watery race track' we will visit the Central and Russian markets before going to view the boat races. A cacophony of colour and noise assaults the senses while up to 60 people will be in each boat racing for the honour of their provinces and a cash prize. Over 150 sleek, brightly painted boats will race in pairs while being presided over by Royalty and various dignitaries. Each boat will have taken a year to prepare and paint at the local Wat before being blessed and brought to Phnom Penh. The teams will have been hand picked and trained by the local team manager for their strength and style. It's the spectacular highlight of the Cambodian year with up to 1million spectators cheering madly for their provincial representatives! Join in the promenade and prepare for dinner at a Balinese restaurant on the waterfront. After that back to the riverfront bars for a late night drink among the revellers.
Day 9:	Phnom Penh: Visit highlights of Phnom Penh in the morning including National Museum and the Royal Palace. The afternoon is free to wander and watch more boat races and rituals. In the evening we enjoy more festivities including the 'Pratips' floating boats and platforms covered in lights and candles plus a huge firework display. The ceremony of the ‘Respecting of the Moon’ then takes place on the royal platform. We’ll have dinner and watch the crowds at the FCCC.
Day 10:	Phnom Penh – Vientiane: Fly to Vientiane. We stay at the lovely old colonial Lani guesthouse right in the centre of Vientiane. After a tour of the town and we take a late afternoon sundowner sitting on the banks of the Mekong overlooking Thailand followed by a traditional Laotion meal.
Day 11:	Vientiane – Vang Veng: Leave Vientiane midday arriving in Vang Vieng late afternoon. There will be time for a quick wander across the river to visit a local cave then scoot out to the organic Mulberry farm for supper. The accommodation overlooks the most stunning kharst topography and is located on the river.
Day 12:	Vang Veng – Luang Prabang: Leave Vang Vieng around midday for Luang Prabang, arriving late afternoon. This is a stunning mountain drive that takes about 5 hours. We will stop for lunch at a tribal village. Arrive in beautiful World Heritage site of Luang Prabang. Stay at The Apsara - A lovely traditional heritage listed guesthouse. There are only 6-8 rooms so it’s nice and quiet. Just soak it all up. Dinner at a Grade II listed rosewood restaurant with great food. Hopefully the local musicians will be playing. Wander home past night market ... wonderful.
Day 13:	Luang Prabang: In the morning an easy walk to visit deserted temples on other side of river in the forest. Jaunt to waterfalls and picnic after under the trees. Then there will be the chance to visit the best of the Wats. Dinner will be at Tum Tum Bamboo restaurant with really excellent Lao food and a cosy roadside location on the main drag. Anyone who wants to take a cookery lesson may arrange it today.
Day 14:	Luang Prabang: A morning cruise on the river will be followed by a free afternoon to explore further and shop. This will be the last night to visit night market with its silks and weavings. Beautiful quality and cheap!
Day 15:	Luang Prabang – Bangkok – UK: Fly from Luang Prabang to Bangkok then link to a flight to London Heathrow.

what this trip includes

Trips are on full board basis, and include international flights if mentioned in the price details, transport as outlined in itinerary, twin-share accommodation, mineral water and entrance fees.

how this holiday makes a difference

Three decades of war in Cambodia have left scars in many forms throughout the country. Unfortunately, one of the most lasting legacies of the conflicts continues to claim new victims daily. Land mines, laid by the Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin and Hun Sen regimes, the Vietnamese, the KPNLF, and the Sihanoukists litter the countryside. In most cases, even the soldiers who planted the mines did not record where they were placed. Now, Cambodia has the one of the highest rates of physical disability of any country in the world. While census data for Cambodia is sketchy, it is generally accepted that more than 40,000 Cambodians have suffered amputations as a result of mine injuries since 1979.

That represents an average of nearly forty victims a week for a period of twenty years. We are proud to support 2 NGO’s dedicated to helping eradicate this problem. The first, Adopt-a-minefield is an NGO that saves and improves lives by raising funds to clear landmines and help landmine survivors in various places and around the world. For further details please visit www.landmines.org.uk The second organisation is the Mines advisory group (MAG), is an international implementing NGO for the MAT Project in Quang Binh Province. MAG clears and destroys the landmines and left-over weapons that make areas unsafe after war. Each Mines Advisory Group mobile Mine Action Team (MAT) removes the burden of mine disposal from the local villagers and provides immediate assistance in the removal of all reported items from within household areas, villages and communities.

When you take one of our trips, we make a contribution to “Climate Care” – an organisation devoted to ‘offsetting’ or ‘neutralising’ harmful greenhouse gas emissions caused by your flight. This is done by funding projects across the world that will reduce greenhouse gases on your behalf through sustainable energy or rainforest restoration. www.climatecare.org

By incorporating home-stays, locally owned hotels, restaurants and the services of guides into our itineraries, we ensure that money goes directly into the local economy and local communities benefit from tourism. We also supports emergency relief efforts in the areas we travel to, such as the Pakistan Earthquake Fund set up in 2005 and a variety of other community benefiting NGOs around the world.

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