Visit Cambodia on a food tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Cambodia has a unique and ancient food culture all its own, and unlike Thai and Vietnamese it’s probably fairly difficult to find a bowl of it in your local neighbourhod. Using pepper rather than chilli to add spice, Cambodian cuisine is laden with fresh herbs, spices, rice, freshwater fish and condiments. And while there are influences from French and Thai styles, Cambodian food has a distinct style and flavour that’s best experienced while seated at a local beer hall or family home. While travelling from Phnom Penh through to Siem Reap, discover the sights, sounds and flavours of Kampot, Battambang, Banteay Chhmar and Angkor Wat, and marvel at a cuisine, culture and population so special that you will very quickly be won over for life.
Why you’ll love this trip
- Go market to table during an immersive cooking class with a local chef in Phnom Penh
- Get an insight into Cambodian cuisine with a visit to famous pepper plantations outside of Kampot, and taste the best pepper in the world
- A homestay in the village of Banteay Chhmar puts you right in the heart of rural life in Cambodia
- Eat for a cause with dinner at a Phnom Penh restaurant that not only serves delicious modern Cambodian cooking, but helps the local youth too
- Learn about local crab and have it cooked up fresh while you look out across the Gulf of Thailand at the Kep Crab market
Itinerary
Day 1: Phnom Penh
Day 2: Kampot
Back to the hotel to freshen up, and check out. Before you leave Phnom Penh, confront Cambodia’s tragic past on a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located in a former high school that served as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) for the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979.
You will also stop past the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek which represent the tragic legacy of the Khmer Rouge. Afterwards, drive south by private vehicle, towards Kampot, one of Cambodia’s most attractive old towns (approximately 3 hours). Arrive in Kampot by evening.
Famous for its pepper, Kampot supplied most French restaurants for many years during colonial rule. Today, the region is also renowned for its durian, a spiky, pungent fruit that either incites adoration or sheer loathing. Try it if you dare! In some free time, you might stroll along the riverside’s French colonial architecture, or enjoy a coffee on the veranda of a riverside restaurant and admire the Bokor Mountain Range.
Day 3: Kampot
Day 4: Phnom Penh
After breakfast you’ll return to Phnom Penh (approximately 3.5 hours).
Meet a passionate chef for a guided tour of the markets, learning about the building blocks of Khmer cuisine. Enjoy a hands-on cooking class and master Khmer staples such as Samlor Machou Yuon (sour “Vietnamese” soup with fresh fish and tamarind) or Bok Svay (pounded green mango salad, usually served with dried fish or prawn). Feast on your creations over dinner.
Day 5: Battambang
Day 6: Banteay Chhmar
Day 7: Siem Reap/Angkor Wat
Day 8: Siem Reap
Day 9: Siem Reap
Inclusions
Meals
6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 dinners
Transport
Private vehicle, Bus, Cyclo, Remork, Bicycle
Accommodation
Hotel (8 nights), Homestay (1 night)
Included activities
- Phnom Penh – Welcome Dinner
- Phnom Penh – Cyclo Food and City Tour
- Phnom Penh – Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
- Phnom Penh – The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
- Kampot – Orientation walk with local tipples
- Kampot – Phnom Chhnork
- Kampot – Food tour and lunch
- Kampot – Pepper plantation & salt field visit
- Phnom Penh – Khmer Cooking Class and Market Tour
- Battambang – Rural Food and Cycle Tour
- Banteay Chhmar – Temple Visit
- Siem Reap – Angkor Silk Farm
- Banteay Chhmar – Village Market Tour and Cooking Demonstration
- Siem Reap – Street Food Tour
- Siem Reap – One day Angkor Pass
Images courtesy of Intrepid Group
INT – TKZP