Upon arrival in Siem Reap, you are greeted by a local representative and taken to your hotel. The rest of today is free to relax or explore at your own leisure.

Please note standard check-in time is 14:00.

Overnight in Siem Reap 

Wake up early and transfer by private vehicle to the West Gate of Angkor Wat from where the sunrise can be best observed. Enter the temple complex. Angkor Wat (early 12th century) is surrounded by a 190 metre wide moat 1.5 kilometres by 1.3 kilometres and is claimed to be the largest religious building in the world. It is certainly one of the wonders of the ancient world. You will be amazed by the sheer size of the temple, which took 30 years to construct & used the labours of upto 300,000 workers. Angkor Wat was built as the earthly representation of the universe with its' central tower symbolising Mt Meru which, Hindus believe, is at the centre of the Universe.  

Return to the West Gate and breakfast can be enjoyed just outside of the Angkor complex at a local restaurant (own cost).

Drive to visit Banteay Kdei built between the 12th and 13th centuries. The ruined condition of the temple in no way detracts from the grandeur of this walled temple. Banteay means fortified monastery and refers to the double wall surrounding it. Continue to Ta Prohm, this beautiful temple, built in 1186 as a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII, is one of Angkor’s jewels and is overgrown with fig trees, giving a haunting yet exotic atmosphere. The magnificent roots of the trees have merged over the centuries with the temple’s huge stone blocks, creating a ‘forgotten city’ feeling. Pause at Ta Keo, which would have been the finest temples in Angkor had it been completed. A short distance further are the twin temples of Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon.

Return to town for a rest and relaxation at the hotel in the mid afternoon. 

Drive to Angkor Thom, not a temple, but an entire walled city of 9 sq km and served as the ancient royal Capital of the Khmer Empire from approx. 1181. With a probable population of 1 million, it was far bigger and grander than any city in Europe at the time. Your guide will take you to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. The centre piece of Jayavarman VII's Capital is the Bayon temple and, as you approach, you will notice the 216 giant, enigmatic, smiling faces looking into every direction. Return to the South gate where you will board a small, private boat out to Prasat Chrung Temple to watch the amazing sunset.

NOTES:

• Suggested time: 04:45
• Duration: 8 hours
• Overnight in Siem Reap

Today we will bring you by car and boat to Prek Toal, Tonle Sap where you will see the largest waterbird colonies in Southeast Asia, the flooded forest and the floating village. We organize a special tour to the very heart of the sanctuary. 

The sanctuary harbours seven species of water birds of global significance: Spot-billed Pelican, Milky Stork, Painted Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Greater Adjutant, Black-headed Ibis, and Oriental Darter. There is a globally significant population of Grey-headed Fish Eagles. Over 150 species have been recorded in the reserve.  

The Prek Toal area consists of seasonally inundated freshwater swamp forest with a high botanical diversity. Short tree shrub makes up most of the landscape, forming a dense under story with scattered large trees, which form the vital nesting ground for large water birds. Prek Toal is unmatched throughout South East Asia for the number and populations of endangered water birds it supports through the dry season. Large flocks of Whiskered Tern, Cormorants, Storks and Pelicans are almost guaranteed from January to May, along with Herons, Egrets and Terns.  

Overnight in Siem Reap

Today our birding hotspot is going to west of Cambodia within the Tonle Sap floodplains, Ang Trapaeng Thmor where the crane first discovered by Mr, Sam Veasna in 1998. 

Ang Trapeang Thmor (ATT) sanctuary is also an important conservation area for a number of other threatened species, such as Sarus Crane, Painted Stork, Spot-billed pelican and other waterfowls. One globally threatened species – the Eld's deer (Rucervus eldii). About 200 bird species recorded in the reserve. 

Ang Tropeang Thmor Crane Sanctuary is a protected area of Cambodia on the site of a large Khmer Rouge irrigation project built during the 1976s. The sanctuary was gazetted on 22 February 2000 and covers an area of 12,650 hectares. The reserve was set aside to protect the rare eastern sarus crane (Grus antigone sharpii). Prior to the discovery of the crane at Trapaing Thmor, there were thought to be fewer than 1,000 of the birds left alive in the world.  

ATT, it is about 2 hours’ drive from Siem Reap, A feeding area for the largest congregation of Sarus Cranes in Southeast Asia and up to six species of duck, Black-necked Storks, Greater Spotted Eagle, Milky Stork, Painted Stork, Oriental Plover, and many other species. We will try to observe the endangered Eld’s Dear with the drive around the reservoir. See the local village’s silk weavers, who will sell their wares directly to you. The best time to see the Sarus Crane is from January to May though an abundance of bird species makes it a worthwhile birding. 

Overnight in Siem Reap 

Trip will start as early as 5.30am from Siem Reap heading east along national Road6, with approximately 2-hour drive we will arrive at the Florican Grassland where we will spend a couple hours looking for the critically endangered Bengal Florican and other grassland species. 

This so-called Bengal Florican Conservation Areas (BFCAs) is the great inundated grassland which is protected and managed for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use by local communities. The conservation areas mainly contain grassland dominant landscapes, which are now extremely rare in South-East Asia and which have been disappearing rapidly in Cambodia in recent years. 

The target species at this site are Bengal Florican, the rare wintering Manchurian Reed-warbler, Raptors including Greater Spotted Eagle and Imperial Eagle, Pied Harrier and Eastern Marsh-harrier, Siberian Ruby Throat, and Small Buttonquail.  

After visiting the Florican grasslands the group will travel toward Tmatbeoy village passing Beng Melea and Koh Ker temples (if time allows we will break the journey with some birding at these temples). The group will have lunch en route near Koh Ker before arriving Tmatboey Eco-lodge around 3pm in time for the first afternoon birding near the lodge with a short-walk through the open forest to where the White-shouldered Ibis come to roost at sunset. 

Tmatboey is a remote village of 314 families situated in the Northern Plains of Cambodia, within the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary. Tmatbeoy is the most significant ground for the two critically endangered Giant and White-shouldered Ibises. 

The conservation project was set up by the Cambodian Government (ministry of environment), conservation NGOs and Tmatboey village.  

The accommodation at Tmatboey is basic. The Lodge is comprised of a central recreational building and 5 surrounding bungalows each with 2 twin en-suite rooms with solar powered electricity. 

The group can discuss with the CBGA guide how they wish to spend the day outside the sunrise and sunset birding. Packed lunches can be arranged if they want to spend more time in the forest and night drives / walks can spot the owls and Savannah Night Jar. The village of Tmatboey is remote and self-sufficient. CBGA organizes an optional village tour, which takes in local trades as well as the school, a market garden, a still for sugar palm wine and points out the projects that the visitor’s conservation contributions have assisted. 

Overnight Tmatboey Eco-Lodg

In the morning the group will leave the lodge very early, around 4 or 4;30 a.m., with a quick cup of tea or coffee, and packed breakfast then a drive and a walk to less disturbed areas of forest where Giant Ibis have been located. We return back to the Lodge around noon for lunch and nap before we continue for another afternoon birding.

Tmatbeoy also supports other target species such as Woolly-necked Stork, Indian Spotted Eagle, Grey- headed Fish Eagle and Whiterumped Falcon. The Pale-capped Pigeon is another highlight along with an amazing diversity of woodpeckers.  

Our local guides have made a special effort to find owls on their night roosts, allowing comfortable daytime viewing of Brown Fish Owl, Spotted Wood Owl and Brown Wood Owl. Within this 2night birding trip at Tmatboey, you will have enough time to see all the species at Tmatboey at no rush. We will spend whole days birdwatching in the Deciduous Dipte rocarp forest to see other birds incuding the target species above. We will also stay late in the forest until dark for Nightjar (Sovanna and Large-tailed) and Owl (Oriental Scops Owl and Barn Owl). Head light and torch are recommended to take along with you. 

Overnight Tmatboey Eco-Lodge

After last morning birding around Tmatboey the group will continue to Boeng Toal Vulture Restaurant, passing Dongplet village from where the community that serve your services at the site. The group will arrive the site in late afternoon then enjoy bird watching around the camp site especially Woodpeckers and Vultures.

Safari style tents will be set up for the night at Boeng Toal camp by the Dong Plat ecotourism community.  

The Vulture Restaurant is a feeding program set up the government of Cambodia and conservation NGOs to help sustain the 3 critically endangered species of vulture: Red-headed, White-rumped and Slender-billed Vultures. The world’s population of these vultures have suffered from Diclofenac poisoning which has caused a drastic decline in their numbers. In Cambodia cattle are not given this drug, however the lack of food is a problem for the vultures. 

Overnight Boeng Toal safari style tents 

Before dawn the group will make their way to a hide positioned not far from the vulture restaurant. The beautiful scene with up to 70 vultures maybe present, often competing for the carcass with Golden Jackal usually happen. 

 After the observing the vultures having their breakfast the group leave from vulture restaurant to Kratie arriving late afternoon where we will stay overnight. 

There are two birding hotspots around Kratie town, one around small marshes where we should see large numbers of weavers including Asian Golden and Streaked Weaver and other wetland birds and the other one at Kampi where early morning of the next day the group boarding a boat on the Mekong River, looking for the Mekong Wagtail, which is restricted to channel island habitats; we will also enjoy the pod of Irrawaddy Dolphins that frequent this part of the river. 

Overnight Kratie – Mekong Dolphin Hotel

This morning we will take the boat trip at Kampi pool to see the Mekong Wagtail and also the Irrawaddy Dolphin. After the boat trip the group will continue to Mondulkiri, arriving at Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in time for an afternoon birding

We will have two full days and two half days to experience the birds and mammals of this spectacular forest. Top of most birders wish lists is the Orange-necked Partridge, Green Peafowl, Germain’s Peacock Pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Scaly-breasted Partridge and Pale-headed Woodpecker and Grey-faced Tit-babbler. 

Overnight Nature Lodge

Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the eastern part of Cambodia. It supports dry dipterocarp, semi-evergreen and evergreen forest and it is also land of woodpeckers especially the largest woodpecker in the world, the Great Slaty can be seen at forested sites throughout the trip and is particularly easy to see in Seima. Other species such as White- bellied, Laced, Heart-spotted and Black-andbuff Woodpeckers, Golden-crested Myna, Red-vented Barbets, Pin-tailed Green-pigeons and hornbills. Seima is home to the largest population of Black-shanked Douc in the world, along with Northern Pig-tailed and Long-tailed Macaque and Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon, all of which are regularly seen on our tours. 

 Overnight Nature Lodge

Dak Dam is hill evergreen forest located just an hour from Mondulkiri, the hills along the Vietnamese border reach over 800m asl. Remaining forest patches here hold an interesting collection of birds unlike any other site in Cambodia. Black eagle, Pale-capped Pigeon, Indochinese Barbet, Blue-winged Siva, Silver-eared Mesia, Whitecheeked Laughingthrush, Rufous-capped Babbler, Black-chinned Yuhina, Black-crowned Parrotbill and Black-browed Fulvetta are some of the records from this site.

 Overnight Nature Lodge

We will spend our last early morning birding to Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary again, until transfer to Phnom Penh for the night.

Note: Approx. transfer 7 hours. 

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Private transfer to the airport for your journey home

Standard check-out time is 12pm.

Our services include:

• Accommodation in a shared twin or shared double room

• Meals as mentioned (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)

• English speaking bird guide (for other languages and a national guide supplements apply)

• Tours and transfers as mentioned by private air conditioned vehicle 

• Entrance fees for mentioned visits

• Conservation contribution 

• Boat trip as mentioned 

Our services do not include:

• Other meals than mentioned

• Other services than mentioned

• International and domestic Flights

• Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature

• Tips, Travel insurance

Notes:

• We strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance (covering emergency medical evacuation) for trips to Vietnam.