On arrival at Siem Reap Airport you will be met by your World Expeditions experienced guide who will accompany you throughout the program. We head to your hotel for check in and a full trip and safety briefing. Your guide will run through an overview of the local Cambodian language and important phrases that you can learn and practise through your journey. A little language goes a long way with the local peoples! Following your briefing we will have an orientation of Siem Reap traveling the way the locals do, by cyclo! We return to the hotel to freshen up before heading out to a local restaurant that trains disadvantaged youth in hospitality and the service industry for a welcome dinner. Overnight Siem Reap hotel

Meals:  L,D

This morning we rise and have breakfast at our hotel before we board our private vehicle and take a short bus ride to a local market where we will be greeted by a local chef. The chef will take us around the market explaining the local produce as we purchase the food required for our cooking service program. Today is no regular cooking class, the menu the group will prepare will not only feed the group but will also serve a donation to the monks at the local pagoda/temple. Once we have all cooked the food, we will package it up and head to the pagoda and offer the food to the monks before eating all enjoying lunch. In the afternoon, the monks will give a blessing to the group and tying a wrist band on their arm and spend time to discuss spirituality and Buddhism with the group. The students can ask any question about the monks life in Cambodia. We then return to our hotel mid-afternoon to rest and refresh before heading out on a walk to the old town for dinner. Overnight in Siem Reap hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we will get up early for breakfast before heading to our project site at the Treak Community Centre. You will be divided into sub groups to work on different components of the project. We will take the time to take a walk through the surrounding community whilst gaining a better understanding of the people and their way of life. You should wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty or paint on. The people from the local village and school will be very receptive to your visit and the improvements that you are making which will bring long term benefits to the entire village. The difference this work will make for the community can not be underestimated. In addition to the friendships formed, it will foster closer relationships between the two countries and schools. At the end of our third day, we say farewell to the centre and our new found friends. The project is set up alongside our regenerative Travel, Give, Grow concept, offering unique experiences to help foster respect for the natural world as well as the diverse peoples and cultures that live in it. This regenerative style of travel helps develop confidence, resilience, tolerance, problem solving abilities, team work, fitness and key life skills. We will return to our hotel late in the afternoon to refresh before heading out to dinner at a local restaurant. On the first night we will visit the famous PHARE circus. The circus is an International quality program designed to take in street kids and train them to be performers. The circus travels around the world and appears on some of the biggest stages. It is a fantastic experience we know you will love! On the second night we have the opportunity to head to the night markets where you can purchase gifts and souvenirs. Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals:  B,L,D

Today is a special day as we make our way out to the magnificent temples of Angkor, full of magical highlights! We will start by exploring the ancient city of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII, surrounded by an 8 meter high wall. We then continue to Bayon Temple, a 12th century masterpiece in the exact centre of the city. Possibly one of the most enjoyable is Ta Prohm temple, where the Tomb Raider movies were set and filmed. Ta Prohm is unique in that it has been left largely as it was found: overgrown by jungle. This makes Ta Prohm one of the most memorable of the Angkor temples. Photo opportunities await around every corner. We will then experience the largest and most impressive of all the temples in Angkor: Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was built between 1112 and 1152 by King Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation. It is the best preserved of all the temples. Its layout and its scale are simply breathtaking: the wall surrounding the enclosure measures 1,000 by 800 meters in length and the moat, said to represent the oceans of the world, is 200 meters wide. We have the opportunity to visit a local pagoda within the temple where we will be welcomed by Buddhist Monks and hear about their life and understand more about Buddhism in the region. Tonight we will enjoy dinner at a local restaurant whilst watching a special cultural performance of the "Aspara Cultural Show". Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we have a big day planned. First we will visit Tapang Village where we join with the local people in a regenerative tree planting conservation program. Here we will plant trees and work with seedling propagation to help offset the carbon on our journey along with helping the local community create an income. This is a fantastic social enterprise set up by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. All equipment is provided and we will learn about sustainable Forrest management and rehabilitation. We then travel to the road head to begin our trek. We hike through rice fields and spectacular rural scenery. This is a great opportunity to see how people in the rural areas of Cambodia go about their lives on a daily basis. Rising up from the flat countryside is the enormous Kulen Mountain, and it slowly begins to dominate the view as the trail approaches. Kulen Mountain (Phnom Kulen) is an impressive sandstone plateau in this otherwise flat area. The mountain is considered the birthplace of the Khmer empire and a sacred place for the Khmer. After arriving and walking through the village, the trail heads into the forest with the canopy high above providing shade even in Cambodia’s hottest months. We meet our vehicle near the stunning Kulen falls and transfer to the nearby Bong Thom village stay. Our accommodation is in a traditional Khmer village where our group will sleep in a large open air dormitory. The home stay is surrounded by orchards of exotic fruit trees that we can try. The home stay also offers free English lessons to children from the surrounding villages, each day and we will be able to join in and help with the lessons. Tonight, enjoy dinner with traditional music and the opportunity to learn traditional dance. Today is a real highlight of our experience in Cambodia. Overnight in Bong Thom traditional hall

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we rise in our beautiful setting as we see the sun rise over the fruit orchards. We can witness village life starting up as we pack down our beds and prepare breakfast. After a hearty breakfast with our hosts, we will visit Banteay Srei temple, considered by many as one of the most stunning temples in Cambodia and easily recognisable as it is made of pink sandstone. The temple is known as the "Citadel of Women" and reputed as one of the best preserved of all Angkor temples. After exploring the temple we visit a local village that is famous for making sugar palm products. We will join the families making products for the local markets before we head back to Siem Reap and check into our hotel. This afternoon is to rest and refresh before we head out to dinner and try our new language skills and bartering techniques at the night markets.

Meals:  B,L,D

After breakfast in our hotel we head to the famous Tonle Sap Lake, South East Asia's largest fresh water lake. The lake swells to around 4 times its normal size during the wet season. The local village here all live on stilts due to the seasonal rise and fall of the lake. We get to explore the lake and stilt villages at sea level by kayak. Our two seat inflatable kayaks are a great way to explore the lake as they can go where the noisy long tail motorboats can not. We paddle through sunken fields and floating forests to the Mechrey Floating Village. We enjoy lunch at this village town before leaving our kayaks and heading back to Siem Reap for some rest at the hotel. Later we head out to dinner at a local restaurant. Kayaking time: approximately 2 hours

Meals:  B,L,D

Today the group will meet with a local NGO that strives to provide access to clean drinking water to villagers living in rural surroundings. The program today will be divided into three parts: 1) Theoretical learning. Learn about the importance of having access to clean water for communities and about the current challenges in Cambodia. 2) Technical learning. Learn how to make simple but efficient water filters. 3) Hands-on activity to make filters to distribute to communities in need. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant located nearby the NGO filter workshop place. We box up all our filters ready to take them to Battambang to distribute to the remote communities in the coming days. After our work is done we will return to our hotel for the night for a low key dinner. Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning after breakfast at our hotel we leave Siem Reap and head West to the township of Battambang. It takes about 3 hours to drive to the old colonial town, which is today the second biggest city of the country behind Phnom Penh. In the city’s outskirt, communities still suffer from very poor living conditions. Our group will distribute the filters that we have made to the local communities so they can have access to clean water. The local NGO screen all families and communities prior to our arrival to ensure the filters go where most needed. The distribution will involved students and the local NGO explaining to the recipients how to use the filters. This is a wonderful regenerative program to be involved in. Overnight in Battambang

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we take time to explore Battambang and its surroundings. We first head out for an orientation walk around the town. Your guide will lead you past narrow streets made of ancient colonial buildings that have been turned into trendy cafés and shops, all the way to the central market. Battambang is the second biggest city in the country and the richest in terms of agriculture. The market offers a large and impressive display of fresh products. We will buy some seasonal fruit to taste before we head off to our next destination. We head to an old wooden house built at the beginning of the 20th Century where the owner will greet us and invite us in to explore. We then transfer to a local landmark, Wat Banan, a pre-Angkorian temple featuring about 300-stairs to its top, where you can enjoy great views over the surrounding countryside. We head back down to have lunch and recharge the batteries for our upcoming bicycle ride on the back roads of the region. We cycle on earthen paths, through villages and rice fields, for about 15-kilometres (9 miles). Our ride ends at the old railway, where our bamboo platform awaits. We hop on and end our day with the iconic bamboo train ride, traveling about 7-kilometres (4 miles) before reaching the town again. We return to the hotel to relax before dinner.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today the group will participate in a full day immersion program at the Phare Ponleu Sepak school. Phare Ponleu Selpak – in Khmer, The Brightness of the Arts – is a Cambodian non-profit arts school located in Battambang, offering support to children, youth and the surrounding communities through artistic, educational, social and community outreach and engagement programmes. Over 1000 students are empowered every year through their schools and programmes: performing, visual and applied arts leisure classes, and vocational training aid children and young adults to develop their creativity, communication and concentration skills, and to access a sustainable artistic career whilst preserving and promoting Cambodian arts and culture. The experience includes a campus tour, 3 workshops (traditional Cambodian Dance, traditional Cambodian music, visual arts and crafts), a lunch and a dinner on campus. The day ends with a circus show by the school’s troupe in the evening.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we embark on the drive to Phnom Penh. Depending on rod conditions at the time the ride should take us around 5 - 6 hours. We will be able to stop frequently during the journey to visit landmarks and have snack and toilet breaks. On arrival in Phnom Penh mid afternoon we will check into our hotel and have the afternoon to relax before dinner.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our next stop is a very sobering one as we visit Cambodia's bloody past. Whilst this is a very confronting visit, it is important if we are to understand the country's recent history and how the people are looking positively towards the future. First stop is Tuol Sleng Museum. Originally, this building was a high school until it became the Khmer Rouge’s main interrogation centre. During this period it was known as ‘S-21’. We then stop for de-briefing and lunch at a local restaurant before proceeding to the Killing Fields, a stretch of countryside where over 10,000 people were executed. The remains of some of the people are stored in a memorial to remind people of the atrocities the Khmer Rouge inflicted on other Khmers. We will then head back into town and visit the National Museum, housing the world's foremost collection of ancient Khmer artefacts. Late this evening we have time to reflect on the day and debrief. Tonight we have dinner at Banana Tree restaurant. The restaurant provides education and job training to street children. The visit helps support the training of these kids by being their guest. Depending on availability we hope to have the manager of the restaurant and some of the workers speak with our group about their experience. Overnight 3* hotel Phnom Penh

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise early for breakfast at our hotel as we will head out at 7:30am for a very special day. We drive to Phnom Tamao to the Free the Bears wildlife sanctuary to join their "Keeper for a Day" program. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get behind the scenes at one of the best wildlife centres in South East Asia. The facility, set up by Perth lady Mary Hutton, now houses over 100 sun bears and over a 7 hectare area. We will help with the bear enrichment program. Late this afternoon we will return to Phnom Penh and enjoy a low key dinner.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we can explore the historic and cultural highlights of Cambodia's capitol city, Phnom Penh. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner and time for reflection on our amazing learning journey.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we have breakfast and farewell our guide as we head to the airport.

Meals:  B