Phnom Penh Adventure
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Port
Sihanoukville, Cambodia
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Activity Level
Strenuous Activity
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At (prices in USD)
$400
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 11 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
A scenic 2.5-hour drive brings you to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. Situated at the confluence of four rivers, Phnom Penh serves as the center of culture, economy, society and politics in Cambodia. With its relaxed lifestyle and lovely Khmer and colonial architecture, it is a fascinating city.
Savor a deluxe lunch before commencing your tour of the capital.
Explore the Royal Palace -- the residence of the Royal Family -- where court ceremonies are held. Constructed in 1866, it is situated right in the center of the city and surrounded by a high wall. The iconic Royal Palace features pavilions adorned and painted with yellow and white colors. The yellow represents Buddhism, and the white represents Brahmanism. The Silver Pagoda, located in the southern section of the Royal Palace compound, took four years to complete (1902). It was renovated in 1962 in the style of traditional Khmer architecture. Also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, it boasts 5,329 silver tiles covering the floor of the pagoda. Each silver tile weighs 2.5 pounds. The 1,650 artifacts within, mostly Buddhist statues, are made of gold, silver and bronze into which diamonds, sapphire, rubies and other precious stones are inlaid.
Snap photos at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, built in 1958 to memorialize Cambodia's independence from France. Continue to the city's namesake, Wat Phnom. The temple was built in 1372 and stands 87 feet tall.
Visit the Tuol Sleng Museum, formerly a high school. The five buildings of the complex were converted in 1975 (after the Khmer Rouge won the civil war) into a prison and interrogation center. Renamed Security Prison 21 (S-21), the buildings were enclosed in an electrified barbed wire fence, the classrooms converted into tiny prison cells and torture chambers, and the windows were covered with iron bars and barbed wire. Between 1975 and 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng. Prisoners and their families were usually later murdered at the Choeung Ek extermination center. The Vietnamese army uncovered this grisly site in 1979, and it was opened as a museum memorializing the brutal actions of the Khmer Rouge. You may have a chance to take photos with one of the surviving prisoners; then, relax for the drive back to Sihanoukville and rejoin the ship.
Please note:
Travel time to Phnom Penh is approximately 2.5 hours each way. The museum is not appropriate for children; parental discretion is strongly advised. Shoulders and legs must be covered when visiting the Royal Palace.