Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Koh Rong & The Cardamom Mountains (Self-Launched)
9 days · Cambodia
G Adventures charges £2,150
No-markup version: ~£595 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 9-day version of G Adventures' premium Geluxe Cambodia trip — sunrise at Angkor Wat, a Khmer cooking class led by female tuk-tuk drivers, jungle trekking and kayaking in the Cardamom Mountains, and lazy days plus a beach barbecue on Koh Rong — before finishing in Phnom Penh. You'll use hostels, guesthouses and budget hotels, public buses and ferries, and bookable local guides and activities instead of a group leader, private vehicle and deluxe tented camp. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and assume you book flights, buses and guides yourself a few days ahead. Actual prices vary by season and how far ahead you book.
Day-by-day
Arrive Siem Reap — old town orientation
Siem Reap
Fly into Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) and take a grab-style tuk-tuk into town (~£5-7, or $2-3 with PassApp/Grab if you have data). Check into a hostel or guesthouse near Wat Bo or the Old Market. Get a Cambodian eSIM or SIM (~£3-5), draw cash from an ATM (ATMs dispense USD — riel is used for small change), and wander the Old Market and Pub Street area in the evening. Buy a 3-day Angkor pass option online (or decide on 1-day; the official pass is $37 for 1 day, $62 for 3 days) and sort out a tuk-tuk driver for tomorrow's sunrise — agree a price in advance (~$15-20 for sunrise plus a few temples).
🚌Tuk-tuk from SAI airport (~£5-7)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Siem Reap old town (dorm ~£6-9, private ~£15-20)
- →Airport tuk-tuk transfer
- →SIM card & cash setup
- →Old Market & Pub Street wander
- →Book Angkor tuk-tuk driver
Angkor Wat sunrise & temple circuit
Siem Reap / Angkor
Leave at 4:45am with your tuk-tuk driver to catch Angkor Wat's silhouette at sunrise. Spend 2-3 hours inside Angkor Wat, then continue to Angkor Thom and the Bayon (faces), Ta Prohm (tree roots) and optionally Banteay Kdei or Preah Khan. Bring water, snacks and sun protection — the site is huge. You can hire a freelance guide at the entrance or pre-book an English-speaking guide via GetYourGuide (~£25-40 for a half day). Back in town by mid-afternoon: rest, then eat at one of the social-enterprise restaurants like Spoons (training restaurant for at-risk youth) for dinner, which echoes the tour's G for Good dinner.
🚌Tuk-tuk with driver for the day (~$15-20 / £12-16)
🛏Same hostel/guesthouse in Siem Reap
- →Angkor Wat sunrise (1-day pass $37)
- →Angkor Thom & Bayon
- →Ta Prohm
- →Optional local guide
- →Dinner at Spoons social enterprise
Female tuk-tuk driver cooking class & Kampong Khleang floating village
Siem Reap
Morning free — visit the Angkor National Museum, the Landmine Museum, or just recover. Midday, join a Khmer cooking class run by female tuk-tuk drivers — book direct or through GetYourGuide/Klook (~£20-30), including a market visit and 4-5 dishes. In the late afternoon, take a shared tuk-tuk or songthaew out to Kampong Khleang floating village on the Tonle Sap (~£15-20 return with boat) for sunset over the stilted houses — this replaces the tour's OMG Day option. Dinner back in town.
🚌Shared tuk-tuk to Kampong Khleang (~£15-20 return)
🛏Same hostel/guesthouse in Siem Reap
- →Khmer cooking class with female tuk-tuk drivers
- →Market visit
- →Kampong Khleang floating village & sunset boat
- →Optional Angkor National Museum
Bus to Chi Phat — Cardamom Mountains gateway
Chi Phat, Cardamom Mountains
Public bus or minivan from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (~5-6 hrs, ~£8-10 on Virak Buntham or Mey Hong) then on to Koh Kong or Chi Phat. Most travellers stop overnight in Phnom Penh or take an early bus direct to Chi Phat via Andoung Tuek (~7-8 hrs total). If a direct is too long, break it: overnight in Phnom Penh (hostel ~£8-12), otherwise arrive in Chi Phat for a guesthouse run by the Chi Phat Community-Based Ecotourism project (~£12-18/night). Arrange tomorrow's trek and kayak with the community office on arrival — they'll set you up with a local guide (trek ~£30-45/day, kayak hire ~£8-12).
🚌Public bus/minivan (~£9-14)
🛏Community guesthouse or simple homestay in Chi Phat (~£12-18)
- →Public bus/minivan to Cardamoms
- →Chi Phat community ecotourism booking
- →Village evening walk
Cardamom jungle trek & kayak
Chi Phat, Cardamom Mountains
Full day with a community guide: hike through the Cardamoms' evergreen forest, following old logging trails and wildlife tracks (gibbons, hornbills and, with luck, signs of elephants). Pack a lunch, then in the afternoon paddle a kayak down the Prek Piphot river back toward Chi Phat. This directly supports the community ecotourism project and its wildlife protection work — the same ethos as the G Adventures trek. Dinner at a local eatery in the village (~£3-5).
🚌On foot / kayak
🛏Community guesthouse in Chi Phat
- →Guided jungle trek
- →River kayaking
- →Wildlife spotting
Overland to Sihanoukville → ferry to Koh Rong
Koh Rong
Early shared taxi or minivan from Chi Phat to Sihanoukville (~3-4 hrs via Andoung Tuek, ~£8-12). Book the fast ferry or speedboat to Koh Rong in advance (Buva Sea, GTVC or Island Speed Ferry, ~£10-14 each way, ~45 mins) — or pick the slower, cheaper local boat if time allows. Arrive on Koh Rong, check into a beach guesthouse or bungalow on Long Set or Sok San beach (basic bungalow ~£15-25, dorm ~£8-12). Afternoon swim, sunset beers, and a seafood dinner on the sand.
🚌Minivan (~£10) + ferry (~£12 each way)
🛏Beach bungalow or guesthouse on Koh Rong (~£15-25)
- →Shared taxi/minivan to Sihanoukville
- →Ferry to Koh Rong
- →Beach swim & sunset
Koh Rong waterfall hike, kayaking & beach barbecue
Koh Rong
Morning hike through the island's interior to a waterfall (Koh Toch or Sok San falls, depending on season — a local guide ~£10-15 or self-navigate with Maps.me). Then hire a kayak (~£6-10 for a half day) and paddle the clear shallows and mangroves along the coast. In the evening, join one of the informal beach barbecues that guesthouses on Long Set beach run most nights — fresh barracuda or snapper, rice, salad (~£8-12). Bioluminescent plankton swims are on offer from most guesthouses after dark (~£8-10 with boat).
🚌On foot / kayak
🛏Same bungalow on Koh Rong
- →Waterfall hike
- →Kayak hire
- →Beach barbecue dinner
- →Optional plankton swim
Koh Rong → Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Morning ferry back to Sihanoukville (~£10-14) and onward bus or minivan to Phnom Penh (~5-6 hrs, ~£10-14 on Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in Daun Penh or near the riverside (~£10-18). Freshen up, then take a remork (Cambodian tuk-tuk) around the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and Wat Phnom at sunset (~£8-10 for an hour or two), finishing at the riverside night market or a Khmer restaurant for dinner.
🚌Ferry (~£12) + bus (~£12)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Phnom Penh (~£10-18)
- →Ferry back to Sihanoukville
- →Bus to Phnom Penh
- →Remork tour of Royal Palace & Wat Phnom
- →Riverside evening
Phnom Penh — Tonle Sap walk & departure
Phnom Penh
A slow morning: walk the Tonle Sap riverside promenade, drop into the National Museum or the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (~£4-5 entry), and shop the Central Market or Russian Market for last souvenirs. If your flight leaves today, allow 45-60 mins for the airport (~£5-8 by tuk-tuk or ~£10-12 by taxi). If you have a full day, consider a half-day trip to Silk Island (~£15-20 with ferry and guide) or the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek (~£12-15 with tuk-tuk and audio guide). Trip ends.
🚌Tuk-tuk to airport (~£5-8)
🛏Check out (optional extra night ~£10-18)
- →Tonle Sap riverside walk
- →Optional National Museum / Tuol Sleng
- →Market shopping
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£595 | £2,150 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,555 per person (72%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£595
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Koh Rong & The Cardamom Mountains (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £595 per person for 9 days in Cambodia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,150 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £595 — a saving of roughly £1,555 (72%) per person.
How long is the Cambodia trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Cambodia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, beaches trip through Cambodia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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