Highlights of Cambodia — Self-Launched (Phnom Penh to Siem Reap)
8 days · Cambodia
Exodus charges £1,375
No-markup version: ~£322 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An 8-day self-launched version of Exodus's "Highlights of Cambodia" group tour, covering Phnom Penh's memorial sites, Battambang's colonial charm and famous bat exodus, a Khmer cooking class, and the great temples of Angkor including sunrise at Angkor Wat and the Phnom Kulen mountains. Replacing guided group logistics and Superior-grade hotels with hostel/guesthouse/budget-hotel stays, local buses, tuk-tuks and self-bookable tours — the same route at a fraction of the cost. Costs are approximate per-person estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Land in the riverside capital and settle into a hostel or guesthouse near the Sisowath Quay waterfront. Use a metered taxi or Grab from the airport (about £8-10) rather than a private transfer. Spend the late afternoon walking the riverside promenade as food vendors and lantern-lit bars open up, and eat dinner at a local Khmer spot — Elephants Walk, Lonely Tree Guesthouse restaurant or a street-food stall along Street 240. Book your Genocide Museum ticket and Angkor passes online in advance if you want to skip queues.
🚌Grab/taxi from airport (~£8-10), walk or tuk-tuk in town (£1-2)
🛏Hostel/guesthouse private room, Daun Penh or Riverside area (£12-20)
- →Riverside promenade walk
- →Street food dinner
- →Pre-book Tuol Sleng audio guide
Tuol Sleng, the Killing Fields and the Royal Palace
Phnom Penh
Start at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) and take the included audio guide (~£3 entry). Then hire a tuk-tuk for the round trip to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (~£10-14 return including waiting), noting the memorial stupa. Return to the city and visit the Central Market for lunch and browsing. In the afternoon, take a moto-remork to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (~£8 combined entry), then end at the riverside shrine of Preah Ang Dong Ker for dusk. Optional: a self-booked Mekong sunset river cruise (~£5-8 via Klook or on the quay).
🚌Tuk-tuk day hire to Choeung Ek and around town (~£14-18 total)
🛏Hostel/guesthouse private room, Phnom Penh (£12-20)
- →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
- →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
- →Central Market
- →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
- →Optional Mekong sunset cruise
Bus to Battambang • Phnom Sampeou bat exodus
Battambang
Take a public bus or shared minivan from Phnom Penh to Battambang (~5-6 hours, ~£7-10). Ask the driver to stop in Kampong Chhnang, the riverside pottery town, where you can wander into local workshops and watch artisans shape clay for a small tip. Arrive in Battambang, a town of French colonial shophouses and laid-back streets, and check into a guesthouse. In the late afternoon hire a tuk-tuk to Phnom Sampeou (Ship Mountain) (~£6-8 return); walk up past the shrines and caves for countryside views, then descend to the base at dusk to watch the extraordinary stream of bats pour out of the cave to feed.
🚌Phnom Penh–Battambang bus (~£8), local tuk-tuk (~£7)
🛏Battambang guesthouse or budget hotel (£8-15)
- →Public bus to Battambang
- →Kampong Chhnang pottery workshops
- →Phnom Sampeou viewpoint
- →Bat exodus at dusk
Khmer cooking class • Travel to Siem Reap
Battambang → Siem Reap
Book a morning Khmer cooking class in Battambang (several operators run market-to-table classes, ~£15-25) — walk through the local market to learn herbs, pastes and spices, then cook and eat several dishes as an early lunch. In the afternoon, take a bus or shared minivan to Siem Reap (~3-4 hours, ~£6-9). If time allows, stop or visit the Angkor Silk Farm near Siem Reap (~£4) to see the full mulberry-to-weaving process. Check into a Siem Reap guesthouse and eat dinner around Pub Street or the Old Market.
🚌Battambang–Siem Reap bus (~£7), tuk-tuk (~£2)
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/budget hotel (£10-18)
- →Khmer market & cooking class
- →Bus to Siem Reap
- →Optional Angkor Silk Farm
Angkor sunrise, Angkor Thom and monk blessing
Siem Reap / Angkor
Buy your Angkor pass (1-day ~£30, 3-day ~£50 — a 3-day pass is best value for days 5-7) and arrange a tuk-tuk driver for sunrise (~£15-20 for the day). Leave around 4:30am for sunrise at Angkor Wat, then continue through the South Gate of Angkor Thom to Bayon temple with its serene stone faces, and on to Ta Prohm where tree roots weave through the ruins. Return to town for breakfast, then head back to explore more of Angkor Thom. In the afternoon visit a local pagoda, where monks often offer a blessing ceremony for a small donation — ask your driver to arrange a genuine pagoda visit rather than a staged one. Finish with sunset from Phnom Bakheng or a viewpoint your driver recommends.
🚌Tuk-tuk day hire with driver (~£18)
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/budget hotel (£10-18)
- →Angkor Wat sunrise
- →Angkor Thom & Bayon
- →Ta Prohm
- →Local pagoda & monk blessing
- →Sunset viewpoint
Banteay Srei, Landmine Museum and Made in Cambodia Market
Siem Reap
Hire a tuk-tuk (~£15-20) for the ~1-hour drive to Banteay Srei, admired for its intricate pink-sandstone carvings. On the return, stop at the Cambodia Landmine Museum founded by Aki Ra (~£3) to learn about post-conflict clearance and recovery. Back in Siem Reap, have lunch, then browse the Made in Cambodia Market for responsibly produced textiles, ceramics and art. The rest of the afternoon is free — explore the Old Market and shops or relax by the guesthouse pool.
🚌Tuk-tuk day hire to Banteay Srei and around (~£18)
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/budget hotel (£10-18)
- →Banteay Srei temple
- →Cambodia Landmine Museum
- →Made in Cambodia Market
- →Old Market browsing
Phnom Kulen National Park and waterfalls
Phnom Kulen / Siem Reap
Book a shared Phnom Kulen day trip or hire a car/driver (~£35-45 split between travellers, or ~£18-25 for a shared tour via Klook/local agency) for the ~2-hour drive to Phnom Kulen. Pay the national park entrance (~£15). Visit the River of a Thousand Lingas carvings in the sandstone riverbed, walk to the reclining Buddha carved from the summit rock, then cool off at the waterfalls (bring swimwear). Eat a picnic or simple riverside lunch, then return to Siem Reap for a relaxed late afternoon.
🚌Shared minivan/day-trip to Phnom Kulen (~£20)
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/budget hotel (£10-18)
- →River of a Thousand Lingas
- →Reclining Buddha
- →Phnom Kulen waterfalls swim
- →Riverside picnic
Depart Siem Reap
Siem Reap
Enjoy a final breakfast and, depending on your flight, a last wander through Siem Reap's Old Market for souvenirs. Take a tuk-tuk or Grab to the airport (~£4-6). If you'd like to extend, a bus and ferry combo to Koh Rong Island (~£15-20) is an easy self-booked add-on for a few beach days before flying out of Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville.
🚌Tuk-tuk/Grab to airport (~£5)
🛏—
- →Old Market souvenir shopping
- →Optional onward travel to Koh Rong
Self-launched vs. Exodus
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Exodus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£322 | £1,375 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,053 per person (77%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Exodus-style trips? Check them out here.~£322
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Highlights of Cambodia — Self-Launched (Phnom Penh to Siem Reap) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £322 per person for 8 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 Exodus?+
Yes — Exodus charges around £1,375 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £322 — a saving of roughly £1,053 (77%) per person.
How long is the Cambodia trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 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 culture, foodie, budget 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.