1. Battambang: Temples & Bat Caves Tour with Bamboo Train Ride
Start the tour at 8.00am at the your Hotel is the meeting point. The tour focuses on showing the "real" Cambodia how local families still make their living today. You'll learn how the families make rice paper, prahoc (typical Cambodian fish paste), grolan (sticky rice stuffed with bamboo), and other Cambodian treats. The surrounding countryside is beautiful and the Battambang area is known for its high quality rice and oranges. A stopover will be made at Wat Ek Phnom. Wat Ek Phnom is a small, partially collapsed 11th-century temple surrounded by the remains of a laterite wall and an ancient baray (reservoir). Above the east portal to the central temple is a lintel showing the churning of the Ocean of Milk. This is a very popular picnic and pilgrimage destination for Khmers, especially on local holidays, and especially for women trying to conceive. You will return to Battambang around 12:30pm. Ride the Bamboo Train, an original means of transport on the railroad tracks - 2 axles with wheels, covered with a bamboo mat with padding. If there is oncoming traffic, the vehicle is simply lifted off the rails and then used again. The Bamboo Train stops at a small settlement. The people are very friendly, the children surround you and laugh and enjoy the pictures on the cameras. Wat Banan, a beautiful and serene Angkorian temple on a hilltop with great views. Then visit the only vine plantation in Cambodia, located on the way between the Banan Mountains and Battambang. The wine produced here can be tasted directly at the winery or in some restaurants. In the area there are other fruit plantations such as oranges, bananas, dragon fruit and many vegetable plantations. Continue to Phnom Sampeau, which can be reached via 150 steps. This temple is a pilgrimage site for Cambodians. Here was a Khmer Rouge front line. In the mountain there is a so-called Killing Cave, in which the Khmer Rouge murdered critics of the regime. The rock also has a large bat cave.