Cambodia Trip — High-Level Itinerary
Phnom Penh → Siem Reap · 9 days, Oct 17–25, 2026 · 2 travelers · single country, water/adventure optional
v2 — flipped route, real flight fares, relaxed evenings added. Now flying into Phnom Penh (a live Skyscanner fare, not an estimate), overland one-way to Siem Reap, flying out of Siem Reap. This freed up a night versus the earlier loop-back plan, so Siem Reap now gets 5 nights instead of 4+a wasted buffer night. Food tours, a sunset cruise, and other low-key evenings are folded in throughout — this is a packed trip, not a nonstop one.
See itinerary-overview-bangkok.html for a variant with a 2-day Bangkok stopover, or the Phnom-Penh-free versions: itinerary-overview-siemreap-bangkok.html (Siem Reap first) and itinerary-overview-bangkok-siemreap.html (Bangkok first — the cheaper of the two).
Feasibility & weather
Route shape: fly into Phnom Penh, travel overland to Siem Reap (private car with a stop at Sambor Prei Kuk, or the Tonle Sap boat — see the travel-options note below), fly home from Siem Reap. One-way only, no backtracking.
Day count: 9 days = 3 nights Phnom Penh + 5 nights Siem Reap, connected by one overland travel day roughly in the middle.
| Location | High | Low | Rain | Notes |
|---|
| Phnom Penh | ~32°C | ~24°C | Wet-season pattern, slightly less humid than Siem Reap being more open/urban | No coastal element on this route, so no rough-seas risk either way |
| Siem Reap | ~31°C | ~24°C | ~215mm over ~15 days for the month; your Oct 20–24 dates sit past the historically wettest 10-day stretch (Oct 11–20) | Tail of the wet season — bursts of rain, not all-day washouts |
Dropping the coast keeps this weather-manageable. Sihanoukville/Kep are genuinely bad in October (rough seas, heaviest rain in the country) — this itinerary never goes near the coast, so that risk doesn't apply here.
No live forecast is possible this far out — the numbers above are historical climate averages. Worth a proper check 10–14 days before you fly.
Phnom Penh
3 nights
~$30/night, mid-range riverside
🚗 Private car + Sambor Prei Kuk stop~7–8h, or the Tonle Sap boat (~6–8h, seasonal)
Siem Reap
5 nights
~₹556/night, mid-range 4★
Must-do
Optional
Relaxed / low-key
Travel
Day 1Sat, Oct 17Phnom Penh — arrival
- MustLand 08:50am, settle inOvernight flight via Bangkok lands early — you get almost a full first day, unusual for this trip's flight patterns
- OptionalWat Phnom & a riverside walkGentle orientation, the hill-temple the city is named for
- ChillStreet art + sunset Mekong cruise + food tour~$39pp — walking tour of street art, a boat cruise as the sun sets, then food stops. A relaxed way to spend your first evening rather than diving straight into sightseeing
Day 2Sun, Oct 18Phnom Penh
- MustTuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)Former high school turned Khmer Rouge prison — heavy, but the single most important historical site in the country
- MustChoeung Ek Killing FieldsUsually paired with S-21 the same day — the audio guide is worth it and included in the fee
- ChillDeliberately light afternoon/eveningThis is a genuinely heavy morning — don't stack more sightseeing straight after; a quiet dinner is enough
Day 3Mon, Oct 19Phnom Penh
- MustRoyal Palace & Silver PagodaThe working royal residence and its temple of a floor tiled in silver — dress modestly, shoulders/knees covered
- MustNational Museum of CambodiaKhmer sculpture collection, right next to the Royal Palace — an easy pairing
- OptionalRussian Market (Psar Toul Tom Poung)A more browsable, less frantic market than Central Market — good for an unhurried afternoon
- ChillDinner at Friends or RomdengSocial-enterprise restaurants training at-risk youth in hospitality — relaxed sit-down Khmer food, no tour structure, just book a table
Day 4Tue, Oct 20Phnom Penh → Siem Reap
🚗 Private car with a stop at Sambor Prei Kuk (~7–8h total) — or the Tonle Sap boat if you'd rather fold the "floating village" experience into travel day itself
- OptionalSambor Prei KukPre-Angkorian brick temples scattered through actual forest, centuries older than Angkor Wat, far less crowded — the car waits while you explore, roughly on the direct route so it costs almost no extra distance
- MustArrive Siem Reap, easy eveningPub Street for a low-key first night — save the temples for tomorrow
Day 5Wed, Oct 21Siem Reap
- MustAngkor Wat at sunriseThe single unmissable moment of this trip — arrive before dawn for the temple silhouette over the reflection pools
- MustAngkor Thom & the BayonThe walled city and its hundreds of stone faces — usually paired with Angkor Wat the same morning
- OptionalTa Prohm ("Tomb Raider temple")Jungle roots swallowing the ruins — the most visually striking add-on if you only pick one extra temple today
- ChillApsara dance dinner show$18–40pp — classical Khmer dance with a buffet dinner, ~90 min, tuk-tuk transfer usually included. The classic cultural wind-down after a big temple day
Day 6Thu, Oct 22Siem Reap
- OptionalPhnom Kulen National Park$20pp — waterfall you can swim under, the River of a Thousand Lingas carved into the riverbed, a giant reclining Buddha. Morning-only (vehicles barred after noon) — the closest thing to a real water/adventure activity on this trip
- OptionalBanteay Srei ("Citadel of Women")~35km out, close enough to Phnom Kulen that some tours combine both in one day — intricate pink sandstone carving, a different style from the main complex
- OptionalTonle Sap floating villages (Kampong Phluk or Kampong Khleang)Kampong Phluk (~30km, flooded forest) is more scenic than the closer Chong Khneas; Kampong Khleang (~50km) is the largest and least touristy
- MustPick one pairing, not everythingPhnom Kulen + Banteay Srei combine well as one day; Tonle Sap or Beng Mealea/Koh Ker would be a separate day if you want more than one flex day
- ChillEvening street food tour by tuk-tuk$35–69 for 2, 2.5–3hrs — ~20 tastings across 8 stops with a local guide, hotel pickup included
Day 7Fri, Oct 23Siem Reap
- MustAngkor National MuseumGood context-setting for everything seen so far — best as a wind-down rather than a starting point
- OptionalOld Market (Psar Chas) shoppingTextiles, crafts, souvenirs
- ChillAngkor Night Market + Phnom Pleung (Cambodian BBQ)Self-grill BBQ at your table with Angkor beer, right next to the night market — low-key, no booking needed
Day 8Sat, Oct 24Siem Reap
- ChillTraditional Khmer massage/spaWidely available, cheap — a deliberate slow morning before the last full day
- OptionalAngkor Silk FarmGentle half-day watching silk weaving rather than trekking temples — good if you want daytime activity without more Angkor
- OptionalPhare, The Cambodian CircusA well-reviewed evening show blending acrobatics and storytelling — book ahead if you haven't done an evening show yet
Day 9Sun, Oct 25Siem Reap — departure
- MustHead to Siem Reap International (SAI) for the flight homeMorning departure — see the flights table below
Flights — actual fares (Oct 17 out / Oct 25 back)
| Leg | Route & timing | Price (2 pax) | Notes |
|---|
| Outbound | BLR→KTI (Phnom Penh), THAI TG326+TG586 via Bangkok
Dep 00:55 Fri night · Arr 08:50 Sat, 1 stop, 70-min connection | ₹47,980 | Live Skyscanner fare, single airline both legs (bags checked through, protected connection) — my own tool priced the same flights at ₹59,290, so treat ₹47,980 as a fare bucket that could sell out |
| Return | SAI→BLR, AirAsia Cambodia + AirAsia via Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Dep 10:10 · Arr 22:45, 1 stop, ~12h35m | ₹78,016 | Arrives 22:45 — 45 min past the "by 10pm" target, closest same-day option found |
Total flights: ₹47,980 + ₹78,016 = ₹1,25,996 for 2 (or ~₹1,37,306 using my tool's higher ceiling on the outbound, if the cheap fare bucket is gone by booking time). No nonstop exists from Bengaluru either way.
High-level budget (2 travelers, 9 days)
Rate used: $1 ≈ ₹87. Hotel, food, and tour figures are sourced benchmarks, not specific bookings.
| Category | Basis | Cost (2 pax) |
|---|
| Flights | Actual fares — see table above | ₹1,25,996 |
| Phnom Penh → Siem Reap transfer | Private car + Sambor Prei Kuk stop, whole car (not per person) | ~₹9,570 |
| Hotels, 8 nights | 1 room — Phnom Penh mid-range riverside (~$30/night, 3 nights) + Siem Reap mid-range 4★ (5 nights) | ~₹10,610 |
| Visa — Cambodia e-visa | $30pp, 3 business days, evisa.gov.kh, both travelers | ~₹5,220 |
| Food, 9 days | ~$15/day/person, both travelers | ~₹23,490 |
| Local transport (tuk-tuks) | ~$5/day/person | ~₹7,830 |
| Angkor Wat pass | 3-day pass, $62pp, both travelers | ~₹10,788 |
| Killing Fields + S-21 | $6pp + $8pp (with audio guide), both travelers | ~₹2,436 |
| Royal Palace | ~$10pp, both travelers | ~₹1,740 |
| Phnom Penh sunset cruise + food tour | $39pp, both travelers | ~₹6,786 |
| Siem Reap street food tuk-tuk tour | ~$50 for 2 (group pricing) | ~₹4,350 |
| Apsara dance dinner show | ~$25pp average, both travelers | ~₹4,350 |
| Travel insurance | Bare-floor headline rate, 9 days, both travelers | ~₹360 |
| Total | | ~₹2,13,526 |
| + Phnom Kulen (optional) | $20pp, both travelers | +~₹3,480 |
| + Angkor Night Market BBQ (optional) | Both travelers | +~₹1,740 |
| + Massage/spa (optional) | Both travelers | +~₹2,000 |
| + Phare Cambodian Circus (optional) | Both travelers | +~₹5,000 |
~₹2,13,526 for 2 (~₹1,06,763 per person) as the core estimate, up to roughly ~₹2,25,700 for 2 with everything optional included. This moved up from the v1 figure (~₹1.89L) mainly because the relaxed evening activities are now priced in explicitly rather than folded into the generic daily food budget — the trip itself hasn't gotten more expensive, it's gotten more accurately costed. Still comfortably the cheapest destination checked across this whole thread (Laos+Cambodia ~₹2.87L, Seoul+Taipei ~₹2.96L, Japan ~₹4.08L).
What's genuinely optional if the trip feels rushed
- Phnom Kulen, Banteay Srei, Tonle Sap, Beng Mealea/Koh Ker (Day 6) — pick one pairing at most; trying to do all of these turns your one flex day into an exhausting one
- Angkor Silk Farm, Phare Circus (Day 8) — nice-to-haves on your deliberately slow last day, not required
- All the "Chill" tagged evenings are flexible — swap, skip, or reorder any of them; none are load-bearing
What isn't optional
- Angkor Wat + Angkor Thom/Bayon in Siem Reap, and S-21 + Killing Fields + Royal Palace in Phnom Penh — these are the trip's reasons to exist
- The Cambodia e-visa — required for Indian passports, no visa-on-arrival option