Hi,

I was wondering if I could get advice on a suitable trip for myself and my 11 yera old daughter. We were looking to go in July to Sept 07 for about 14 days. My daughter is really interested in wildlife so would like to include some trips to areas that would interest her. Also thinking that markets specially floating markets would be of interset to her as well as the main cultural/historical attractions.
Obviously as a mum I want to keep us safe but do not want to be hermatically sealed in a tourist bus and five star hotels - I would prefer guesthouses and relaible , safe travel even when it does take longer.
We are travelling from Australia and her previous travel experience includes Fiji, Mexico and the US

Thanks for your assistance

You should have a great trip with your daughter. There is a lot to see in Cambodia.

On Tonle Sap there are a few floating villages...farther away from Siem Reap are less touristy ones. There is also a bird watching place or sanctuary there...I forget exactly what it is, but it's birds.

Of course, the entire Angkor Wat area is fascinating.

You might want to have a look at this website for an idea of what you might be able to do in Siem Reap. www.theplf.org. We've booked Ponheary for 6 days for temples, Tonle Sap and villages/schools, and based on the many wonderful reports about her as a guide and about what she does with the school kids, we are in for a great week.

I'll be spending 1/2 of our month long holiday in August with only my daughter too...husband has to go back to work. We'll all go to Singapore and Siem Reap and Bangkok, then my daughter and I will go to Phuket and the Anantara Golden Triangle for elephants. We did mahout training last year in Lampang, but this time around we wanted real beds, AC, a pool and a spa, so the Anantara seems perfect. For a great animal experience you might want to consider some Thailand time there or at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center www.anantara.com and www.changthai.com

We took our son who was 6 at the time to Cambodia. He had a fabulous time. We stayed at the Raffles. They took great care of him. He loved the elephant ride at Angor Wat.

The heat during the summer was opressive to us but he never noticed. Just bring snacks and water. Clean and safe snacks and water are not always available so we always have some with us.

If your daughter doesn't mind adult company, you might like to check out www.pandaw.com

It's a river cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap (or vice versa - as it operates in both directions) over 7 nights, and includes 2 on-shore excursions daily.

The price may seem high, but when you bear in mind that it covers virtually everything (meals, soft drinks, tea and coffee and the excursions) it's very resonable.

In Siem Reap I stayed at the Bopha-Angkor - about $50 or so a night, comfortable, centrally located and excellent restaurant and pool.

I have a trip report at http://www.independenttraveler.com/t...258&page=1
and photographs in the Vietnam and Cambodia gallery at http://jmpr.photium.com/

If you visit your local news agency and grab a copy of the current edition of Cruise Passenger Magazine, you'll also find an article (check before buying as the next issue is due and I'd hate you to get the wrong one!).

Also feel free to email me at [email protected]

Ponheary is a super guide in AW. Many of us have used either her or her brother Dara. She also has a guest house. Do a search on this forum using the search box at the top. Type in ponheary and you can read of many wonderful experiences. If you want to have her book a hotel she can also do that. it is very nice to have a good pool to take a mid-day break. Ponheary can also take you to a school. Your daughter will have a super time.

KimJapan,

I note that you have booked the private guide Ponheary, who is highly recommended. I can not seem to find her
e-mail address/contact information. Please
repost as a reply to this message as I hope
to take my daughter (college-aged) to Siem
Reap this summer, too, and would like to
use Ponheary as our guide. Thank you!

ponheary at yahoo dot com

I assume you are spending all your time in Cambodia and starting in Siem Reap first. With an 11 yr old, 3 or 4 days would be enough time to explore the temples and to do some non temple
activities such as a visit to one of the floating village on the lake (but not Chong Khneas if possible). Save the school visit, if you are interested in such, to one of the smaller towns that do not get many tourists. You can get good accommodation with a pool (which you will need to cool down in after a very hot day visiting the temples) for under $75 net.

From SR take a taxi or bus to Kampong Cham and spend a day or two here at a basic but clean hotel. Visit the countryside where the small villages don't see many foreigners and your child will be the center of attraction. Then again take a taxi up to Kratie to see the dolphins staying there 1-2 days. Then taxi back to Phnom Penh for a few days to see the sights in the capital. There is no reason to spend more than $80 net on good accommodations. The Bougainvillier along with the Foreign Correspondents Club and the Cambodiana with their riverfront locations are good. Of course there are cheaper places of good quality.

From here take a taxi or mini bus south to Kampot (a 3hr drive), a very pleasant little town that gets hardly any visitors. The broad, quiet streets are a refreshing contrast to the mayhem of the main tourist towns. They are lined with interesting and colorful Chinese-style houses and there are some beautiful old colonial buildings, along the river. Since visitors are still quite a novelty, the money craze like in Siem reap and Phnom Penh is not evident and the friendly people, especially the school children, will come up to you to practice their few words of english that they know without any interior motives and your child will have a great time interacting with them. This is the place to visit a school and take some supplies. The main reason to come here is to visit Bokor Hill Station on top of Elephant Mountain, a fascinating ghost town that once was a French hill station in 1920, complete with a hotel/casino, old church, school house, etc. It is quite a trip up the mountain and takes about 11/2 hours to reach the top with a 4wd on a terrible road. There are several fair places to stay in Kampot but nothing of a fancy nature. From here it is a short ride to Kep (25 kms) where you can go our by boat (1/2 hr) to Rabbit Island for swimming and relaxing on the white sand beaches. Have a seafood dinner in Kep, the freshest and one of the best in Cambodia.

Then on to the beach town of Sihanoukville a 2hr dive. There is a variety of accommodations to choose from. The fairly new Sokha Beach Resort and Spa is a great place to stay, the best in Sihanoukville and of 4-5 star quality at reasonable prices ($100). For more reasonably places around $50 I would recommend those by Ocheuteal beach such as the Crystal, Golden Sands or Seaside.

Not far outside the beach town of Sihanoukville is Ream National Park and is well a worthwhile trip but must be arranged with the park rangers or by group tour. During the months of December to February the fresh water white dolphin can be seen. See this site for more information and pictures http://www.cambodianonline.net/reampark.htm

These are just suggestions for you to think about.

Hi FKhills,
I was in Cambodia in March and stayed in Phnom Penh for a couple of weeks and then flew up to Siem Reap for three days. Just thought I would recommend a fabulous driver. His name is Pilot Huon and his number is (855)12 786 904. He has a tuk tuk and will take you anywhere at anytime! We were three ladies just off the Operation Smile mission who wanted to relax and not stress over anything in SR. He came highly recommended and was worth every penny! We paid him $12/day, and then some, due to his professionalism and his can do attitude. We loved Pilot! I would look him up to take you and your daughter anywhere while in SR.
Suz