Launched in late 2012, the Angkor Pandaw boat offering 16 cabins will now cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap. This upstream cruise of 11 days will start in Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho with an exploration of Cai Rang floating market. It will cross the border between Vietnam and Cambodia in Chau Doc. In Cambodia, the itinerary’s highlights are a cyclo tour of Phnom Penh, a visit of the temples at Wat Nokor, a discovery of the floating villages and the bird sanctuaries on the Tonle Lake and a visit to the NGO circus school at Battambang. The cruise will depart on the 1st July, 29th July, 26th August 2013 and 10th July and 7th August 2014.

To view the factsheet, click here

For more details please contact [email protected]

Exotissimo Cambodia’s team gathered on the rooftop of our Phnom Penh office for the special announcement of Best Employee of the Year. In a ground breaking live video link up the awards were simultaneously shared with the Siem Reap office. Congratulations to Ms Kosal from the German department who was the winner. 2^nd place went to Mr Mony from Transport Administration and 3^rd to Ms Sokha from the UK team. To celebrate staff took a river cruise with live music, dancing, karaoke and food and drink!

For more details please contact [email protected]

Myanmar Airways International (MAI) have recently announced they will be suspending all flights between Yangon – Siem Reap and Yangon – Phnom Penh from 18 July to 15 September 2012. This reflects the low passenger levels experienced during the low season period with normal flight schedules resuming in the high season. At this time MAI will also resume their ‘Visa On Arrival’, only available on these routes.

For more information please contact, [email protected]

Traveling in the low season in Cambodia can be a rewarding experience. The rainy season usually sees a short, sharp shower most days at the same time in the afternoon. Sightseeing can easily be arranged to fit in with any showers. Clients can benefit from lower hotel rates, lush green landscapes fresher air and fewer other tourists at the attractions. Many hotels offer ‘stay 3 nights pay 2′, including Victoria Angkor Resort, Sofitel Angkor, Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor and Bopha Angkor. ‘Stay 4 nights pay 3′ offers are available at Hotel de la Paix (until June), Royal Bay Inn Angkor & Heritage Suites.

For more details please contact [email protected]

To celebrate Khmer New Year the Kingdom of Cambodia is preparing for their 3-day Buddhist New Year celebrations that take place next month (April 13-15). Visitors to Cambodia will have the chance to immerse in local celebrations and cultural activities during their ‘Celebrate Khmer New Year 2012′ itinerary. The first day, Moha Songkran, sees families gather to light candles and burn incense at temples while visitors partake in a special Buddhist blessing ceremony. Wanabat, the second day, is a traditional day of giving charity to the less fortunate. Travelers will visit a charitable organization, working to preserve the local cultures and ecological system of the Tonle Sap Lake. On the third day, Tngai Laeung Saka, visitors have the opportunity to join locals in a variety of games and witness devotees pouring water over sacred Buddha images.

During Khmer New Year we are able to offer a special rate at the Borei Angkor Hotel for the period 12 April – 31 May.

To view the full program, click here

Exotissimo Travel were recently involved in a project with Hotel de la Paix, Golden Banana Boutique Hotel and Heritage Suites Hotel in assisting the Green Gecko Project to help in packing food and water to three villages and 400 families on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Another 470 families in Kampong Thom received the same assistance.

This CSR initiative was noted in a recent article on Travelfish.org that discussed the vast amounts of money spent in Siem Reap each year yet the province remains the third poorest of Cambodia’s 23 provinces. The flood relief drive and initiative shown by businesses such as those marked above, with the lack of government intervention, was vital in supporting local communities.

Click here to read the article on Travelfish

Designed to combine the tranquil nature of the seaside town of Kep with the new Spa at Knai Bang Chatt resort, ‘Spa Weekend in Kep’ creates the perfect mix for a relaxing 4 day 3 night stay. Combining the highlights of the two extremely scenic provinces of Kampot and Kep, ‘Blend of the South’ delivers the perfect getaway to explore the countryside, local life and Khmer culture. Highlights of the tour are the sunset boat trip towards the sea in Kampot, a trek in Bokor National Park, a visit to a pepper farm and exploring one of the caves around Kampot. Both tours can be booked as modules and in combination with other tours along the coast or with Vietnam’s Mekong Delta or Phu Quoc.
To view the full ‘Spa Weekend in Kep’ program click here.

To view the full ‘Blend of the South’ program click here.

Due to heavy and persistent rain over the weekend downtown Siem Reap along with riverfront properties and access to the Tonle Sap are currently flooded.  Several of our restaurant and spa services are currently not in use along with visits to the Old Market and Artisans D’Angkor currently not possible.  The temples are still operational as are all major services.

Areas of Tonle Sap are currently inaccessible for tours. We are in contact with all clients booked on these trips and making alternative arrangements.

More rain has been forecast for tonight and later this week. We can expect localized flooding to continue for the better part of this week though this presents only a minor disruption to transfers All major roads are operating as normal.

Even though the serious floods hit Cambodia hard, we are happy to announce that the situation is calming and tourist trails are open.

Heavy rain in the Northern provinces has caused the water levels to rise which has resulted in some localized flooding in Siem Reap. This is limited to river front properties, downtown Siem Reap and Tonle Sap access points. All hotels are fully accessible and operational apart from Villa Kiara whose access road is blocked. The floating villages of Chhong Kneas and Kampong Phluck are currently not accessible and our clients are rerouted to Kampong Kleang. Further services that are currently suspended are the quad bike adventure, microlight flights, horse back riding and the camping experience at Wat Amphil, as well as some restaurants along the river. All other services continue to operate as normal and all major Angkor temples are open for visits. In order to protect the UNESCO World Heritage from erosion, only small vehicles of less than 25 seats are currently allowed on the roads around the Angkor Park.

In Phnom Penh the water levels of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers are high but have not resulted in any flooding and the Cambodian South Coast is not affected by floods. Low lying farm land is flooded along the Northern parts of the Mekong. However, access to tourist destinations is possible in all areas. Sambor Village Hotel in Kampong Thom will remain closed in October for renovation because of previous flood damage. Please rest assured that travel in Cambodia is still possible with little disruption and we are taking the best possible care of clients who are affected by any changes in their itinerary and will augment or upgrade services where possible. Whilst the situation is changeable, our operations team are constantly monitoring and will keep you updated on any developments.

Please contact [email protected] for more information.

As the Mekong Discovery Project is coming to a close, a range of exciting new activities have been launched along the Mekong: At Wat Sorsor Muoy Roy (‘The 100 Pillar Wat’), Conservation International has set up a Turtle Conservations Project that puts its effort into preserving the rare Mekong Turtles. On Koh Trong Island, the community development project now offers guests to take part in the annual vegetable or rice planting and harvesting activities, or to teach an English lesson to the school kids on the island. The local people are always up for a volleyball match with their visitors which can be hosted on the island’s beach in the dry season. To get away from it all, the pagoda on Phnom Sambok near Kratie offers interesting Buddhist meditation sessions that can range from just one session to a several days’ stay. Our ‘Cycling the Mekong: An eco-experience from Pakse to Siem Reap’ not only offers the delight of crossing borders within a program, but immerses guests in local cultures with interaction at the forefront.

To view a full itinerary of this tour please, click here.