3-Day Majestic Angkor Wat, Siem Reap and Tonle Sap Lake Tour (3-Day)

Just completed a three-day guided tour to Siem Reap, Cambodia through Green Era Travel. My overall experience was excellent. I travelled solo but was joined with a small group with four other travelers on my second day. The 3 day tour covered a visit to Kampong Phluk Village, tour to the Angkot Wat Complex and the Phnom Kulen Mountain. The Cambodian guides, Jeff and Hok San, were very knowledgeable of their country, and Siem Reap, in particular. They speak good English so it’s very easy to communicate. They provided stories of their local culture and the history in an interesting way. One of their exceptional characteristic is their passion for their job which I felt through their enthusiasm and through their sharing of personal experiences. Compared with other guided tours, the 3-day tour was cheaper overall, and I would say the service was great value for money. There are cheaper alternatives, like hiring a tuk tuk or car and exploring without a guide, but things you learn and stories you share with a local guide is like exploring Siem Reap with a new friend, which cannot be equated to any amount of money. Besides, pieces of historical information and interesting facts about the places visited through the guides had been valuable in making me appreciate more the rich history and culture of Siem Reap. Having said that, I would recommend visiting Siem Reap with a guide in at least one or 2 days of your stay, and you can opt to spend the rest of your days exploring the town at your pace. The tour was well-organized. Jeff, who’s also the manager, responds to booking and tour concerns promptly. Pick-up from my homestay was always on time. The homestay I’m staying at is located in a village close to the town center but because it’s not the normal hotel that can usually be found in online maps, the company made sure they’ll not have any trouble locating where I’m staying on my first day of tour by contacting the homestay owner a day or so prior to the trip. The air-conditioned van was comfortable and safely driven by our driver. The heat of the sun could get scorchingly hot and the good thing is that bottled water was provided throughout the trip. Also, while we were at Ta Phrom, it began to rain slightly to moderately. Umbrellas were readily available at the back of our van, which made us continue with our tour without hassle. The rain was, in fact, a welcome event as it cooled us off a bit, except that I had difficulty aiming my heavy camera with one hand while my other hand was holding an umbrella. We stopped by for lunch (except Day 1 – Kampong Phluk tour which is a half day tour) at clean restaurants which offered a variety of local dishes. All dishes I tried were tasty. I have just one comment though about the itinerary. The published itinerary included a sunset viewing at Phnom Bakeng but it didn’t happen. It was maybe because of the rain but it was still too early to tell then whether we’ll have a bad sunset view or not. I would have appreciated if the group was informed that this part of the itinerary will be removed or maybe that an alternative would be visited. Overall, I will have no hesitation in recommending Green Era Travel. The staffs were amazing and professional. I would have stayed a little bit more at each stop to take photographs, but I still think that we were never rushed to take in all incredible sights and understand the history. Most importantly, the company adheres to the principles of responsible tourism.