Finish the day with a huge dinner spread of local dishes alongside lush Cambodian vibes.

The vast and rural countryside that sits between Cambodia’s two largest cities is filled with rich-green rice paddies, roaming water buffalo, and incredibly welcoming people. We’ll make a few stops along the way to stretch our legs and grab a local lunch. Battambang’s low key vibe offers the country’s best natural resources fueled by the presence of artists and a large NGO community. It also makes it one of the best places to eat and explore in Cambodia – both of which we’ll do during our time here. In Battambang’s old-town, there’s one restaurant (in our humble opinion) that ranks above all others. Jaan Bai, meaning ‘Rice Bowl,’ is a social enterprise run by the Cambodian Children’s Trust. Not only do they create jobs for underprivileged youth, but their use of local high quality ingredients create some of the best SE Asian inspired dishes we’ve ever tasted (think turmeric pork chops, pork belly baos, and green chili coconut sambals). Their cocktails are a highlight as well!

For dinner, we’ll chill along the banks Battambang’s Sangkae River with a cold beer, fresh-to-order papaya salad, and a smorgasbord of local dishes – just miles from where the river drains into SE Asia’s largest freshwater lake – the Tonle Sap.

This afternoon’s journey will take us to Siem Reap (aka: Temple Town), famous for Angkor Wat’s temple complex just a few miles outside of town. But it’s also famous for its small-town vibes, food & drinks, and hospitality – including the Phare Circus, a show where performers use theater, music, dance and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories. After the Khmer Rouge ended, some survivors used art as therapy, and they eventually started a free art, music, and theater school to share their skills with others. The circus allows these students a way to use their skills as a way to make a living. We’ll pre-game with dinner on the circus grounds before enjoying the 1 hour seasonal show. Enormously different from the circus you may remember as a child, the acting, acrobatics, and high-energy music will captivate you!

Speaking of lunch, we have the unique opportunity to visit a local family who lives in a traditional home within the ruin-laden jungle. We’ll enjoy a homemade lunch, a fresh coconut, and learn about their life before and after the discovery of Angkor Wat and the impact tourism has had on the area. After some rest (and pool time) at your hotel, we’ll head out on our award-winning Siem Reap food tour. Our collection of stops include the only restaurant in town serving Mekola minority cuisine, a home-cooked meal with fresh-caught fish in a small countryside home, and killer sunset views in the rice paddies. We’ll end the night at a local bar with a cold draft beer or house cocktail.

We’ll end the night, and our trip, with happy hour at one of our favorite outdoor barscapes, and a multi-course dinner to bid farewell. It’s hard to top the previous 7 days, but we think this is THE bang to go out on.

Departure Day: Drop-off at the Siem Reap airport (REP) is included any time today.