Absolutely the trip of a lifetime. This revie...
Cambodia
|
Dec 15 - Dec 23, 2025
Absolutely the trip of a lifetime. This review is tardy because we've been distracted, but no less heartfelt. Hien was such a wonderful help to us in every aspect of this trip from planning to execution, including some itinerary changes on the fly. Our trip included modern and ancient history, lots of time outdoors, lots of shopping and a visit to an amazing animal sanctuary.
We deliberately planned to learn about the Khmer Rouge era at the beginning of the trip so as to have time to process and discuss. It is amazing to think this period was only four years of an otherwise inspiring and majestic culture. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this beautiful country.
This was our second time using Kimkim, every bit as worthwhile as the first. We now have a third data point for this experience, as a dear friend used Kimkim on her trip (at our suggestion) at the same time we were in Cambodia. We really appreciate the assistance with internal travel and the connection to knowledgeable local guides.
Hotel Reviews
One of the nicer hotels we've stayed in anywhere. Beautiful and comfortable.
Wonderful hotel with a friendly and attentive staff. We loved the rooftop bar and spent our downtime there just chatting and enjoying the beatiful view at sunset.
This is a good hotel. The food is limited for vegetarians, but no more so than the rest of the country. Staff are friendly and responsive.
Activity Reviews
this was a fun evening. The dinner was surprisingly good and the venue was quite nice.
Wonderful day of sightseeing with our friendly guide providing the historical context for everything we see. The Tuol Sleng museum is a must-see, though it is difficult to process the horror that took place there.
Our drive through the countryside was beautiful and we had a lot of fun shopping for the handcrafted silver items. At the end of our trip, (after the time in Siem Reap) we asked to add an outing to an animal sanctuary. Hien pulled it together with our same guide, and we were able to end our trip with this wonderful activity.
Time on the water was a really nice experience.
The sacred mountain was beautiful and terrible all at once, as it is the site of one of the many killing fields in the country. The exit of the thousands (millions?) of bats from the cave in the sacred mountain was breathtaking -- highly recommend this activity.
Same comment for all of Siem Reap -- these are sights that defy description. The human ingenuity they represent is staggering and humbling.
There aren't words to match the majesty of these sites. sunrise at Angkor Wat is not to be missed.
Bantay Srei might be our favorite temple. It is breathtaking. Kulen Mountain was a late addition to our itinerary as we had read about it. When we saw the "River of 1,000 Lingas," we realized that what we had in mind a different part of the river and asked our guide. Sure enough, what we had hoped to see was a short hike away and after a quick exchange with Hien, we drove to the trail head. The hike itself was strenuous (though short) but the carvings at the top were breathtaking. I know I'm using that word too much but... everything was truly amazing.
