Cambodia Impact Expedition: Community and History

This expedition is all about improving the lives of the local communities by getting stuck into vital project work and learning about the Cambodian culture. You will also get the chance to visit the fascinating UNESCO Heritage site, Angkor Wat.

  • Location Cambodia, Asia
  • Duration 8 days
  • Expedition Type Impact

Spend time with the local community to improve their lives by getting stuck into vital project work to provide to basic facilities. Learn all about the Cambodian culture and help preserve an important wildlife reserve.  Finish off your amazing trip by visiting the fascinating UNESCO Heritage site of Angkor Wat and enjoying a splendid show by the Phare Circus.

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A fully supported expedition, from start to finish

Your expedition cost is comprehensive and covers the incredible activities you’ll be taking part in, as well as the extensive support you’ll receive in the lead up to, and during, your expedition.

Don’t forget you’ll also need your vaccinations, visas, kit and some spending money. You can find guidance on all of these on your personal Traveller Gateway once you sign up.

  • Ongoing pre-expedition support
  • All meals
  • Unlimited drinking water
  • All accommodation mentioned in the itinerary
  • Project costs
  • Leader and staff costs
  • Orientation and language lessons
  • 24 hour emergency support

This sample itinerary will give you an insight into what you’ll be getting up to. Please note, the exact projects, activities and camps may change closer to the time of your expedition.

Day Activities More details
Day 1 Arrive Once you have arrived at Siem Reap, you’ll be met at the airport by a member of our Camp Cambodia team who will travel with you to our beautiful Camp Beng Mealea (approx 1.5hrs). Here you will meet our Camp Manager and the team who will run an arrival briefing offering an overview of what your time at camp will involve. It’ll then be time to choose your bed in the traditional longhouse and settle in for the night.
Day 2 Community project work begins Working alongside our team and the local community you’ll get stuck into some vital project work. You’ll be supporting our sustainable livelihood projects, by helping build a chicken house or water storage pot for a local family, or improving infrastructure at the local school.
Day 3-4 Continue project work For the next 2 days, you will continue to work on projects, learning traditional and practical skills as you help make a meaningful impact on the local community. During the evenings you will get to relax and spend more time with your local neighbours, taking part in sporting events and cultural activities.
Day 5 Angkor Wat and the Phare Circus Today you will head back to Siem Reap to spend the day exploring the UNESCO World Heritage site, Angkor Wat. Enjoy a guided tour as you immerse yourself in the hidden history of Cambodia exploring temples that were ‘lost’ for hundreds of years. Following a tasty dinner at a local restaurant, you will be treated to a show put on by the Phare Circus. The circus is non-profit organisation that helps young Cambodians transform their lives through theatre, dance and music, putting together shows that tell uniquely Cambodian stories.
Day 6 Explore Phnom Penh After breakfast, you will travel to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia – where you will visit Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple. Built in 1372 it stands at 27 metres above the ground and is the tallest religious structure in the city.
Day 7 The Killing Fields, S21 and the Royal Palace You will spend today exploring all that Phnom Penh has to offer, including paying a visit to the infamous S21 prison and Killing Fields. You will learn about the recent tragic events that befell Cambodia when it was under the rule of Pol Pot. You will also pay a visit to the magnificent Royal Palace which has been the home of the Cambodian Royal Family since the 1860s.
Day 8 Departure This morning we will say our goodbyes before heading to the airport ready for your flight home.

How you’ll make a difference

You’ll work on a range of projects throughout your expedition, each aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and designed to make a significant and lasting impact on the region’s most critical issues.

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Cambodia – Sanitation, education, food and water security

The remote and rural community of Ta Lek does not have any mains water supply and the small reservoir that they do have is not big enough to last through the long dry season that they experience in this part of Cambodia. Without a water source, sanitation has been poor and the risk of disease high. What they do have is reliable source of ground water that is reasonably close to the surface. As part of our project work here that you may get involved in we are building wells to provide drinking water and water for irrigation to ensure a reliable source of essential food. You may also build toilets and it is our aim to provide a toilet for every household in the community.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
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No poverty

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

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Zero hunger

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

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Good health and well-being

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

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Quality education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

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Gender equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

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Clean water and sanitation

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

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Climate action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

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Life on land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Experience the local way of life in our authentic camps

Our camps are the heart of our expeditions. Built and staffed by locals in the traditional style, and located within the heart of communities, they are the perfect place to relax after a day of project work. You’ll get to stay in a number of camps during your expedition, which could include those featured below.

Camp Beng Pae

Camp Beng Pae

Beng Pae is located in the village of Ta Lek and within the Beng Pae Wildlife Reserve. Surrounded by impressive pine trees, the camp is designed and built in the local hill tribe house style.
The camp is set at the edge of the village and so all your project sites are only a short walk away, allowing you to become a local in no time!

  • Location: 220 km (3 hours drive) from Siem Reap International Airport
  • Accommodation style: Traditional longhouses
  • Bed type: Comfy mattresses & bedding including mosquito net.
  • Toilets: Flushing toilets,
  • Showers: Showers & wash basins
  • Power: Mains electricity. 2 flat pin style power sockets
  • Social area: Chill out zone, camp fire, hammocks
  • Signature dish: Beef Loklak, Stir fried, grilled aubergine.

My time in Cambodia with Camps International was an incredible experience, I was able to learn so much about not only Cambodia but myself.

UNKNOWN, CAMP CAMBODIA 2018

Our local camp legends

Our camps are staffed by members of the community who will make you feel like a local in no time. These legends will make your expedition spectacular and will show you the very best of their home country.

Han Hoeuy

Camps International provides many jobs for local people like me, enabling us to work together with volunteers on projects which help our communities. Having travellers spend time in camps and surrounding villages helps encourage parents in the community to recognise the importance of education for their own children, paving the way for a bright future for the people of Cambodia.

Interested in this expedition?

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