Culture school trip to Cambodia

Day 3: Choeung Ek Killing Fields and Wat Phnom temple

• Experience the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, located about 17km outside of Phnom Penh, a stark reminder of Cambodia’s tragic past. During the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, an estimated 1.7 million people were executed and buried in mass graves across the country.
• Visit Wat Phnom, a beautiful temple located on a small hill in the heart of Phnom Penh. The temple is said to have been built in 1373 and is considered one of the most important religious sites in Cambodia. The temple is surrounded by lush gardens and towering trees, providing a tranquil oasis in the midst of the busy city.
• Discover Central Market, known as “Phsar Thmey” by locals. It is Cambodia’s largest market, located in the bustling capital city of Phnom Penh. With its iconic dome and four wings, the lively, bright yellow Art Deco market is hard to miss.

Day 4: Wildlife Rescue Centre and Royal Palace

• Visit the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. Take a tour of the centre and meet animals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
• Explore the ornate architecture of the Royal Grand Palace and learn about the history of Cambodia’s royal family. Built in the 1860s, the Royal Grand Palace served as the official residence of the kings of Cambodia until the 1970s.

Day 5: Cooking class and community service

• Learn about traditional Khmer cuisine, and make some popular dishes on the La Table Khmère’s Cooking Class. This unique experience will teach you how locals prepare food for different occasions.
• Take part in a community service project. Projects include but are not limited to working with local schools, creating a system for recycling plastics and other materials in a sustainable way, demarking zones for landslide prevention, establishing firebreaks in the jungle to prevent wildfires, assisting the local community with farm work and general restoration of lands.
• Discover Phnom Penh’s riverside night market. Meander between the stalls to find vendors selling a variety of products and goods, and practise your bargaining as you buy souvenirs. There are also street food stalls, plus a spacious place to sit and eat. Come and the right time, and you might catch a concert or local performance.

Day 6: Silk Island walking tour

• Head north to the rural Silk Island on this quiet half-day walking tour. Discover the rhythms of Cambodian life away from the city: try your hand at farming at a local farm, visit traditional silk weavers and learn about their work, and walk around the island’s tiny villages and sunbaked countryside at your own pace, with a private guide by your side to help you explore on bike or by foot.
• Reflect together as students, faculty and adventure leaders on your travels through Cambodia. Through discussion, process your experiences, digest new ideas and consider what you have learned about the region, its people and yourself during the trip.

Day 7: Travel home

• Today, it’s time to head back to the airport for your flight home. The Learning Adventure’s mission is to expand minds through transformative travel experiences, so we hope that as you settle into your seat for the journey home, that all you have experienced during your trip will leave you with a feeling of increased confidence, knowledge, understanding and yearning for your next adventure!