2020 GeoEx Catalog

If you come to a fork in the road, take it.

yogi berra

Cambodia

storied Cardamom Mountains and Botum Sakor National Park. Based from a comfortable, eco-minded, tented camp, we have opportunities to hike, kayak, and meander through the divinely pristine surroundings, as well as to learn about anti-poaching and anti-logging efforts. We continue along the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor to Tatai village and a floating lodge set in the mangroves. We’ll explore the corridor’s lush interior by foot and kayak, wandering under ravishing waterfalls, and make an early-morning bird-watching jaunt and a nighttime boat ride to view the fireflies glittering in the trees. We return to Phnom Penh before heading north to the city of Siem Reap. Along the way we’ll stop at the seldom-visited pre-Angkorian temples at Sambor Prei Kuk, with more than 100 brick shrines interspersed through the forest. We conclude our journey with several days of exploring the outstanding complex of temples at Angkor, one of humanity’s greatest architectural achieve- ments (or, better yet, one of its greatest achievements, period). offered oct.–may from $6835 Day 1  arrive in Phnom Penh ✦  2  Phnom Penh ✦  3  drive to Kep ✦  4  Kep and surroundings ✦  5  on to Botum Sakor National Park ✦ 6  hiking, kayaking, and meandering ✦  7  drive to the Tatai River and cruise to the 4 Rivers Floating Lodge ✦  8  mangrove forest exploring ✦ 9  drive to Phnom Penh ✦  10  on to Siem Reap via Sambor Prei Kuk ✦  11 & 12  Angkor temple complex ✦  13  depart Siem Reap.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

TOURING · DAY HIKING | 13 DAYS · CUSTOM

W  e kick off our journey through Cambodia in the country’s charismatic capital, Phnom Penh, uniquely situated at the confluence of the Tonle Sap, Mekong, and Bassac Rivers (for which the city was named Krong Chaktomuk, the City of Four Faces). The historic capital city—colonial buildings sit on grand boulevards bound by busy waterways—is a fine beginning to our look at lesser- known, rarely glimpsed regions of Cambodia. After a day’s sightseeing in the capital, we shift gears, drive south, and are quickly immersed in the quiet of the Cambodian countryside, a refreshing contrast to the frenetic vibe of Phnom Penh. We arrive on the Gulf of Thailand at the seaside town of Kep, lined with sparkling waters to the south and verdant mountains to the west. Kep is known for crab, and its lively crab market is worth a visit. We also enjoy an excursion to the sandy beaches of Rabbit Island, a short boat ride offshore, or, alternatively, ascend to the summit of nearby Bokor Mountain, with the atmospheric ruins of its French colonial–era hill station. From Kep we head west, pausing in Kampot, renowned for its flavorful pepper, then travel to the

BELOW  Novice monks and ancient tree roots, Cambodia. Elie Faure wrote that, “with its millions of knotted limbs, the forest embraces the ruins with violent love.”

DAVID LAZAR