School Trips to CambodiaPhnom Penh, Kampong Cham & Angkor Wat
School trips to Cambodia are educational group tours that introduce students to Khmer Rouge history, village service with host families, and the temples of Angkor.
Programs cost $1,995–$2,495 per student, excluding international airfare, on itineraries of 5 to 10 days.
No commitment, and no sales call unless you ask for one.
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Cambodia School Travel Itineraries
The three Cambodia school travel itineraries are History and Service, Kampong Cham Homestay and Angkor Wat, and Service and Memory. History and Service starts at $2,495 for 10 days, Kampong Cham Homestay and Angkor Wat starts at $2,295 for 10 days, and Service and Memory starts at $1,995 for 5 days.
Compare the three itineraries side by side
| Itinerary | Phnom Penh to Angkor: History and Service | Kampong Cham Homestay and Angkor Wat | The Village and the Capital: Service and Memory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 10 days | 10 days | 5 days |
| Starting price | From $2,495 | From $2,295 | From $1,995 |
| Learning focus | History · Global Studies · Service Learning | Service Learning · World History · Cultural Studies | History · Service Learning |
| Route | Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham · Siem Reap · Angkor | Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham Province · Siem Reap · Angkor | Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham Province |
| Overnight bases | Hotel, Phnom Penh (3) · Homestay, Kampong Cham (2) · Hotel, Siem Reap (2) | Hotel, Phnom Penh (2) · Homestay, Kampong Cham (3) · Hotel, Siem Reap (2) | Hotel, Phnom Penh (1) · Homestay, Kampong Cham (3) |
| Physical profile | 2 low · 4 moderate · 4 long travel | 3 low · 4 moderate · 3 long travel | 2 low · 2 moderate · 1 long travel |
| On-program flights | None on program. The group flies into Phnom Penh International Airport and home from Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport. | None on program. The group flies into Phnom Penh International Airport and home from Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport. | None on program. The group flies into and out of Phnom Penh International Airport. |
| Beyond the village build | NGO briefings in Phnom Penh and a day at Angkor | A day at Angkor after three service days | Phnom Penh memorial sites only, no Angkor |
| Best for | Best for history and global studies departments that want the Khmer Rouge years taught at the sites themselves, a day inside the organizations rebuilding the country, two days of service beside a Kampong Cham community, and Angkor at the end. | Best for schools that want the longest stretch of service work on any Cambodia itinerary: three homestay nights in one Kampong Cham community, an infrastructure project its own leaders chose, and Angkor Wat as the closing day rather than the opening one. | Best for schools inside Asia with a five-day window who want the Khmer Rouge history taught at its own sites on the first day, then three nights in a host village working on a build the community chose. |
- Phnom Penh · Nights one to three; Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek, the Royal Palace, Silk Island and the NGO day
- Kampong Cham · Nights four and five, with host families in a village outside town
- Siem Reap and Angkor · Nights six and seven; the night market, the circus and the Angkor day
- Phnom Penh · Nights one and two; Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek and Silk Island
- Kampong Cham · Nights three to five; three service days with host families
- Siem Reap and Angkor · Nights six and seven; Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm
- Phnom Penh · Night one; Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek and the Olympic Stadium
- Kampong Cham · Nights two to four; the village build with host families
Cambodia · Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham · Siem Reap
10 days · From $2,495
Phnom Penh to Angkor: History and Service
Explore Cambodia's history and modern development through visits to key sites and organizations in Phnom Penh before traveling to Kampong Cham for two days of community service. Finish the 10-day program in Siem Reap, where students explore Angkor and learn about the history and culture surrounding its temples.
Choose this programThe route connects Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Siem Reap, and Angkor.
- Hotel, Phnom Penh3 nights
- Homestay, Kampong Cham2 nights
- Hotel, Siem Reap2 nights
Your ten-day itinerary
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Days 1-2
Fly to Phnom Penh, across the date line
The group checks in together at the home airport and flies to Cambodia through one or two connections. Groups from the Americas lose a calendar day to the date line on the way out and get it back on the way home, so the program counts these two days inside its ten.
MorningCheck-in as a group with the school's chaperones and the travel documents.AfternoonFirst flight and the connection.EveningIn flight across the date line toward Phnom Penh.- Route
- Home airport to Cambodia, with at least one connection.
- Travel
- International flights booked by the school, or by Rustic Pathways on request.
- Overnight
- In flight.
- Meals
- Airline meals in flight; nothing on this day is in the Program Tuition.
- Physical demand
- Long travel day; sitting, queues and a change of time zone.
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Day 3
Welcome to Cambodia
The group lands at Phnom Penh International Airport and meets the Program Leaders who stay with it for the whole program. After hotel check-in and rest, the evening is an orientation discussion, an introduction to Khmer customs and a first Khmer dinner.
MorningArrival at Phnom Penh International Airport and the meeting with the Program Leaders.AfternoonTransfer to the hotel, check-in and time to rest after the flights.EveningOrientation discussion, an introduction to Khmer greetings and customs, and dinner together.- Route
- Phnom Penh International Airport to the hotel in the city.
- Travel
- One road transfer in program transport.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Phnom Penh, shared gender-separated rooms.
- Meals
- Dinner. Earlier meals depend on the arrival flight.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; a recovery day after the flights.
- Customization
- A late arrival moves the orientation to the next morning.
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Day 4
Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
The day begins at Tuol Sleng, a former school used as a prison under the Khmer Rouge and now a genocide museum, and continues south to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. The afternoon returns to the center for the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom, then a sunset cruise on the Mekong and a visit to Silk Island.
MorningTuol Sleng in the city, then the drive south to Choeung Ek and a quiet walk through the fields.AfternoonThe Royal Palace, where the king resides, and Wat Phnom, the hill temple the capital is named for.EveningA short ferry to Silk Island, a sunset cruise on the Mekong, and an evening exchange: each student reads aloud the question the sites raised, then the group talks through what a Cambodian their own age might carry from this history.- Route
- Phnom Penh center to Choeung Ek, 15 km south, back to the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom, then across the Mekong to Silk Island.
- Travel
- Program transport by road; a short ferry to the island; a boat for the sunset cruise.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Phnom Penh, the same rooms as the night before.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; a full day on foot in heat, and the memorial sites are emotionally demanding.
- Learning outcome
- Students read the Khmer Rouge years from primary sources, the prison records at Tuol Sleng and the memorial at Choeung Ek, and write down one question the sites raise that a textbook did not.
- Customization
- The order of the Phnom Penh sites can change; the Program Leaders set the debrief for the evening either way.
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Day 5
A day with three NGOs
Students spend the day with organizations working in Cambodia, hear from their directors, tour their sites and ask how they are funded, staffed and measured. Groups meet three organizations; which three depends on the season, and organizations previously visited include Skateistan, Tiny Toones Breakdance Center and Mith Samlanh.
MorningThe first briefing at an organization's own site in Phnom Penh, with time for questions to the director.AfternoonTwo more site visits across the city, each with a tour and a discussion of how the organization works.EveningDinner in Phnom Penh, then one open question replaces the scorecard: how do the young people working alongside these organizations describe what has changed for them, and what does that suggest about how progress should be measured?- Route
- Three sites within Phnom Penh, by program transport between them.
- Travel
- Short road legs in the city.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Phnom Penh, the last night in the capital.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; site tours on foot with seated briefings.
- Learning outcome
- Students compare three development models on funding, staffing and results, then write down what surprised them most in what a young person there told them, and what assumption of theirs it challenged.
- Customization
- Which three organizations the group meets depends on the travel dates; a department can ask for a sector focus such as education or youth work.
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Day 6
The road to Kampong Cham
The group drives north-east to a village in Kampong Cham Province, with a roadside stop at Skuon on the way. Community leaders present the priority projects they identified, the group learns what past Rustic Pathways groups completed, and the first work session follows the village walk.
MorningDrive from Phnom Penh to Kampong Cham Province, about two and a half hours, with the Skuon stop.AfternoonMeeting with the community's leaders on the project, a walk around the village, and the first session on the education development site.EveningIntroductions with the host families and dinner in the village, where the family asks the first question of the evening: what does this family choose to share with a guest on a first night, and what might that tell the group about what matters most to them?- Route
- Phnom Penh to a village about 25 minutes outside Kampong Cham town, on National Road 6 and 7 via Skuon.
- Travel
- One road transfer in program transport, about 124 km.
- Overnight
- Host family homes in the village, students in small gender-separated groups; the proposal confirms the arrangement.
- Meals
- Breakfast at the hotel; lunch on the road; dinner with the host families, included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; a road morning, then a first afternoon of manual work in heat.
- Learning outcome
- Students hear who chose the project and why, in the community's own words, then record one thing their host family said at dinner that told them something the orientation had not.
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Day 7
Service day in the village
A full day on the infrastructure project alongside community members, in a morning session and an afternoon session with lunch at the host family's home between them. The evening is team activities, games and the group debrief.
MorningEarly breakfast with the host family, then the first work session on site.AfternoonLunch and an hour of rest at the host family's home, then the second work session.EveningGames and team activities with the village, then one question outlasts the games: after a full day building alongside people who asked for this project long before the group arrived, what does finishing it mean to them, and how might that differ from what finishing it means to the group?- Route
- The village and the project site, on foot.
- Travel
- No vehicle travel.
- Overnight
- Host family homes in the village, the same families as the night before.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the host families and the community kitchen, included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; construction tasks with hand tools, heat and humidity, with water and shade breaks scheduled.
- Learning outcome
- Students record what the day's work adds to the project and what the community will finish after the group leaves, then add one thing a community member said about the work and how it changed what they thought their part in it was.
- Customization
- A school can add a second full service day here and shorten the time in Siem Reap.
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Day 8
Village farewell, road to Siem Reap
After farewells in Kampong Cham the group drives about five hours to Siem Reap. The evening is the night market, dinner in the city and Phare, the Cambodian Circus, performed by students of Phare Ponleu Selpak, an arts education organization for disadvantaged youth.
MorningFarewells with the host families and departure from Kampong Cham.AfternoonThe road to Siem Reap via Kampong Thom, hotel check-in and time to settle.EveningThe night market, dinner, and the circus performance.- Route
- Kampong Cham to Siem Reap via Kampong Thom.
- Travel
- One long road transfer in program transport with rest stops.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Siem Reap, shared gender-separated rooms.
- Meals
- Breakfast in the village; lunch on the road; dinner in Siem Reap, included.
- Physical demand
- Long travel day; an evening on foot in the market.
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Day 9
Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm
An early start at Angkor Wat for the bas-relief battle scenes and the climb to the highest tower, then Bayon's carved faces and the tree-covered temple of Ta Prohm. The final Khmer dinner, the night market, the closing discussion and the Rustic Ties ceremony end the program.
MorningAngkor Wat at opening, the gallery of bas-reliefs and the climb to the upper level.AfternoonBayon and its carved faces, then Ta Prohm, with the walking spread between shade and transport.EveningFinal Khmer dinner, the night market, the closing discussion and Rustic Ties.- Route
- Siem Reap to Angkor Wat, 6 km north, then Bayon and Ta Prohm inside the park, and back to the hotel.
- Travel
- Program transport between the temples; the temples themselves are on foot.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Siem Reap, the last night of the program.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; several kilometers on foot over stone steps and causeways in heat, with an early start.
- Learning outcome
- Students place the Khmer Empire of the twelfth century beside the Cambodia of day four and day five, and explain what changed between the two.
- Customization
- Angkor's dress rule applies: shoulders and knees covered for the upper levels, which the packing list states.
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Day 10
Fly home from Siem Reap
Final group photos with the in-country team, then the transfer east to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport and the flight home.
MorningBreakfast, final photos with the Program Leaders and the road east to the airport.AfternoonCheck-in with Program Leader support and the departure flight.EveningIn flight.- Route
- Siem Reap to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport, about 40 km east.
- Travel
- One road transfer in program transport, then international flights.
- Overnight
- None; the group flies home.
- Meals
- Breakfast. Later meals are airline meals in flight.
- Physical demand
- Long travel day; a travel day.
Cambodia · Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham · Siem Reap
10 days · From $2,295
Kampong Cham Homestay and Angkor Wat
Spend three nights with host families in Kampong Cham, where students experience daily life in the community and work together on a locally selected infrastructure project. The 10-day program also introduces students to Cambodia's history in Phnom Penh before ending in Siem Reap with a day exploring Angkor Wat.
Choose this programThe route connects Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham Province, Siem Reap, and Angkor.
- Hotel, Phnom Penh2 nights
- Homestay, Kampong Cham3 nights
- Hotel, Siem Reap2 nights
Your ten-day itinerary
-
Days 1-2
Two days in the air to Phnom Penh
Students meet the chaperones at the home airport and travel as one group through the connections to Phnom Penh. The date line takes a calendar day from westbound groups, which is why this ten-day program has eight days on the ground.
MorningGroup check-in and security at the home airport.AfternoonFirst leg and the connecting airport.EveningFinal leg into Southeast Asia; the group rests as the seats allow.- Route
- Home airport to the first connection on the way to Phnom Penh.
- Travel
- International flights; the school books them or asks Rustic Pathways to arrange them.
- Overnight
- In flight.
- Meals
- Airline meals in flight; not included in Program Tuition.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; a long day of sitting and airport walking.
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Day 3
Arrival in Phnom Penh and orientation
The group lands at Phnom Penh International Airport, meets the Program Leaders who stay with it for the whole program, and transfers to the hotel. After time to settle, orientation covers the days ahead and an introduction to Khmer culture before a first Khmer dinner.
MorningArrival flights land at Phnom Penh International Airport; the Program Leaders meet the group at arrivals.AfternoonRoad transfer to the hotel, room allocation, and rest after the flights.EveningOrientation on the program, group expectations and Khmer customs, then a Khmer dinner near the hotel.- Route
- Phnom Penh International Airport to the hotel in Phnom Penh.
- Travel
- One road transfer in program transport; the airport sits inside the city.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Phnom Penh, shared gender-separated rooms.
- Meals
- Dinner. Earlier meals depend on the arrival flight.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; an arrival day built around rest and orientation.
- Customization
- A late landing moves orientation to the first morning.
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Day 4
The memorial sites and Silk Island
The day begins with the country's recent history at Tuol Sleng, the former school used as a prison, and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek south of the city. The afternoon crosses the Mekong by ferry to Koh Dach, known as Silk Island, where households weave silk on hand looms.
MorningTuol Sleng in the city, then the drive south to the memorial at Choeung Ek, with a Program Leader briefing before each site.AfternoonFerry across the Mekong to Koh Dach for the silk weaving households and a walk through the island's villages.EveningBack at the hotel, the group compares the questions each student carried out of the sites and works through how a young person in Cambodia today lives alongside this same history.- Route
- Phnom Penh to Tuol Sleng, south to Choeung Ek, then north across the Mekong to Koh Dach and back to the hotel.
- Travel
- Program transport by road; Choeung Ek is 15 km south of the center and the Koh Dach ferry runs from the city's northern edge.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Phnom Penh, the same rooms as the night before.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; walking at two memorial sites and on the island, in heat.
- Learning outcome
- Students read the genocide through primary sources at two memorial sites and describe how the same Phnom Penh household economy looks on Koh Dach today.
- Customization
- The two memorial sites can be split across the morning and the next day's departure for a group that wants more time at each.
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Day 5
First day in Kampong Cham
The group drives northeast to Kampong Cham Province, stopping at Skuon, the town known across Cambodia for fried tarantulas, and arrives at a community about 25 minutes outside Kampong Cham town. Orientation covers the project the community's leaders identified and what past groups completed, then students meet their host families and put in a first work session.
MorningDepart Phnom Penh by road for Kampong Cham Province, with the roadside stop at Skuon.AfternoonArrive in the community, project orientation with the community's leaders, the first work session, and the walk to the host family homes.EveningThe community welcomes the group with its first dinner, then a short Program Leader check-in on homestay routines, closed with a question for the three nights ahead: with a stranger's company ahead of them, what would this family want you to understand about their life before you lift a single tool?- Route
- Phnom Penh to Skuon, then Kampong Cham town and the community 25 minutes beyond it.
- Travel
- About 124 km by road in program transport, all of it in daylight.
- Overnight
- Host family homes in the community, students in small groups, gender-separated, with the Program Leaders in the same village.
- Meals
- Breakfast at the hotel; lunch on the road; dinner with the host families, included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; a road morning and a first afternoon of hand labor in the heat.
- Learning outcome
- Students explain who chose the project, who benefits from it, and what the group's three days will add to work already under way, then set down what their host family told them at dinner that none of that explained.
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Day 6
A full day on the project
Work runs in a morning and an afternoon session beside community members, with lunch back at the host family home. The evening belongs to team activities and a debrief led by the Program Leaders.
MorningBreakfast with the host family, then the first work session on the project site.AfternoonLunch and an hour of rest at the host family home, then the second work session.EveningTeam games with the community's young people, then the evening turns to one question: spending time with the community's own young people after a day of shared work, what did they teach you about this place that the work itself did not?- Route
- Host family homes to the project site and back, all within the community.
- Travel
- On foot; no vehicle transfers today.
- Overnight
- Host family homes, the same households as the night before.
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch with the host family, dinner with the community, included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; two sessions of infrastructure work with hand tools in heat and humidity, with water and shade breaks.
- Learning outcome
- Students keep a record of what the site looked like at the start and end of the day, then match it against what one of the community's young people told them about living with this project once the group is gone.
- Customization
- The balance of morning and afternoon sessions moves with the heat and the site foreman's plan.
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Day 7
Closing the group's project work
The final day on site finishes the stage of the project the group took on, so the next stage can start without it. The evening is a cultural exchange with the host community.
MorningThird work session, finishing the tasks the community foreman set for the group.AfternoonFinal session, clean-up of the site, and a walk-through of the finished stage with community members.EveningCultural exchange with the host community: music, food and a chance for students to present something from home.- Route
- Host family homes to the project site and back, all within the community.
- Travel
- On foot; no vehicle transfers today.
- Overnight
- Host family homes, the last of three homestay nights.
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch with the host family, dinner at the community exchange, included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; a third consecutive day of hand labor, with the site clean-up at the end.
- Learning outcome
- Students describe the finished stage to the community in plain terms and name what a future group inherits from it.
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Day 8
Farewell, road to Siem Reap
After farewells to the host families, the group drives west through Kampong Thom to Siem Reap and settles into the hotel. The evening runs from the night market to dinner and a performance by Phare, the Cambodian circus, whose acrobats trained at an arts school for young people in Battambang.
MorningFarewells in the community, then the road west toward Kampong Thom.AfternoonArrive in Siem Reap, check in, and rest before the evening.EveningThe night market, dinner in town, and the circus performance.- Route
- Kampong Cham Province to Kampong Thom and on to Siem Reap.
- Travel
- One long road leg in program transport with rest stops; all of it in daylight.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Siem Reap, shared gender-separated rooms.
- Meals
- Breakfast with the host family; lunch on the road; dinner in Siem Reap, included.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; a long road day followed by an evening on foot in town.
- Learning outcome
- Students compare how the circus school turns arts training into paid work with what they saw of the village economy.
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Day 9
Sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Bayon and Ta Prohm
An early start puts the group at Angkor Wat before the heat, for the bas-reliefs of its battle galleries and the climb to the highest tower. Bayon's carved faces and the tree-held ruins of Ta Prohm follow, and the last evening closes with a Khmer dinner, the closing discussion and the Rustic Ties ceremony.
MorningSunrise drive north to Angkor Wat, the gallery bas-reliefs, and the climb to the upper level.AfternoonBayon and its carved faces, then Ta Prohm, with a break for lunch between the temples.EveningFinal Khmer dinner, the closing discussion, and the Rustic Ties ceremony at the hotel.- Route
- Siem Reap north to Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm, and back to the hotel.
- Travel
- Program transport between the temples; Angkor Wat is 6 km north of town.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Siem Reap, the same rooms as the night before.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; several hours on foot and on steep temple steps in full sun, with shoulders and knees covered for the upper levels.
- Learning outcome
- Students read the Angkor bas-reliefs as a primary source and set the Khmer Empire beside the twentieth-century history they met in Phnom Penh.
- Customization
- A group that wants a fourth temple, such as Banteay Srei, extends the afternoon; the final evening stays fixed.
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Day 10
Siem Reap farewell and the flight home
After final group photos, the Program Leaders transfer the group to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport for the flight home. The itinerary totals ten calendar days and nine nights, with international flights outside Program Tuition.
MorningBreakfast, group photos, and the road transfer east to the airport.AfternoonCheck-in with Program Leader support and the departure flight.EveningIn flight.- Route
- Siem Reap to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport, about 40 km east of town.
- Travel
- One road transfer in program transport, then the international flight.
- Overnight
- None; the group flies home.
- Meals
- Breakfast. Later meals depend on the departure flight.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; a travel day.
Cambodia · Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham
5 days · From $1,995
The Village and the Capital: Service and Memory
Learn about Cambodia's Khmer Rouge history at memorial sites in Phnom Penh before traveling to Kampong Cham for an extended village stay. During this 5-day program, students spend three nights with host families and work alongside the community on a locally selected service project.
Choose this programThe route connects Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham Province.
- Hotel, Phnom Penh1 night
- Homestay, Kampong Cham3 nights
Your five-day itinerary
-
Day 1
Arrival and the memorial sites
The group lands at Phnom Penh International Airport, meets the Program Leaders and checks in before the day turns to the history: Tuol Sleng, the former school the Khmer Rouge ran as a prison, and the memorial at Choeung Ek. The evening ends at the Olympic Stadium, where the city comes to exercise at dusk.
MorningArrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, the road transfer to the hotel, check-in and the program orientation.AfternoonTuol Sleng Museum in the city center, then the drive south to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek.EveningThe Olympic Stadium at dusk, dinner, and an evening where students trade the questions Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek left them with, weighing what someone their age growing up in Phnom Penh today might carry forward from it.- Route
- Phnom Penh International Airport to the hotel, Tuol Sleng in the city center, Choeung Ek 15 km south of the center, and the Olympic Stadium in the city.
- Travel
- Program transport by road inside Phnom Penh; the longest leg is about 30 minutes each way to Choeung Ek.
- Overnight
- Program-approved hotel in Phnom Penh, shared gender-separated rooms.
- Meals
- Lunch and dinner included. Breakfast depends on the arrival flight.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; walking through the museum and the memorial grounds, mostly in shade.
- Learning outcome
- Students read the prison records and survivor accounts at Tuol Sleng and describe what a primary source can and cannot tell them about 1975 to 1979.
- Customization
- A morning arrival makes this day whole. A later landing moves the Olympic Stadium, or one of the two sites, to the final day; the proposal sets the arrival time.
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Day 2
The road to the village
A morning drive northeast on National Road 6 and then 7, with the famous roadside stop for fried tarantulas at Skuon, brings the group to a village about 25 minutes outside Kampong Cham town. The afternoon is the service orientation and the first evening with host families.
MorningBreakfast in Phnom Penh and about two and a half hours by road through the countryside, with the stop at Skuon.AfternoonArrival at the village, the service project orientation with the village leaders, and a walk through the community.EveningStudents meet their host families, settle in and eat with them, carrying one question to the table: as a family welcomes strangers into their home for three nights, what do they choose to ask first, and what does that reveal about them?- Route
- Phnom Penh to Skuon, then Kampong Cham town and the host village about 25 minutes beyond it.
- Travel
- About 124 km in program transport on National Road 6 and 7, about two and a half hours of driving plus the roadside stop.
- Overnight
- Village homestay in Kampong Cham Province, in small groups with host families; the proposal confirms the rooming.
- Meals
- Breakfast at the hotel; lunch on the road; dinner with the host family, included.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; a travel morning and a walk through the village.
- Learning outcome
- Students hear the village leaders explain how the project was chosen and whose need it meets, then note one question their host family asked at dinner that morning's meeting with the leaders never touched.
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Day 3
First full day of infrastructure work
The work begins early, alongside community members, on infrastructure the village leaders designed for the primary school or community sites. Lunch is with the host families, and the evening is games with the village and the group reflection.
MorningAn early breakfast with the host family, then the morning session at the work site with the community crew.AfternoonLunch and an hour of rest at the host family's home, then the afternoon session on the same site.EveningGames with the village, dinner, and the Program Leaders' reflection circle, opened by one question: one day into a project the village will finish long after this group is gone, what would the people building it beside you say still matters most about how it gets used?- Route
- The host village and its work site in Kampong Cham Province.
- Travel
- On foot between the host family homes and the site.
- Overnight
- Village homestay in Kampong Cham Province, the same host family as the night before.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the host family and the community kitchen, included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; a full day of manual work in heat and humidity, with water and shade breaks built into both sessions.
- Learning outcome
- Students describe the build and the need it answers, then set beside it something a community member told them today that reframed how they understood that need.
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Day 4
Second work day and Rustic Ties
The build continues through a second full day, then the afternoon belongs to the host families. The closing reflection and the Rustic Ties ceremony end the village stay that night.
MorningThe morning session at the work site, picking up where the previous day stopped.AfternoonThe final session on site, then time with the host families.EveningThe closing reflection and the Rustic Ties ceremony with the group and the families.- Route
- The host village and its work site in Kampong Cham Province.
- Travel
- On foot between the host family homes and the site.
- Overnight
- Village homestay in Kampong Cham Province, the last night with the host family.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the host family and the community kitchen, included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate effort; a second full day of manual work, lighter in the closing afternoon.
- Learning outcome
- Students name one thing they did alongside a community member that they could not have done alone, and say what they leave behind.
- Customization
- The closing afternoon can become a third work session when the project needs the hours; the proposal decides.
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Day 5
Farewell drive to Phnom Penh
The group says goodbye to the host families after breakfast and drives about two and a half hours back to Phnom Penh, where the Program Leaders see students through check-in at the airport.
MorningBreakfast and farewells with the host families, then the road back to Phnom Penh.AfternoonLunch in Phnom Penh and the transfer to Phnom Penh International Airport for the departure flight.EveningIn flight.- Route
- The host village in Kampong Cham Province to Phnom Penh and Phnom Penh International Airport.
- Travel
- About 124 km in program transport on National Road 7 and 6, then the departure flight.
- Overnight
- None; the group flies home.
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch included. Dinner is in flight.
- Physical demand
- Low effort; a travel day.
What applies across every itinerary
- Groups and teachers
- Groups start at ten students; smaller groups are considered on a case-by-case basis. One teacher's Program Tuition is free for every eight paying students.
- Rooming
- Students share gender-separated rooms, each with their own bed. Teachers get private rooms.
- Price
- Program Tuition doesn't cover flights to and from the program, travel insurance, medical insurance, or personal spending money.
- Flights and documents
- Book the international flights yourselves, or ask us to arrange them. Either works. Passports and visas are on the families, and we'll guide them through it. No itinerary flies inside Cambodia.
- Supervision
- Program Leaders lead scheduled activities, stay on site and are available overnight. The approved itinerary specifies any free time, and Program Leaders are present during it.
- Effort
- Low means limited walking. Moderate is a full day of construction work with hand tools in heat and humidity, or a temple day at Angkor with steep steps and long walks between sites.
- Flexibility
- Service days belong to the village and move only with it. The Phnom Penh sites can run in either order.
What shapes a school trip to Cambodia?
Every Cambodia school trip combines Phnom Penh with a village stay in Kampong Cham Province. Longer itineraries continue to Siem Reap and Angkor.
- 5 days · Service and MemoryPhnom Penh and Kampong Cham, with Khmer Rouge history and village service.
- 10 days · Village Service and Angkor WatAdds a third village service day before continuing to Siem Reap and Angkor.
- 10 days · History, Culture and Community ServiceAdds NGO visits in Phnom Penh before continuing to the village, Siem Reap and Angkor.
Travel note: Kampong Cham to Siem Reap takes about five hours by road. Both 10-day itineraries depart Cambodia from Siem Reap.
- Phnom Penh · Every itinerary starts here: Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek and the Royal Palace
- Kampong Cham Province · The village stay, with host families and the service days
- Siem Reap and Angkor · The two ten-day itineraries finish here and fly home from Siem Reap
How much does a school trip to Cambodia cost?
A school trip to Cambodia costs $1,995 to $2,495 per student for program tuition, or approximately $230 to $399 per day. Tuition covers lodging, meals, airport transfers, in-country transport, scheduled activities, guides, and entrance fees.
Schools receive one complimentary program tuition place for every eight paying students. Airfare is not included.
Program Tuition covers accommodation, meals, in-country transport, scheduled activities and entrance fees. Schools receive one complimentary Program Tuition place per eight paying students and a group-specific quote.
$1,995 to $2,495
per student across the sample itineraries, excluding international airfare.
5 to 10 days
program length across the three sample itineraries.
Group quote
every school receives its own, built on dates, group size and route.
| Included | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Travel | Accommodation for every program night, meals and drinking water, airport transfers, in-country road transport and the Silk Island ferry, scheduled activities, entrance fees, and tips and community donations. |
| Field work | The service project materials, the village homestay, and the NGO briefings and Angkor day each itinerary lists. |
| Staff and support | At least two trained Program Leaders, including both a male and a female leader, pre-departure planning, and school documentation. |
| Community donations | Required by a service project, paid by Rustic Pathways and never collected from students. |
| Chaperones | One complimentary Program Tuition place per eight paying students. Chaperone airfare and insurance are separate. |
Not included: International airfare, travel insurance, medical insurance, personal spending, passport or visa fees, and vaccinations.
| Effect | Factor |
|---|---|
| raises | Peak and holiday weeks cost more than shoulder-season dates. |
| raises | Shorter trips cost more per day, since fixed costs spread across fewer days. |
| raises | Extra chaperone seats beyond the one free teacher place get shared across the group. |
| raises | Lodging tier, from a standard three-star hotel in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap to a higher tier, either of which Rustic Pathways can arrange |
| lowers | Larger groups lower the per-student price; programs start at 10 students with no upper limit. |
| lowers | Shoulder season carries none of the peak and holiday weeks; it is the dates outside them. |
Payment and cancellation
Installment plans are available. Review the current enrollment terms.
What do students learn on a Cambodia school trip?
Students on a school trip to Cambodia learn about the country's history, culture, and communities through visits to the Tuol Sleng archive, the Choeung Ek memorial, a village service project in Kampong Cham Province, and the galleries of Angkor Wat.
History
Tuol Sleng's archive and the memorial at Choeung Ek, read as primary sources, then the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom for the older capital.
What does a primary source look like when it is a building?
The Village and the Capital: Service and Memory
Service Learning
Two or three days of infrastructure work in a Kampong Cham Province village on projects its own leaders identified, with students living with host families.
Who decides what a village needs?
Kampong Cham Homestay and Angkor Wat
Global Studies
A day of briefings with three organizations working in Phnom Penh, with time to ask directors how their programs are funded and measured.
How does an NGO decide what to work on, and how does it know it is working?
Phnom Penh to Angkor: History and Service
What makes Rustic Pathways educational trips different?
A Rustic Pathways school trip is one private group on your school's own dates, one bed per student, and an itinerary built to your curriculum.
- 01No mixed groups. Just your school
- 02One student, one bed
- 03Your school picks the dates
- 04Monthly payment plans available
- 05No tipping; Rustic Pathways Program Tuition includes community donations
- 06Aligned to your curriculum
Who supervises and manages the trip to Cambodia?
School chaperones and Rustic Pathways Program Leaders supervise and manage the school trip to Cambodia together.
Rustic Pathways manages the itinerary, accommodation, ground transport, activities and emergency procedures; your school manages its own student conduct and communication policies.
Your school can book international flights directly or ask Rustic Pathways to arrange them. Families receive trip logistics and itinerary information through the MyRustic web app.
How safety is managed on a school trip to Cambodia
Program Leaders manage local operations and safety procedures alongside school chaperones. Across 13 years of published incident data from every Rustic Pathways program worldwide, 87% of reports were GREEN, the minor tier where the group stays intact.
What the team plans for
Phnom Penh
City traffic on transfers between sites, and the emotional weight of the genocide memorials at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek.
Kampong Cham Province
Heat and hydration, and construction-site work with hand tools during the village homestay days. Groups keep to established roads, paths and worked land in the province and do not enter unmarked ground.
Siem Reap and Angkor
Heat and long walking days on temple stone, with steep steps at Angkor's upper levels.
Controls built into every trip
Written risk plan. A score above 5 requires new controls, reassessment or cancellation.
Two-Deep Leadership. A single staff member is never alone with students, and at least two trained Program Leaders, including both a male and a female leader, support each School Group Travel trip.
Assessed activity vendors. Transport, homestay hosts and the community partner are reviewed before use, every one to two years, and on site when high risk.
Medical readiness. WFR coverage for remote programs and Dr. William R. Smith, dedicated Medical Director since 2015.
What is the best time of year for a school trip to Cambodia?
November through February offers the best conditions for most school groups, with drier weather and cooler temperatures. Cambodia is hotter from March through May, while rain increases from June and peaks around September and October.
November–February · Best overall
Drier, cooler conditions make outdoor service and temple visits easier.
March–May · Hotter
Temperatures can reach about 35°C in Kampong Cham and Siem Reap. Plan outdoor activities around the heat.
June–October · Rainier
Rain increases through the season and peaks around September and October. Program Leaders adjust outdoor service around conditions.
For service days: Kampong Cham averages 29 rain days in October compared with 3 in February, so rainfall frequency matters when planning outdoor work.
Is Rustic Pathways the right partner for your school trip to Cambodia?
Yes, Rustic Pathways is the right partner for private, curriculum-focused school trips to Cambodia. Your school chooses the travel dates, and Rustic Pathways builds the itinerary around your curriculum.
Students travel only with their teachers and classmates and never join another school's group. Individual students can join open enrollment teen travel programs to Cambodia instead.
- You want one private group with your dates and your teachers.
- You can travel for 5 to 10 days.
- You have 10 or more students.
- Your department wants service learning paired with Khmer Rouge history.
- A student has significant mobility, medical, sensory, mental-health, dietary, or religious support needs.
- You have fewer than 10 students.
- You want the Kampong Cham Homestay and Angkor Wat route. Heat, humidity and construction work with hand tools need a fitness baseline every traveler can meet.
- A student may find the genocide sites hard. Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek are on every Cambodia itinerary, and how the school wants them taught is agreed before booking.
- You are an individual student or parent looking for open-enrollment teen travel programs to Cambodia.
- You want your group merged with another school.
- You want the five-day route, but your school is not based in Asia.
Support planning starts early
Raise individual needs before booking so Rustic Pathways can assess them and adapt the route and support plan where feasible.
Questions about school trips to Cambodia
The questions schools ask most before requesting a Cambodia proposal, answered from the itineraries and prices on this page.
How much does it cost for a trip to Cambodia?
Rustic Pathways programs to Cambodia cost $1,995 to $2,495 per student, excluding international airfare, on itineraries of 5 to 10 days. No two schools pay the same figure.
Season, trip length and group size set the final price. Groups start at 10 students, with one free teacher place for every eight paying students.
When is the best time to travel to Cambodia?
The best time to travel to Cambodia is the dry season, from November to April.
The monsoon season runs from May to October. Rustic Pathways schedules private school trips around each school's own travel dates.
Have a question before you ask for a proposal?
Keegan Kennedy runs Rustic Pathways operations across Southeast Asia and answers Cambodia school-trip questions with the school travel team.
On a 2024 staff visit, Rustic Pathways photographed students at recess at the Buddhism for Social Development Action school in Kampong Cham, the province where these itineraries' homestay days run. (2024) Source: staff photo tour, 2024
Send your group size, dates, trip length, and what you want students to learn. I’ll reply within 1 business day and send you options within 48 hours, and no sales call unless you ask for one.
Start with your travel window
Start your Cambodia trip proposal with your travel dates, group size, and learning goals. Receive a reply within 1 business day and customized trip options within 48 hours.
Or reach a person directly: +1 440-975-9691 or groups@rusticpathways.com
Need approval or funding first?
Certificate of insurance, risk management plans, and fundraising templates for families, on request.
Destinations related to Cambodia
Browse all school trip destinations- Rustic Pathways has operated student travel since 1983. Recent industry recognition:
- 2026 GoAbroad Innovation AwardsInnovation in Adventure-Based Programming · Global Adventure Learning Model
- 2025 International Travel AwardsBest Group Tour Operator
- 2024 Skift IDEA AwardsIndustry Innovators – Tour Operators
- 4x WYSETC Best Youth Tour Operator2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
- BBB A+ RatingBetter Business Bureau profile
- NESA Affiliate OrganizationNear East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools
- 2025 World Travel AwardsUnited States’ Leading Tour Operator