There’s no greater start than this: the ancient wonder that is Angkor. First up is crumbling Ta Prohm, enveloped in jungle vines. Angkor Wat is the best-preserved monument, decorated in bas-reliefs of apsara dancers. Meanwhile, Bayon Temple has 54 towers with enigmatic faces carved into the stone. Toast the day with a glass of bubbly on a sunset gondola ride through Angkor Thom’s moat. On your second day, swap the past for the present as your guide introduces you to the villagers who live around Siem Reap. Explore a daily market, meet local monks, then visit the communities who live on Tonlé Sap Lake. In the evening, the Phare Circus brings Khmer culture to life in an energetic performance.

You’ll leave the tourists and touts behind today as you venture off the beaten track to Banteay Chhmar. Built 800 years ago, this little-visited temple is applying for UNESCO World Heritage status and it’s not hard to see why. Although cloaked in vegetation, the inner sanctuary reveals walls adorned with astonishingly intricate carvings. Afterwards, an oxcart ride through the surrounding countryside will take you past paddy fields and sugar palm trees, setting the scene for tonight’s very special experience. You’ll enjoy a temple dinner before spending the night in a Khmer village homestay, a magnificent opportunity to learn about local customs and traditions up close.

Battambang is up next. It’s a laidback city, none of Phnom Penh’s traffic and Siem Reap’s crowds, but with pretty French colonial architecture, a growing number of restaurants and a thriving art scene. Outside the city, the scenery is bucolic, all rice paddies and orange groves, ripe for exploration on two wheels to explore villages where people steam sticky rice in bamboo and make pungent fish paste. The last stop is one of the few hills in a flat plain, where you’ll find the notorious killing caves, a reminder of Cambodia’s troubled past.

The contrasts come thick and fast as you travel to the capital today. Make stops en-route to see village pottery kilns, rice wine production, and a Buddhist meditation centre. On reaching Phnom Penh, a walking tour will help you get your bearings. Explore city markets, the Russian bazaar, pagodas and backstreets, as well as the spectacular Royal Palace. Against the vibrancy of Phnom Penh, the dark history of the Khmer Rouge is jarring, but visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum will help you get to grips with Cambodia’s recent past. Finish off your time in the city with an evening pub crawl by tuk tuk to the city’s best cocktail bars, late-night diners and music venues.

Last but not least on your trip to Cambodia, a place close to our hearts, the coastal town of Kep, known for its ocean-fresh crab. Kep is a great springboard for the surrounding countryside and island beaches. An hour's drive is Kampot, home of the eponymous pepper. At Le Plantation Pepper Farm, discover how pepper and other local spices are cultivated and used in Khmer cuisine. This is the end of your trip, so sit back, relax and enjoy the Khmer sunshine. You’ve earned it.