The contrasts come thick and fast as you arrive in the capital Phnom Penh today. 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.

Next 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. The following morning, head into the mangroves to learn how a community-based project are looking after the pink dolphins and dugong that live in the area.

The next stop of your itinerary is one of pure paradise. A short ferry ride from the mainland will bring you to Koh Rong, an island of head-turning beaches circling a dense forest interior. We can leave you entirely to your own devices here, and we wouldn’t blame you if you just want to enjoy the resort and lounge on the snow-white beach. If you do fancy something a bit more active, take your pick of island hopping and snorkelling trips. Either way, don’t miss the twilight phosphorescence, a sparkling conclusion to your Cambodia adventure.

Welcome to Botom Sakor National Park, home to a profusion of wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled and you may be lucky enough to spot Asian elephants, fishing cats, gibbons, hornbills, slow loris, sun bears, hog badgers and hog deer. Your base for the next two nights is Cardamom Tented Camp, a wonderful environmentally-friendly venture working hard to preserve the jungle. A knowledgeable wildlife guide will explain the conservation issues facing the national park on a hike deep into the forest, a great learning opportunity for the whole family. There's the option to get a whole new perspective on your return by kayaking back to camp.

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.

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.