Choeung Ek

Culture & history tours

Spend a half-day learning about the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia. Visit the Killing Fields where over 1 million people lost their lives and go to the Genocide Museum to see the relics recovered from the time. Start your tour in Phnom Penh where you will find your guide. Sit in the air-conditioned van and listen to the presentation about Pol Pot and his regime as you drive out to the Killing Fields. At the Killing Fields, you will get a deeper understanding of the tragedy as you see the bones and clothing rags left by the victims. Make stops at the mass graves and the memorial stupa where you will have some time to pay your respects to the lives lost. Then, head back into the city center to visit the Genocide Museum. Learn more about the regime here and about the people who were kept as prisoners. See the small rooms and cells where the prisoners lived and photos from the time. You will then have the chance to meet some of the survivors. Hear their stories about their experiences and how they made it out alive. At any point, you can ask your guide questions for more information. At the end of the tour, your guide will accompany you back to the meeting point.

Choose between a morning or afternoon 4.5-hour of the Killing Fields and the Security Prison S21. Start with a ride to the Genocide Museum (also known as Prison S21). The prison comprises 4 buildings with exhibitions in several rooms. Prison survivors are sometimes present to talk to visitors and share their experiences. After an hour and 15 minutes at the museum, meet the tour assistant at the main entrance to continue the tour. During a 30-40-minute drive to the Killing Fields, watch a documentary on the Khmer Rouge regime. There will be around 1 hour and 15 minutes to explore the site. Audio guide is available in 15 languages along with a map of the fields.

Spend one day in Phnom Penh you must see all the significant sites including the Genocide Museum and Killing Field. Learning about the city's past and more recent history. First, stop at one of the most significant sites in Phnom Penh: Wat Phnom and Lady Penh Statue. Before visiting the actual Temple, you will see the statue of Lady Penh, who Phnom Penh is named after. Next, see Wat Onnalom. Learn about its 15th-century foundation. Learn why it is one of the most important monasteries in Phnom Penh. Continue to the National Museum to admire one of the best examples of traditional Cambodian architecture that was built when Cambodiawas under the French colonial. Then you’ll see the outside of The Royal Crematorium next to The Royal Palace and the public park in front, known as a local spot to relax and socialize. You will get the best photos in the morning as all biuldings and entrances are facing to east. Next, the Cambodian-Vietnam Friendship Monument commemorates the former alliance between the two countries. It is located not far from the Royal Palace in Botum Park. From here, you’ll continue to see the King Norodom Sihanouk Statue, which stands impressively on the largest park strip in Phnom Penh. Next, you’ll see the striking Independence Monument, representing the independence of Cambodia from French colonization. Before going to the Genocide Museum, you will have a lunch break at a good local restaurant. Then, walking in the Russian Market before heading to the Killing Field. Note: inside the Killing Field and Genocide Museum, you will have to get the audio guide to learn about the history of the Khmer Rouge regime. Finally, explore the satellite city or the “Paris to Phnom Penh”, Diamond Island. Along the way you will see the Patriarch of Monks Statue, the Buddhist Institute, the Cambodian Parliament Building, ChinaTown, and Mekong Upper and Mekong Lower, Tonle Sap and Tonle Bassac.

1. After morning pickup, the first stop will be to visit the Genocide Museum and learn about the more tragic side of Cambodian history. The now museum was formally a girls school that eventually but became the site of imprisonment, torture, and holding enclosure before being transported to the Killing Fields. Entry is $10 which includes an audio guide. 2. 45 minutes away is the Killing Fields, the second most historical site of the Khmer Rouge Genocide in Phnom Penh. Entry is $6 and includes an audio guide. Following this we will return to the city and have lunch (cost not included). 3. The afternoon commences with seeing and learning a bit about the impressive Independence Monument, which represents Cambodia's independence from French colonisation which lasted for 90 years, from 1863 - 1953. Park Strip entry is free. 4. The King Norodom Sihanouk Statue also stands on the popular Park Strip of Phnom Penh. Built in honour of the King in 2013 after his death. 5. Next we go to the Cambodian Vietnam Friendship Monument, which commemorates the former alliance between the two countries. 6. Located nearby is the Royal Palace where you can visit inside and admire the beautiful architecture, and take advantage of photographic opportunities. Entry fee: $10 plus another $10 for a guide. There is no audio guide available. 7. Admire one of the most beautiful examples of Cambodian architecture at the National Museum. This building also offers beautiful photo opportunities. Outside visit only: free. 8. The next highlight is Wat Ounalom, originally built in 1442, is one of the most important temples in Phnom Penh. Entry: free. 9. Wat Phnom is next, Entry: $1, along with the associated Lady Penh Statue. 10. Lady Penh Statue is the final stop. Learn who Phnom Penh is named after and why before being dropped off back at your hotel.

At 8:00 AM, depart from your hotel and drive to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, located about 16 kms south of Phnom Penh. Here,you will experience a very moving and confronting experience. The Killing Fields were the final resting place for over 17,000 men, women, children and infants between 1975 and 1978. It is estimated the Khmer Rouge Regime took the lives of between 2 and 4 million Cambodians during their destructive and devastating time in control between 1975 and 1979. Your guide will provide you with a detailed tour of the fields. Continue to Tuol Sleng Museum. In 1975, Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It rapidly became the largest center of detention and torture in the country. Prisoners were repeatedly tortured and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who were in turn arrested, brought to S21, tortured and eventually killed. Spend time discovering the harrowing truths of the prison. At 12:00 PM, your tour comes to an end and your guide will transfer you back to your hotel.

Learn more about a dark period in Cambodian history, the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum S21 Tour. Your English-speaking guide will help you interpret the exhibits and answer your questions. Pay your respects to the victims of the Khmer Rouge at these hard-hitting, moving destinations. A must for travelers interested in history. . This is a half-day tour of around four hours . Hotel transfers can be arranged . Travel in a comfortable air-conditioned private vehicle . Entrance tickets are an extra cost

Immerse yourself in the history of the Khmer Rouge. Learn the atrocities of an era that has shaped current Cambodian culture. After visiting S21 (Genocide Museum) and the Killing Fields, discuss what you've learned and share your experiences over a traditional Khmer Family Style Lunch. Itinerary 8:30 AM: Meet at Mad Monkey Phnom Penh Hostel reception - (Make sure to wear appropriate clothing that covers your shoulders and knees.) 8:45 AM: Attend the morning briefing Head out with a TukTuk to the Genocide Museum 11:00 AM : Return to the TukTuk and travel to the Killing Fields (travel time is 45 minutes) 1:00 PM : Return to Mad Monkey Hostel. 2pm arrive at MMPP

You will be picked up from your hotel at the preferable time you selected by a shared A/C transport to visit the highlights of Phnom Penh and learn more about the history of Cambodia from our professional tour guide, starting with S-21(Security Prison 21)of Tuol Sleng that was In 1975, Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and turned into a prison. Spend time discovering the harrowing truths of the prison, and then drive to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, located about 16 kms south of Phnom Penh. You’ll visit the memorial built in memory of the more than 17,000 victims who were killed at Choeung Ek by the Khmer Rouge. Transfer you back after this half day tour completed.

The peaceful stretch of green fields at Choeung Ek hide the horrors that occurred at the site in the 1970s. Located 17 kilometers from Phnom Penh, Choeung Ek was made famous in the movie called The Killing Fields. On this 4-hour guided tour you’ll visit the memorial built in memory of the more than 17,000 victims who were killed at Choeung Ek by the Khmer Rouge. The remnants inside the memorial and the mass graves that dot the area are reminders of the suffering of the victims. This journey into Cambodia’s past will provide you with a background on the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge regime. It will also give you an appreciation of the struggle that Cambodian people have faced and their tremendous courage to move on and rebuild their nation.

See the highlights of Phnom Penh and learn more about the history of Cambodia, starting with the Royal Palace, built by the French in 1866 after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong. Explore the palace complex to admire the Khmer architecture on the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong River. See the magnificent Silver Pagoda made of 5,329 silver tiles, and hear about different Khmer kings, resident at all times, except during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. Gaze in awe at the jeweled Buddha statues and the Angkor Wat-style Bell Tower. Learn about the turbulent years of the Khmer Rouge at the infamous Tuol Sleng Museum, located in a former high school that was used as the notorious Security Prison 21. See exhibits that tell the stories of some of the estimated 20,000 prisoners murdered and dumped on the notorious Killing Fields.