Cambodia | Building Blocks

11 Day Volunteer Adventure | From $1295 USD

Adventure Essentials

Join us on one of the most unique, off the beaten path, and sustainable travel Adventures available anywhere on the planet! This fully-guided expedition partners unbelievable ancient temples, endless market meccas, incredible food & epic experiences with the opportunity to achieve some seriously amazing things with remote communities of Cambodia.

Home is where the heart is. What better gift than to provide a family in need than somewhere to call home. You’ll be working side-by-side with local villagers to construct a new house from scratch. Expect to get your hands dirty hammering nails, sawing wood, carrying bamboo & entertaining local village kids!

Once the house is finished, get involved with an outreach project at a grassroots level to provide much needed water wells, emergency medical care, agricultural supplies & free education to local children. The work you do depends on the needs of the community at the time.

But it’s not all work & no play. In your free time you’ll be exploring ancient temples, trekking through remote villages, wandering endless night markets, exploring sacred waterfalls, eating delicious food, ziplining, dancing, and tuktuk cruising your way to the Adventure of a lifetime. #MoreThanTravel

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival & Check-In

After a meet & greet at Siem Reap International Airport you’ll be escorted by traditional TukTuks to your hotel for check-in. Once you’re all checked in, it’s time to hit the town for our first group dinner & drinks.

Notes:

Airport Meet & Greet Included

Day 2: Orientation & Angkor Wat Archeological Temples

We start our first full day with an orientation session outlining what you can expect over the coming days. Once the boring stuff is out of the way you’ll embark on an epic guided expedition of the incredible ancient archaeological temples of Angkor. Try not to get lost amongst the crumbling faces of Bayon Temple & the intertwining trees of Ta Prohm. Finish up the day with the big one, Angkor Wat.

After an epic local dinner together, we give you the full tour of Siem Reap by night.

Notes:

Highlights: Guided exploration of Angkor Archeological Complex
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3: House Build, Blossom Cupcakes, Group Dinner & Night Markets

Trek out to a remote village where the build site is located & start laying the groundwork that will become the foundations of the house. If you’ve never swung a hammer or an axe before don’t worry, the locals will have you Bunnings-ready in no time! There will also be plenty of village kids around so be prepared to play a lot of football/volleyball/duck duck goose.

Top off your first day at the build site by tasting some of the best cupcakes on the planet!

Then after dinner, it’s time to flex your bartering skills & explore the infamous Siem Reap Night Markets.

Notes:

Highlights: First day at House Build & Night Markets
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 4: House Build, Free Afternoon, Group Dinner & Comedy Show

It’s day two of the house build and you’ll be wondering how it’ll ever get done. But with a bit of hard work, and a large dose of fun, you’ll have the walls up before you know it. Lunch is made fresh over a fire by local villagers, and it’s as good as it sounds.

Use your afternoon to explore remote villages by bicycle, grab a $5 massage or relax by the pool drinking $1 fresh fruit shakes with your fellow travellers.

After another amazing group dinner, you’ll experience a comedy show whilst getting a massage. How good!

Notes:

Highlights: Massage & Comedy Show

Day 5: House Build, Group Dinner & Angkor Night Markets

It’s the second last day of the house build, the house is starting to come together & we are hard at work to meet the deadline. After dinner, it’s another round of night markets, tonight is serious shopping night let’s test out your bartering skills.

Finish the night with some delicious dessert.

Notes:

Highlights: Night Markets & Dessert
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 6: House Build, Free Afternoon, Group Dinner & Night Out in Town

It’s the final day at the house build and your last chance to get stuck in before we celebrate a handover of the house to the deserving family.

Top off this emotional day with the chance to stuff your face with the best waffles in Asia. We’re talking waffle burgers people!

After a celebratory dinner, it’s time for a night out in town with plenty of face painting, street dancing & terrible karaoke.

Notes:

Highlights: House Build Completion & Night Out in Town
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 7: Floating Village Half Day Trip, Group Dinner & Phare Cambodian Circus

This morning you’ll head to Kampong Phluk Floating Village where you’ll cruise down the river on a traditional longtail boat & discover a unique life where swimming to school and dodging crocs is just another Monday!

In the afternoon, if you haven’t had the chance to go on any of the additional adventures (help ziplining) then go now!

After a group dinner, you’ll have the chance to experience death-defying acrobatics, incredible artistry & amazing storytelling at an ncredible local (animal free) circus. Simply a MUST SEE!

Notes:

Highlights: Floating Village River Cruise & Phare Cambodian Circus
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 8: Outreach Project, Free Afternoon, Group Dinner & ’60 Road’ Experience

Today is your first full day out at the outreach project helping to provide much needed water wells, emergency medical care, agricultural supplies & free education to local children. The work you do depends on the needs of the community at the time.

It’s siesta or fiesta this afternoon; relax by the pool, get a massage or head into town with your Adventure leader.

After dinner, you’ll visit a local-only night carnival where you can shop, party, play games & go on rides like a real Cambodian.

Notes:

Highlights: Outreach Project & ’60 Road’ Experience
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 9: Outreach Project, Group Dinner, Night Activities & Surprise Dessert

It’s the final day of the outreach project, and the last chance to pull together and make an impact. The house is complete, rice has been delivered, water wells have been dug & clean water has been provided. You should be proud of your accomplishments.

After dinner, is the ever-important last-minute market shopping spree. Followed by a surprise dessert that will have you ‘crawling’…

Notes:

Night Markets & Surprise Dessert
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 10: Kulen Mountain Full Day Waterfall Tour, Group Dinner & Party in Town

Our final full day together includes a visit to Cambodia’s most sacred mountain and a swim underneath a waterfall so good you’ll want to keep it a secret! Then, hike the stairs to the top & you’ll discover a giant sleeping Buddha carved out of the stone of the mountain. It’s here you’ll officially become a local as you’re blessed by a Buddhist monk & receive an endless supply of good luck.

After a special group farewell dinner, it’s time to let loose in town & go out with a bang.

Notes:

Highlight: Kulen Mountain Full Day Waterfall Tour & Party in Town
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 11: Departure & Check-Out Preparation

Final farewells & last minute shopping before your flight departs.

Notes:

Airport Transfers Included
Meals Included: Breakfast

Need to Know

Age & Required Experience

At least 16 years of age
Keen interest in community projects & a desire to make a difference

Accommodation

All accommodation is Twin-Share & has a MyGapYear Comfort Rating of 4 stars or more. Hotel facilities include: Pool, Wi-Fi, Cable TV, Fridge, Safety Box, Private Bathroom & Restaurant. Single rooms are available upon request & payment of additional fees.

Meals

Breakfast included daily. Lunch at the Community Build Project is included. All other meals are at your own expense. All members of the group eat together for every meal. Those with special dietary requirements can be catered for.

Transport

The most popular & exciting way to travel in Cambodia is via TukTuk. TukTuk’s in Cambodia are very safe, reliable & add to the sense of Adventure during the trip. MyGapYear uses only personally selected TukTuk drivers who have a proven history of safe driving on the road.

Donation

We require the group (not individually) to raise a minimum of $2000 USD on top of the trip costs before arriving in Cambodia. This will be used to cover the costs of the House Build & help fund the immediate requirements of the Outreach Project. MyGapYear does not take any part in the handling of the donation money.

The group will personally spend the money as required during the trip & will receive receipts for all monies spent whilst in Cambodia. Please enquire for more information on how the donation works.

Child Protection

MyGapYear follows the principles and guidelines of ‘ChildSafe International’ in protecting children from all forms of abuse and preventing child exploitation and trafficking. As part of our mission to empower and protect youth; we require all volunteers who are 18 years of age or over and who plan to work with children; provide a Criminal History printout. This printout is available from your local Police Station and may take up to 4 weeks.

Start Dates

Student Adventures begin on select dates during school holidays. Current available dates are:

July 2018 (Spaces available)
December 2018 (Spaces available)
January 2018 (Spaces available)
July 2019 (Spaces available)

About Siem Reap

Nestled between rice paddies, & stretched along the Siem Reap River, the provincial capital of Siem Reap is the gateway to some of the largest & most mesmerising ancient temples in the world. Every year over two million travellers from across the globe descend on this tourist hub & find themselves lost in the many alleyways & French-colonoal architecture that give this town its charm.

Siem Reap is like nowhere else in Cambodia, packed with wall-to-wall hotels, restaurants, bars and massage parlours; its streets crammed day and night with tourists, touts and tuk-tuk drivers in an organised chaos of relentless activity, with endless quantities of hot food and cheap drinks, and a nonstop party atmosphere.