Cambodia School Expedition School Trips

Projects Abroad

This three-week programme in a country of beauty and contrast will challenge, educate, and inspire your students.

The itinerary covers numerous parts of the country and a variety of activities, including service, adventure, and discovery.

Service:

Projects Abroad supports numerous pre-school and primary school settings. Your group will take on a community development challenge. This could be a renovation project at one of the schools; an education project in nutrition, health, upcycling or sustainability; or planting gardens and litter clean-ups. This placement aspect will take you and your students into some of the less developed parts of Phnom Penh where government services are sparse and small community groups support early years development. Your work here will improve the local children's learning setting and be insightful and rewarding for your students.

Projects Abroad works towards UN Sustainable Development Goals in its programmes, and these principles will shape the work you undertake.

Discovery:

Learning about Cambodia’s history is a crucial part of your trip as it will help you better understand the country and the communities you will work with, from the Khmer Empire of several hundred years ago to the genocides of the Khmer Rouge era in the 1970s.

You will travel to Siem Reap to visit the world-famous Angkor Wat temple complex, where some temples are nearly 1,000 years old, and the jungle seems ready to swallow them. Exploring the temples is an unforgettable experience, matched only by watching the sunrise over this magical setting.

The town of Siem Reap is a great place to relax and explore. The restaurants and markets are always popular, allowing your group to try new delicacies and haggle with the stallholders for souvenirs.

A very different part of the historical discovery of Cambodia is the insight students receive regarding the Khmer Rouge era and the tragic genocide they inflicted on the country.

Students visit the mass graves of the Killing Fields and speak with guides who survived those times. It is a confronting experience which gives the students a much better understanding of the country today and how these crimes still affect the country.

On other days, the students will visit the charming country towns of Battambang and Kampot to learn about traditional crafts, agriculture, and Cambodia’s imperial past as part of the French empire.

Adventure:

Kayaking through the mangroves in rural Kratie, the students will search for the elusive and rare pink dolphins of Cambodian rivers. This will act as a warm-up for a three-day trek through the jungles and mountains of Kirirom National Park.

For this stage, we engage the services of ex-military guides. The students learn about the jungle environment, bushcraft, and camp skills while spending three nights in the jungle, setting up a new camp each night.

This is a beautiful part of the country with pristine jungle and many species of fascinating plants and animals for the students to learn about and try to spot.

This is a hugely varied programme and a great challenge for any student. It offers a great insight into the country and teaches the students intercultural competence, the ability to be considerate and curious travellers, increased self-confidence, resilience, and perspective.

Projects Abroad staff will always accompany the group and manage daily debriefing sessions to help students reflect on and absorb the day’s events.

Cambodia School Expedition school groups

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Example Itineraries for our 2026 trips

Days 1 and 2
You will land in Phnom Penh, where a local Projects Abroad staff member will be waiting to collect you. Your group will then be taken by bus to the hotel in the city centre, where you can settle in, eat, and rest as needed.

The first couple of days are for orientation in the city and the setting, as well as discussions around safety and cultural sensitivity. The city tour will include the riverside area, markets, palaces and temples.

Days 3 – 6
Service work in Phnom Penh. Your group will have decided on their project in advance and be prepared for four days of hard work in a renovation, education or landscaping project.

All group members will be involved in the project, which will be based at a pre-school or primary school setting, where your students will engage with the local children too, organising some sports or other activities in between the work.

By the end of this project, you and your students will know the area quite well, as well as the children's day-to-day lives and how their school works a lot better. The rewards of completing such a project and meeting the children are memorable aspects of this programme.

Days 7 & 8
Your group will drive to Kratie in the east of the country, on the banks of the Mekong River. Here, your students will kayak in the creeks and mangroves, exploring the riverbanks and looking for the dolphins.

There is also time for relaxation and exploring this country town and its history (and best eating spots).

Days 9 - 12
From Kratie, you will take a bus to Siem Reap in the north of the country, home to the huge complex of temples known as Angkor Wat, some parts of which are up to 1,000 years old. Walking through the temples that the rainforest constantly threatens to swallow is a magical experience only enhanced by watching the sunrise over their unmistakable silhouettes.
Your group will stay in a hotel in Siem Reap and enjoy the shopping and restaurants of this popular town. They can have a swim at the hotel and reflect on their progress so far in between walking through the markets and temples.
You will also spend a day at Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia, home to the famous floating villages and families who make their living fishing on the lake.

Days 13 to 14
Make a stop at beautiful Battambang, home to some of the most glorious French colonial architecture. You will explore the town and its history and wait for one of nature’s best shows: millions of bats emerging from their caves at sunset.

Days 15 – 18
It's adventure time as your group embarks on a three-night trek into the Kirirom National Park. Professional hiking guides and ex-military staff will lead the trek. They will teach you and your students about the jungle and survival skills. The trek can be shortened or lengthened to suit your group.
The jungle is full of beautiful spots such as waterfalls and lakes, and even though it will be challenging, we guarantee a lot of fun, and your students will be involved in all aspects of setting up camp.

Day 19
After emerging from the jungle, your group will head to Kampot, a sleepy riverside town with a cooler climate. Here, you will all be able to reflect on your time in the bush and visit local craft and agricultural initiatives.

Days 20 & 21
When your group returns to Phnom Penh for the last days, they will debrief and reflect on everything that has happened. This is also the last chance to head to the markets for last-minute souvenirs and to enjoy the snacks and meals.

In addition to those listed above, Projects Abroad will organise many evening and out-of-placement activities such as cooking lessons, movie and quiz nights, meditation lessons and watching sporting events.

Which Curriculum Subjects do we cater for?

Cultural

You will be immersed in the Cambodian culture straight away. Our local team will walk you through the local culture and traditions to help you better understand the local people you will meet along the way. You will then have the occasion to exchange with community members during your volunteering project at a school and learn more about the nation's history with trips to Kratie, Battambang & Kampot. In the evenings, our team will organise activities such as cooking classes, movie & quiz nights, meditation lessons and more to ensure that you get the full Cambodian experience!

History

During this expedition, students will learn more about the country's history. They will explore Siem Reap's temple by the rainforest, learn about the Khmer Rouge era and the genocide that greatly impacted the nation and its development, and visit the Killing Fields to gain a better understanding of this part of history. They will also discover Battambang and its French colonial architecture.

Geography

During this programme, students will experience a different climate and environment than the ones back home. They will explore the city of Phnom Penh and its different areas, some less developed than others. Students will also embark on a trip to Siem Reap and its famous temple complex: Angkor Wat. Visit the charming country towns of Battambang and Kampot to learn about traditional crafts; Kaya through the mangrove in Kratie and trek through the jungles and mountains of the Kirirom National Park.

Religious Education

Students will visit the famous Hindy temple complex Angkor Wat, dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu, one of the three main gods in the Hindu Pantheon with Shiva and Brahma. They will begin to learn more about religion in Cambodia and its importance throughout the country's history.

Expedition

This school expedition in Cambodia offers an immersive experience that blends culture, education, and adventure. Students engage in community service projects, learn about Cambodia’s history through visits to Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields, and build life skills while kayaking and trekking through jungles, enhancing resilience and global awareness.

What size groups do we cater for?

All group sizes of 5 or more. Free staff place with each 9 students.

Access for visitors with disabilities?

Disabled facilities can be offered on request.

Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

Visitors with special educational needs can be catered for on request.

Anything else?

Projects Abroad provides an individualised service and schedule planning, which is backed up by excellent pre-departure preparation and by a dedicated and highly experienced local team in each destination.

We aim to provide a challenging and rewarding experience for every student, promoting self-belief, resilience, leadership, teamwork, reflection, and a new perspective on the world.

Get in touch today! Our partnerships team are happy to answer any queries and guide you through the process of booking the school trip of a lifetime!

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Who are Projects Abroad?

Projects Abroad arrange challenging, meaningful, educational, and safe overseas service and internship programmes.

We have been taking students overseas since 1992 and work in over 20 developing and emerging countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Key to our work is the dedicated in-country staff whose diverse skill sets, local knowledge and love of their community allow us to develop relevant, immersive and worthwhile schedules for school trips which give the students responsibility and teach them to see the world through a different lens.

We offer programmes in community development, conservation, construction, education, sports, empowerment, human rights, and healthcare, among many others. These projects are designed to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, broadening the student experience to see the contribution of a few to a movement for global change.

All school trips are individualised. We realise that each school has its own goals and interests, and the students have their own passions. We work with the school to develop a tailored itinerary that reflects their values and allows the students to make a connection with the community in which they serve.