Cambodia Family Intrepid Travel Review: A Real Family Adventure Holiday In Southeast Asia

Cambodia might not be the first place parents think of for a family holiday. Long haul flights, complex history and the idea of travelling “off the beaten track” with children can feel a little daunting.

In January 2027, during our year long family trip through Southeast Asia and Australia, we decided to do it anyway.

With our three children, then aged 14, 9 and 6, we joined an 8 day Intrepid Cambodia family tour, travelling from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap with two other families. As a Travel Counsellor who regularly books similar small group family adventures for clients, I was excited to finally experience this style of trip for myself.

It turned out to be one of the most meaningful and memorable parts of our year away.

In this review, I will share what our Cambodia family holiday was really like: what worked brilliantly with kids, what we adapted, and why a small group family adventure tour in Asia can be an ideal way to explore this beautiful, complex country.

Why we chose a Cambodia family tour for our family adventure holiday

As part of our year travelling through Southeast Asia and Australia, we knew we wanted at least one organised family adventure holiday: a small group family tour with other parents and children, a local guide and a focus on real life, culture and gentle adventure. Cambodia felt like the perfect place to try a family adventure tour in Asia.

As a family, we were looking for:

• A mix of culture, history and real everyday life, not just “big sights”.
• Experiences that would challenge and stretch our teenager, without overwhelming our 6 year old.
• A way to travel that felt safe, organised and stress free in the middle of a longer long haul family holiday.

I had already booked Intrepid's regular group tours as well as family tours for clients and seen how well they work for children of different ages. A small group Cambodia family tour offered:

• A tried and tested itinerary designed specifically for families.
• A local group leader to handle logistics and bring the destination to life.
• Built in company for the kids, and like minded parents for us.

It promised the depth and authenticity I love in a trip, with far less planning needed from me, which felt very appealing in the middle of a year on the road.

Phnom Penh with kids: starting gently

We arrived in Phnom Penh a day before the tour officially began, which I always recommend for families on long haul family holidays. It gave us time to:

• Recover from travel and adjust to the time difference.
• Find our bearings in the city.
• Keep the first official day of our Cambodia family tour feeling relaxed rather than rushed.

That extra day also allowed us to make our first big parenting decision of the trip.

Tough history, age appropriate choices

Cambodia’s recent history is painful and important. My husband and our 14 year old chose to visit the Killing Fields, a powerful, emotional experience they both took a lot from.

For our 9 and 6 year olds, it felt like too much. Instead, I took them to a shopping mall: ice creams, escalators and a quiet, air conditioned afternoon. They were happy and relaxed, and it was absolutely the right decision for us.

It was a good reminder that you can still travel thoughtfully and respectfully as a family, while adapting individual days to suit different ages and sensitivities when you are exploring Cambodia with kids.

Meeting the group: instant travel buddies

That evening we met our group leader and the other families: two from Australia, with children aged 11, 13, 14 and 17. There were 13 of us in total, and the mix felt spot on.

We walked out to dinner together and found a restaurant with both Cambodian dishes and familiar Western options. On night one of a Cambodia family holiday, this matters more than you might think. With everyone fed, hydrated and in bed reasonably early, we started the tour on the right foot.

For us, this is one of the big benefits of small group family tours: instant playmates for the kids and a ready made community for the grown ups.

Day 1 in Phnom Penh: culture at an easy pace

Our first full day set the tone for the whole Cambodia family tour: engaging, but never overwhelming.

Highlights:

• Cyclo tour: We explored Phnom Penh by traditional cyclo, a relaxed and fun way to see the city without little legs having to walk too far.
• Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda: The palace complex gave us a gentle introduction to Cambodian history and culture. Our guide was brilliant at pitching it at the children’s level.
• Free afternoon: After a busy morning, we had free time. Some of us headed to the pool, others wandered a little further. In the evening each family did their own thing; we chose pizza near the hotel.

It was exactly the balance we hoped for from a family tour of Cambodia: structured, interesting and family friendly, with protected downtime built in.

Day 2: museums, temples and a sunset Mekong cruise

A change in the security situation during the conflict with Thailand, meant our planned journey to Battambang was replaced with extra days in Phnom Penh. The tour company adjusted the itinerary, and we ended up with a richer experience as a result.

We visited:

• National Museum of Cambodia: Full of Khmer art and artefacts from the Angkor period, it helped us connect Phnom Penh with what we would later see in Siem Reap. The quiet courtyard and fish pond were surprise hits with the kids.
• Wat Phnom: A small hilltop temple that gave us a peaceful pause above the city.
• Sunset cruise on the Mekong: Watching Phnom Penh from the water where the Mekong meets the Tonlé Sap felt special, especially knowing we would see that river again later in our year long journey.
• Night market & street food: Guided by our leader, we explored the night market and tried local street food. Even the kids sampled fried grasshoppers and crickets: lots of shrieks, lots of laughter, and a definite “core memory”.

For anyone researching Cambodia with kids, this day shows how varied family friendly sightseeing can be: culture, gentle adventure and plenty of “wow” moments.

Day 3: rural life and gentle adventure on Koh Dach

On day three we left the capital and took a short ferry to Koh Dach, a small rural island in the Mekong.

Some of the group cycled a relaxed 24 km loop. My youngest and I travelled alongside in the support tuk tuk, which was ideal: shady, breezy and perfect for watching village life go by.

We:

• Visited a traditional silk workshop, watching golden Cambodian silk being made by hand.
• Stopped to see tofu skin being made from soya beans, a tiny but fascinating look at everyday Cambodian food.
• Passed through villages and quiet lanes, past wooden stilt houses, children playing, people cooking and chatting.

Back in Phnom Penh we ended the day on Bassac Street with crispy duck pancakes. For us, this was the essence of a family adventure holiday in Cambodia: low key activity, real life, lots of learning, but nothing too intense for younger travellers.

Day 4: travel day, spiders and inspiring women in Siem Reap

Day four was a travel day from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, broken up in family friendly chunks.

• We stopped at Cambodia’s famous Spider Village, known for stalls selling deep fried tarantulas and other insects. Whether you choose to taste or not, it is definitely memorable.

• On arrival in Siem Reap we were met by tuk tuks driven by women from a local social enterprise called Driver Srey. In Cambodia, tuk tuk driving is still a very male dominated job, so seeing women at the handlebars, proudly wearing their purple shirts, immediately felt different.

  Many of the Driver Srey team are single mothers or women who have struggled to access stable work. Through the project they receive training, regular income and a supportive community of other women in similar situations. Instead of our transport spend disappearing into a big, anonymous pot, we knew it was going directly into the hands of local women who were using that income to support their families and send their children to school. 

  We had the same drivers throughout our stay in Siem Reap, the children loved this continuity and could clearly see the human side of “responsible tourism” in action. It felt far more like travelling with friends than using a taxi service, and it added an extra layer of connection and meaning to our Cambodia family tour, knowing that our long haul family holiday was helping to create real, local opportunities rather than just ticking off the sights.

• In the afternoon we visited a water hyacinth weaving project, a not‑for‑profit social enterprise called Rokhak. Here, an invasive plant that clogs local waterways is dried and transformed into beautiful baskets and homeware, while at the same time creating fair, flexible employment for Cambodian women. Many of the weavers are mothers who can work from home, fitting weaving around childcare and family life, which gives them their own income and a stronger voice within the household. Tourism plays a key role in this model: by visiting the workshop, taking part in a class and buying a few pieces to take home, travellers help fund training, provide a stable market for the products and support families to move away from precarious, low paid work.

  Our own weaving attempts were slow and a bit chaotic, but also really fun. The women were endlessly patient with us, gently guiding little hands and quietly fixing our mistakes while laughing along with the children. We left with slightly wonky keepsakes that we will treasure, but the real souvenir was hearing how something as simple as a basket can help change a woman’s everyday reality for the better.

These are exactly the kind of community based, responsible experiences I look for when designing family adventure itineraries and small group family tours for my clients: hands on, ethical and genuinely interesting for children.

Angkor Wat with kids: the highlight of our Cambodia family adventure

Nothing quite prepares you for Angkor.

We spent a full day exploring the temple complex by tuk tuk, again with the women run social enterprise Driver Srey.

Temples we visited:

• Angkor Wat: The star of any Cambodia family tour. Over 1,000 years old in places, designed to represent the cosmos, it is vast, intricate and atmospheric. Our guide brought it to life with stories tailored to the children’s ages.
• Bayon: Famous for its serene carved faces watching in every direction.
• We also visited Ta Prohm, the so called “jungle temple” made famous by the Tomb Raider film. This is the one where enormous tree roots appear to pour over stone doorways and walls, half swallowing the temple back into the forest. Walking through it felt a bit like stepping onto a film set, especially for the kids who recognised it from photos and clips we had shown them, but our guide also helped us see beyond the Hollywood version to the real history and symbolism of the site.

There were regular shade and snack breaks, which are vital if you are doing Angkor Wat with kids on a hot day.

In the evening we headed to Phare, the Cambodian Circus, which really did turn out to be a highlight for the whole family. The performers come from vulnerable or disadvantaged backgrounds and have trained at Phare Ponleu Selpak, a non profit arts school in Battambang. Through their work with Phare they earn a fair wage and have the chance to build a sustainable career in the arts, breaking the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families.

Often described as a Cambodian Cirque du Soleil, the show mixes modern Khmer tales with theatre, live music, dance, acrobatics, juggling, aerial acts and contortion. Our 9 year old, who does acrobatic gymnastics at home, was absolutely transfixed, spotting moves she recognised and others she could only dream of trying. It was emotional, funny, high energy and completely captivating for every age, made even more special by knowing the impact it has on the young performers’ lives.

Day 6: cooking, “HeroRats” and life on the Tonlé Sap

Our final day in Cambodia was packed, in the best way.

Family cooking class: After shopping at the local market for fresh herbs, vegetables and spices, we cooked four Cambodian dishes together. The children chopped, stirred and plated everything themselves, from starters to dessert, and we were genuinely impressed by how focused and capable they were. Watching them taste unfamiliar ingredients, follow instructions and proudly present their finished dishes was such a lovely reminder of how much kids can do when you give them the chance. As a family experience it ticked every box: fun, hands‑on, tasty and something we can recreate at home to remember our Cambodia family holiday.

APOPO “HeroRats” and dogs: Next we visited APOPO to see how “HeroRats” and dogs are trained to detect landmines and unexploded ordnance. These specially trained animals can cover ground far more quickly than humans with metal detectors and are light enough that they do not trigger the explosives. Watching them work across the training field, and seeing how their incredible sense of smell is used to find hidden landmines, was both fascinating and sobering. The team explained how their work helps clear farmland, school grounds and villages so communities can live, work and play safely again after decades of conflict. For the children, it was a powerful, real‑life lesson in science, history and hope all at once.

Floating village on the Tonlé Sap: In the afternoon we took a boat out to a floating village on the Tonlé Sap. As it was dry season, water levels were low and children were playing on newly exposed ground instead of travelling everywhere by boat as they do when the river rises. We floated past homes on stilts, floating houses and simple wooden boats, watching everyday life unfold in a landscape that changes dramatically with the seasons. It was humbling and eye‑opening, and one of those experiences that we know will stay with us, and with the kids, for a very long time.

We ended our Cambodia family tour with a group farewell dinner, sharing favourite moments from the week and saying goodbye to new friends. It was only eight days, but the combination of shared experiences, meaningful local projects and the gentle rhythm of travelling together made Cambodia one of the most impactful chapters of our year long family adventure.

How did this family tour work with ages 14, 9 and 6?

Travelling with three children at different stages always involves compromise, but this Cambodia family itinerary made it surprisingly easy to balance everyone’s needs.

What helped most:

• Built in flexibility: Where activities were more emotionally or physically demanding, older children could join while younger ones took a gentler option.
• Other kids to travel with: Our children quickly bonded with others in the group, which took the pressure off us to entertain them 24/7.
• Local group leader: Having someone who knows the culture, language and logistics removed a huge layer of mental load and made Cambodia with kids feel far more manageable.
• Balanced pacing: Big “wow” experiences like Angkor and APOPO were offset with pool time, boat trips, street food and simple walks.

There were tired moments and sticky afternoons, of course, but overall it felt easier and richer than trying to plan and manage the same route independently. As a piece of our wider year long family adventure travel through Southeast Asia and Australia, it slotted in perfectly.

Are small‑group family adventure tours worth it? My verdict after a Cambodia family tour

From both a personal and professional perspective, I would say yes, as long as it is the right fit for your family.

If you are curious about:

• Cambodia with kids, but unsure how to handle the logistics and emotional weight of the country’s history.
• Combining culture, wildlife and everyday life in a single, well paced trip.
• Showing your children a different side of Southeast Asia, beyond beaches and theme parks, then a small group family adventure tour can be an excellent choice.

From my professional perspective, having now both booked and personally experienced this style of family adventure holiday:

• The itineraries are cleverly designed around family needs.
• The focus on responsible, community based tourism adds real depth.
• The support of a local leader makes a complex destination feel accessible and safe.

This applies not only to Cambodia, but to family adventure holidays in Asia, Africa and Latin America too.

Tailor made family adventure holidays: building a trip around a Cambodia family tour

One of the biggest advantages of booking through with the right travel professional is the flexibility to build a tailor made family adventure holiday around a family tour, rather than treating it as a stand alone trip.

For example, I can help you:

• Add a city break at the start or end: Time in Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur before or after your Cambodia family tour, to ease into Southeast Asia or break up the journey.
• Combine Cambodia with another destination: Pair Angkor and Siem Reap with Vietnam, Thailand or Laos for a wider Indochina adventure, carefully paced for children.
• Finish with a relaxing beach stay: After a busy week of temples, boats and markets, a few days on a Thai island, in Vietnam, or at a Cambodian or Malaysian beach resort can be the perfect way to unwind.
• This type of travel is also great for multi-generational families. Bring the Grandparents along, the slower pace may suit them and you can combine their interests too.
• Adjust the level of adventure: Whether your children are cautious first timers or seasoned teen travellers, your family adventure travel can be tailored to match their confidence and interests.

The beauty of this style of small group family tour is that it is not limited to Cambodia. I regularly help families plan similar trips in other parts of the world, then build in city breaks or beach time around them to create truly bespoke long haul family holidays.

Every family is different, and that is where personalised planning really makes a difference.

If you are considering a Cambodia family tour or a wider family adventure holiday in Asia, I would love to help you design something that feels right for your children’s ages, your comfort levels and your travel dreams.