Bangkok, Thailand (April 23, 2014) – Backyard Travel, the online boutique travel agency specializing in unique and insider tours to Asia, has today released details of a new luxury Cambodia tour taking visitors beyond the temples of Siem Reap to experience a side of the region few see.

The new four-day, three-night tour , which explores the very best culture and cuisine that Siem Reap has to offer, begins with a superb dinner at 'Cuisine Wat Damnak', where Head Chef and restaurant owner Joannès Rivière uses only the freshest local produce to create high end Khmer cuisine.

On the first full day travellers will gain a unique understanding of how the very best local cuisine is prepared by taking part in a half-day cooking class at the home of renowned local chef, Kathana Dunnet. Her time spent in New Zealand is evident in her cooking, which is an appetizing fusion of western cooking techniques and Cambodian specialities. Most interestingly she teaches how to replace essential Khmer cooking ingredients that cannot be found in other countries.

While in the area, travelers will then be taken to visit the nearby Golden Silk Pheach Farm, a silk manufacturer run by Oum Sophea Pheach, which employs more than 100 local staff to produce high quality products.

The unique tour continues with a visit to the temple of Banteay Srei and then travellers are spoilt by watching the sun go down with a relaxing glass of champagne and a gondola cruise around majestic Angkor Thom's moat. That evening travellers dine at Marum, a restaurant that supports marginalized local children and offers local tapas style dishes.

Day three of the insider tour starts with a visit to Artisans d'Angkor which backs local Cambodian arts and crafts and then travellers have the opportunity to explore the dozens of different stalls at Siem Reap's landmark 'Old Market'. 

Rounding off the insider tour of Siem Reap, travelers are then treated to a unique experience at the Phare Cambodian Circus Show. Before the main event, a Backyard Travel guide will take visitors behind the curtain to see a sneak preview as the artists prepare, and even get the chance to interact with the performers.

The performance combines traditional and modern aspects of theatre with something for everyone, mixing dance, music, contortion and acrobatics to tell the story of modern life in Cambodia today.

“Of course Siem Reap is famous for its impressive temples and rightly so, but there is so much more to Cambodia's cultural capital”, said Backyard Travel's General Manager Maeve Nolan. “We hope this new tour, which takes travelers off the well-trodden path highlighting the very best local culture and cuisine, will open travelers' eyes to some of the rarely seen sites of Siem Reap.”

About Backyard Travel

Bangkok based Backyard Travel is an online travel company specializing in tailor-made tours to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan and China. For more information about Backyard Travel, visit www.backyardtravel.com or Facebook page www.facebook.com/BackyardTravel.