Oudong Mountain History and Pagoda Tour

Our family of 3 (2 adults, one 7 year old) had a great day trip to Oudong Mountain with Sam! We are long terms residents of Phnom Penh, but this was our first trip to Oudong. We enjoyed a peaceful tuk tuk ride to the mountain, stopping a couple of times on the way to see a fish market, silversmith, and look quickly at floating village. At Oudong, we enjoyed walking around for a long time and Sam provided lots of interesting history and cultural context to what we were seeing. He then took us through the food market and to a picnic lunch. Trip was 7 hours pick up to drop off. Highly recommend!

I've travelled before with Sam and it was amazing the last time round, so we engaged him again. It was a comfortable ride with Sam in the car so the journey was quite enjoyable. Once at Oudong, he shared facts and stories about the history which was useful to add context on our excursion. The mountain was nice with excellent view and so since we could afford some time and had not been here, it was nice to make the trip. The site is very cultural and you can see the remains that are very well maintained. He helped us with some photos as usual too! We had a good trip and loko forward to the next time!

Sam was a great, helpful guide who went well beyond just taking us to Oudong Mountain. We stopped at many spots along the way sampling local food and seeing Cambodian life. Sam also graciously allowed us to join in the Buddhist traditions with him at Oudong. Sam is also very knowledgeable about Cambodian history, politics, and current events making for great conversation. Highly recommended!

This really is an exceptional tour with plenty of surprises and fun to be had. From the beginning I was warmly welcomed by my host and operator Sam Ang, and we are then transported by Tuk Tuk to various destinations along our way to the jewel, Oudong Mountain. The open mode of transport allowed us to enjoy the cooling winds as we ventured down the national motorway, as well as giving us a full 360 panoramic view of the landscape. Along the way we passed various mosques, before making our first stop, a fishing port/market populated by the friendly Muslim locals in the area. We then journeyed toward a silversmith, where we witnessed the making of silverware by a family of skilled artisans. It was wonderful watching the intensity and dedication they applied to their work, drawing up designs and painstakingly hammering into the metal to create some truly amazing designs. From there we ventured to our main destination, Oudong Mountain. As we approached, the grandeur of the site became more and more apparent, when upon arrival I was greeted by an extraordinary towering wonder, far surpassing the picturesque tourist photos we are most familiar with. With more than 500 steps we began our ascent up the front entrance, and along the way, we were greeted by a wonderful surprise, Monkeys! And plenty of them. They were extraordinarily friendly and welcoming coming right up to you to feed, but be aware, they can be very mischievous, and may try to steal food or other items from you! Arriving at the summit the site is truly inspiring, the tower soars above it's visitors and is magnificent to behold. Moreover the view onto the Cambodian landscape is an open unhindered panorama visible up to the horizon. It really is breathtaking. This must be one of the best viewing spots in Phnom Penh! Inside visitors can make they obeyances to Buddha, praying and placing flowers whilst bathing in it's serenity and tranquility. We also visited a temple with more than 5000 Buddha statues. It really is a site to behold, and were given blessings and prayers by a local priest to rid us of our karma. A very spiritual moment. There are many massive stupas that also adorn the site. Upon our descent, we came upon an amazing local live market, perhaps one of the best I've seen so far in Cambodia. The number of exotic foods was amazing, and during our visit i feasted on such delicacies as ants, berries, grilled honey infused with chilli and various other unusual but tasty delights. The locals are especially welcoming. Our trip eventually took us back to Phnom Penh where Sam hosted me to an enjoyable local Cambodian lunch. Overall a fantastic tour, and one not to be missed. Oudong Mountain may not figure on many tourists' itinerary but after doing this tour, it should be an absolute must for everyone! A final big thanks to Sam, for creating such a great tour. He has put an extraordinary amount of effort into it, with the planning, the research into the religion, the history, the culture. Thanks again Sam for all your efforts.

Sam was a great, helpful guide who went well beyond just taking us to Oudong Mountain. We stopped at many spots along the way sampling local food and seeing Cambodian life. Sam also graciously allowed us to join in the Buddhist traditions with him at Oudong. Sam is also very knowledgeable about Cambodian history, politics, and current events making for great conversation. Highly recommended!