Phnom Penh Day Tour: Buddha Kiri & Wildlife Rescue Center

Walk among 20,000 Buddha statues, then stand face-to-face with rescued elephants and tigers

A private full-day tour from Phnom Penh combines three distinct stops: Buddha Kiri Cambodia, home to over 20,000 Buddha statues arranged across sacred grounds; Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, where you observe rescued elephants, tigers, bears and other native species in a protected environment; and Ta Prohm at Tonle Bati, an Angkor-era temple set on the shores of a small lake about 30 km south of the city. An English-speaking guide leads the route, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit spiritual and wildlife sites

• Explore Buddha Kiri Cambodia center
• Visit Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center
• Tour Ta Prohm temple at Tonle Bati
• Relax at Tonle Bati lake

The experience

The day starts at your hotel and moves through three separate worlds. Buddha Kiri Cambodia holds the country's largest Buddhist center, with 2,000 gold-plated Buddhas lining 199 steps up to a 10-meter statue that towers over the pagoda below, and thousands more statues meditating across the grounds. The scale is the point: you're not visiting a temple, you're walking through a landscape of devotion.

From there, the route heads to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, where the work is conservation, not spectacle. Rescued elephants, tigers, bears and other native species live in a protected environment, and the guide explains the center's mission as you move through. This is where the tour shifts from spiritual sites to active animal welfare, and the two halves don't compete. They frame each other.

The final stop is Ta Prohm at Tonle Bati, a temple from the Angkor era set on a small lake about 30 km south of Phnom Penh. The site has roots deeper than the Angkor period itself: it served as a Hindu sanctuary from the sixth century onward, during the pre-Angkorian Phnom-Da period, when it belonged to the maritime empire called Funan. The lake draws local fishers and weekend visitors, so the temple sits in a lived landscape, not a museum setting. The tour wraps with your return to the hotel.

What’s included

• Cool drinking water throughout the day.
• English-speaking licensed guide.
• entrance tickets to Buddha Kiri Cambodia, Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center and Ta Prohm at Tonle Bati.
• private air-conditioned vehicle with all transfers.
• hotel pickup and drop-off (provide your hotel name when booking).

Options for this experience

2 options

Big Group TourGuide in English · 07:00Group tour, includes pickup

Private TourGuide in English · 07:00 and 07:30Pickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:00 and 07:30

AgesAdult (5 to 89 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats available

Operated by About Cambodia Travel & Tours

Is this one for you?Choose the private tour if you want to move at your own pace and discuss the sites in depth with the guide. The big group tour works if you prefer to share the cost and don't mind traveling with other visitors. Both options cover the same three stops and include hotel pickup, so the choice is really about group size and how much time you spend at each site.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 5): free.

What exactly is inside Buddha Kiri Cambodia that makes it worth a full stop on the tour?

Buddha Kiri Cambodia is the country's largest Buddhist center, holding over 20,000 Buddha statues. The most striking feature is the Puth Kiri Pagoda, where 2,000 gold-plated Buddhas line 199 steps leading up to a 10-meter statue that towers above the structure below, with thousands of other statues arranged across the grounds.

Can I get close to the animals at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center?

Phnom Tamao is a protected environment where rescued elephants, tigers, bears and other native species are cared for as part of active conservation work. The tour includes access to observe the animals. The guide explains the rescue and rehabilitation efforts as you move through the center.

How far is Ta Prohm at Tonle Bati from Phnom Penh, and what makes it different from other temples?

Ta Prohm sits on the shores of Tonle Bati, a small lake about 30 km south of Phnom Penh. The temple dates to the Angkor era but has roots reaching back to the sixth century, when it served as a Hindu sanctuary during the pre-Angkorian Phnom-Da period, belonging to the maritime empire of Funan. It remains a working site in a landscape locals use for fishing and weekend visits.

Does the tour include meals, and what's provided during the day?

Cool drinking water is provided throughout the tour. Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are not included, so you'll want to plan dining separately or discuss options with your guide.

Is this tour private, or will I be traveling with other groups?

You can choose between a private tour or a big group tour at checkout. Both options include the same sites, English-speaking guide, entrance tickets and hotel pickup and drop-off. The difference is whether you travel with your party alone or join other travelers.