The temples of Angkor
Without doubt the temples of Angkor are among the most amazing man-made sights on the planet. Spread across a vast area, exploring the temple complex is an awesome experience, and the Angkor Wat itself (the biggest of the temples) is a truly wondrous sight. The temples were built from the 9th-13th centuries during the reign of the Khmer empire, and the Angkor Wat (wat is the Khmer word for temple) is still the world’s biggest religious building.
Open: 5am-6pm
Tickets: one-day $20, three-day $40 and seven-day $60
Phnom Penh
Cambodia’s capital is an interesting place to spend a few days, and the riverfront area has some great restaurants and bars. While the Tuol Sleng Prison and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are not ‘attractions’ in the normal tourist sense of the word, these reminders of the Khmer Rouge’s 1970s genocide are definite must-sees for an insight into Cambodia’s recent and traumatic history.
Tuol Sleng Prison
Open: 7am-5.30pm
Tickets: Adult $2, Guide $6
Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
Open: 7.30am-5.30pm
Tickets: $6 Adult
South coast beaches
While the beaches and towns aren’t quite up to the standard you might find off the coast of Thailand, for example, they can be an excellent place to spend a few days. Kep and Sihanoukville (the country’s biggest beach resort) are both on the coast, while Kampot is an attractive riverside town, and there is also explore interesting Bokor National Park to explore.
Getting away from it all
Cambodia is a fantastic place to get off the tourist trail and do some real exploring. The northern Preah Vihear province and the eastern regions (the Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces) are well worth exploring. Take your time though, these are areas where you can’t (and won’t want to) rush.
