Cambodia thing to do

For a list of the top 10 things to do elsewhere in Cambodia please click on the links shown below:
Phnom Penh    Siem Reap

Be humbled by the vastness and grandeur of Angkor Wat. Considered by many to be one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived it was built by Suryavarman II to honour Vishnu and for use as his funerary temple. The central temple complex consists of three storeys, each of which encloses a square surrounded by intricately interlinked galleries. Rising 31m above the third level and 55m above the ground is the central tower, which gives the whole ensemble its sublime unity. A vast moat surrounds the temple.

Go armed with spools of film or a lot of memory in your digital camera when you visit the Bayon Temple. Dominating the temple is the 45 m tower surrounded by 51 smaller towers, all with eerily smiling Avalokitesvara faces carved into them. The best time to visit the Bayon is at sunrise or sunset when the shadows and shafts of light make the faces, more enigmatic and a photographers dream.
 

Visit Choeung Ek, just 15km south-west of the Phnom Penh. This is where visitors can see the evidence of the Killing Fields where some 17,000 people were killed by the Khmer Rouge. More than 8000 skulls, arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the glass panel of the Memorial Stupa.

Fly high over the temples and ruins, lakes and mountains, rivers and streams...Go Helicopter Sightseeing Helicopters Cambodia Ltd. provides aerial sightseeing tours over the main Angkor Temples for a truly breathtaking view of this World Heritage site. Note: Departure times subject to a minimum number of passengers and prevailing weather conditions.

After visiting Choeng Ek the next absolute must do is to visit the Killing Fields Museum (Tuol Sleng) The site was an ordinary high school until April 1975, when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge transformed it into one of the biggest concentration camps in Cambodia. There are many remnants of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. There is a display of human skulls that covers an area in the shape of Cambodia.

A visit to Mekong Island is a worthwhile day trip from the capital. There is a small zoo and weaving villages to meander through or you can ride elephants and watch traditional dance performances.

 

An interesting few hours can be spent at the National Museum Situated near the Royal Palace Cambodia's National Museum offers a charming setting for the display of a collection 5,000 works of Khmer art, ranging from the 6th to the 13th century. Pieces include sculptures, 19th century dance costumes, Royal barges and palanquins.

Go for a relaxing Sunset Cruise on the Mekong and Tonle Sap. A one hour cruise can take you along the river to watch the daily live of the people living on and around it. Admire the sunset, that makes the water glitter like gold under the declining rays of the sun and take in your surroundings at a leisurely pace.

Support the Stone and Woodcarving School Treat yourself to a trip to the Stone and woodcarving school of Siem Reap where reproductions of the ancient Khmer temple carvings are reproduced for the commercial market along with many other interesting pieces. Prices here tend to be cheaper than elsewhere in Siem Reap for carvings, so a trip here, is well worth it, even if only for the lower prices you'll get.

Another must do for visitors and photographers alike is Ta Prohm in Siem Reap. Left in its 'natural' state, still overgrown by jungle, huge tree roots twisted around the temple. It is one of Angkor Wat's highlights.

Note: For more information on things to see and do in Cambodia please take a look at our Sightseeing pages, our Sport and Activity pages and our Children's Activity pages, our Top 10 Things to do pages for each area you intend visiting .