Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Most visitors come to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, whizzing in and out of the gateway city Siem Reap by plane. Angkor is more than just a single temple; it’s a complex of dozens of royal funeral monuments, sacred sites and ruined cities. These sit in lush rainforest at the feet of the Kulen hills. Visits to the temples are also visits to a wild habitat, where if you choose your locations and timings well you will see rare tropical birds, primates and if you’re very lucky jungle cats.

Siem Reap is a delightful small Cambodian city with a great restaurants, a burgeoning live music and performance scene and plenty of other attractions. And in the countryside beyond there are a series of further ruined cities – almost as spectacular as Angkor but far less visited, alongside some important wildlife refuges. The most famous of these is Southeast Asia’s largest lake – Tonlé Sap, a spillover of the Mekong rich in bird life and dotted with floating villages.