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Top Things To See
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Delight in Cambodia's Buddhist
temples, such as Preah Vihear.
Located in the Dangrek Mountains,
the site is home to various
festivals, especially during the
Cambodian New Year.
• Visit the interrogation centre of
Pol Pot's regime in Phnom Penh, the
chilling Toul Sleng Museum of
Genocide, also called S-21 (security
office 21). It is also possible to
visit The Killing Fields/Cheoung Ek
Memorial, just outside the city.
• Do not miss Phnom Penh's gorgeous
Royal Palace, which has a stunning
and famous Silver Pagoda. Be sure to
pay extra attention to the floor -
it contains 5,000 silver tiles.
• Explore the magnificent temples of
Angkor, the remains of the once
mighty Khmer civilisation. Angkor
Wat is the most famous temple, but
the surrounding areas are worth
visiting too. Go at sunrise or
sunset.
• See the much photographed Ta Prohm
at Angkor, easily recognisable
because of the roots of massive
trees growing through the building.
They are left there to show how many
of the temples looked before they
were reclaimed from the jungle.
• Examine the extensive collection
of Khmer artefacts in the
distinctive, red-brick,
pseudo-Khmer-style National Museum,
constructed by the French in 1917.
• Hold your nose at Stung Meanchey
Garbage Dump. A visit here will show
you how many children spend their
days: sifting through rotting
rubbish for food and things to sell.
A shocking and humbling experience.
• Travel to the little-visited
northeast province of Rattanakiri,
where there are hill tribes, gem
mines and unspoilt national parks.
• Climb up to abandoned Bokor, the
former French hill station, where
there are the eerie remains of a
hotel, casino, church, villas and a
former royal residence. Equally as
eerie, take time to visit Kep, once
a beach resort which was destroyed
in the 1970s.
• Relax at Sihanoukville, Cambodia's
only beach resort, with its sandy
beaches and offshore islands which
are ideal for scuba-diving. |
