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Cambodia
Attractions
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Phnom Penh
PHNOM PENH is the vibrant bustling capital of Cambodia.
Situated at the confluence of three rivers, the mighty
Mekong, the Bassac and the great Tonle Sap, what was
once considered the 'Gem' of Indochina. The capital city
still maintains considerable charm with plenty to see.
It exudes a sort of provincial charm and tranquility
with French colonial mansions and tree-lined boulevards
amidst monumental Angkorian architecture. Phnom Penh is
a veritable oasis compared to the modernity of other
Asian capitals. A mixture of Asian exotica, the famous
Cambodian hospitality awaits the visitors to the capital
of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Here in the capital, are many interesting touristy
sites. Beside the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, the
National Museum, the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, the
Choeng Ek Killing Fields and Wat Phnom, there are
several market places selling carvings, paintings, silk,
silver, gems and even antiques. Indeed, an ideal
destination for a leisurely day tour. The whole area
including the outskirts of Phnom Penh is about 376
square kilometers big. There are currently 2,009,264
people living in Phnom Penh.
The city takes its name from the re-known Wat Phnom Daun
Penh (nowadays: Wat Phnom or Hill Temple), which was
built in 1373 to house five statues of Buddha on a man
made hill 27 meters high. These five statues were
floating down the Mekong in a Koki tree and an old
wealthy widow named Daun Penh (Grandma Penh) saved them
and set them up on this very hill for worshiping. Phnom
Penh was also previously known as Krong Chaktomuk (Chaturmukha)
meaning "City of Four Faces". This name refers to the
confluence where the Mekong, Bassac, and Tonle Sap
rivers cross to form an "X" where the capital is
situated.
Phnom Penh is also the gateway to an exotic land - the
world heritage site, the largest religious complex in
the world, the temples of Angkor in the west, the
beaches of the southern coast and the ethnic minorities
of the North-eastern provinces. There are also a wide
variety of services including five star hotels and
budget guest houses, fine international dining, sidewalk
noodle shops, neighborhood pubs international discos and
more.
Phnom Penh, like other Asian-City tourist destinations,
is in the midst of rapid change. Over the past few years
the number of restaurants and hotels have grown
considerably and in the last year there had been a huge
increase in the number of visitors. Come and see a real
“original” as it won’t be the same in a few years.
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Siem Reap
 Siem
Reap province is located in northwest Cambodia. It is
the major tourist hub in Cambodia, as it is the closest
city to the world famous temples of Angkor (the Angkor
temple complex is north of the city). The provincial
capital is also called Siem Reap and is located in the
South of the province on the shores of the Tonle Sap
Lake, the greatest sweet water reserve in whole
Southeast Asia. The name of the city literally means
“Siamese defeated”, referring to the victory of the
Khmer Empire over the army of the Thai kingdom in the
17th century.
At the turn of the millennium Siem Reap was a Cambodian
provincial town with few facilities, minor surfaced
roads and little in the way of nightlife. Tourism
industry catered largely to hardy backpackers willing to
brave the tortuous road from the Thai border on the
tailgate of a local pick-up truck. There were a couple
of large hotels and a handful of budget guesthouses.
Tuk-tuks and taxis were non-existent and the trusty
motodup was the chosen means of touring the temples of
Angkor.
The proximity of the Angkorian ruins turned Siem Reap
into a boomtown in less than half a decade. Huge,
expensive hotels have sprung up everywhere and budget
hotels have mushroomed. Property values have soared to
European levels and tourism has become a vast, lucrative
industry. The Siem Reap of today is barely recognizable
from the Siem Reap of the year 2000.
Though some of the town’s previous ramshackle charm may
have been lost the developments of the last few years
have brought livelihoods, if not significant wealth, to
a good number of its citizens. This has been at a cost
to the underprivileged people living within and beyond
the town’s limits that now pay inflated prices at the
central markets and continue to survive on poorly paid
subsistence farming and fishing. If Cambodia is a
country of contrasts Siem Reap is the embodiment of
those contrasts. Despite the massive shift in its
economic fortunes, Siem Reap remains a safe, friendly
and pleasant town. There is an endless choice of places
to stay or dine and a host of possible activities
awaiting the visitor.
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Angkor Wat
There are few places anywhere on earth to match the
splendor of Angkor Wat. The temple is one of the largest
monuments to religion ever built and is truly one the
wonders of the world. Believed to have been constructed
as a temple and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II at the
peak of the Khmer empire in the first half of the 12th
century, Angkor Wat is probably the best-preserved of
the Angkorean temples. As with other Angkorean temples
and walled cities such as Angkor Thom, the central theme
of Khmer architecture revolved around the idea of the
temple-mountain. By the time building on Angkor Wat was
begun early in the 12th century, this had been
elaborated to a central tower surrounded by four smaller
towers. The central monument represents the mythical
Mount Meru, the holy mountain at the centre of the
universe, which was home to the Hindu god Vishnu. The
five towers symbolise Mount Meru's five peaks. It is
difficult to express in words the enormous scale of
Angkor Wat, but it can be explained in part by a look at
the dimensions of the complex. The temple is surrounded
by a moat which makes the one around the Tower of
London, built at roughly the same time, look like
nothing more than a garden trench. At 190 meters wide
and forming a rectangle measuring 1.5 km by 1.3 km, it
is hard to imagine any attacking force overwhelming the
defenses. But the moat was more than just a defensive
bulwark, in line with the temple's Hindu origins it
represented the oceans of the world. A rectangular wall
measuring 1025 metres by 800 metres borders the inner
edge of the moat. There is a gate in each side of the
wall, but unusually for the mainly Hindu-influenced
Angkorian temples, the main entrance faces west. This
entrance is a richly decorated portico, 235 m wide with
three gates. However, the temple's greatest sculptural
treasure is its 2 km-long bas-reliefs around the walls
of the outer gallery and the hundred figures of devatas
and apsaras. This intricately carved gallery tells
stories of the god Vishnu and of Suryavarman II's
successes on the battlefield. The whole complex covers
81 hectares.
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The Great Lake Tonle Sap & Floating Fishing Village
 Continuing
about ten minutes beyond the hilltop temple, on the same
road that you took from Siem Reap, are a land based
fishing village and the bullet boat-landing site. Just
hope for a good wind when you come as the combination of
dead fish and raw sewage from the village can be a bit
overwhelming. Just pass by this area to get to the
water.
There are small motorboats for rent and a few locals
that speak English will probably greet you when you
approach the water. They will take you out for a tour of
the floating fishing village area nearby (most
structures are actually built on stilts), charging you
US$5-6 for a one-hour tour. The village has its own
“street” grid system and seems to have just about
everything that a village should have. It’s an
interesting and scenic journey with plenty of photo ops
on hand.
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Sihanoukville & the Beach
Sihanoukville province is a small southern province of
Cambodia. The capital sits on a peninsula with beaches
and tropical islands around. Sihanoukville (also known
as Kampong Som or Kampong Saom) was founded in 1964 to
be the only deep-water port in whole Cambodia. It is
gradually being redeveloped as a tourist attraction, but
despite the promise of massive Malaysian investment - a
casino is planned for Naga Island - tourist numbers are
still fairly low. Also its nice with sand beaches and
several paradise islands have made it popular as a
tourist destination.
In honor to the king, who fought for the independency of
Cambodia the provincial capital was called
Sihanoukville. Located in the southwest corner of
Cambodia, 232km from Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville can be
reached via National Highway N° 4. White-sand beaches
that include O’chheuteal, Sokha, Pram Pi Chan, and Deum
Chrey beautify this coastal city. These beaches are
known for their quiet, cosy atmosphere and the large
stretches of white sand and clear waters and these make
them popular spots for families on vacation. These
seaside paradises with the refreshing coolness of the
fresh water streams can be enjoyed all year round.
Business opportunities in Sihanoukville are varied from
financial activities to tourist and travel-related
industries in conjunction with the government's
objective of making Sihanoukville a major tourist
destination besides its status as an International
Offshore Financial Centre. The government welcomes both
foreign as well as local investors to participate on a
joint-venture basis.
This famous see side resort is formed by wide and huge
streets and quite new big concrete buildings, which lost
any impression of the former architectonical colonial
style. As the town is not a small place due to it’s wide
spread urban areas, the best way to get around is to
hire a motorbike. Beside the nice beaches and some very
nice vantage points there isn’t that much to see in the
town itself. To catch a nice view on the city you best
climb the small hill to Wat Leu. Wat Krom is another
place of interest as this is a recently build pagoda,
because the older one was destroyed by the Khmer Rouge
and it houses a sanctuary called Yeah Mao, the guardian
of the cost. Nearby to the town there are nice places
for a detour such as the Ream National Park and the
beautiful Kbal Chhay Waterfall.
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Preah Vihear
 Preah
Vihear is quite a big northern province of Cambodia. Its
capital is called Phnom Tbeng Meanchey. The province
itself is named after the temple of Prasat Preah Vihear,
what is definitely the hotspot of this province. Much of
the province is extremely remote and strongly forested.
Unfortunately do large logging companies reduce the
natural landscape by carving huge tracts of pristine
tropical hardwoods out of the locations. It is also one
of the least populated provinces in the Kingdom of
Cambodia. This tranquil site is popular for the Preah
Vihear temple, standing in the vicinity of the
borderline between Thailand and Cambodia.
The province has one of the worst infrastructures in the
country – there are even no proper Major Roads in
existence. Going around this province is not that easy
if you’re used to proper roads and usual transportation
possibilities, as there are only a few pick-ups or some
money-hunting moto drivers to take you where you would
like to go.
Whatsoever the province has a lot to offer for those,
who are interested in ancient temple structures and
remote villages without touristy influence. Here in
Preah Vihear you may find three of the most impressive
legacies from the Angkorian era: the mountain temple of
Prasat Preah Vihear, the 10th-century capital of Koh Ker
and the mighty Preak Khan. Koh Ker is nowadays easily
accessible from Siem Reap via Beng Mealea, but the other
two still remain difficult to visit, requiring long and
tough overland journeys and a distinct possibility to
spend a night in the jungle. During the wet season these
places are more or less unreachable. But there are
governmental plans to develop the region for a smooth
but constant tourism, building roads and improving
infrastructure.
The provincial capital Tbeng Meanchey is due to the
state of the infrastructure and it’s geographical
location not visited by a lot of foreigners. Most of
them don’t make it here worrying about the street
conditions and the backcountry feeling of no fast supply
in need. The city is sprawling and dusty and consists of
little more than two small major dirt roads form South
to North. There is nothing interesting in town or to do,
so it has necessarily become more a stopover on the way
to Koh Ker and Preah Khan.
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Ratanakiri
Ratanakiri is located in Cambodia's far northeast
bordered by Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east,
Mondulkiri to the south, and Stung Treng to the west.
This rural rugged province is a 70% ethnic minority,
which are known as "Chunchiet". Ratanakiri was as
recently as 2002 seriously off the beaten track but has
since been "discovered" step by step. Still, while you
won't get any bragging rights for coming here, it's well
worth the effort to do so, and once you get away from
it's capital Banlung you won't run into too many other
tourists. So Ratanakiri is still a remote province in
Northeastern Cambodia worth to visit.
The word "Ratanakiri" itself is a derivative of two
Cambodian words, which are combined to mean "place of
gems and mountains." The word comes from the Sanskrit
words Ratna (gem) and giri (mountain). It's quite dusty
capital, Banlung, is located in the central highlands of
the province, approximately 365 miles (586 kilometres)
from Phnom Penh and reminds one of a wild western city,
even if it's the wild east. Its wide red laterite roads
are bordered by new, recently build houses replacing the
older ones. The centre of the town features a lively
marked with all the needful things.
Lomphat is a small town in the southern plains, which
was once the former capital of Ratanakiri. There are a
few other small towns like Ta Veng and Voen Sai.
The province is getting more and more popular for
thousands of tourist every year. Especially for those,
who seek a close contact to originality, hidden roots of
ethnic groups and abundant wildlife. Therefore the
Ecotourism abounds, due to lush wildlife and remote
tribal villages. Most of the inhabitants of Ratanakiri
are indigenous minorities. Ethnic Cambodians make up
only 10-20% of the country’s total population.
Remnants of an ancient volcano exist near to Banlung in
the form of a crystal-clear lake that was formed after
the active volcano went dormant. There are also a few
ancient lava fields that testify to the fact that the
area was quite lively at one time. Beautiful waterfalls,
clear rivers winding through stretches of jungle, and
rolling hills that meet mountains near the Vietnamese
and Lao border provide a full agenda for nature lovers.
Non-structured, low-impact, custom trips to outlying
villages and natural areas can be organized (strictly by
yourself or with help from a guesthouse). There is a few
foreigners living in Banlung you’ll definitely meet
while walking in the streets you can ask for actual tour
offers, prices etc (change spontaneously).
You will soon realize that this area hasn't seen a lot
of tourists in the past. If you will visit the hill
tribe people in the further areas outside of Banlung,
don’t be surprised if they look appalled at you. They
just haven’t seen many, if any, foreigners.
Yeak Laom Volcano Lake
This beautiful place is not far from town and is great
for a swim, picnic, or hike around the crater rim of the
old volcano. Due to the lake’s tremendous depth of 48
meters, its water is exceptionally clean and crystal
clear. The lake is almost perfectly round and measures
around 750 meters in diameter. It has a small
informative local museum thrown in to boot. In 1995 the
governor of Ratanakiri officially set aside a
5,000-hectare (12,350-acre) protected area, of which the
lake is a part, and in 1996 got help from the
International Development and Research Centre of Canada
and the United Nations Development Program to develop an
effective resource management program. This area
represents Cambodia’s finest attempt at preserving a
site. Full-time rangers work to ensure the area is
protected. They receive regular training and have put up
signs throughout the area reminding people not too
littler, wash clothes or toilet in the lake. That’s
amazing for Cambodia.
The main swimming and picnic area features a nice wood
deck that’s great to use for a jump into the crystal
clean water. Nearby, park rangers erected a couple of
examples of hill tribe construction in the form of non
politically correct bride and groom homes, where the man
gets the elevated home (his status in the relationship)
and the woman has the one nearer to the ground.
A few hundred meters down is the Cultural and
Environmental Centre, which has information about area
history and displays of local hill tribe tools and
handiwork. They also sell some of the handicrafts made
by the hill tribes: musical instruments, beaded belts,
shirts, and hats.
From the centre you can take a nature trail around the
entire crater rim. King Sihanouk had a chalet built on
the shores of the lake and used it during the 1960s. It
was destroyed in the 1970 war between the Lon Nol
government and Khmer Rouge guerrillas. You can still see
the remnants of this and also-indifferent spots around
the lake-trenches that held gun emplacements during the
fighting.
The original inhabitants of the area are the Khmer Leu
hill tribe people, who have always recognized the lake
as a sacred place, home to the spirits of the land,
water, and forest. Here those spirits interact with
humans and, according to the local legend of Yeak Laom
Lake, fabulous, spiritual aquatic beings reside here.
The surrounding forests of the area are also said to be
the home of spirits and therefore can’t be cut. This
helps to explain why the hill tribe people took so
strongly to the idea of protecting the area.
It’s very easy to get there - just go east from the
Independence Monument circle 3 km to the Hill Tribe
Monument circle (two indigenous figures) and go right
for about 1,5 km to the entrance gate. The local hill
tribe community connected to the lake get to collect an
entrance fee, giving them a source of income and revenue
for protecting their resource. It’s US$1 per person and
a few hundred riels for a motorcycle.
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