Siem Reap

Things to see and do

Angkor Wat

Please see our dedicated Angkor Wat section for our comprehensive coverage of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and surrounds.
Elephant Rides

The two main spots for riding elephants are both out near Angkor, one running in the morning and the other in the late afternoon. Morning sessions are held near the South Gate of Angkor Thom, afternoon sessions run up to near the summit of Bakheng. Elephant riding gets uncomfortable quickly, so ... read more
Pagodas and Shrines

Like any Khmer town, Siem Reap has its fair share of pagodas and shrines, and while they're not nearly as spectacular as the grandiose monuments a few kilometres out of town, you may find some of them interesting. The two that you're most likely to see sit between the Royal Gardens and the Royal ... read more
Siem Reap Old Market

Known as Psah Chah in Khmer, Siem Reap's old market is a labyrinthine web of stalls in the heart of Siem Reap where you can find everything from clothing to jewellery to rat traps to DVDs and a seemingly endless spread of food. The market's greatest attraction is the wet foods section right in the ... read more
Public Lecture Series at the Centre for Khmer Studies

Situated in the peaceful and fragrant grounds of Wat Damnak, the Centre for Khmer Studies is a research and education centre and library dedicated to Cambodia studies. The centre hosts regular talks by a diverse range of artists, chefs, historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, political ... read more
Tara Riverboat

Heavily advertised throughout Siem Reap, the Tara Riverboat is a floating bar and restaurant anchored in the waters of Tonle Sap. Tara offers a series of packages, which can take you to Chong Kneas, Kampong Phluk or Kampong Kleang. The Tara Riverboat itself is at Chong Kneas and you are brought ... read more
Landmine Museum

In 2010, Aki Ra was a top-10 runner up in the nominations for CNN's Heroes. This success was in recognition of his tireless work clearing landmines across Cambodia, helping children and families who have been affected by landmines, and the extraordinary story that brought him to where he is ... read more
Tonle Sap Lake

If you came to Siem Reap on the boat -- either from Phnom Penh or Battambang -- the great body of water you travelled across is the Tonle Sap lake, the largest body of fresh water in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The name means "large freshwater river" and it's actually a combined ... read more
Chong Khneas

If you arrive at Siem Reap by boat then you've seen Chong Khneas -- it's the mostly Vietnamese-inhabited, floating village that surrounds from the Siem Reap dock. It's the closest village to Siem Reap, home to the Gecko Environmental Centre and is the launching pad for Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary -- ... read more
Angkor National Museum

Visiting the Angkor National Museum was an eerie, surreal experience. For the first 45 minutes of our trip through the mammoth, 20,000-square-metre building, we didn't spot another visitor. The museum opened in November 2007, and its shopping mall-like feel contrasts with the thousands-year-old ... read more
Kompong Phluk

Heading east along the bank of Tonle Sap will take you to Kompong Phluk -- and a world away from the tourist trap of Chong Khneas. Unlike its well-touristed sister, this is a stilted rather than floating village (you may see some floating rafthouses about the place). It's a very different place ... read more
Kompong Khleang

Like Kompong Phluk, Kompong Khleang is a stilted rather than floating village. It's massive -- the largest on the lake -- and around 10 times the size of Kompong Phluk. As with Kompong Phluk, the main livelihood here is fishing, but in a number of ways it is a more interesting village to visit. ... read more
Motorcycle tours

There's something for experienced and inexperienced riders alike now in Siem Reap. Hidden Cambodia Adventure Tours (http://www.hiddencambodia.com/)get rave reviews for their motorcycle trips into the surrounds and Siem Reap Dirt Bikes offer a varied range of trips from single day excursions ... read more
Apsara dancing

Just about every guesthouse, restaurant, shop and tuk tuk driver will happily set you up with an evening of Apsara dancing. Though seemingly ubiquitous, the dancers are often talented and the apsara dance is still very much a part of modern Khmer culture -- it's not just a tourism invention. Most ... read more
Shopping

If you like to shop, you'll be totally in your element in Siem Reap. Be it a scarf for a dollar or a replica statue of Jayavarman VII for a couple of grand, you'll be able to find what you're after. For down and dirty souvenirs, the Old Market in the heart of the tourist area is a good place to ... read more
Get pampered

There's all manner of massage available -- from basic foot reflexology at streetside shops through to all-day indulgence experiences at some of the town's most renowned hotels. At the top end of the scale, Frangipani and Visaya, within the grounds of the FCC Angkor, are a real treat. Bodia Spa and ... read more
Wildlife watching

Located about one-hour north of Siem Reap near Banteay Srey, you'll find the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) . It is a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, conservation, research and education centre that takes in injured and endangered animals, and trains locals to take care ... read more
Horseback rides

The opportunity to ride through paddy and past hidden little temples is a genuinely wonderful experience, especially at dawn, which can be a magnificent experience. Run by a Cambodian-American, most of the horses at the ranch are actually Cambodian ponies retired from racing in Vietnam and ... read more
Cooking classes

Siem Reap has no shortage of cooking classes, but many of them offer the same boring hour spent preparing fish amok and other typical Khmer dishes. Here are four schools we recommend both for their quality and willingness to try something different. Tigre de Papier is one of the longest running ... read more
Angkor from the air

It's possible to see Angkor Wat from a tethered balloon or a helicopter. The balloon is set to the west of Angkor Wat on the road to the airport. The balloon rises about 200 metres into the air and offers good views of both Angkor, Phnom Bakheng and other nearby monuments. There are at least ... read more
Beatocello and Jayavarman VII Children's Hospital

One of Siem Reap's most active self-promoters, Dr. Beat Richner performs once weekly on the cello. Performances are accompanied by a talk/lecture on the activities of the hospitals and a solicitation for donations of both blood and money. Performances are every Saturday at 19:15 at the ... read more
Yoga

A wide variety of yoga options are now available, including the Peace Cafe, which is also home to a community centre, vegetarian cafe and NGO shop. UberOum is a dedicated yoga studio in the centre of town, with a variety of methods available and the most extensive schedule. The Hariharalaya ... read more
Angkor Hospital for Children

While not as highly promoted as Jayavarman VII, Angkor Hospital for Children also actively solicits blood and financial donations -- and there's no need to sit through a cello performance. Volunteering opportunities are also available here. The hospital is partially funded by the Friends Centre at ... read more
Butterfly Garden

This tourist trap boasts supposed lush gardens and 1,500 butterflies. When we visited, we spotted one butterfly the entire time we were there. The gardens and the koi pond were so moldy and overgrown that they stank. The staff were inattentive and the Khmer and international cuisine served ... read more
Cambodian Cultural Village

Cambodia's very own Disneyland -- or something thereabouts -- the Cambodian Cultural Village attempts to wrap up the entire country within a single theme park. Attractions include scale models of the Royal Palace and National Museum along with full-size models of different types of Khmer, Cham and ... read more