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.
Tara Riverboat

Heavily advertised throughout Siem Reap, the Tara Riverboat is a floating bar and restaurant anchored in the waters of Tonle Sap. It has two advertised packages -- a day and a sunset tour. While the tour includes visits to Chong Khneas and to the Gecko Environmental Centre, it's worth noting these ... read more
Landmine Museum

Once little more than a humble shack, Aki Ra's Land Mine Museum has been reincarnated into the Cambodia Land Mine Museum & Relief Facility -- a registered Canadian-based organisation -- which opened in April 2007 with the aim of building and developing the original museum's vision. The new centre ... 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 name means large freshwater river and it's a combined lake and river system of vital importance to Cambodia's agriculture and biodiversity. For ... 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
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
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
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
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 bland ... read more
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
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 200m into the air and offers good views of both Angkor, Phnom Bakheng and other nearby monuments. There are at least two ... 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 on the activities of the hospitals and a solicitation for donations of both blood and money. Performances are every Saturday at 7:15PM at the Jayavarman VII ... 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.
Cooking Classes

While we didn't try them, the Ox Cart Restaurant (down at The River Garden Guesthouse on the Siem Reap river) offers Khmer cooking classes. The restaurants on Pub Street, The Passage, and Bar Street also offer Khmer cooking classes, with prices starting at about $12 and covering the basic, most ... 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
Motorcycle tours

Hidden Cambodia Adventure Tours (http://www.hiddencambodia.com/)get rave reviews for their motorcycle trips into the surrounds. They offer a varied range of trips from single day excursions through to multi-day trips to Anlong Veng and beyond. We've not used them, but they come very highly ... read more
Yoga

Swing by the Singing Tree Cafe (http://www.singingtreecafe.com) for all your yoga needs with a range of yoga offerings on through the week. Their website has details about what's on offer. Raja Yoga (http://www.bkrajayoga.org) also has yoga/meditation offerings throughout the week at its studio ... 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 budget end of the market, it's difficult to beat one of the blind massage places around the Old Market or perhaps ... read more
Wildlife watching

Located about one-hour north of Siem Reap, Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity takes in injured and endangered animals, and trains locals to take care of them. It might cost you a bit to get up there, but once you arrive, there's a free guided tour every day at 13:00. The refuge includes ... read more
Horseback rides

We didn't get a chance to visit, but we hear from previous guests that The Happy Ranch Horse Farm takes what seems like a contrived afternoon activity and makes it worthwhile. Run by a Cambodian-American, most of the horses at the ranch are actually Cambodian ponies retired from racing in Vietnam ... 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 freshly painted, shopping mall-like feel contrasts with the ... read more