Enjoyable Actions & Hidden Gems

Angkor Wat, the most well-liked vacationer attraction in Southeast Asia, has develop into almost synonymous with the close by metropolis of Siem Reap.

Ever since my first go to in 2012, although, I’ve thought it just a little unfair that Siem Reap has all of its highlight stolen by the world-famous temple advanced. That’s not as a result of I dislike Angkor Wat, however as a result of there are a variety of wonderful issues to see or do within the metropolis that deserve extra consideration.

I’ve been to Siem Reap 4 occasions, because it’s my favourite metropolis in Cambodia. I didn’t even go to Angkor Wat two of these occasions, and I had a distinctly completely different sort of trip on every go to.

I’m not suggesting you go to Siem Reap with out seeing Angkor Wat, as a result of everybody ought to expertise it at the least as soon as of their life. By all means, take a full-day Angkor Wat tour in your first go to to the town.

However, on this information, I’ll fill you in on how one can flip a weekend journey to see the temple advanced right into a week-long journey that exposes you to extra points of Cambodian tradition, each city and rural. I’ll additionally offer you some recommendations on when to go to, the place to remain, and the right way to get there.

Visiting Angkor Wat (A VERY Temporary Overview)

Once more, this information is especially about issues to do in Siem reap in addition to Angkor Wat, so let’s run by means of a lightning round-style synopsis of the fundamentals.

“Angkor Wat” is a bunch of historic ruined temples positioned about 5 miles (8km) north of Siem Reap. The advanced includes over 1,000 temples, with Angkor Wat Temple being the most important. Angkor Wat is likely one of the most iconic vacationer locations in Southeast Asia.

Numerous Siem Reap locals have informed me one of the best time to go to the temples is simply earlier than the daybreak. It’s earlier than the crowds present up, and watching the solar rise over the temples is a kind of experiences you’ll take with you for the remainder of your life. The warmth of noon can be brutal, even throughout the cooler season.

A few of the guided excursions go earlier than dawn, or you may purchase a guidebook and go by yourself. (If you need a small group expertise, excursions are additionally accessible on GetYourGuide and Viator. See this high-rated dawn tour on GetYourGuide or this one on Viator.) You should buy tickets on-site, however there’ll probably be a protracted line until you go to within the low season. To keep away from the wait, purchase from the official Angkor Wat ticket portal at the least a day upfront.

One-day tickets price $37. Except you’re in a giant hurry, although, I’d suggest upgrading to the three-day ticket for $62 as an alternative.

Angkor Wat is immensely in style, so there’s countless details about it elsewhere on-line if you wish to learn extra about it. Now, on to a number of the issues aside from Angkor Wat that make Siem Reap an incredible place to go to.

11 Issues to Do in Siem Reap In addition to Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is a superb first cease, however listed here are 12 prompt actions to fill the remainder of your keep.

I’ve tried to incorporate a pleasant mixture of hidden gems with essentially the most deserving of Siem Reap’s extra closely publicized vacationer actions. I’ve additionally centered on issues that may enchantment to budget-conscious vacationers and households.

Different Temples

The Angkor Wat Temple Advanced is wonderful, nevertheless it’s additionally very crowded for a lot of the vacationer season. Fortunately, Siem Reap has a smattering of temples within the metropolis itself that really supply the serenity you’d anticipate from historic temples. Some good ones within the metropolis embody:

Along with their picturesque appears to be like, many Siem Reap temples are distinctive due to their mix of Buddhist and Hindu carvings, in addition to celestial symbolism.

In the event you’re particularly within the religious side of Siem Reap, I’d suggest this meditation expertise provided by Kouprey Adventures. I went on my third journey to the town, and it facilities round a guided meditation led by monks in a peaceable temple. Undoubtedly certainly one of my prime 10 journey experiences in Southeast Asia.

Tonle Sap Lake

Floating Villages are fairly widespread in Southeast Asia, however Tonle Sap is mainly a complete floating kingdom. The Lake is totally large, usually increasing to over 5,500 sq. miles throughout the moist season (extra on Siem Reap’s seasons beneath).

As a result of it’s so large, there are numerous villages constructed on the lake and so they have developed a waterborne neighborhood at a scope and depth (pun meant) that I’ve by no means seen earlier than.

However maybe essentially the most wonderful factor in regards to the Tonle Sap Lake kingdom is that it shrinks by as much as 500% throughout the dry season, giving it a larger dimension fluctuation than some other lake on the planet. It provides the lakefaring communities an added layer of uniqueness, as a result of they need to develop an amphibious infrastructure that may work each on land throughout the dry season and on water throughout the moist season.

All that’s to say that a tour of Tonle Sap Lake’s floating villages is an incredible method to spend a day. Chong Kneas is the most well-liked floating village on the lake since it’s only half-hour from Siem Reap, however it’s also a little bit of a vacationer entice if I’m being trustworthy. Kampong Phluk and Kampong Khleang are additional away at 60 and 90 minutes, however they’re nicer and extra culturally immersive.

Roadside BBQ

I had one of the best meal of my travels in Southeast Asia at a roadside barbecue on a peaceable, bucolic street in suburban Siem Reap. I used to be served a number of cuts of goat that had been ready within the kitchen, accompanied by grilled okra, rice, and some house-mixed sauces together with a chili salt-lime combination with some herby taste I’ll always remember.

It was a easy meal, however the freshness of the meats and greens, the unique spices used for flavoring, and the provincial open-air environment made it unforgettable. It additionally didn’t damage that the invoice was shockingly low, even by Cambodian requirements. And no, nobody in my four-person celebration acquired sick. Sadly, I forgot to put in writing down the identify of the situation and I’ve been unable to search out it on return journeys.

There are a variety of barbecue joints on the outskirts of Siem Reap’s metropolis heart which have the identical vibe because the one I had that once-in-a-lifetime meal at. Many of the open-air institutions are unpretentious, low cost, and in some way handle to imbue their grilled meat and produce with a hearty, zesty taste that I haven’t been capable of finding wherever else aside from Luang Prabang, Laos. Choose one which has at the least just a few locals consuming there and create your individual culinary reminiscence.

Angkor Wat Putt

As you drive away from the Siem Reap metropolis heart, the hostels and metropolis streets shortly give method to countless expanses of purple grime dotted with rice or vegetable fields and unpaved roads flanked sometimes by ancient-looking homes. So it’s a little bit of a shock when, 10 minutes from the town heart, a clear, fashionable mini-golf course comes into view. It’s Angkor Wat Putt, a well-liked leisure possibility with fun-loving members of the area people.

I’m a giant fan of miniature golf and sought out Angkor Wat Putt on my first journey to Siem Reap. I made associates with the pleasant English-speaking proprietor, Tee, and I’ve gone again on each journey.

Angkor Wat Putt’s enchantment extends past the pleasant proprietor and idyllic location, although: the greens are well-manicured and most of them are adorned with obstacles that replicate Cambodian historical past or tradition, like stone elephant heads or recreations of Cambodian temples. The course is even lined by a beautiful cover of leaves and flowers that give the expertise a few of that “jungle journey” really feel the realm is thought for and make it playable even within the rain.

Admission is $5 for adults or $4 for youths when enjoying one spherical, with reductions given for extra rounds.

Cooking Class

As I already alluded to, I like conventional Cambodian cooking (it’s very completely different than modern Cambodian delicacies, of which I’m not a fan). It incessantly makes use of a posh mixture of herbs and spices which can be very distinct. It’s just like Laotian delicacies as a result of each international locations are Khmer cultures, nevertheless it makes use of much less spicy and bitter flavors.

Cooking that distinct delicacies your self and taking dwelling the recipes with you is the one greatest method to get in contact with Cambodia’s culinary tradition. Bonus cultural factors if you happen to enroll in a single like this Khmer Cooking Class I did my second journey that really takes you to a neighborhood market to purchase substances earlier than you prepare dinner.

The category linked above prices $25, and different cooking courses price $20-40.

The HeroRATs

Hear me out, these rats are clear and pleasant and this is likely one of the most culturally and traditionally fascinating experiences I’ve ever had.

The rats, nicknamed HeroRATs, are educated to do two jobs which have saved numerous lives all through the previous 50 years, because of their unbelievable sense of odor.

The primary of these jobs is landmine detection. The rats are educated to smell out the explosives in landmines left over from the Khmer Rouge. Since rats are smaller and extra agile than canines or people, they’ll discover the mines extra safely and effectively. After they discover the mines, a human can defuse them. Tragically, about 20 Cambodians per yr are nonetheless killed by hidden land mines. HeroRATs maintain that quantity from being even larger, although.

Secondly, the HeroRATs are capable of diagnose folks with sure illnesses, most notably malaria, utilizing their sense of odor.

Admission to APOPO, the non-profit that trains the HeroRATs, is $10 for many and free for youths beneath 10. Within the coaching heart, you’ll get to carry the life-saving rats if you would like; it’s like holding a cute chubby cat. You’ll additionally study a variety of harrowing however fascinating info in regards to the Khmer Rouge and its lasting results.

Lotus Farm

The lotus flower is essentially the most iconic image of Southeast Asia, so seeing all of the methods during which they’re used is a very Southeast Asian expertise. The flower has extra makes use of than you’d in all probability suppose, too. I don’t wish to spoil it, however lotus goes into garments, dwelling items, meals, and extra.

Lotus Silk Farm, the first location in Siem Reap for lotus byproduct manufacturing, can also be a soothing scenic expertise. It’s positioned about half-hour from the town heart, and it has panoramic views of the encompassing lotus fields. The native ladies staffing the place are additionally super-friendly. It’s free to enter and discover the grounds your self, or $20-30 for a guided tour and craft workshop.

Completely happy Pizza

As soon as upon a time, hashish was typically used as a spice in conventional Cambodian cooking. These days, for no matter purpose, hashish is a well-liked pizza topping in lots of pizzerias there. Completely happy Pizza retailers aren’t almost as widespread these days as they had been after I first visited Siem Reap in 2012, however they’re nonetheless accessible if the place to go.

I went to Siem Reap with some associates in February 2024 and we went to Completely happy Siem Reap Pizza. The vibe was relaxed, and the household operating the place helped us determine what number of scoops of “comfortable” we should always go along with. I’m a light-weight so I went with one scoop in a milkshake and nonetheless acquired a buzz, whereas certainly one of my extra botanically liberated associates had 4 scoops – two on a pizza and two in a shake. I don’t know the way he held it collectively, however he stories his expertise being nice too.

Angkor Botanical Gardens

The Angkor Botanical Gardens are positioned between Angkor Wat and the Siem Reap Metropolis Heart. They’re a bubble of lush, clear, tranquil greenery in the course of an city space that’s fairly barren a lot of the yr spherical. Just a few of my feedback on the place that replicate why it’s so good embody:

• It’s very clear, helped by the “no plastic allowed” rule.
• Pleasant workers
• Free entrance
• Various design, together with completely different floral biomes, strolling paths, koi fish ponds, and extra
• Massive grounds
• Informative signposts that make it a museum-like expertise

Phare Circus

Phare Circus is way from a hidden gem, nevertheless it actually is likely one of the greatest methods to expertise modern Cambodian tradition.

I’ve gone twice, and my experiences each occasions had been comparable. The evening began at 5:30 with a road meals competition within the on-site Phare Cafe. I had some actually scrumptious road meals; most memorably, the Nom Banh Chok rice noodles, which solely price just a few {dollars}. Whereas I ate, I watched some dancers carry out conventional Cambodian music.

After consuming, I filed into the circus’s huge prime tent arrange subsequent to the cafe. I purchased normal seating for less than $18 the final time I went, however I’ve no complaints in regards to the seats in anyway; they weren’t removed from the performers.

I wasn’t touring with children, however a variety of teams there have been touring in households and it seemed like the youngsters had been having a improbable time too.

Phnom Kulen Nationwide Park

Phnom Kulen Nationwide Park is simply 30 miles or so north of Angkor Wat, nevertheless it feels a world away due to how peaceable and naturally majestic it’s.

The plush forest, mountainous plateaus, and spectacular waterfalls of the park are fairly per different improbable nationwide parks in Southeast Asia (one of the best area of the world for nationwide parks, in my view), however the way in which it seamlessly blends spirituality and historical past with the character is unmatched. Take a look at the Reclining Buddha Statue, the River of a Thousand Lingas, and a number of the temple ruins scattered all through the park to know what I imply.

It must be famous that the best sights and actions within the park are on prime of a mountain. There are two important strategies of ascending:

Climbing: The hike is roughly 6 miles and takes 3-4 hours. Terrain shouldn’t be too tough contemplating it’s all uphill, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not advisable for individuals who aren’t in nice form.

Driving: There’s a one-lane street main up the mountain. From the park opening at 7 AM till 11 AM, the street is “ascent-only,” which means that site visitors is barely allowed to move a method. From midday till the park closes at 5 PM, the street is “descent-only.”

Nonetheless you intend to ascend, the admission price charged on the base of the mountain is $20/individual. Children beneath 13 are free.

When to Go to Siem Reap

The subsequent query is, what time of yr do you have to go to Siem Reap in order to get pleasure from as many of those actions as potential?

Dry Season (November-February)

That is the most well-liked season to go to Siem Reap because it brings with it essentially the most impartial climate. It not often rains and the temperatures keep delicate with a mean daytime warmth of 86 levels (30C).

The dry season is an efficient time for any of the actions talked about on this information, although they’ll virtually actually be extra crowded than the remainder of the yr.

Sizzling Season (March-Might)

I visited Siem Reap throughout the scorching season solely as soon as, and I’ll by no means return throughout that point. Cambodian solar actually has a method of beating down on you (the shortage of shade in Siem Reap doesn’t assist), so the 97-degree (36C) temperatures really feel even hotter. Deliver sunscreen and hat if you happen to do go throughout these months, however I wouldn’t suggest it.

Because it’s so lively, a journey to Phnom Kulen Nationwide Park will probably be ruined by the intense warmth. Visiting Tonle Lake received’t be almost as cool, both, since most of will probably be dried up.

Wet Season (June-October)

I additionally visited Siem Reap as soon as throughout the wet season, however I appreciated it much more than the recent summer time season. As readers of this weblog could know, I truly love touring in Southeast Asia throughout the wet season as a result of:

• Rainfalls within the space often final solely a short time, so you may wait them out in a restaurant.
• Even in case you are out within the rain, it’s hotter rain than in most different areas.
• After a rainfall, the air feels contemporary and smells good.
• Rain makes the countryside greener and prettier.
• Crowds are smaller throughout the wet season.

The wet season is one of the best time to go to Tonle Lake since will probably be at its largest. Sadly, the rain makes out of doors actions like Phnom Kulen Nationwide Park and Angkor Botanical Gardens too muddy to be pleasant. It additionally causes the closure of many out of doors distributors, making out of doors markets much less enjoyable to go to.

The place to Keep in Siem Reap

Siem Reap is fairly small and doesn’t have the vastly completely different “zones” {that a} megacity like Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh Metropolis would. Nonetheless, there are just a few elements of city with very completely different vibes that will have an effect on your trip expertise. Those I’ve stayed in or been informed about embody:

The Previous Quarter (For first-timers)

That is the oldest a part of Siem Reap and can enchantment to structure buffs or tradition hounds due to how historic the constructing and native companies really feel. It has a variety of typical vacationer zone options like bars, hostels, retailers promoting countless souvenirs, journey businesses, and workers at each store who can converse English. It’s not as sleazy because the “backpacker district” in lots of Southeast Asian cities, although.

Steered resort: La Rivière d’ Angkor Resort villas with pool

SFPDA Highway (For peace-seekers)

This quiet street is about 10 minutes out of city by automobile, however there are tons of tuk-tuks and taxis within the space. It’s a lot quieter and extra peaceable than the town heart, and it’s proper subsequent to a giant park referred to as Cambodian Cultural Village. It’s additionally proper close to Phare Circus, one of the in style actions on the town.

I wish to give a shout-out to one of the best resort expertise I’ve had in Siem Reap, Sbara Angkor Resort and Spa. I used to be capable of expertise five-star luxurious there for less than $30/evening and Phanit, one of many house owners, was tremendous good.

Steered resort: Sbara Angkor Resort and Spa

Wat Damnak (For fashionable vacationers)

This neighborhood is simply throughout the river from the Previous Quarter so remains to be very central, nevertheless it’s fairly quiet contemplating that reality. It’s acquired extra fashionable, fashionable cafes and eating places than some other neighborhood in Siem Reap.

Steered resort: The 5 Senses Boutique Resort with pool

Road 30 (For comfort)

Road 30 is a big thoroughfare, nevertheless it has a variety of peaceable facet streets coming off of it with some improbable boutique motels for terribly inexpensive costs (usually $30-40/evening). The realm is a 10-minute drive from city, nevertheless it’s proper subsequent to a couple of my favourite actions in Siem Reap like Angkor Botanical Gardens and the APOPO Customer Heart. It’s additionally very near Angkor Wat itself.

Steered resort: Shining Angkor Boutique Resort

Easy methods to Get to Siem Reap

The desk beneath particulars the gap in each miles (or km) and minutes to Siem Reap from numerous close by cities by way of each of one of the best strategies: by airplane and by van. Under the desk, I’ll give a bit extra element about every technique.

By Airplane (The quickest method)

In the event you’re flying into Siem Reap from one other nation, flying is the way in which to go until you’re actually pinching pennies. The worldwide terminal at Siem Reap-Angkor Airport could be very good; sufficiently small to be simply navigable, however nonetheless clear and fashionable and solely about 4 miles from the town heart.

The home terminal shouldn’t be as good, nevertheless it’s solely a 43-minute flight from Phnom Penh.

By Van/Bus (The most affordable method)

I really feel I’ve to incorporate this as a result of it’s the extra budget-friendly possibility, however I actually wouldn’t suggest it. Not solely are the roads in Cambodia fairly dangerous, however there’s been a number of unwelcome noise emanating from the cab each occasions I’ve taken chartered vans or buses within the nation. It wouldn’t be too loopy to take a sleeper bus from Phnom Penh in a single day, for the reason that buses in Cambodia are at the least spacious, however any additional would in all probability be ill-advised.

The place to Go After Siem Reap

As Marek detailed in his 2018 retrospective on city decay in Cambodia, a lot of the largest cities within the nation aren’t as enjoyable to go to as cities in neighboring international locations Vietnam or Thailand. Sadly, that’s an assertion I agree with. Happily, Cambodia has some much less developed areas that make nice stops after Siem Reap, reminiscent of:

• Kampot, a relaxed riverside city on the coast roughly 450 mi (724km) South of Siem Reap. (Kampot Information)
• Koh Rong Samloen, an ultra-laid-back island that’s solely a 70-minute flight from Siem Reap. (Koh Rong Samloen Travelogue)
• The Cardamom Mountains, dwelling to one of many final true rainforests in Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat already provides “jungle journey,” however a guided trek within the Cardamom Mountains takes it to the following degree.

For more information about touring Cambodia as a complete, take a look at the total information to planning a visit in Cambodia.

Wrapping Up

You’ve in all probability seen that this information has a variety of superlatives; experiences or locales that I describe as one of the best I’ve ever had or essentially the most fascinating I’ve encountered in Asia. That’s not me being overly enthusiastic; it’s simply that Siem Reap is a very, actually nice metropolis. In the event you observe this information or at the least select just a few actions that appear particularly fascinating to you, I assure you’ll have an incredible journey to Siem Reap, with or with out Angkor Wat.