Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Some of the attractions on this list of the best things to do in Cambodia are ranked among the most moving sights in the world, on the bucket lists of almost every traveller.
Few travelers are immune to Cambodia’s beguiling charms, which are made all the more poignant by the country’s resilience in recovering from its dark past.
The stunning temples of Angkor are the obvious draw for most tourists, but the country has much else to offer: tropical beaches, colonial buildings and an abundance of natural attractions.
Here're The top tourist attractions in Cambodia:
1, Angkor Wat - Siem Reap
Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Angkor Wat (meaning “City Temple”) is the most magnificent and largest of all Angkor temples and the top tourist attraction in Cambodia. Built around the first half of 12th century by King Suryavarman II, the temple’s balance, composition and beauty make it one of the finest monuments in the world. A huge rectangular reservoir surrounds Angkor Wat which rises up through a series of three rectangular terraces to the central shrine and tower at a height of 213 meters (669 feet). This arrangement reflects the traditional Khmer idea of the temple mountain, in which the temple represent Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Hinduism.
2, Bayon Temple - Siem Reap
Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Part of the world famous destination of Angkor, the Bayon temple features a sea of over 200 massive stone faces looking in all direction. The curious smiling faces, thought by many to be a portrait of king Jayavarman VII himself or a combination of him and Buddha, are an instantly recognizable image of Angkor. Built in the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII as part of a massive expansion of his capital Angkor Thom, the Bayon is built at the exact center of the royal city.
3, Ta Prohm - Siem Reap
Ta Prohm - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
If Angkor Wat and the city of Angkor Thom are best known for grandeur and majesty, then the temple and monastery of Ta Promh takes the prize for sheer dramatic effect. Unlike most other monuments, Ta Promh has been left the way it was originally found - overgrown and smothered by tree roots.
4, Angkor Thom - Siem Reap
Angkor Thom - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Locals pronounce this temple “Uncle Tom,” and though it hasn’t been restored to the degree of Angkor Wat, it does have several interesting elements. Angkor Thom’s defining feature is an entry bridge flanked by 54 stone warriors who seem to be playing tug-of-war with the sacred Naga Snake. Most of the warriors’ heads are missing (pop-up head, great photo op!), taken by looters after the Vietnam War. Bas reliefs here have less to do with the afterlife and more of the day to day aspect of this one; men playing chess, women cooking and having babies, a “Monkey 69” (use your imagination). “That would have never been on my father’s Metropolitan Museum of Art Tour,” quipped a friend.
5, Choeung Ek Genocidal Center - Phnom Penh
Choeung Ek Genocidal Center - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Choeung Ek Genocidal Center commemorates a tragic but important time in Cambodia’s history. Between 1975 and 1978, scores of innocent Cambodians were detained, tortured and killed at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime. Of the nearly 17,000 victims who passed through the site’s gates, only seven are thought to have survived.
A visit to Choeung Ek Killing Field is a sobering one, given the horrors this site has seen. However, it has been respectfully transformed into a peaceful place in homage to all the lives lost. Pay your respects at the Memorial Stupa. Here, see the skulls of thousands of the victims behind clear panels. The skulls are arranged by sex and age.
6, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum(S21) - Phnom Penh
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
In 1975, Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's security force and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It soon became the largest such center of detention and torture in the country. Over 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to the extermination camp at Choeung Ek to be executed; detainees who died during torture were buried in mass graves in the prison grounds. S-21 has been turned into the Tuol Sleng Museum, which serves as a testament to the crimes of the Khmer Rough.
7, Banteay Srei - Siem Reap
Banteay Srei - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Although officially part of the Angkor complex, Banteay Srei lies 25 km (15 miles) north-east of the main group of temples, and therefore often considered a separate Cambodia attraction. The temple was completed in 967 AD and is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still clearly visible today. Banteay Srei is the only major temple at Angkor not built for a king, instead it was constructed by one of king Rajendravarman’s counselors, Yajnyavahara.
8, Preah Vihear
Preah Vihear - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Preah Vihear is a striking Khmer temple, dramatically set on a 1,722-foot cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains. The views from the top expand over lowland Cambodia, with the peak of Phnom Kulen watching silently in the distance. Spread over more than 2,000 feet, the temple’s five Gopuras are comprised of four levels and four courtyards, all of which are decorated with intricate carvings. Constructed mainly between the 11th and 12th centuries, the temple was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Set on the border between Cambodia and Thailand, ongoing territorial disputes between the two countries have closed access to the temple from the Thai entrance.
9, Koh Ker - Siem Reap
Koh Ker - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
Koh Ker was the capital of the Khmer empire for a very brief period from the year 928 to 944 AD. In this short time some very spectacular buildings and immense sculptures were constructed. The site is dominated by Prasat Thom, a 30 meter (98 ft) tall temple pyramid rising high above the surrounding jungle. A giant Garuda (mythical half-man, half-bird creature), carved into the stone blocks, still guard the very top, although its partially covered now. Left to the jungle for nearly a millennium, Koh Ker was one of Cambodia’s most remote and inaccessible temple destinations. This has now changed thanks to recent de-mining and the opening of a new toll road.
10, Tonle Sap Lake - Siem Reap
Tonle Sap Lake - Top 10 Tourists Attractions in Cambodia
The Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. During the monsoon season, between June and October, it creates a massive and extremely diverse natural environment, including flooded forests and wetlands, which creates a home for a dizzying array of wildlife. There is also some remarkable human life around the lake, in the form of several floating villages.