Northwestern Cambodia

The tourist city of Siem Reap, where one of Cambodia’s two international airports is located, features a vibrant nightlife, excellent shopping opportunities, and of course, the famous Angkor Wat. Greater Siem Reap Province has a wide range of day-trip activities, including the river of 1000 lingas at Kbal Spean, the exquisite Banteay Srei temple, and opportunities to visit villages engaged in traditional handicrafts, including the production of silk.

While Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat draws the lion’s share of Cambodian tourists and Batdambang, Cambodia’s 2nd largest city, is a popular gateway for those traveling to and from the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, the remainder of Western Cambodia sees very few visitors. The Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake has fascinating stilted and floating villages, as well as some outstanding birding opportunities.

Those with a sense of adventure can head out to more less visited temple complexes, including the ancient capital of Sambor Prei Kuk or the remote Banteay Chhmar, both of which are excellent attractions to take in while on a single day or multi-day off-road motorcycle adventure. Other remote ancient temple complexes, including Prasat Preah Vihear, Koh Ker, and Beng Mealea see far fewer visitors and are great to explore at a leisurely pace as day trips from Siem Reap town.

Home to roughly 90,000 people, Siem Reap serves as the gateway for exploring Angkor Wat and the Angkor Archaeological Park. Regarded as one of the Great Wonders of the World, Angkor Wat is the centerpiece of a spectacular temple complex surrounded by indigenous forest. The capital of the kingdom’s for more than 600 years, Angkor was the most powerful city in the region, with a large population engaged in the construction of massive religious monuments, the development of complicated agricultural irrigation, and a mastery of various traditional arts.

Batdambang province, which borders Thailand, is known as the ‘rice bowl of Cambodia,’ as most of the country’s rice is produced in the lowland plains that surround the seasonally flooded Tonle Sap Lake. Agriculture, rather than tourism, is the biggest contributor to the Batdambang economy, and many fruits and vegetables are grown throughout the province. While infrequently visited by foreigners, the charming city of Batdambang offers some excellent attractions, incluind the ‘bamboo railway’ and even a circus!

South of Batdambang is Pursat province, which lies between the Tonle Sap and the Cardamom Mountains. Visitors typically only pass through Pursat on their way to/from Battambang and Phnom Penh, but the capital ‘city’ is actually one of the most charming provincial capitals in Cambodia. Agriculture is the main industry here, but Pursat is also known for its handicrafts, particularly marble carving. Pursat is also a great place to experience life on the Tonle Sap Lake; one of the least visited, and therefore most ‘authentic’ floating villages, Kampong Luong is an easy day trip from the provincial capital.

Along the Thai border north of Batdambang lie the provinces of Oddar Meanchey and Banteay Meanchey. The most visited city in either province is the border town of Poipet, which is little more than a strip of casinos and hotels that attracts throngs of Thais who come across to gamble for the day. Those adventurous enough to venture north to Banteay Meanchey province can enjoy the expansive temple complex of Banteay Chhmar, one of the largest in Cambodia. While only very few make the journey, a community based eco-tourism project in the town beside the temple complex provides an oasis of rural relaxation. Oddar Meanchey is best known for the town of Anlong Veng, which was one of the last enclaves of the Khmer Rouge and is now the final resting place of despotic leader Pol Pot. His unimpressive and unadorned grave isn’t worth the voyage.

Once upon a time (before Angkor), Kampong Thom Province was the heart of the Khmer Empire, with the temple complex of Sambor Prei Kuk serving as its religious center. Today, the town of Kampong Thom, half way between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, serves as the launching point for day-trips to the ruins of the former capital city. Farther north, in the province of Preah Vihear, another spectacular temple lies on the cliffs of the Dangrek Mountain Range overlooking the Cambodian plains from near the Thai border.

Preah Vihear province is a bit more challenging to get to than Kampong Thom, but offers some spectacular sights, including the temple after which the province is named and some outstanding opportunities for serious bird-watchers. Tmatboey, which features the largest deciduous forest in Southeast Asia, plays home to the critically endangered Giant and White Shouldered Ibis. Birding outfit Sam Veasna Center can also arrange for you to visit “The Vulture Restaurant,” where carrion is occasionally served up to Cambodia’s remaining vulture population. Also in Preah Vihear province are the ruins of Koh Ker, which briefly served as capital city during the early Angkor era. Koh Ker is best combined with a visit to Beng Mealea temple, which was built by Angkor Wat King Suryavarman II.

The small border town of Pailin, arguably the most out of the way province in the region, was where the Khmer Rouge held out the longest. It is a good place to buy gems and handicrafts.

Cities

• Siem Reap: Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination; gateway to Angkor Wat and the Angkor Archaeological Park as well as both floating and stilted villages on the Tonle Sap Lake.
• Battambang: Featuring some of Cambodia’s best-preserved French-colonial architecture and a number of Angkor-era temples along with a circus (!) and a “bamboo train” (!!).
• Pursat: Charming provincial town near the south shore of the Tonle Sap, Pursat is famous for marble carving, oranges, and the wilderness of the northern Cardamom Mountain Range.
• Poipet: The main border-crossing town into Cambodia, Poipet is the ‘Las Vegas of Cambodia,’ attracting many gamblers from nearby Thailand.
• Sisophon: A shadow-puppet theater workshop run by an NGO is the main attraction in the capital of Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province.
• Banteay Chhmar: off-the-beaten-path temple complex in northern Banteay Meanchey offering community-based eco-tourism to a small number of visitors
• Kampong Thom: Halfway point between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, this unassuming town is the launching point for trips to the Sambor Prei Kuk temples that served as capital of Cambodia prior to Angkor.

Islands & Beaches

• Koh Sampovmeas: a small island park within the river that passes through downtown Pursat.
• Cam Pey: this waterfall near Samraong has become one of Cambodia’s newest resort areas.
• Tonle Sap: The largest body of fresh water in Southeast Asia is home to numerous birds and villages that float or are perched on stilts by the shore.

National Parks

• Phnom Kulen National Park: two breathtaking waterfalls, magnificent mountains, and several ancient archaeological sites dominate this national park’s landscape.
• Ang Trapaeng Thmor: former Angkor-era irrigation project along ancient roadway into Thailand is now home to a large crane sanctuary.
• Samlaut Multiple Use Area: the rare Asian elephant is just one of the several endangered species that live in northwestern Cambodia’s only remaining tropical rainforest.
• Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary: Cambodia’s biggest protected area was established to protect the endangered kouprey ox and contains the country’s largest swamp.
• Prek Toal Biosphere: this biosphere, one of three on Tonle Sap’s shores, is ideal for bird watching.

Other Destinations

• Angkor Archaeological Park: the legendary Angkor Wat temple is the most famous of the many ruins of what was once the heart of the mighty Khmer Empire.
• Kompong Luong: this floating town of 10,000 residents moves with the water levels of Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s biggest freshwater lake.
• Kompong Phhluk: all of this village’s homes are built on stilts as protection against seasonal flooding.
• Koh Ker: The area served as capital city for nearly 20 years during the early Angkor era and features some impressive temples that see few visitors.
• Beng Mealea: This Angkor Wat-style temple lies in day trip distance of Siem Reap and remains mostly in ruins for adventurous visitors to explore.
• Sambor Prei Kuk: Over 100 temples and other monuments of this pre-Angkor capital are among Cambodia’s oldest structures and are infrequently visited by tourists.
• Prasat Preah Vihear: this temple is at least a century older than Angkor Wat and stands on a cliff overlooking Cambodia just inside the Thai border.
• Banteay Srei: Perhaps the #1 Siem Reap day-trip attraction, this exquisite, pink sandstone temple has some of the finest carvings of any temple adorning it.
• Kbal Spean: The River of 1000 Lingas, Kbal Spean is a river with carvings in the stones in and around the water, accessible by a pleasant nature walk and near a fine animal sanctuary.
• Banteay Chhmar: Remote and in ruins, this temple complex is one of the largest in Cambodia; the town built on the moat surrounding it offers excellent community-based tourism.
• Phnom Santok: it takes 980 stairs to reach the top of this holy mountain with a colorful pagoda, several smaller shrines, and many Buddha images carved into the hillside.

Rental cars (with drivers) are available to explore the western part of Cambodia, particularly departing Batdambang and Siem Reap. For those on a shoe-string budget, there are plenty of buses and minivans that ply the roads between provincial capitals. In each destination, motodop taxis and tuk tuks are the norm, though hiring a car and driver is also fairly easy to set up.