If you’re planning a trip to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat, consider extending your time because there’s more to Northern Cambodia than just ‘the Wat’. Some adventurous days are waiting for you; Get active, get dirty, and get out of town!
Siem Reap town itself is a hustle and bustle of craziness, with all manner of weird and wonderful things passing by on the street. Live animals are carried off to become dinner, mattress stacks precariously perched on motorbikes, or the most common site of all – scooters carrying entire families, babies dangling off the side, held with one arm and lacking in any form of safety attire.
However, this crazy, wonderful town and its main event, Angkor Wat, are not the only spectacles in which to immerse oneself. Some memorable times exploring this part of Northern Cambodia can be had, discovering the outskirts of Siem Reap and farther beyond:
On your bike!
It’s a 7-kilometre journey from the centre of Siem Reap to the ancient walled town of Angkor Thom (just past Angkor Wat). It can be a big day ahead of riding, so pack a ratchet strap and convince a tuk-tuk driver to transport you and your bicycle to the ‘South Gate’ for a head start.
Rather than following the procession of traffic through to the centre of Angkor Thom, you can meander along a serene and pretty forest track on top of the fortress wall. No one else will likely be there but you; enjoy beautiful views, bonus temples and space alone to reflect. Take a left turn inside the gate and carry your bike up the embankment to find the trail.
Riding to the West Gate will offer the chance of incredible photos with a minimum amount of human interruption. Then head towards the heart of the fortress, where you will have an opportunity to explore many other famous sites, including the Bayon temple with its famous stone faces.
As you journey east through the Victory Gate to the surrounding areas, you will discover many more ancient sites, including Tomb Raider fame’s enigmatic Ta Prohm temple.
See more: Cycling Angkor Thom
On your Quad Bike!
Get back on the wheels again, but prepare for a vastly different day from cruising the temples by pushbike.
Beautiful little palm-lined villages are just out of town, and you can roll through them on a full day quad bike tour. As you approach, the village kids hear you coming and run out to the road in the hope of high-fiving you as you go past. But beware, the chance of running down a chicken as it darts across your path is high.
Fishing villages on the Tonle Sap Lake offer a different peek at the local lifestyle. The stilt village of Kampong Phluk, 30 kilometres out of town and with very few tourists, is a thrill to visit. In the dry season (October to April), you can ride down the usually underwater ‘Main Street’. Here, you can make instant friends with the villagers while marvelling at their houses, way up in the air. The village kids will clamber for photos before jumping on your bike for a ride out to the lake.
On the way back into Siem Reap, you may be lucky to take a detour right through the middle of a modern temple complex, where monks are happy to greet you on the way through. See the spires of Angkor Wat poke out from the distant treetops as you ride down the highway – yes, quad biking down a highway – to top off this sensational outing.
This is an exciting, high action day, so get your GoPro ready and if you go in the dry season, be prepared to come back happily dirty.
Get out of town
There are remote temples to discover, deep in the forest or perched on a cliff. The tourist numbers are drastically lower than those within the central Angkor Archaeological Park, and there is a feeling of ‘place’ in these isolated locations.
The superbly crumbled Beng Melea is only an hour away and has an enchanting jungle atmosphere. Not so long ago, you were free to clamber over fallen temple stones, a thrilling adventure, whereas now, a timber walkway twists and turns through the ruins. Not as exciting, but a much safer and accessible option.
The pyramid temple of Koh Ker sits deep within the forests of Northern Cambodia, within an area cleared of landmines, a grim legacy of the Vietnam War. However, the pyramid has recently had a new and improved stairway installed, offering an opportunity to perch atop this ancient structure and take in the 360o view across the landscape.
Travel 230 kilometres from Siem Reap to reach the Thai border and arrive at Preah Vihear, a ruined temple perched upon a 525-metre clifftop. Straddling the Thai and Cambodian border, the two countries have continued to fight for ownership of the temple until recently. It is now declared safe to visit, although soldiers are still present. A steep and winding road will lead you up to the precipice, where you can explore the ancient site and overlook the Cambodian countryside from atop the sheer drop.
Cambodia is an exciting and friendly destination with abundant opportunities for discoveries. There is strange satisfaction finishing the day hot and sweaty, so get some wheels, find a village, and make new friends. Adventure awaits!
Facts
Getting There
Vietnam Airlines flies from Melbourne/Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City, with connecting flights to Siem Reap on Vietnam Airlines or Cambodia Angkor Air.
Staying There
Accommodation is plentiful, ranging from $20 per night guesthouses to five-star resort hotels. Stay close to the Angkor temples, or in the centrally located ‘Old Market Area’, where the action is.
Getting Around
Tuk-Tuks are everywhere. They’re cheap, easy, and fun. Get around for as little as a few dollars per ride.
Touring
Angkor Archaeological Park tickets are around AUD49 (single day), AUD83 (3 days), or AUD96 (7 day pass).
Bicycle hire is $5-10 per day.
Quadbike guided tours – From 1 hour sunset ride AUD40 pp, to 8 hour (recommended) AUD230 pp.
srquadbikeadventure.com/
Five other things to do in Siem Reap
Enjoy the buzz of ‘Pub Street’ – a Mecca for Westerners:
– Dampen your culture shock over Angkor beer and Cambodian Curry (or burger and chips if you must), in the heart of Siem Reap.
– Shop the boutiques, wander the laneways, and stay late for the nightlife.
Peruse the markets:
– Buy locally made items at the Made in Cambodia Market or the Art Centre Night Market. Quality products include handmade silverware.
– Get a haircut, lunch, new shoes, and a bag of chicken’s feet at the Old Market.
Visit the Cambodian Landmine Museum
-Learn about the six million landmines still in the Cambodian countryside, and see some items left over from the Khmer Rouge regime.
cambodialandminemuseum.org/
Do a food tour
-Visit rural markets and noodle makers in the morning, or eat your way through Siem Reap in the evening.siemreapfoodtours.com/
Eat bugs
-Find a fried tarantula snack or dine on Insect Tapas at Bugs Café (reopening soon).
