Every year there is a traditional community fish-catching event that takes place at Lake Bangkong in Bangkong Village, Ampil Commune, Prasat Bakong District, of Siem Reap Province. It’s not far from the Siem Reap city centre, about 30 minutes by moto, car, or tuk tuk and not far from Chau Srei Vibol Temple on the … Read more
Here’s our updated intro to Siem Reap for 2025, including the hot attractions and things to do Home to Angkor Wat and the vast array of ancient temples and wonders that surround it, Siem Reap offers an ever-growing list of diverse activities and things to do, along with being a superb place to chill and … Read more
Updated Jan 2025 – The Angkor Pass ticket covers Angkor Wat and all the temples in Angkor Archeological Park, including outlying sites such as Beng Mealea, Chau Srei Vibol, Kbal Spean, and Banteay Srei. There are two types of tickets, the normal ticket type and one for long-term foreign residents as set out below with … Read more
During special events and functions, the temples of Angkor from time to time are lit at night creating a unique and very special experience. It’s usually Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom South Gate, and the Bayon Temple that are lit up but it just depends on the scale and type of event. Sometimes the Baphoun temple … Read more
Whilst not on the scale or significance of the concurrently held Water Festival in Phnom Penh, the Siem Reap Water Festival offers a more relaxed version of this historically and culturally important event. There’s a full intro to Bon Om Touk (Water Festival) here. The Royal Water Festival at Siem Reap lasts three days, with … Read more
On October 28 and 29th, Angkor Wat hosted celebrations for the 20th anniversary of King Norodom Sihamoni’s coronation under the “Smile of Cambodia” event. Exhibition of local foods, souvenirs and Khmer arts, plus traditional Khmer performances took place throughout the day while the big event was the Kings Parade that started at 4 PM along … Read more
It’s that wonderful time of year again when the sun magically rises over the center tower of Angkor Wat! It happens twice a year, in March and September and it’s one of the biggest events on Angkor Wat’s calendar drawing crowds of upwards of 10,000 people. It’s one of the world’s most unique experiences, where … Read more
The Gumball 3000 Rally is making its Southeast Asian debut with Cambodia as a key stop in 2024, marking the rally’s 25th anniversary. The event attracts global celebrities, automotive enthusiasts, and media attention. Around 130 supercars and luxury exotics will participate, including cars like the Mercedes AMG GT, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari, Porche and … Read more
Phnom Kulen – The Birthplace of Angkor and home to the ancient city of Mahavendarpata Phnom Kulen (or Kulen Mountain) is a popular destination located north of Siem Reap well known for its stunning waterfall, reclining Buddha, amazing scenic views, and nature. It is also the birthplace of the ancient Angkor era featuring archeological remains … Read more
It’s not always sunshine, rainbows, ancient temples, and yummy noodles while traversing the Kingdom of Wonder. As it is with life, sometimes the chain on your bike breaks, and you need a mechanic, sometimes you lose things, and need a policeman, sometimes you’ll break, and need a doctor! Recently, so it would happen, I broke … Read more
Here’s a super cool video from Scott Sharrick introducing the key temples along what’s known as the Small & Grand Circuit. For first-time visitors, it’s a great preview of the amazing experience ahead and the journey along the way. You can subscribe to Scott’s Youtube channel here
Catching the sunrise at Angkor Wat is a must-do experience while in Siem Reap, and here is the ultimate guide to getting to the right place and getting yourself some awesome photos. Angkor Wat opens at 5 am every day allowing people to experience the break of day as the sun rises from behind the … Read more
Well within the highly visited temple area of Angkor hides a secret trail away from everything, and everyone. This trail leads us around the ancient wall of Angkor Thom featuring amazing views, close-ups with the amazing smiling faces of the Angkor Thom gates, and four hidden temples. Angkor Thom is the large walled ancient city … Read more
Angkor Wat is the UNESCO-listed ancient temple located near Siem Reap that has been rated as the world’s top travel destination and by many as one of the world wonders, so, how much does it cost to visit? A one-day pass is available for $37 USD including a full day’s access to Angkor Wat and … Read more
Angkor Wat is the largest and most renowned temple of the ancient Khmer Empire, but when was it built and by who? Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century somewhere between 1113 and 1150 AD under the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113-1150 C.E.). Based on vague references found on … Read more
Looking for the key sights within the Angkor Wat Temple? There is a lot, and with only one chance to visit there is a lot that people miss such as all the bas-reliefs, pediments, and architectural features. Here are two maps, one based on Google Maps and one in image form that will help navigate … Read more
Fancy a scenic trail within Angkor that’s rarely explored, has a jungle wandering feel featuring water views along with ruinous and intriguing ancient construction offering up amazingly unique photo opportunities? Read on. Preah Khan, the brother to Ta Prohm, is one of the larger and more interesting sites inside of Angkor Archaeological Park. Located just … Read more
Siem Reap is on the cusp of one the largest renewals in its modern history led by a massive government works program, namely the “38 Road Project” and even larger foreign investment developments. The large scale private developments, mostly led by foreign capital inflow, including Angkor Lake of Wonder – (or Naga World Siem Reap) … Read more
Siem Reap Municipality Provincial Authority, in cooperation with the Union of Youth Federation of Cambodia, has been busy preparing a holiday program including traditional religious programs, cycling, charity events, floating markets, exhibitions, and cycling, hiking, camping on Kulen Mountain and more. The river, full of a fresh allowance of water, looks absolutely amazing at the … Read more
In an effort to boost tourism visitors buying tickets to Angkor Archeological Park will be given extra days for free. This is a time-limited offer running from the 25th of February to the 25th of June 2020. During the offer period $37 One Day Angkor Archeological Park Pass is valid for 2 days (normally one … Read more
List updated with new options for 2022! Where to find a great breakfast in Siem Reap? Keep walking past Pub Street and on to one of these picks below. Here I will introduce places to try Khmer breakfast favourites including Kuy Teav (noodles), Bor Bor (rice porridge), Egg Baguette, and Bay Sach Chrouk Ang (Pork … Read more
Here is our big list of buffet restaurants in Siem Reap including hotel buffets, all you can eat BBQ’s, free flow breakfasts and more. Outside of the hotel buffets prices start around $6.50 which is amazing value and the BBQ buffets offering a unique truly local experience. For hotel buffets offering more international cuisine prices … Read more
What to do after trekking around the ancient temples of Angkor in Siem Reap? How about a professional massage and a trip to the spa? I’m betting you’re interested, especially when you can get three or four times the value here that you can back in most western countries, and service with that famous Khmer … Read more
Siem Reap is well known for amazing value accommodation and today I want to highlight some of the amazing value that can be found in the five-star category. There are around 100+ five star rated hotels in Siem Reap offering a diverse range of service and experience levels with prices ranging from around $40 to … Read more
[This post has been updated see: 2023/24 Things to do in Siem Reap] Siem Reap is famous for the amazing ancient temples of Angkor but beyond that, what other things are there to do? A lot. The city is a melting pot of cultures with influence from the French, a little from Vietnam, Japan, Korea, … Read more
[Updated Oct 2024] Here is our big list of gyms and fitness centres in Siem Reap, ranging from the basic workout gyms at a bargain $1 per visit to $10 per visit for luxury A/C gyms with steam rooms etc. Recently, many new gyms have opened, vastly expanding the options available. Meru Fitness Center Address: … Read more
Siem Reap offers 3 quality championship courses that are open to non-members with very attractive green fees. Great for an early morning or evening hit. And if you’re not up for a real round of golf there is always loads of fun to be had at Angkor Wat Putt. Details follow The Phokeethra Country … Read more
Known to few, Siem Reap offers some of the world’s truly unique luxury five-star accommodation experiences. What’s more, they are incredible value for what will be a lifelong memory on a journey into ancient Angkor. It’s not hard to find a five-star hotel, but it is hard to find a luxury experience that’s unique in … Read more
Updated for 2024, in this list of Siem Reap’s most beautiful restaurants, I will focus on those with something more than delicious food and great service by featuring restaurants that also have amazing views, garden settings, and dining spaces. Many are quite impressive, offering you the chance to turn a meal into an experience and … Read more
Night markets, craft markets, street markets, Siem Reap has them all and more and I am going to show where they are, and introduce the local traditional markets for a slice of the Khmer local life. Let’s start with the central markets, which focus have a strong tourist focus but also serve the local community. … Read more