Top 10 Most Memorable Tourist Attractions in Cambodia

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Top 10 Most Memorable Tourist Attractions in
Cambodia
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• The very mention of Cambodia brings to mind
  obvious associations-The beauty of the Angkor
  temples and horrors of the Khmer Rouge reign.
  And then the inaccessibility of an unstable and
  devastated country. But a fast healing Cambodia
  has managed to recover adequately, turning the
  remains of the Khmer era into as much of a
  tourist destination as its world famous temple
  complexes. For a change in flavor, theres a
  hill station with colonial buildings from the
  countrys French past. There are also tropical
  beaches and an abundance of natural attractions
  for the tourist maxed out on history!

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• Heres a countdown of the 10 most memorable
• Preah Vihear
• Tonle Sap
• Silver Pagoda
• Bokor Hill Station
• S-21 The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• The Killing Fields
• Koh Ker
• Sihanoukville
• Angkor Thom
• Angkor Wat

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Preah Vihear
This Khmer temple from the 11th and the 12th
centuries is perhaps the most dramatically
situated temple in Cambodia. Away from the
Angkor temple complex, it is located on a cliff
top in the Dangrek Mountains. Dedicated to the
Hindu god Shiva, this temple has been a bone of
territorial contention between Thailand and
Cambodia for the longest time.
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Tonle Sap
Tonle Sap is the largest fresh water in South
East Asia. It is also home to a number of ethnic
Vietnamese and Cham communities that live around
the lake in floating fishing villages. It is
also unusual for the fact that it is a combined
lake and river system. In the dry season, it
drains into the Mekong but as soon as the rains
begin, it backs up into an enormous lake. Its
been designated as a UNESCO biosphere.
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Silver Pagoda
A visit to the royal palace compound in Phnom
Penh is a must. A Cambodia travel guide will
first take you to the Silver Pagoda which houses
quite a few national treasures. The most
noteworthy being exquisite gold and jeweled
Buddhas. These figurines have to be seen to be
believed! One beauty is a baccarat crystal
Buddha famous as the Emerald Buddha of Cambodia.
Another one is the 90 kilogram gold Maitreya
Buddha which is decorated with 9584 diamonds, the
largest one weighing in at 25 whopping carats!
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Bokor Hill Station
Now this is a strange place to visit..but for a
country with such a traumatic past, this eerie
ghost town encapsulates its struggles and
continual conflict. Built by the French in the
early twentieth century, this town has been
abandoned not once but twice! Once by the French
in the middle of the twentieth century and then
by the Khmer Rouge..infact it was one of their
last strongholds. Now the Palace hotel and
casino, royal apartments amongst various
buildings are mere shadows of their previous
glory. Restoration plans are in the offing.
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S-21 The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
S-21 or Security Prison 21 was actually a high
school site amongst numerous others which were
converted into prisons and torture chambers by
the Khmer Rouge. There are pictures of dead and
missing persons, human remains and also an array
of torture equipment. It is a very difficult
experience, but also a necessary reminder of
human cruelty.
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The Killing Fields
If you managed to survive the horror of S-21, any
Cambodia tour guide will now point you in the
direction of the Killing Fields. 15 kilometers
from the capital city, this is a unique
monument. It has human bones and skulls from one
of the many mass graves from the Khmer era. The
government chose to leave the other mass graves
unopened and the area has become a sort of a
hallowed ground.
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Koh Ker
Koh Ker is an erstwhile capital city..Though it
was the capital of the Khmer Empire very briefly,
this short period was enough for a number of
spectacular buildings to come up. The most
notable of those being the Prasat Thom, an
imposing temple building rising above the jungle.
Left to the jungle for nearly a millennium, this
temple was one of Cambodias most inaccessible
sites, but thanks to de-mining and a new toll
road, it is no longer so.
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Sihanoukville
Also known as Kampong Som, is a beach resort on
the Gulf of Thailand. Known for its pristine and
yet unexplored beaches, it is a perfect getaway
spot for a weary traveler.
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Angkor Thom
Though not restored to the level of Angkor Wat,
this temple is a thing of beauty. It has its own
charm, with the entry bridge that seats 54 stone
warriors that seem to be struggling with the
sacred Naga snake.
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Angkor Wat
This is what the majority comes to Cambodia for.
The famous Angkor Wat temple was built over the
course of thirty years in the twelfth century but
remained undiscovered till the nineteenth century
when the French colonized Cambodia. As such, it
was quite well preserved and is now one of the
Wonders of the World. A good Cambodia guide will
make sure you get a treat of the magnificent wall
carvings fill up the temple walls.
Interestingly, this temple was built for King
Suryavarman II as a home after he died.
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• On the whole, a visit to Cambodia is a dose in
  history, humanity and nature all rolled into one.
  You cannot leave from here without wonder and
  amazement at mans creative capability.