off the beaten track Cambodia

There are then, as we said, less off-the-beaten-track tours and more off-the-beaten-track tours of Southeast Asia.

Phnom Kulen More of a flat-topped, sandstone plateau than mountain, Phnom Kulen lies approximately 50 kilometres north of Siem Reap Town, stretching northwest-southeast for a distance of some 30 kilometres. To the north a narrow valley, today filled by highway 66/67 (depending upon which map you refer to), separates the plateau from Kbal Spean its sister mountain while the district town…

More off-the-beaten-track Angkor Temples The sheer number of ancient temple sites, along with the limited time-frames available to the majority of visitors, mean that many of the smaller and more off-the-beaten-track Angkor temples remain almost completely overlooked. You certainly can’t see all the sites in a single visit, even with a 3-day pass – there’s little point in trying to…

Prasat Kampong Preah Situated amid extensive, seasonal marshlands on the edge of the Tonle Sap Lake, Prasat Kampong Preah is an off-the-beaten-track site in what is already one of Cambodia’s most off-the-beaten-track provinces. The location is some 30 to 40 minutes northwest of Kampong Chhnang’s eponymously named provincial capital which in turn is situated some 2 hours northwest of Phnom…

Best Angkor Temples Estimates list some 70 major temples or temple ruins within the Angkor Historical Park so….which ones to include and which to skip? Best Angkor temples is admittedly a rather spurious description and it’s more a case of which ones fit in – geographically and historically – bearing in mind time and travel considerations. Visitors have neither the…

Off-the-beaten-track Temples If one checked tourist arrivals and length of stay in Cambodia it would quickly become apparent that the vast majority of foreign visitors to the kingdom don’t get much further than the Angkor Historical Park on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Spectacular as these jungle-clad, ruined temples are, often equally impressive, but far less-visited, off-the-beaten-track temples can be…

What to see and do in Kep and Kampot Note that these are very much our personal suggestions for what to see and do in Kep and Kampot and not everyone will agree with our inclusions and omissions. While we have been visiting both these Cambodian coastal provinces regularly for some 20 years now, places change – often quickly, sometimes…

Takeo Province Conveniently situated between the capital Phnom Penh, a short distance to the north, and the popular destinations of Kep and Kampot to the south, many visitors pass through Cambodia’s Takeo Province, but sadly few stop. In our opinion, a big mistake. There are some excellent and varied spots to visit, to complement the better-known sites of Phnom Penh…

What to see and do in Phnom Penh? While we have compiled an itemised list of things to see and do in Phnom Penh we would begin by saying that one of our favourite things to do in Cambodia’s vibrant capital city is simply to wander around the downtown area, soak up the sights and sounds of the bustling street…

10 Lesser-visited Angkor Temples This is a rather random list of just a few of the lesser-visited Angkor temples which spring to mind and we’d point out straight away that we could probably list 50 such sites. We also reckon you could easily spend a week exploring the myriad spectacular Angkor temples and it’s a rather sad reflection on many…

Prasat Bakan Despite some 25 years exploring Cambodia and its myriad ancient temples, we’d never actually made it to what is officially the largest of them all – Prasat Bakan or Prasat Preah Khan of Kampong Svay. (Kampong Svay was the old name for this area but today describes a district of Kampong Thom Province to the south while Prasat…

Rabbit Island Koh Tonsai or Rabbit Island lies just off the coast from Kep in the province of the same name – a 3-hour drive or so from Phnom Penh. Formerly known as Kep-sur-Mer, the popular and fashionable pre-Khmer Rouge seaside resort is currently experiencing something of a renaissance. Firstly, there aren’t really any rabbits whatsoever on the island, but…