Cambodia Guides
The kingdom of Cambodia (also know as Kampuchea) is a Southeast Asian Nation flanked by Vietnam in the east, Laos in the North and the Gulf of Thailand to its Southwest. Cambodia has recently re-established it self on the tourism map and is now known for its idyllic beaches and exotic temples.
Cambodia possesses a tropical monsoon climate. The country is best visited during the dry season from November/December to April, as the weather is cool and dry at this time thanks to the northeastern monsoon.
The humid southwestern monsoon arrives from May to November. At this time, much of Cambodia is visited by heavy showers – these rains account for up to 80% of annual rainfall, starting seasonal floods throughout the country between July and August and making travel very difficult to certain areas.
Aside from eating crab, the few points of minor interest in and around Kep are sufficient to fill one long day or two slow-moving ones. Kep itself has three main attractions aside from the beach. While ostensibly a national park stretching across some 5,000 hectares (including Ko Tonsay and Ko Po), the vast majority of Kep National Park’s gazetted area is being used for farming and whatnot so it’s hardly a repository of abundant wildlife and untouched natural beauty. That said it does remain a pleasing area to go for a walk and a number of small trails can be…
Animal welfare may not be the primary consideration at Koh Kong Safari World, run by Koh Kong International Resort (the casino-hotel a few kilometres away at the border), but the Disneyesque gateway – in a style that Bavaria’s mad King Ludwig II would have found irresistible - doesn’t hint at anything sinister. The park has the usual zoo animals but it also puts on the sort of live-animal shows banned in most countries, with performances reminiscent of a 19th-century circus sideshow. Every morning, and into the early afternoon, birds ride tiny bicycles, orang-utans dressed up as boxers throw punches and…
Originating as a reservoir on the Angkorian highway 66 it was rebuilt as a man-made irrigation and water storage reservoir by slave labor during the Khmer Rouge Regime in 1976. The reservoir now harbors a unique wetland associated with grassland, dipterocarp forests and paddy fields. Aside from being a feeding ground for more than 300 Sarus Crane in the dry (non-breeding) season, more than 200 species of other birds occur here, of which 18 have been classified as globally or near globally threatened. This is also one of the handful of sites in Cambodia where the endangered Eld’s Deer can…
Phnom Kulen is considered by Khmer people to be the most sacred mountain in Cambodia and is a popular place of pilgrimage. It played a significant role in the history of the Khmer empire as it was from here in 802 that Jayarvarman II proclaimed independence from Java, giving birth to modern Cambodia. There is a small wat at the summit of the mountain which houses a large reclining Buddha carved into a sandstone boulder. As at Kobal Spien, at no point should you wander off well-used paths as there is a serious landmine problem here. From the base of…
Built by Jayavarman VII, this temple is the perfect representation on earth of the cosmic world. It has been said that this monument was consecrated to Buddha who reached perfection in Nirvana, and the ornamental lakes surrounding it were meant as places where pilgrims could wash and purify themselves before reaching the supreme perfection. In the centre of these ornamental lakes there is a small temple surrounded by two nagas, whose heads allow a passage on the West side. This temple is one of the beauties of Khmer art.
On National Road Two, one can travel about 78 dusty kilometers from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh to stumble upon the hill of Phnom Chiso in Takeo province. Sitting atop the eastern side of this mound rests the ancient temple of Suryagiri, built in the 11th century. More recently, a modern pagoda named Phnom Chiso was built to house young and old monks. Folks with the stamina to tackle the ascent are rewarded for their climb. The view on top of mount Chiso is simply breathtaking. Visitors should not miss out on the opportunity to relax here after…
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation’s center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security, politics, economics, cultural heritage, and diplomacy of Cambodia. Once known as the “Pearl of Asia”, it was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920s. Phnom Penh, along with Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, are significant global and domestic tourist destinations for Cambodia. Founded in 1434, the…
