Top 10 Things to See & Do in Siem Reap

Despite so many other things to do in Siem Reap, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat is still the primary draw for tourists. Constructed in the 12th century by the Khmer people working under Jayavarman II, the temples of Angkor Wat must be seen to be believed.

Scores of temples - some restored and some still overgrown with jungle vines - make up the Angkor temple complex, which is about four miles north of Siem Reap. (Many travelers staying at one of the hostels or hotels around Siem Reap simply hire a tuk-tuk to take them around the temple complex.)

The scale of Angkor Wat is overwhelming; while a one-day pass is enough to reveal the highlights, you can buy a three- or even a seven-day pass to explore the Angkor temples in microscopic detail.

The 31,000-hectare Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary has become one of the most important breeding grounds for endangered water birds in Southeast Asia. Located in the marshes of Tonle Sap Lake around Battambang province, this bird sanctuary provides a chance to tour by boat and see rare large waterfowl outside of captivity – storks, ibis, pelicans and much, much more.

Travelers who come between the dry months of December and March see untold thousands of local and migratory birds fishing and mating in Prek Toal's waters. If this is your kind of nature experience, make arrangements to visit Prek Toal through your guest house, or hire a boat from Phnom Krom/Chong Khneas boat dock.

You’ll be dropped off at the Prek Toal Environmental Research Station, where you can pick up more information about the area’s wildlife and plant life, or book a boat tour of the sanctuary. You can even book an overnight stay at the Station – all the better to see the area's “fowl” play after dark!  

The Khmer Rouge in 1975 and the Vietnamese occupation in 1979 contributed to Siem Reap's tumultuous, war-torn past. Siem Reap did not begin to stabilize and become safe enough for tourists to visit until the 1990s.

Unfortunately, millions of land mines and unexploded objects were left behind by decades of conflict.  The many legless beggars in town are a living testament to how dangerous these artifacts still are in the present day.

The Cambodia Land Mine Museum was founded by a former child soldier whose parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge; in the present day, it's staffed by victims and orphans of mines. Although sobering, the Land Mine Museum is a real piece of Cambodia away from the tourism glam.

Visitors are charged to enter; the funds support a relief center and school attached to the museum. Tours can be booked on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 am to 3 pm, in English and Japanese.  

Watched one too many action movies and want to give it a try? Forty minutes from Siem Reap, tourists may shoot an array of automatic weapons at an old military shooting range.

The prices are not cheap but where else will you have the opportunity to fire an AK-47 or throw a live hand grenade?

Retired soldiers supervise the range and continuously harass you to try the latest and greatest in firepower, including belt-fed machine guns. Those with enough money and guts are even invited to fire an old, soviet-made rocket launcher!

The range can be found along Road 67 to Banteay Srey (look up their location on Google Maps).

Opened in 2007, the Angkor National Museum houses thousands of artifacts recovered from Angkor Wat and the surrounding areas in an impressive building.

Relics from the ancient Angkor Empire – including over 6,000 lintels, assorted statues of Hindu gods, Buddhist bodhisattvas and sandstone reliefs – tell the fascinating story of the Angkor Empire's beginnings and eventual downfall.

Visit the museum before you check out Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples, and you'll visit the latter with significantly more insight into the culture that brought it ​into existence!

To get the most out of your visit, rent a portable media player (available at the entrance) so you can get an audio explanation of some of the more obscure items on display. When you're done, stop by the 86,000 square foot duty-free mall to take back a little part of Angkor with you.  

About 13 miles from Siem Reap, Kampong Phluk is a fishing village constructed on stilts in the swamps around Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in Cambodia.

Only a handful of tourists makes the journey by boat or bus to Kampong Phluk, which has helped the village retain much of its authenticity. This is the place to go to see daily Khmer life away from the influence of heavy tourism; come on any regular day, but try to schedule your visit to coincide with the Cambodia festival calendar.

Read about etiquette in Cambodia to enhance your visit to Kampong Phluk.

Siem Reap suffered horribly under the Khmer Rouge, and the area’s victims are commemorated today in this monastery.

A glass-walled stupa on the premises holds a mass of bones belonging to massacre victims. Like its counterpart Tuol Sleng in Phnom Penh, Wat Thmei provides a stark reminder of the insanity that ruled Cambodia in the 1970s.

It’s not all bones and death here, though; the large monastery here houses a good number of monks and orphans under their care. (Wat Thmei is not part of Siem Reap’s unfortunate orphanage tourism circuit – for more on why you shouldn’t patronize the area’s orphanages, read this: Orphanages in Cambodia are Not Tourist Attractions.)

Wat Thmei can be found about 540 yards west of Angkor Wat, on the left fork on the way out.

Founded by eight Battambang performers, Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) operates a Big-Top-style extravaganza near the Angkor National Museum, interpreting Cambodian culture through a raucous blend of comedy, dance, and acrobatics reminiscent of Cirque d' Soleil.

Despite its modern look, Phare Circus taps deep into a historic Khmer tradition of acrobatics, making this fun romp just as authentically Khmer as the apsara dance. Any speaking parts are performed in the Khmer language, though subtitles in three languages are projected on a screen to help the narrative along.

Performing at the Phare Circus comes as a dream come true for many PPS students, who train for years before getting a shot at the stage. For tickets and show information, visit the Phare official site.

The riverside Psah Chas, or Old Market, combines shopping for tourists and locals alike. The half of the market bordering the riverside stocks tourist tchotchkes from floor to ceiling – silverworks, T-shirts, brass sculptures, jewelry, handbags, and art.

A whole arcade sells pearls, gold, and silver, though the buyer should beware when browsing through the valuables in this part of the market.

The other half of the market caters to locals, most especially in the “wet market” that bisects the Psah Chas complex at its center. From this smelly, humid market, locals haggle for raw meat, vegetables, and processed food products. Tourists with an interest in Khmer day-to-day life can visit this part of the market and watch the wives banter and buy. 

After dark, it's less about the authenticity and more about getting soused: thus the draw of Pub Street and the neighboring Night Market for Siem Reap's tippling visitors. Drink an Angkor Beer (or a good number of decent Southeast Asian beers, for that matter) at one of the many neon-lit bars down this pedestrianized corner of the city.

The best place to start: the graffiti-covered Angkor What? the bar that launched Pub Street into the Siem Reap stratosphere when it opened in 1998. It's incredible energy, cheap drinks and late, late hours keep it a Pub Street mainstay for both long-timers and newcomers alike.

The Night Market across Sivatha Street from Pub Street offers some neat bargains, from Kampot peppers to obscenely-carved ashtrays to counterfeit branded clothing. The warmly-lit Khmer hut-styled stalls make shopping at the Night Market almost pleasurable.  

Edited by Mike Aquino.