If you are bored with the natural sights of Thailand or Vietnam, Cambodia is definitely a perfect choice for exploring the culture and natural beauty in here.
While the larger cities are rapidly modernizing, the towns are more quiet and it also comprises many interesting things that hasn’t been discovered. This Cambodia travel destination brings you a chance to experience a more traditional way of life, including treks into the jungle or to see more fascinating ancient ruins.
6. Tonle Sap
Tonle Sap is Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake. Also called Boeung Tonle Sap, it hosts one of the world’s most vibrant ecosystems, with massive numbers of many different species of wildlife in and around the lake, which helped to sustain and grow the ancient Khmer civilisation and continues to supply Siem Reap restaurants. It is also famous for its fascinating local communities and their floating villages.
The massive lake is as much as 250 km in length and 100 km across at its widest point, making it seem like an inland ocean because it is impossible to see the opposite shore from ground level. Surprisingly, it is actually fairly shallow, with a maximum depth of only 10 metres, but the sheer size of it means that it can hold up to 80 km3 of water.
The Tonle Sap provides numerous opportunities for visitors to travel to one of the stilted or floating villages of Cambodia and experience the vibrant communities and diverse animals that inhabit the great Cambodian lake. Either via day trips to flooded forests and floating villages from Siem Reap, Kompong Chhnang, and Pursat or while traveling between Siem Reap and either Phnom Penh or Batdambang aboard a ferry or luxury riverboat, even a glimpse of a Cambodian floating village is an experience to remember.
7. Siem Reap
Siem Reap, Cambodia is located on the north-eastern side of the Tonle Sap Lake and is the main access to visit Angkor Wat. This is the gateway to the temples of Angkor and also a mix of traditional and colonial architecture set on the banks of the Siem Reap River. This once sleepy-town has seen a huge increase in the number of visitors keen to discover the temples, and its centre is a daily (and nightly) throng of activity.
The modern town is like nowhere else in Cambodia, packed with wall-to-wall hotels, restaurants, bars, boutiques, tour operators and massage parlours; its streets thronged day and night with tourists, touts and tuk-tuk drivers in a giddy bedlam of incessant activity, with endless quantities of hot food and cheap beer, and a nonstop party atmosphere.
8. Chi Phat
Chi Phat is located in Koh Kong province, which is in the Southwest of Cambodia. Chi Phat is mainland South East Asia’s largest remaining tract of rainforest situated directly in the heart of the Cardamom Mountains. Life is very simple with few facilities and pristine nature. There, you can cycle, kayak, trek, and mingle with residents alike. These intrepid travelers, who are avid to stay in a village where the villagers themselves protect the environment, control tourism and act as guides, will find it an ideal place.
The natural beauty of this area is unsoiled and you can enjoy many active pursuits in the great outdoors including cycling and kayaking. It is also a good place to come to see how traditional rural communities live in Cambodia. With mountains, mangroves and low land swamps on the one hand and many cultural artifacts such as burial jars and wooden coffins on the other hand, Chi Phat and its surrounding area has a variety of attractions to offer both to local and international tourists. Tourists can take a walk through the forest trails and meet warm and friendly village people.
9. Battambang
Battambang province lies in the far western region of Cambodia; it’s bounded to the west by Thailand, the south by the Cardamom mountains, the east by Tonle Sap lake and Pursat, and to the north by Banteay Meanchey province. While Phnom Penh is eaten by traffic and Siem Reap is defined by the pressures of mass tourism, Battambang thrives on its own terms. It is an affluent town, the center of the "rice bowl" of Cambodia. While it is increasing in popularity, it is still a wonderful place to see the real Cambodia.
This colonial riverside town is a popular destination for those who want to unwind and take in the beauty of nature and rural daily life, while experiencing the best of artsy boutique hotels, original restaurants and quirky cafés. A very relaxed place to visit Battambang offers access to numerous pre-Angkorian and Angkorian sites and some of the most interesting are the 7th century Wat Toul Baset, 11th century Wat Ek and 10th century Phnom Banon which sits on the top of a hill and affords great views of the surrounding countryside.
10. Kep
Kep was once Cambodia’s most popular beach vacation for the colonial French elite and wealthy Khmer. Today the town feels like a backpacker’s heaven that has just about turn over. It’s a quieter and more authentic alternative to Cambodia’s other popular seaside holiday destination, Sihanoukville, to the west, which has a casino-on-the-beach atmosphere.
Unlike the white sand beaches in Sihanoukville, here it is black rocks and mangroves which dominate the beach scenery. Seafood is tasty and cheap, and the pristine island of Koh Tunsay is easily accessible. There isn’t much to do in Kep except lounge around Knai Bang Chatt, the top hotel in the area; hike or bike in Kep National Park; go to the crab market; or watch the sun set over Vietnam, which is 12 miles away.
