1. Angkor

The house of the well-known Angkor Wat is certainly among Cambodia's must-see locations.

Thanks to the legendary pagodas and vine-dressed stupas that are tagged by UNESCO, it's likewise one of the busiest spots in the nation.

Still, it's absolutely worth braving the crowds and hopping out of Siem Reap for a spell to see this world wonder.

Incorporated by wetland rice paddies and thick jungles, https://millinqbks.doodlekit.com/blog/entry/19689317/wat-langka-mus... it emerges from the canopy in a medley of historical Khmer towers and enchanting erstwhile Hindu shrines.

Today, it's the chants of Buddhist monks and gasping travelers that dominates, as they weave between the complex base reliefs and the fantastic sandstone sculptures of mythic beasts.

2. Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville is Cambodia's response to the backpacker beach towns of Thailand just throughout the gulf.

A ramshackle location of tin-roofed hostels and bamboo beer bars spilling onto the sands, it exudes an easygoing ambiance that's a welcome break from the nation's other metropolitan.

The beaches are the place to be both day and night, with the facilities of Ochheuteal offering loungers and water sports aplenty.

For something a little quieter, you could also make a beeline around the headlands to less-trodden Otres Beach, or pay the entry cost for remote Sokha Beach close by.

3. Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is a city in flux: a location where barrios of haphazard shack homes mingle with gilded temples of gold leaf and straight-laced highways of the 21st century.

That suggests it's likewise a great spot to get to grips with the nature of Cambodia as a whole; a country nicely well balanced between the old and the new.

The piece de resistance is definitely the extravagant Royal Palace complex, which sparkles with the spires of the Silver Pagoda at its.

For a taste of regional life, be sure to strike the buzzing Sisowath Quay, which runs along the Mekong in a collection of markets and picnic spots.

And-- obviously-- there are the so-called Killing Fields simply on the edge of town: sobering and plain pointers of the scaries of Cambodia's 20th-century past.

4. Kratie

Defined by the meanders of the Mekong River as it gushes towards the delta and the South China Sea in the south-east, this laid-back spot is slowly however definitely raising itself to become one of Cambodia's authentic backpacker hubs.

It's easy to see why the small travelers love it too-- believe inexpensive lumber longhouses and earthy guesthouses, really old ruins at Sambor and standard craft markets on the water.

That's not all, because Kratie has actually likewise become renowned as one of the top locations to see the Cambodian river dolphin.

Expeditions to stalk these majestic mammals in the Mekong leave from the docks every day.

5. Siem Reap

It holds true that many people flock to Siem Reap to hop across to the UNESCO wonder of Ankgor Wat.

Thanks mainly to the increase of folk coming in current years, this one has actually developed into a fine place to visit in its own.

You can explore an old town of elegant French mansions and charming Chinese stores, all of which are punctuated by the heady fray of Psah Chas market (ideal for sizzling noodle soups!) and many backpacker bars (look for appropriately-named Pub Street). There are likewise some truly terrific museums in Siem Reap, like the sobering Cambodia Landmine Museum and the (equally sobering) War Museum Cambodia.

6. Koh Ker

Koh Ker is the smaller, lesser-known bro of Angkor Wat.

Found deep in the jungles of northern Cambodia, the spot reigned as the capital of the mighty Khmer Empire for a measly twenty years.

Nevertheless, those 20 years of glory still show, with elaborate stupas protruding from the canopies and the 1,000-year-old rises of the stepped Prasat Thom temples soaring more than 30 meters above the ground.

You'll likewise be able to see an intricate variety of fortifications dating from the 10th century, and crumbling ruins of shrines now almost completely declared by the roots of huge teak trees.

Simply put: this one's a fine option to bustling Angkor.

7. Koh Rong

This eight-shaped island that sits out where the waters of the Thai Gulf fulfill the South China Sea is a picture of tropical perfection.

It boasts a massive 23 private stretches of sand, all of which are far quieter and untouched than their compadres across the straits in Sihanoukville.

Rustic, salt-sprayed cottages line the coast sporadically, and there are plenty of chances for travelling through the forests, or striking the coral-colored sea for a bout of snorkeling.

Koh Rong is likewise well known for its bioluminescent waters, which glimmer under the dark skies during the night-- you'll find them if you aren't too hectic guzzling beers in neighboring Koh Tuch Town!

8. Banlung

The provincial capital of Ratanakiri is hardly on the traveler radar at all-- at least for the moment, that is.

Gradually but definitely, increasingly more adventure applicants and outdoorsy types are waxing down the strolling boots and heading to this remote corner of the nation, where macaques fulfill slipping snakes in between the jungle canopies.

The town itself may be a dirty, stressful affair, however there are plenty of tour organizers there who can put together journeys out to the lovely Yeak Laom Volcanic Lake, the enormous cataract of Cha Ong, or the sweeping rubber plantations that surround the province.

9. Kampot

Kampot may seem tantalizingly close to the coast for it not to be about beaches, but this river town on the delta waters of the Praek Tuek Chhu uses something absolutely various than simply sand, sea and sun.

Start with a trip to the pepper farms that blanket the local flatlands-- they are not only the main financial chauffeur here, but also accountable for the distinct peppercorns of Kampot.

The town is also house to a series of earthy fishing towns, where seafood french fries come doused in chili and lemongrass.

And then there's the variety of dilapidating colonial builds in the center, together with the rusting shells of old engines in the Kampot train station.

10. Mondulkiri

Asian elephants stalk the fields and bushlands of distant Mondulkiri Province; water buffalo and timber longhouses call the wetlands, as peaks of forest-clad rock rise to satisfy the border with Vietnam.

This eastern jewel is a far cry from the sun-scorched lands and steamy tropical climes that control the rest of the country, and is gradually becoming renowned for its second-to-none elephant preservation job.

Cultural encounters with the earthy Bunong tribespeople are likewise possible, and ecotourism of that sort is now the primary driver here.

11. Battambang

Statue-dotted Battambang is perhaps something of an uncommon preferred on the backpacking circuit around Cambodia.

Why? Well, there's not truly all that much to see in the town itself, and the temples barely live up to the majesty of Siem Reap.

Still, folk continue to flock to this second city, and we're barely grumbling.

Dynamic tourist bars line the streets and there are some terrific hotels to pick from, all of which hide in between the occasional Buddhist temple and the throbbing Central Market.

Around Battambang is where you'll discover the Wat Baydamram (filled with fruit bats) and the eerie Wat Samraong Knong, which was once used as a Khmer Rouge prison!

12. Kep

Poor little Kep is just a shadow of the jet setter resort for Cambodian dignitaries it remained in the early 20th century.

Yep, years of war and Khmer Rouge destruction took its toll on the country's leading seaside retreat, and today remnants of that dark age can still be seen in the form of destroyed villas and stressed out hotels along the coast.

However, Kep is rebounding, and today the pretty stretches of grainy yellow sand along the Kep Peninsula live once again with seafood dining establishments and bars.

Oh, and do not leave without tasting the well-known Kep crab-- one of Cambodia's a lot of famous staples!

13. Koh Thonsay

Bunny Island (as it's known in English) is among the jewels of Kep Province, set just out in the waters of the Thai Gulf from the southern coast of the nation.

Fringed with gently sloping yellow sands and rows of swaying coconut palms, it's got all the tropical appeals you 'd expect from a tropical island.

Koh Thonsay likewise comes with far less crowds than its compadres across the waters in the Land of Smiles, and the rates are cheaper too! The very best thing to do is strap on the strolling boots and hike the coastal routes.

Eventually you'll find a secluded cove of glittering shore waters, completely empty save for the occasional bobbing fishing skiff.

14. Koh Kong

The rugged, salt-sprayed rocks of the Koh Kong coast mark the point where the primeval woods of the Cardamom Mountains Rain forest waterfall down to fulfill the Indian Ocean.

Undeveloped and untouched by the onset of contemporary tourist, the place stays a picture of wild Southeast Asia.

A smattering of gambling establishments and sleazy massage parlors do still stick around on from the days when Krong was a smuggler passage town on the Thai border, however the real pulls are certainly the gushing waterfalls, the wild jungles, and-- naturally-- the famous white-sand beaches of Koh Krong Island.

15. Pailin

Pailin can be discovered deep in the Cardamom Mountains of western Cambodia.

Surrounded by hills of green bush and dominated by the serrated pointers of the high hills on the horizon, it was when called the