A disturbing history, temples that ooze adventure and intrigue, stunning and jungle scenery and the opportunity to get Up-Close-and-Personal with gentle elephant giants – there just aren’t enough days in any holiday to fully experience everything Cambodia has to offer.

In Search of Adventure

I have always loved adventure and I figured the only way to satisfy my need would be through travelling. I have backpacked through Cambodia with my friends over the last few months and together we have discovered some of the most amazing places in Cambodia that everyone should visit. Cambodia is full of attractive tourists attractions and it was hard to come up with a list but these destinations stood out for me as a must see for anyone.

The Temples at Siem Reap

I found Siem Reap to be one of the most interesting citiesin Cambodia because of its huge number of attraction sites. It lies in the northwestern part of Cambodia and it is the capital city of Siem Reap province. The thing that caught my eyes was the huge numbers of temples in the area. The city is home to khmer temples which are famous throughout the world. The temples vary in archeological styles making them even more intriguing and captivating. The temple ruins in the area include: Bakong, Angkor Wat, Baksei Chamkrong, Banteay prei among others.

My friends and I enjoyed touring Baphuon temple which was recently restored. There are so many temples at Siem Reap each with fascinating history and architecture and I strongly recommend this to be your first stop when you visit Cambodia.

The Killing Fields

The one thing that I look forward to is learning something new or adding knowledge to what I already know and the killing fields offered me both. The killing fields are locations where a large number of people were killed and buried during the communist Khmer regime. I got to visit the commemorative Stupa at Choeung Ek killing field which is filled with the skulls of the victims. I also visited a mass grave at the field where thousands of people were buried. This is one place that holds a lot of memories and serves as a reminder of how bad leadership can cost the lives of so many people.

S21 prison in Phnom Penh

After visiting the killing fields, we decided to visit S21 prison which was used to hold people who were perceived to be traitors during the Khmer regime. The prison holds thousands of pictures which are believed to be those that were considered as traitors. Our tour guide explained to us how the people brought here were first photographed then brutally tortured for confessions on how they betrayed the regime and then held captive. In addition to the killing fields the place serves as evidence of the pain that people endured during the regime. The place is well maintained and I do recommend that you visit the place and learn more about the regime.

The Elephant Valley Project in Sen Monorom

In a bid to interact with my wild side, I gathered my friends and we travelled to eastern Cambodia to Sen Monorom. We were looking forward to interacting with elephants and the Elephant Valley project turned out to be the best place to interact with these beautiful animals. Sen Monorom is near the Vietnam border and it is only six hours away from Phnom Penh. The valley is dedicated to the protection and rehabilitation of the elephants. The environment is serene and the fresh air is refreshing. We got to volunteer in feeding the animals at lunch time which you can also do. We had made an earlier booking for a night in one of the bungalows and we got to enjoy the sunset. Get to experience the relaxing feeling in this valley as you interact with the elephants.

Overall Thoughts

Cambodia is just the place to go if you are looking forward to taking a break. There is so much to see and so many activities to engage in. My list comprises of the most intriguing places that you can visit in Cambodia. I figured that you might want to learn a thing or two about Cambodia and that’s where the killing fields and S1 prison comes in. For fun and adventure visit the temples and the elephant valley project and you will have an unforgettable experience just as we did.

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