Angkor Wat & Phnom Penh

Broad boulevards and old colonial buildings characterize the French part of the city. Many older buildings have survived and make for good, photogenic wandering, along with bustling restaurants and shops.

On a darker note, the notorious Killing Fields lie nearby and are a grim reminder of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge. These mass burial grounds are both sobering and touching, and in light of Cambodia’s resurgence since then are perhaps best regarded as a positive reflection of a nation’s resilience.

Journeying north by plane or boat up the Mekong River, you reach Cambodia’s most renowned attraction. The temples at Angkor are the remnants of a lost city in the jungle, now reclaimed by nature and the giant roots of ancient trees.

Angkor is a spectacular sight – a vast complex containing the remains of the former imperial capitals of the Khmer civilisation that ruled this part of the world between the 9th and 13th centuries. After being sacked by the Thais in 1431 Angkor was abandoned and forgotten for several centuries.