Rabbit island palm fringed beach front

A guide to Cambodia's top places, plus our lesser-known favourites

Bordered by Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, with over 400 kilometres of white, sandy coast lapped by the warm, clear waters of the Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia is the laid-back, low-key member of the continental Southeast Asia family.

Covering an area smaller than Oklahoma, Cambodia is small, round, flat, and over 50% forested. That last part’s pretty significant: in Southeast Asia, only Borneo has more continuous rainforest, which makes Cambodia one of the best places in the world to explore the habitats of endangered species such as Asian elephants, Indochinese tigers, clouded leopards and Asiatic black bears.

Beyond its forests, Cambodia is overwhelmingly rural. Phnom Penh is the only real city, and you don’t need to travel far from it to find yourself deep in the countryside. Every road is an adventure – whether you’re on your way to arty Battambang (one of our favourite towns), stopping off at the root-strangled ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk (much older and more mysterious than Angkor Wat), or swapping wheels for a kayak on Tonlé Sap (the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia). This is definitely a place for people who love the journeys as much as the destinations.

Last, but certainly not least, there are the beaches: white sand, turquoise water, swaying palms, and some incredible seafood. They’re every inch as stunning as Thailand’s, and yet the world barely notices them.

“Apart from the outboard motors on a few of the sampans, the scene could not have changed in hundreds of years: naked children slapping at mud puddles, women selling bananas and rice, but most people mending nets, tending cooking fires and sorting fish in baskets.” - Paul Theroux (about Tonlé Sap)

Cambodia

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CAMBODIA BANTEAY CHHMAR KULEN PROMTEP WS PHNOM TNOUT SIEM REAP MONDULKIRI KRATIE PHNOM PENH BATTAMBANG KAMPONG THOM SOUTHERN CARDAMOM NP KOH KONG KEP KOH RONG KOH KRABEY BOTUM SAKOR NP KOH RUSSEY KAMPOT
Cambodia

The chances are you’ve heard of Angkor Wat, but did you know that the Khmer Empire extended over a million square kilometres, and that their ruins lie hidden in every corner of Cambodia?

Cambodia

With its crumbling colonial buildings, fertile countryside, vital contemporary arts scene and mellow, carefree ambiance, it’s very difficult not to fall in love with Battambang.

Cambodia

Asiatic black bears, Malayan tapirs, pileated gibbons and perhaps even the elusive Indochinese tiger: Botum Sakor National Park is a haven for Cambodia's endangered mammals.

Kampong Thom

More than just a stopover between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Kampong Thom is the heartland of the ancient Chenla Kingdom and the gateway to the oldest temple ruins in Cambodia.

Cambodia

World-famous for its tongue-tingling pepper, sleepy Kampot is the jumping-off point for adventures in Bokor National Park, and a wonderfully chilled-out place to relax for a few days.

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This former bolthole of Phnom Penh’s wealthy urbanites is now a chilled-out seaside escape, offering crab markets, crumbling villas, island day trips and unbeatable seafood.

The InsideAsia team in Bristol

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