Great City of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8 m high wall; each side of the city is 3 kilometers long. It draws a perfect square you access this town through 5 gates, 4 of them represent the cardinal points and the 5th one the Victory Gate was the one leading directly to the Royal Palace Area.
You will arrive via the South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and 4 giant faces. On each side is a row of 54 gods or demons holding the sacred Naga snakes.
After passing through the south gate, you will go down along this shady road to the Bayon temple. This temple lies exactly in the center of the city. The particularity of this monument is the 54 towers representing the 54 provinces of the then Great Khmer Empire. Each tower has 4 faces. This is the only temple in Cambodia depicting scenes of the every day life at the time of the empire.
From the Bayon continue by walk to the Baphoun recently re-opened to the public. There you will pass by the Phimeanakas the location of the Royal Palace. The only remaining are a pound and a temple. The palace was made of wood and did not survive the time and the wars.
Then continue to the Terrace of the Elephants. This Terrace was the place where the parade was done for the king. Next is the Terrace of the Leper King, depicting the water world.
Tonle Sap Lake- transfer to the Phnom Krom pier for boat on Tonle Sap Lake to visit floating village Chong Khneah at the edge of Tonle Sap Lake. Cambodia’s Great Lake, the Boueng Tonle Sap (Tonle Sap Lake) is the most prominent feature on the map of Cambodia – a huge dumbbell-shaped body of water stretching across the northwest section of the country. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, swelling to an expansive 12,000km2. During the dry, half of the year the lake shrinks to as 3000 km2, draining into the Tonle Sap River, which meanders southeast eventually merging with the Mekong River at the “Chaktomuk” confluence of river opposite Phnom Penh.
The capital, Phnom Penh- is situated at the confluence of two well-known rivers; the Mekong and the Tonle Sap. The city houses a population of 2 million people and possesses many fine examples of French Colonial architecture which are enhanced by the tree lined streets and boulevards of the city.
Over recent years the development of Phnom Penh has been dramatic, with a wide range of western hotels and restaurants now available for both the discerning and budget conscious visitors.
Independent Monument- At the intersection of Norodom and Preah Sihanouk Blvd; it was build in 1958. It is now also a memorial to Cambodia’s war dead and is sometimes known as the Victory Monument. Wreaths are laid here on national holidays.
Wat Phnom- is situated near the northern boundary of the city. The original temple was built in 1432 by a rich Khmer lady named “Penh” who found a collection of statues of the Buddha washed up on the river band and decided to house them in a nearby hill “Phnom”.
The site contains some good examples of Khmer architecture and statues. Wat Phnom is frequented by the locals as a place of worship and favorite weekend picnic spot.
Toul Sleng Museum-Known today as the museum of Genocide crimes, Toul Sleng Prison was institutionalized by the Khmer Rouge as a detention and torture center in the late 1970s. Today the building houses exhibits, paintings and photographs of many of the victims and graphically portrays the atrocities inflicted upon the Khmer people during Poll Pot’s reign of terror. Visitors can see the crude cells built in the classrooms and the torture devices used to extract ‘confessions’ in stalinesque purges of the regime.
Cheung Ek Killing Field- The Cheung Ek genocide museum is located in Cheung Ek commune, Dankoar district, about 15 km from the center of Phnom Penh. This is the location where the Khmer Rouge took their prisoners for execution.
You can walk along 86 mass graves from which the remainders of 8,985 men, women and children were unearthed after the liberation of the Khmer Rouge. Some of those skulls, bones and pieces of clothing are now kept in the nearby massive stupa.
Silver Pagoda- (or the temple of the Emerald Buddha), formerly a wooden building, was rebuilt in 1962 in concrete and marble. The pagoda is floored with over 5000 silver tiles each weighing 1 kilogram. It is famous for its 90 kilograms of solid gold Buddha made in 1907 with accompanying Emerald Buddha, said to be made of baccarat crystal. Sharing the pagoda are many other interesting artifacts and jewels. This was one of the few temples to remain intact during the Khmer Rouge regime. Photography is allowed in the outside exhibition areas only. It should be remembered that exposed knees and shoulders may be considered disrespectful.
Royal Palace-You will walk through to visit the Royal Palace, which is also the residence of the King and Queen, is set back from the riverfront, but in clear view of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers. Although it is closed to visitors, this beautiful building and its palatial gardens are still visible from the outside and are well worth seeing. The Royal Palace is located between the Silver Pagoda and National Museum.
National Museum-Continues by foot with a short walk to visit National Museum where designed by George Gloslier and the Ecole des Arts Cambodgiens, the National Museum was built in1917 in the traditional Khmer style and was inaugurated in 1920 by King Sisowat. The National Museum houses the world’s foremost collection of ancient Khmer archaeological, religious, and artistic from the 4th to the 13th centuries. There are over 5,000 pieces on display, constituting the repository of the Kingdom’s culture wealth. In addition, the roof space is home to the largest bat colony in the world living in an artificial.
TONLE BATI (MINI ANGKOR)
KAMPONG THOM
DOLPHIN WATCHING
MONDULKIRI
ELEPHANT TREKKING
KOH KONG
PREAH VIHEAR