Things to do in Cambodia

Siem Reap is the base for Angkor, where Angkor Wat, the stone faces of the Bayon and the tree-wrapped ruins of Ta Prohm stand among hundreds of temples spread across the forest. The town itself has markets, a riverside promenade and a food scene of street stalls and Khmer kitchens.

Phnom Penh, the capital on the Mekong, has the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, the National Museum and sobering memorials to the Khmer Rouge years. The colonial streets and countryside of Battambang, the floating villages of the Tonle Sap lake, and the islands and beaches around Kampot, Kep and Koh Rong offer slower travel.

Fish amok steamed in banana leaf, lok lak, noodle soups and crab cooked with Kampot pepper are the pride of Khmer cooking. The cool, dry season from November to February is the most comfortable, Khmer New Year in April brings temple games and water blessings at the hottest time of year, and the wet season turns the rice fields a vivid green. Classical Apsara dance performances echo the carved dancers on the temple walls.