Siem Reap Province

Have you always wondered how silk is made from silkworms? The Angkor Silk Farm in one of the best places in the world to teach you this craft. Highlights – This is the place where you get to know about the end to end process of sericulture through lots of workshops on silk farming. When you come here, you will be introduced to new processes like mulberry cultivation, cocoon formation, application of natural dyes to silk worms and all the process of silk cultivation. Here you will also get to know about the ancient weaving technology of Ikat weaving. Location – Puok district, about 20minutes away from Siem Reap Centre.  Timings – The Angkor Siolk Farm is open from 8AM to 5PM on all days of the week. Price – Free guided tours are available and entrance is also free of cost.

Situated in close proximity to the famous Angkor temples, Me Chrey is a beautiful floating village which offers guests various opportunities to feel entertained. Living with locals and bird watching are few of them.   Highlights – When you visit the floating village of Me Chrey on Tonle Sap Lake, you should mandatorily get to know about the lifestyle of the locals living here. Planting rice plants and fishing are the main occupations of the locals. Come here during the early hours to witness live action of fishing. You can take boats or tuk-tuks from Siem Reap to reach Me Chrey. Location – Bank of Tonle Sap Lake, about 9km from Siem Reap. Timings – Can be visited all through the year; however visiting this place during sunrise is considered ideal. Price – While the boat ride costs just about USD20 per person, eco-tourism packages cost around USD70 per person.

If you have a passion for history, you must visit the War Museum in Cambodia. This is the place where you will be transported back into a world which introduces you to the historical reigns, struggles, successes and wars of Cambodia in the most comprehensive manner possible. Highlights – Soldiers who served in the war previously act as tourist guides here. How better can it get than this? It is also one of the first kinds of museum in Cambodia and takes guests through the last 30 years of Cambodian war history with an exotic and impressive collection of jet fighter planes, helicopters, artillery guns and other war machines of various models. Location – Siem Reap. Timings – 8AM to 5.30PM on all days of the week. Price – USD1 for Cambodian tourists and USD5 for foreign tourists. Entrance fee includes tourist guide, parking, photography and filming.

Located towards the northeast of Angkor Archaeological Park, Preah Khan (meaning, Royal Sword), is a temple which was constructed by King Jayavarman VII. It is also quite closely situated to Ta Prohm temple, which makes this a good tourist spot. Highlights – Lots of plants and trees grow around the Preah Khan temple, which makes it look lovelier than ever before. Lord Buddha, in the name of Avalokiteshwara, is the main deity of this temple. The temple complex is quite huge and there are two gates leading into the temple. Prior to becoming a temple, this complex was used as the residence of the royal clan who ruled over this place, which gives a majestic look to this place. Location – Towards the western side of the Jataka Baray and north east of Angkor Thom, this temple is situated in close proximity to the Ta Prohm Temple. Timings – 5AM to 6PM every day. Price – Temple entry pass of USD20 (one day), USD20 (3 days) and USD60 (7 days).

Being the most mysterious temple in the Siem Reap region, Beng Mealea offers a splendid view to the visitors always. An enclosure measuring 1.2 KM by 900 meter is the major attraction of the temple. It was covered by thick forests in earlier years and many trees have been cut during the last some years. People can mend their ways to enter the temple through the trails with perfectly chiseled sand stone blocks and then through long dark chambers and hanging vines. Rock climbing and hopping can be done near the site and that is how the temple has got much influence among the number of tourists visiting Siem Reap every year. The basic concept behind the temple is Hindu mythology but some Buddist relics are also portrayed in the architectural nuances. The timing of visit is from 07:00 AM to 05:30 PM. Location: Angkor Archaeological Park, Cambodia Price: $5 per person

If you love lotus flowers and if you have been craving to see thousands of flowers at one single place, the Lotus Farm at Battambang, Cambodia, is the place you have to be. Highlights – Apart from witnessing the flowers, you can get first-hand experience of how lotus plants are cultivated, how they are converted into various purposes. Do not miss to see the lotus fabric production when you come here. This is a process where selected lotus stems are cleaned thoroughly and then cut open to bring out the fibres. These fibres are then spun nicely into a thread by the weaving experts found here. Thee threads are very fine and resemble silk and the added advantage of these lotus threads is that no worms or other living beings are disturbed in this process. Location – Kamping Poy, Battambang. Timings – Open all through the day. Price – Entrance is free of cost here.

A small temple built in the 12th century which has much importance in the traditional aspects of Cambodia is Krol Ko. Park of the Oxen is the description given to the temple that is located very close to Neam Pean. A tower and a ‘library’ are the main structures included in the temple and as the history says, King Jayavarman VII was the one who erected this temple as well. Every other main Khmer temples in the region, Krol Ko also has a deep influence of the Khmer reign and the particular architectural technique of that period. But what attracts the visitors mostly is the pediments on the ground along with the triangular pediments of Avalokiteshvara standing on a lotus and of Krishna who lifts the Mount Govardhan. Location: Sangkat Nokor Thum, Siem Reap, Cambodia Price Free

"A Citadel of Chambers" is the meaning of the word, Banteay Kdei, a Buddhist Temple in Angkor. It was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII in the 13th century AD. Bayon architectural style extends the temple the pride glory of ancient times. It has resemblances to the intriguing structures of Ta Prohm and Preah Khan but less complex and smaller. The temple is encircled by two walls and monks were always there until 1960s. Sprawled across the Angkor archeological area of 400 sq.km. The compound walls enclosing the temple are made of laterite stones. The complex showcases a variety of architectural nuances and sculptors which were dating back to the old Buddhist traditions. Location: Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia Price: Free