Siem Reap Overview   

Siam Reap is a charming city with a river flowing through the centre of town. It lies 7 km from the World Heritage site of Angkor Wat and 12 km from Tonle Sap lake.

The world-famous temples of Angkor, constitute one of humanity's most magnificent architectural achievements. From Angkor, the kings of the Khmer Empire ruled over a vast territory that extended from the tip of what is now southern Vietnam northward to Yunnan in China and from Vietnam westward to the Bay of Bengal. These 100 or so temples constitute the sacred skeleton of a much larger and spectacular administrative and religious centre, long since decayed.

While most visitors spend their time exploring the ancient temple ruins, there are plenty other diversions in this city. The Tonle Sap Lake, the heart of Cambodia, is located here and boat tours offer visitors a glimpse into the traditional Khmer way of life.

Floating villages, sunset cruises and tours of the bird reserve of Prek Tuol are all worthwhile. Other options include visiting the local stone and wood-carving school or the nearby Silk Farm.

The town of Siem Reap itself is generally run-down, by international standards and has a 'sleepy hollow', feel to it.  There are many unpaved roads so travel can at times be soggy, especially in the wet season. Aesthetically the more attractive parts of town are the old French quarter and the park area opposite the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor. The former has many attractive colonial French style buildings, many of which are used for cafes, restaurants and bars, therefore is one of the social centres of the town.

Siem Reap is not big and serves as a base for visits to the monuments and most of the buildings within the town are recent, including luxury hotels and tourism outlets catering to the overseas visitors that are attracted to the historical monuments. Its recent history has been turbulent to say the least but today's Siem Reap is a peaceful place.

Siem Reap is small enough to walk around, safe enough to be out after dark, close enough to world-famous monuments and its people hospitable.

Climate

The climate of Siem Reap is governed by two monsoons. The cool, dry, north-eastern monsoon, which carries little rain and occurs from around November to April and from May to October, the south-western monsoon bringing strong winds, high humidity and heavy rains.