Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Siem Reap Highlights
Dive into
Pub St
(
Click here
), the drinking capital of Siem Reap, and discover nearby restaurants
and bars
Explore the flooded forest of
Kompong Pluk
(
Click here
), an incredible village of bamboo sky-
scrapers
Encounter some of the world's rarest large water birds at
Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary
(
Click here
)
Learn the secrets of Khmer cuisine with a
cooking course
(
Click here
), the perfect way to impress
friends back home
Experience some of the
activities
(
Click here
)
on offer from horse riding to quad biking or Angkor-
themed mini-golf to links golf
History
Siem Reap was little more than a village when French explorers discovered Angkor in the
19th century. With the return of Angkor to Cambodian - or should that be French - control
in 1907, Siem Reap began to grow, absorbing the first wave of tourists. The Grand Hotel
d'Angkor opened its doors in 1929 and the temples of Angkor remained one of Asia's lead-
ing draws until the late 1960s, luring luminaries such as Charlie Chaplin and Jackie
Kennedy. With the advent of war and the Khmer Rouge, Siem Reap entered a long slumber
from which it only began to awaken in the mid-1990s.
Tourism is the lifeblood of Siem Reap and, without careful management, it could be-
come Siem Reapolinos, the not-so-Costa-del-Culture of Southeast Asia. However, there are
promising signs that developers are learning from the mistakes that have blighted other re-
gional hot spots, with restrictions on hotel height and bus size. Either way, Angkor is centre
stage on the world travel map right now, and there's no going back for its supply line, Siem
Reap.
