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 Between the 9th and the 13th centuries, a succession of Khmer Kings who ruled from Angkor utilised the vast wealth and huge labour force of their empire to carry out a series of monumental construction projects intended to glorify both themselves and their capital, all within the vicinity of Siem Reap. Angkor Wat, with its soaring towers and extraordinary bas-reliefs, is considered by many to be one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. It was built by Suryavarman II ( who reigned from 1113 to 1150) to honour Vishnu; identified as a god-king.
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 The fortified city of Angkor Thom, extending some 9 sq.km, was built in its present form by Angkor’s greatest builder, Jayavarman VII (reigning 1181 to 1201), on the ruins of an ancient city. Angkor Thom, which may have had a million inhabitants at one time, is enclosed by a square wall 8 meters high and 12 km in length. The complex comprises a variety of important temples with the prominent Bayon temple at the center. The city is notable for its five monumental gates. The gates, which are 20 meters in height, are decorated on either side of the passageway with stone elephant heads and crowned by four gargantuan faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokitessvara facing the cardinal directions. In front of each gate, there stand 54 gods (to the left of the causeway) and 54 demons (to the right of the causeway).
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 Siem Reap is situated not far from the northern edge of the large Tonle Sap Lake. Many villages abound along its shores but because of the lakes seasonal size variations and regular flooding, the most interesting villages are those that float. Here house boats dot the canal banks leading from the lake to permanent solid ground. Watch small boats deliver supplies to the floating community and see children paddling their canoes to and from school.
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 With Compagnie des Eléphants d'Angkor, ride the last elephants of Angkor, guardians of a 1000-year-old tradition. Follow in the footsteps of the early explorers and discover the Temples in perfect harmony with nature. Like the Kings before you, start a new day riding around the Bayon temple or climb Bakeng hill in the evening to watch the sunset over Angkor Wat. Experience an unforgettable journey through the mysterious ruins of Angkor and the surrounding jungle. Comfortably seated in a traditional howdah carriage and led by the expert hands of a mahout, the gentle rocking of these royal mounts will take you back in time to a past glory and to the magnificence that is the heritage of Angkor.
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 Scenic helicopter rides over the World Heritage site of the Angkor Temples in Siem Reap. View the magnificent Angkor Wat from the air to truly appreciate the scale of these enormous architectural wonders of the world, and swing out over the northern edge of Tonle Sap Lake to see the floating villages and local fishing boats from a different perspective.
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Les Chantiers Ecole
founded in 1992, is a handicraft center located in the center of Siem Reap and its aim is to revive that ancient art of Khmer workmanships. In co-operation with the Minister of Education, this organization gives young people the opportunity to learn the art of stone and wood carving, silk weaving methods and polychromy technique. It is possible to visit the different workshops where the students improve their skills. The finished products are for sales.
Center of Khmer Studies
is an independent, international institution dedicated to facilitating the study, research, and teaching of Khmer civilization. A tutor of the center is Professor Chandler, the writer of the most important recent history books about Cambodia
Puok Silk Farm
This silk farm has been established by a French non-governmental organisation to revive Cambodia s beautiful silk production. It is possible to visit sheds to see every step of silk production from cultivation of mulberry bushes, to the silk worms, to cocoons, to spinning, to weaving, to the finished products which are on sale.
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