Angkor Wat draws over two million visitors a year, and for good reason. But Cambodia’s temples are only one chapter of a much longer story. South of Siem Reap and beyond the temple circuit, the country holds coastal islands, colonial river towns, wetland forests, and mountain retreats that rarely make the standard itinerary. Here are ten places worth building into a Cambodia trip once the temples are checked off.
Koh Rong Samloem
This island off the coast of Sihanoukville has none of the party-hostel energy of its larger neighbor, Koh Rong. Saracen Bay stretches for nearly four kilometers of white sand, and the water stays calm enough for swimming most of the year. A handful of boutique resorts here run on solar power and generator hours only, so evenings mean candlelight and stars rather than Wi-Fi.
Battambang
Cambodia’s second-largest city moves at a slower pace than Phnom Penh, with French colonial shophouses lining the Sangkae River. The Bamboo Train, a makeshift bamboo platform on wheels, still runs along old rail tracks through the countryside outside town. Battambang is also the best base for visiting Phare Ponleu Selpak, a circus school and arts nonprofit that trains local youth in performance and visual arts.
Kampot
Famous for its pepper, Kampot sits along a river with a backdrop of the Elephant Mountains. Pepper farms outside town offer tours explaining why Kampot pepper carries a protected geographic designation similar to Champagne or Parmesan. The riverside promenade fills with food stalls at sunset, and a short drive up Bokor Mountain leads to an abandoned French hill station wrapped in fog.
Kep
A few kilometers from Kampot, Kep was once the seaside retreat of Cambodia’s colonial elite, and the ruins of their villas still stand overgrown along the coast. The town’s crab market is the main draw now, serving Kampot pepper crab caught hours earlier just offshore. Kep National Park offers an easy 8-kilometer loop trail through forest with views over the Gulf of Thailand.
Preah Vihear Temple
Perched on a cliff at the Cambodia-Thailand border, this Khmer temple predates much of Angkor and sits nearly 525 meters above the surrounding plain. The approach involves a steep drive followed by a walk along a 800-meter promontory lined with sanctuaries. Getting there takes effort, but the isolation means visitors often have the site nearly to themselves.
Tonle Sap Lake
Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake expands and contracts dramatically with the seasons, growing up to five times its dry-season size during monsoon months. Floating villages near Kompong Phluk and Kompong Khleang give a close look at communities built entirely on stilts and boats. The flooded mangrove forest around Kompong Phluk is best explored by small boat at dawn, when fishing activity is heaviest.
Mondulkiri
In Cambodia’s northeastern highlands, Mondulkiri offers pine forests, waterfalls, and a cooler climate than almost anywhere else in the country. The Elephant Valley Project runs an ethical sanctuary here where former working elephants roam freely rather than give rides. Bou Sra Waterfall, with two tiers dropping a combined 40 meters, sits close to the provincial capital of Sen Monorom.
Ratanakiri
Further east, Ratanakiri is defined by red laterite roads, volcanic crater lakes, and indigenous minority communities including the Tampuan and Jarai people. Yeak Laom Lake, a nearly perfectly circular volcanic crater, is sacred to local communities and ringed by a forest trail. This province sees a fraction of the visitors that Siem Reap does, which makes it appealing for travelers seeking operators who specialize in luxury Cambodia tours built around private cultural visits and comfortable jungle lodges rather than backpacker circuits. It’s a region better suited to guided travel than independent exploration given the distances and road conditions.
Koh Ker
Before Angkor rose to prominence, Koh Ker briefly served as the capital of the Khmer Empire in the 10th century. Its centerpiece is a seven-tiered sandstone pyramid, Prasat Thom, that visitors can climb via a wooden staircase for views over the surrounding forest. The site includes over 180 temples spread across a wide area, most still being cleared of jungle growth and landmines.
Phnom Penh’s Riverside and Central Market
Phnom Penh deserves more than a stopover between the airport and Siem Reap. The riverside promenade along Sisowath Quay offers a mix of colonial architecture, street food vendors, and views of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers meeting. Central Market, housed in a 1937 Art Deco building shaped like a yellow dome, is worth visiting for the architecture alone, though the jewelry and antique stalls inside are equally good reasons to linger.
Angkor Wat earns its reputation, but treating it as the entire trip means missing the parts of Cambodia that show how the country actually lives, eats, and remembers its history. Building in even two or three of these stops turns a temple tour into a fuller picture of the country, and most pair easily with Siem Reap or Phnom Penh without adding excessive travel time. The best approach is picking regions that match a specific interest, whether that’s wildlife, colonial history, or simply quiet coastline, rather than trying to see everything at once.
