During the early 19th century the city of Kep was considered to be very famous for its beaches and sea food. French people used the Kep city to have ultimate entertainment and enjoyment, especially during their weekends. But later during the period of Khmer Rouge, most of the mansions of the French era and villas and guesthouses were destroyed. Only a few villas or spots survived after this depletion period. Unlike other beaches having white sands, the beaches in Kep were occupied with black rock and mangroves. The city of Kep till now have limited supply of electricity, there is no supply of town water in Kep, no sewerage management and even television services are not available in Kep.

Getting around in Kep and things to do:

Getting around Kep is very easy and you will be guided everywhere you go in Kep. The most important and interesting thing to do in Kep is to have a picnic of fresh sea food near the water front. All you need to do is to find a mat suitable for you or just find an empty platform opposite to the Kep beach. Once you occupy the platform every vendor near the platform will supply you with dishes made of crabs, prawns, fish and squids. Some other activities to do in Kep are,

* Have a drive or just a walk in the Kep Mountain where you can find a good view of sea and forests cover.
* Visit the crab market as it is too special in Kep.
* Have a look at the olden historic villas present in Kep.
* Rabbit Island is very famous in Kep.
* Rent a boat and try to catch fishes and crabs in hidden bays.
* Have a look at the King Shanouk’s mansion, Bokor Mountain, Kampot, Kimpong Trach, Tek Chou Waterfalls, etc.

Accommodation in Kep city:

You can select your desired guesthouse or resort to stay in Kep city. Some of the very famous resorts, guesthouses and hotels are mentioned below from which you can select your favourite one depending on your budget. Verdana Bungalows and Resorts, Kep Lodge, Knai Bang Chatt, The Beach House, Vanna Bungalow, Champey Inn, The Star Inn, Le Bout du Monde, The Boat House, Botanica, Champey Sor, etc. Prices to stay in these resorts or hotels range from $10 to $100 per night.

The Sihanoukville port construction was started by the French Cambodian construction team in the year 1955 and completed the project in 1960. The port was completed with the help of France as it was primary source of fund for this project. Another historical event relating Sihanoukville is the construction of a highway road from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh, commonly called as Route 4. This project was funded by the US. This town was basically built for settling of the construction workers, which later turned into a beautiful city. The city was named Sihanoukville in order to honor the king.
In 1960’s the city of Sihanoukville reached zenith because of the port’s success. The special event in the history of Sihanoukville is during the American Vietnam war, where all the anti – Americans got their weapons from the city of Sihanoukville. In 1975 a container shop belonging to US was captured by S.S. Mayaguesz of Khmer Rouge. Later because of continuous bombing of US in an island near Sihanoukville, they released the ship. In addition due to the development of the Sihanoukville there began a lot of construction of hotels and tourist spots to attract people from all over the world. Some important places of Sihanoukville will be discussed in the later part of this article.

Getting in and around Sihanoukville:

You can reach Sihanoukville by air, bus or by boat. At present you can come to Sihanoukville by bus and boat only because the small airport of Sihanoukville has been closed due to some problems. Taking a bus from Phnom Penh you can reach Sihanoukville in about 4 hours. There are regular bus services available to Sihanoukville. Daily morning at 8:00am a small ferry boat will be departing to Sihanoukville from Koh Kong. You can make use of this boat to reach Sihanoukville in around 4 hours. Inside Sihanoukville you can simply hire a cab or a taxi for a day to get around to tourist places. Taxies, Tuk Tuk, Motorcycle, car, bike, boat, etc. are available in Sihanoukville to move around. If you find any motorcyclist wearing a baseball cap, then you can identify that it is a motorcycle that can be hired. During night times the expense of hiring a motorcycle is increased.

Things to do in Sihanoukville:

Sihanoukville is very famous for its beaches and it is considered as one of the finest destinations for vacation in Asia. Some of the best things to do in Sihanoukville are shopping, involving in recreational activities, sports and visiting various attractions in Sihanoukville. Apart from this you should surely enjoy the nightlife in Sihanoukville because without feeling the nightlife in Sihanoukville your vacation will never be complete. When you are in Sihanoukville never miss the beauty of Otres Beach, Kbal Chhay, Bamboo Island, Fitness and boxing centre, Serendipity Beach, etc. All these places are wonderful and amazing to have a look at and feel the natural beauty.

Accommodations in Sihanoukville:

There are plenty of high class and low class hotels available in Sihanoukville. Depending on your budget and your requirement you can find hotels at your affordable prices. Also there are numbers of resort and guesthouse available which gives you a homely atmosphere where you enjoy much better. Some of the best hotels in Sihanoukville are Reef Resort, Sea View Villa, Coolabah Resort and Beach Club Resort. In these hotels and resorts you can find affordable prices. If you are still looking for ultimate luxury then try out at the Sokha Beach Resort Sihanoukville, Independence Hotel, etc., where luxury is prime feature of the hotel. The costs of these luxury hotels start from $170 per night.

Shopping in Sihanoukville:

In Sihanoukville you can’t find too many things to shop. The best things you can shop here is food, clothes and souvenirs. You can buy best clothes in the Sihanoukville central market. Swim suits are available throughout Sihanoukville streets because of the availability of beaches around Sihanoukville. You can buy souvenirs in Khmer Artisans stores and some of the fine arts at Rajana stores. Chamroeun Phal, Hi – Food, Ocean Mart, Orange Supermarket, Samudera, etc. are some of places where you can find good food and other important accessories. Ana souvenirs, Uber Escape Gourmet, Riikka’s Funky Sun Silver and Q&A Book store to get some beautiful crafts and stylish souvenirs.

Sihanoukville night life:

Sihanoukville night life is all set to fun and fiesta. Usually the nightlife events take place at the Serendipity Beach, Victory Hill and the Downtown. Here you can find number of bars and pubs open during night with girly atmosphere. Among these bars and pubs only some of them are open full night. So, to have a fun thrilled night life in Sihanoukville, have a small nap in the Sihanoukville beaches during your day time. So, check out for your favourite bars, pubs or discos and try to enjoy to your extreme limits.

Attractions in Sihanoukville:

The major attractions in Sihanoukville are the beaches present there. They offer you a lovely feel and splendid time when you are spending your time in one of the Sihanoukville beaches. Famous and important beaches to be visited in Sihanoukville are Independence Beach, Kbal Chhay Waterfalls, Ream Beach, Serendipity Beach, Victory Beach, Ream National Park, Victory Hill, Ochheuteal Beach, and much more. Have a good plan of places to be visited in Sihanoukville before you start in the morning. Get assistance from your travel guide to move around in Sihanoukville as they can take you to all places with perfect time management.

Siem Reap province is situated in Cambodia six kilometres south of the Angkor Wat’s UNESCO world heritage site. Siem Reap is very famous for tourist places and historic spots. Siem Reap is very famous province in Cambodia. The name Siem Reap gives the meaning “The Defeat of Siam”, which is Thailand at present. This history of Siem Reap reveals that Siem Reap exists since 1802 and it was the Khmer tribal people who first inhibited in Siem Reap. Siem Reap consists of many historic and splendid temples most of which were build in the 11th and 12th century C.E. There was continuous development of Siem Reap in all major fields and during the mid 18th century it was made home for the French. Siem Reap was well known for its aestheticism and fantastic architecture before it was made as a French colony. Even now those temples and architectural builds were astonishing people from all over the world. Siem Reap was just a village when the French people occupied it. Later after their acquisition of Angkor in the early 1900, Siem Reap found its growth to extreme levels. It is also to be noted that Siem Reap was one of the main land crossing border to enter Siem Reap from ancient Cambodia. At present Siem Reap is famous for its tourism and the architectural building existing. You can find performances of Apsara dance in streets, silk farms, craft shops, fishing village, etc. To reach the Angkor Wat Siem Reap is considered as the main gateway.

Getting around Siem Reap:

Getting around in Siem Reap is very easy. Siem Reap is very small city and almost all the places in Siem Reap can be covered by walking itself. Only the Angkor Wat is located far away, which require a taxi or cab to reach there. For every other location in Siem Reap you can just rent a bicycle or electric cycle to get around. They may charge you around $2 – $4 per cycle for one full day. Another means of getting around is by the electric carts or by horse carriages. Even elephant rides are available to reach Angkor Thom. If you are very rich and you can afford $1000 dollars per hour, then you can rent a helicopter. Tethered balloon rides can also be taken which charge about $15 for every 10 minutes.

Things to do in Siem Reap:

Some of the top cool things to do in Siem Reap are mentioned below. If you are to visit Siem Reap don’t miss these places as they have very important historical background and importance.

* The Angkor Archaeological Park in Angkor Wat is very special and people will never miss these places.
* The French Quarter Walking Tour
* The FCC Angkor Bar
* Psar Chas – Old Market where a lot of stores are available for shopping all products.
* Apsara Dance Performance
* Dinner at Shinta Mani
* Aki Ra’s Landmine Museum
* The floating Village of Chong Kneas
* Lounging at The Arts Lounge at Hotel de la Paix and
* Pampering at the Amansara Spa.
Apart from this you will find more cool and funny things to do in Siem Reap. This is just a hint of what you should never miss in Siem Reap when you are in your vacation to Siem Reap.

Accommodations in Siem Reap:

Since Siem Reap is well known for its tourist’s spots, there are thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. In order to make them more comfortable and also to grow the number of visitors Siem Reap government is taking a lot of steps for making visitors comfortable. You can find hotels everywhere in Siem Reap. You can find a hotel for your affordable budget. There are nearly about 142 hotels in Siem Reap and some of them are mentioned below. The Prum Bayon Hotel, The Kazna Hotel and The Angkor Spirit Palace are cheap hotels in Siem Reap and their rates start from $30. Apart from this you have the La Residence D’ Angkor hotel, Heritage Suites Hotel, Hotel De la Paix, and many more in the luxurious class hotels and their prices start from $250.

Siem Reap shopping:

A perfect tourist destination is a better place for shopping very special things of that place. Siem Reap is one such spot where you will surely like to shop a lot of things. There are lot of shopping places around Siem Reap and some of them are mentioned below.

* The Psah Chas Market is regarded as the best shopping place in Siem Reap.
* Psah Leu market is good for shopping general goods and foods.
* Tabitha Workshop for toys and ornaments.
* Baray Tukvill for shopping traditional arts and crafts shopping.
* Angkor shopping center for shopping jewellery.
* Asia craft centre for traditional asian, south asian arts and crafts.
* In addition to this you can find some small shopping stores in and around Siem Reap.
The best things to buy in Siem Reap are,
* Handi crafts
* Angkor candles
* Cambodian silks
* Souvenirs
* Textiles
* Cambodian arts and crafts
* Contemporary arts.

Night life in Siem Reap:

There are a lot of bars and clubs situated at the centre of Siem Reap city, which come alive from evening right after the sunset. There are bars, pubs, discos, clubs which will be open till morning where the native people along with visitors have a good time. You can find these pubs and bars in the Old Market area particularly near the Pub Street.

Attractions in Siem Reap:

Apart from historic monuments and building there are other attractions in Siem Reap where people seem to enjoy a lot. Some of the very famous attractions are mentioned here. The Tonle Sap Lake, Preah Vihear temple, Koh Ker, The River of the Thousand Lingas, etc. Also you can take a balloon trip around Siem Reap to have a good look at the forest cover and other natural beauty of Siem Reap city.

Koh Kong province of Cambodia consists of 8 major districts. The capital of Koh Kong province is Koh Kong city. “Kong Island Province” is the meaning of the name Koh Kong. The eight districts of Koh Kong province are Botum Sakor, Kiri Sakor, Koh Kong, Smach Mean Chey, Mondol Seima, Srae ambel, Thma Bang and Kampong Seila. The Koh Kong province is located in the extreme south of Cambodia. It has a vast coast line and the coast line is still under development. Also it has thick forest cover, mountains interior places most of which are not easily accessible. This is the toughest part of the Cardamom Mountains along with some parts of the Kirirom National Park. Koh Kong is especially famous for its splendid waterfalls and awesome casinos. The ports of the Koh Kong are under development stage in order to promote international sea trade. Koh Kong was regarded as the main gateway to enter Cambodia from Hat let situated at Thailand east. The border crossing is located at 14 km away from Koh Kong at Cham Yeam. Trip to Koh Kong will be enjoyable and the bridges built on the way to Koh Kong ware fantastic and it’s now considered to be the landmarks of Koh Kong. The largest bridge in Cambodia is situated in Koh Kong extending about 1, 900 meter over the sea. This bridge connects the International Check Point and Koh Kong resort to the provincial Koh Kong. Until 1990 the city of Koh Kong was considered as one of the least secured parts in Cambodia. The presence of the Khmer Rouge people in the lower Cardamoms created fear and threats for the local people residing in Koh Kong. Then later the surrender of all the Khmer Rouge elements, the city of Koh Kong started its development process and now it has been grown to a certain appreciable level. Lot of attractions were present in Koh Kong along with splendid beauty of nature. Later in this section you will know about the tourist spots and various other attractions in Koh Kong city.

Getting around and things to do in Koh Kong Cambodia:

You can get in Koh Kong directly from Thailand using the border crossing situated at Cham Yeam. If you want to reach Koh Kong from Sihanoukville or from Phnom Penh, you can use either road service or ferry boat service. There will be daily ferries from Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh to Koh Kong. The Route #48 constructed recently will connect Koh Kong to the National Route #4 from where if you go north you reach Phnom Penh and south will lead to Sihanoukville. You can make use of the bus service, taxi service or ferry service to reach Koh Kong. Getting around in Koh Kong is very easy. In Koh Kong motorcycle taxi are most common and the prices of the motodups are similar to that of other Cambodian provinces. Hiring or renting a motorbike will be useful for you to have more entertainment and enjoyment during your ride in Koh Kong. For a day the motodups charge up to $5 to $7.

Things to do in Koh Kong:

Koh Kong is being developed right now and there are a lot of unexplored things to be explored. The toughest forests, rugged rivers, cardamom jungles and beautiful oceans speak for the beauty of Koh Kong. For foreign visitors the most interesting and the most visited tourist sports are the casinos, waterfalls and the beaches. Some important things to do in Koh Kong are,

* Visit beaches and islands in Koh Kong.
* Safari world at Koh Kong.
* Very interesting scuba diving event.
* Koh Kong divers.
* Waterfalls and its locations and finally
* The casinos in Koh Kong.
Apart from this you can enjoy the unique nightlife in Koh Kong, since there are number of bars, restaurants, pubs, discos, and much more are available in Koh Kong.

Accommodations in Koh Kong:

Accommodation is not a problem in Koh Kong. You can find serious of hotels along the roads of Koh Kong. For all types of budget there is a hotel present in Koh Kong. Some of the important hotels present in Koh Kong are the Asean Hotel, Bopha Koh Kong Hotel, Champa Koh Kong Guesthouse, the Dugout Hotel, Koh Kong City Hotel, Koh Kong International Resort Club, Koh Kong Riverside, Oasis Resort and Rainbow Lodge. In all these hotels you can find a room at a starting price at $10 to $80. Apart from this you can find some good restaurants also like the Baan Peakmai, Barracuda Beach Bar, Bob Bar, etc.

Night life and shopping in Koh Kong:

Night life in Koh Kong is pretty interesting and you can easily find an active night life. There are some small bars and pubs opened all the night where you can stay the entire night. You will be provided with drinks and food. During nights there is a special place for foreigners to meet called as the Otto’s. This place is open till 10pm in the night. To the south east of the famous traffic circle you can find a “Red Zone” which is just four kilometre from there. You can get a taxi to reach there. Koh Kong International Resort club has a new casino, located at the rivers Hat Lek side. You can make use of motorbikes to get there and to return back.

There is nothing much to describe about shopping in Koh Kong. You can get high quality crafted articles, jewellery and other required things from the shops available in Koh Kong shopping markets.

Attractions in Koh Kong:

The Cham Yeam Resort, Kbal Chhay Prek Koh Waterfall, Koh Kong Krov Weach, Lam Da Beach, Sner Beach, Veal Achaut Waterfall, Kbal Chhay E91 Waterfall, Khun Chhlagn Khun Phen Resort, Koh Mool Resort, Prek Chik O’ Srey Sranash and Tatay Waterfall are some of the tourist attractions very famous in Koh Kong. If you are to Koh Kong try to visit all the above mentioned attractions.

Getting around and things to do in Preah Vihear:

Getting around in Preah Vihear province is very easy as you can easily find a lot of transportation means to take you to every place in there. Also you can arrange your own cab or hire one for roaming in this province. The most important thing to do in Preah Vihear province is to visit the historic Preah Vihear temple. It is a very famous tourist spot and a number of visitors visit this temple every year. In Preah Vihear temple you have a lot of things to view and you will be amazed to see the way the temple was built and the way it was preserved. There are four levels of Preah Vihear temple. To enter the first level of the temple you have to cover about 162 steps over 76 metres. To reach the fourth level of the temple you have to cover about 1 kilometre. Important things to not in Preah Vihear temple is the courtyard in the 4th level temple, quarry at the top, 3rd level temple’s east side, 1st level temple’s front and 3rd level temple’s artillery piece. In addition to this temple you have the Khao Phra Wihan national park to be visit in the Preah Vihear province. Apart from these places you have some simple places to take a look at which your travel guide will take care of.

Accommodation facilities in Preah Vihear:

When you plan for your vacation in Preah Vihear, you can reserve for your accommodation before you reach Preah Vihear. There are number of Preah Vihear hotels available having budgets covering all ranges. You can easily find cheap hotels, guesthouses or restaurants to luxurious five star hotels, guesthouses when you get around Preah Vihear. Ever if your are staring your trip in a hurry or a last moment decision to travel to Preah Vihear, you need not worry about accommodation in Preah Vihear. Even after you reach here in Preah Vihear you can find hotel at an affordable rates suiting your budget levels.

Angkor Wat is one of the famous and historic temples built during the period of king Suryavarman II. This beauty was built during the 12th century C.E. This temple was built as a State Temple of Angkor and also to make it the capital city of Angkor. Among various temples built during the 11th and the 12th century C.E. this temple finds a significant spot as it is still remaining as a perfect symbol of good artistic work and religious foundations. King Suryavarman II built this temple in devotion to God Vishnu. No other temples were built giving importance to one single God. The Khmer architecture is clearly revealed in this temple. Later on knowing the importance of this temple, its picture was made appearing on the Cambodian national flag. This tells you the specialty of this Vishnu temple.

History of Angkor Wat:

This great architectural work of Angkor Wat is situated 5.5 kilometers to the north of the city of Siem Reap. It is also very close to the previous capital of Baphuon. This place in Angkor is well known for the most important and significant ancient structures. The design and construction of the Angkor Wat was carried out in the early 12th century in the period of king Suryavarman II. Still the original name of the temple is a mystery and no one knows it. No inscription regarding the temple or Stella kept during its foundation were not found by archaeologist. Before the complete construction of the temple king Suryavarman II died, this led to some incomplete work in the temple. 27 years after the death of king Suryavarman II, the Angkor was attacked and sacked by the Khmer’s traditional enemies called the Chams. It took a lot of time for the recovery of Angkor and King Jayavarman VII restored the entire Angkor. He then established another unique state temple under his rule and also to act as the capital. It was named the Angkor Thom and it was built to the north of the Angkor Wat.

The style of Angkor Wat:

The Angkor Wat was built with two basic plans for the temple architecture; they are the Temple Mountain and the Galleried Temple. The idea of galleried temple plans was entirely followed from the South Indian Hindu architectural style, especially from Tamil Nadu. Some of the features of Tamil Nadu architecture are followed absolutely like the Jagati, etc. This design of Angkor Wat was designed to represent the Mount Menu, which in Hindu Mythology is referred to the Deva’s home. There are three rectangular galleries located along the outer wall of the Angkor Wat at a distance of 3.6 km. A Quincunx of towers is located at the center of the temple.

The richness of the temple is still being admired by people from all over the world. The architectural style in which the temple was built, numerous bas – reliefs and the devatas in the walls of the temple was adorning and amazing creation of the builders.