Tourist Attractions in Kingdom of Cambodia
Kingdom of Cambodia is situated in South-East Asia, bordered to the north by Thailand & Laos, the east & the south by Vietnam and the west by The Gulf of Thailand. The country is based on an agriculture in which they collect the harvest throughout the year.
Cambodia is rich in history, Ancient temples, empty beaches, mighty rivers, remote forests and beautiful landscape in the northeast. Cambodia has emerged from decades of war and isolation and is well and truly back on the southeast Asian travel map. The successor-state of the mighty Khmer Empire, which ruled much of what is now Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, Cambodia boasts a rich culture, a weathered French-era capital and impressive natural scenery. The peace is young but the country is slowly attracting the tourism currently sweeping Vietnam.
Cambodia is justly famous for its magnificent temples, but is now soon be renowned for its abundant natural attractions and empty beaches. The tourist infrastructure in Cambodia has developed tremendously in recent years, including the opening of quality hotels and restaurants and the upgrading of roads and transport links, both within the country and to neighboring countries. Increasing more direct flights to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia is more accessible today than at any time in the past. Tourist Attractions in Cambodia.
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is situated at the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers with the Mekong. It was founded as a small monastery in 1372 by a rich Khmer woman called 'Penh', after she had found four Buddha statues in a tree trunk on the banks of the Mekong. She set up the monastery on a hill near the bank of the Mekong. The Cambodian word for hill is Phnom. Therefore the name of the town correctly translates as Hill of Penh.
In 1434, after the Siamese conquest of Angkor in 1431, the Khmer nobility unwilling to submit to Siamese overlords fled from Angkor and established Phnom Penh as the new Khmer capital, just 64 years after the Buddhist monastery had been founded on Penh Hill. However, the Khmer never succeeded in setting up a new kingdom to come close to the glamour of Angkor.
In fact, for long periods of time the Khmer kingdom centered in Phnom Penh wasn't a sovereign country but alternatively a satellite state of, or directly ruled by, the Vietnamese or the Thais. For more than 400 years - until the French made Cambodia their protectorate - the art of politics in Phnom Penh was just an exercise of balancing between the two powerful neighbors.
On April 17, 1864, the Cambodian king Norodom accepted for his country the status of a French protectorate. King Norodom expected the French to protect Cambodia from the neighboring countries Siam (Thailand) and Vietnam. However, the French protectors did not prevent politically strong Siam from temporarily annexing western parts of the country, including the town of Battambang. Nevertheless, by recognizing French rule, King Norodom pre-empted moves of Siam and Vietnam to entirely divide his country between them. In past centuries the loss of territory to Vietnam had been more significant.
During almost 90 years of colonial rule the French reshaped and extended Phnom Penh according to their architectural taste. They built broad boulevards and the city received a touch of Mediterranean atmosphere.
Siem Reap
Siem Reap is a Cambodian province where Angkor Wat temple, one of the seven wonders of the world, is rightly situated!
Nestled between rice paddies and stretched along the Siem Reap River lies the provincial capital of Siem Reap - old colonial town, developing tourist area and most importantly, gateway to the temples of Angkor. If it were not for Angkorian-era temples north of town, Siem Reap would be unknown to most of the world.
Siem Reap is where you will stay during your visit to Angkor. The area has been receiving visitors to the temples for more than 100 years but has managed to maintain a certain quaintness. The town is really a cluster of villages with a French colonial center. There is a wide range but not an over-abundance of hotels, restaurants, pubs and shops. There is now a selection of European, Thai, pizza, budget, Cambodian and Chinese restaurants as well as a few nightspots from which to choose.
Sihanoukville
Kratie
Kratie is a small town on the banks of the mighty Mekong River with some of the best sunsets in Cambodia. The river north of here is home to the unique Ayerwaddy Dolphin, one of the rarest creatures in the region and viewing is possible throughout the year. Nearby Phnom Sombok offers some striking views across the Mekong River.