Things to do in Cambodia

Cambodia is small and flat. Almost all of it drains into one lake, the Tonle Sap, and that lake sets the country's calendar. Most visitors see two points on the map.

Where things are

• Phnom Penh — the capital, in the south, where the Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Bassac meet. The junction is called Chaktomuk, the four faces.
• Siem Reap — northwest, at the top of the lake, the base for Angkor.
• Battambang — between the two, a French colonial grid with rice country and rock-cut caves.
• The coast — Sihanoukville and the islands off it, then quieter Kep and Kampot, pepper farms and salt pans.
• The far temples — Preah Vihear on a cliff at the Thai border, the pyramid at Koh Ker, the seventh-century brick towers of Sambor Prei Kuk, Banteay Chhmar out west.
• The northeast — Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri, forest and elephants, a long drive from anywhere.

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is 315 kilometres on National Road 6. Buses take five to six hours and the flight takes forty minutes. There is no motorway on that route yet.

The lake that breathes

In June the flooded Mekong pushes water backwards up the Tonle Sap river. The lake swells from about 2,500 square kilometres to as much as 16,000. In late October it turns again.

Phnom Penh and the recent past

The capital asks more of a visitor. Tuol Sleng, the school the Khmer Rouge turned into prison S-21, sits in the middle of the city. The killing field at Choeung Ek is fifteen kilometres south.

The rest of the city is lighter.

• The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda — still the king's residence, the pagoda floored with silver tiles.
• The National Museum — the best Khmer sculpture anywhere outside the temples themselves.
• Wat Phnom — the hill the city is named after, a working shrine rather than a monument.
• Udong — the royal capital before this one, an hour north, with stupas along a ridge.

Practical

• Seasons. Dry from November to April, wet from May to October. March to May is the furnace, often past 35C, and the rain, when it comes, is an afternoon event.
• Two currencies. Prices are quoted in US dollars and change under a dollar comes back in riel. Bring clean, untorn notes.
• Dress and tips. Shoulders and knees covered at the Royal Palace and at temples, shoes off indoors. Guides and tuk-tuk drivers earn little; tips register.
• Khmer New Year. Mid-April. The country stops for several days and everyone travels home.
• The hard sites. S-21 and Choeung Ek take a slow half day and the audio guides earn their fee. They are not a stop on the way to lunch.