Independence Monument
The Independence Monument commemorates the 1953 end of French rule over Cambodia. Designed by a Cambodian architect, the Naga (a mythical bird symbolizing strength and benevolence) motif of the monument is a symbol f the country's lirations. The Naga also adorns most important buildings in the country, including the Olympic Stadium and the Chatomuk Hall, which marks the convergence of four main river: the upper and lower Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Bassac.

National Museum
Located just north of the Royal Palace, the National Museum was recently rested to its former glory as one of the finest examples of Khmer architecture. On display there are more than 5,000 artifacts and objects of 'art from the 6th to the 13th centuries. They include sandstone sculptures, royal barges, palanquins and silk, intricately woven with silver and gold threads. There are also rare religious objects in gold, silver and bronze.

Wat Phnom
Legend has it that after a major flood a wealthy Khmer widower named Daun Penh found a large tree on the bank of the Tonle Sap with four ancient statues of Buddha hidden inside. In 1434 she decided to erect a large hill and build a temple to house sacred relics. Today, Wat Phnom remains the highest artificial hill in Phnom Penh and the center of many forms of religious activities.

Toul Sleng and Killing Field
When the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975 they converted a former high school in the suburbs of Phnom Penh into a detention and torture center known as Toul Sleng, or S-21. A genocide museum was established at Tulo Sleng after 1979 and today it remains as it looked when abandoned by the Khmer Rouge. Hundreds of faces of those tortured line the walls inside the old school. Most of the 17,000 people detained at Toul Sleng were eventually transported to Choeung Ek, a mass gravesite located 15km outside Phnom Penh.

Known to locals as the Killing Field, Choeung Ek serves as a memorial to those killed under the Khmer Rogue rule. These sites can be extremely distressing, but are and essential part of understanding Cambodia’s tragic past.

Royal Palace
Built in 1866 by His Majesty Preah Bat Norodom, the Royal Palace is now home to his Majesty Preah Bat Nodom Shihanouk and Her majesty Preah Reach Akka-Mohesey Norodom. Most of the buildings inside the palace are closed to the public, except for special occasions. Also within the palace walls is the Silver Pagoda, which draws its name from the 5,000 silver tiles that pave its floor. Inside the pagoda there are hundreds of gifts to Cambodian king, including a solid-gold Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds weighing 90 kilograms. For those who love shopping, there are several markets that offer handicraft, silk, silver ware, wood carving, precious stones from the country's famous mines, as well as antique furniture and paintings by local artists.

The Majestic temples of Angkor in northwest Cambodia belong to the classic period of Khmer art and civilization. Today, a millennium after they were built, they awe visits with their perfection and enmity. The temples are the creation of a succession of dominated most of Khmer Kings who presided over an empire that dominated most of present-day Southeast Asia from 800 to 1430, reaching its peak in the 12th century. The period began with the ascension to the throne by King Jayavarman II.

Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the largest temple in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. It is unlike all other Khmer temples in that it faces west, and it is inspired by 12th century Hinduism. Conceived by Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat took several decades to build. Intricate base relief surround Angkor Wat on four sides. Each tells a sty. The way the light glows on the ancient stones makes sunrise and sunset the best time to wander through Angkor Wat's 2 square kilometers, climb its tower.

Angkor Thom
The ancient walled city of Angkor Thom, literally "Great City, "built in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII, contains the famous Bayon temple with its me than 200 enormous mysterious smiling faces. It also contains the 300 meter-long Elephant terrace with its large sculptured royal elephants and Garudas, the mythical guard half-man, half-bird. Also within the walled area is the terrace of the Leper King. A sandstone replica of the Leper King is here.

Banteay Srei
This is the fabled pink temple of women, so called because it is made of pink sandstone & considered a tribute to the beauty of women. Its small size, delicate carving and remarkable state of preservation make Banteay Srei one of travelers' favorite temples. Its Apsara and male and female divinities represent the most skilled craftsman ship of sandstone carvings. It was dedicated in 987, making it one of the oldest temples in the region, though it was not rediscovered until the 1900s.

Kulen Mountain
At just about 42 km nth of Siem Reap Town, many visits combine a visit to Phnom Kulen with a trip to the pink sandstone temple of Banteay Srei. On either side of the mountain, tall waterfalls crash down the mountain; clean, clear and cool water provide a wonderful place of tourists. Carvings of Brahmin Yonis and lingas can be seen etched into the riverbed. A mountain peak temple houses a huge reclining Buddha, gazing serenely out from his peaceful mountain home.

Neak Pean
Prasat Neak Pean (Intertwined Naga) was built by Jayavarman VII, consists of a square pool with four smaller square pools arranged on each axis. In the center of the large central pool is a circular "island" encircled by the two Naga who intertwined tails give the temple its name. Water once flowed from the central pool into the four peripheral pools via ornamental spouts, which can still be seen in the pavilions at each axis of the pool.

Phnom Bakheng
Dominating the flat landscape, this 10th Century mountain temple is the most popular spot in the area to watch a classic sunset over Angkor Wat and the surrounding fest.

Boeung Mealea
Boeung Mealea is the most accessible of Angkor’s lost temples, a mirror image of the mighty Angkor Wat, but totally and utterly consumed by the jungle. Constructed by Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-1150), the builder of Angkor Wat, nature has triumphed here, and it’s hard to get a sense of the monument’s shape a mid the daunting ruins. Boeung Mealea lies about 70Km from Siem Reap at the foot of Phnom Kulen’s eastern extreme. It takes 2-3 hours to get there via either Banteay Srei of Dam Dek on National Highway 6.

Kbal Spean
The original “ River of a Thousand Lingas ”, Kbal Spean is and intricately carved riverbed deep in the foothills the Cambodian jungle. Lingas are phallic representations sacred to Hinduism as symbols of fertility, and hundreds of them are carved into the rock here, as are several carvings of Gods and animals above the small waterfall. The area was only rediscovered in 1969 when French researcher Jean Boulbet was shown the carvings by a local hermit. Kbal Spean lies 50Km northeast of Siem Reap 18Km from Banteay Srei on a dirt road. It takes from 1-2 hours to get there from Siem Reap.

Silk Farm
Angkor Silk Farm presents the grand tour of an 8-hectare site, to discover silk farming with specialized guides. Discover the various stages involved in silk production, from mulberry tree chards, to silkworm breeding, the spinning mill and the weaving process.

The history of Sihanoukville goes back only as far as 1955 when the area known as kampong Som. In August of that year, a French/Cambodia construction team cut a base camp into the unoccupied jungle where the Hawaii Sea view Restaurant now sits. They laid the groundwork for the construction of the new Port of Kampong Som. Prior to 1954, Indochina (Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) was a single political unit under French jurisdiction. During this period, Cambodia maintained international sea trade via the Mekong River. But the dissolution of French Indochina in1954 meant the Mekong delta reverted to the control of Vietnam. Seeking unfettered access to the ocean, plans were made to construct a new ocean port. Kampong Som was selected for water depth ease of access.

OCHHEUTEAL BEACH

Ochheuteal Beach is now the most popular in Sihanoukville, offering the full Spectrum of beach venues from upscale hotels and dining to laid-back budget beach bars and bungalows.
Ochheuteal is long, sandy and narrow, with ‘Serendipity Beach’ at the northern end, a Golf-course development at the southern end, and a cluster of mid-range hotels and restaurant near the MP base in the middle. Little shack style restaurants and bars, grass umbrellas, beach chairs line the beach from one end to the other.

VICTORY BEACH

At over kilometers, Victory Beach is quite long, but like Independence Beach, the sandy area is narrow, making low tide the best time. Victory two beaches divided by a rocky point and a small hill. Set at the base of the very popular Weather Station Hill, the section of Victory Beach in the area in the area of the Vietnam Cambodia Monument (Victory Monument’) is the most popular of Victory. The beach is a bit quieter and more relaxed then Ochheuteal and there are a few good beach bars and restaurants right on the sand such as Tahiti, Mari-yan Beach (offering the only pentanque court on the beach), and Map Water Sports with jet skis, boat trips and more. Victory is a particularly good sunset beach.

INDEPENDENDENCE BEACH/ 7-CHANN BEACH

Independence Beach is more than a kilometer long, but the sandy area is quite narrow, making the beach best when the tide is low. Grass umbrellas and drink vendors now line the beach from end but it is more tourists toward the southern end, near the beach’s only hotel, Sea Breeze. At the other end is a small fresh water lake (which is the source of the town’s fresh water and is rumored to contain crocodiles). The road up to the Independence Hotel is often frequented by a small troop of Rhesus monkeys but is currently closed.

SOKHA BEACH

Occupying all of Sokha Beach, the new Sokha Beach Resort, Sihanoukville’s first full resort complex, is offering upscale accommodation restaurants, water sports, and more. Sokha Beach is about 1 Kilometer long and comparatively wide so that there is plenty of sand left during high tide. It is perfectly groomed these days, fairly quiet by comparison to Ochheuteal, and is open to the general public as well as guests of the resort.

REAM NATIONAL PARK
Officially called Preah Sihanouk National Park, the park has become know as < > because it is located in the Ream commune. The park was established 1993, inaugurated in March 1995, and encompasses 21,000 hectares of coastal area including sandy beaches, mangrove forests, the Prek Tuk Sap estuary, offshore coral reefs and two islands( Koh Tmei and Koh Seh). Macaques, sun bear, dolphins, over 155 species of birds, and other animals may be seen by visitors.
The park also contains rarely glimpsed species such as mouse deer and pangolin, and there have long been rumors of the tiger, but no confirmed sightings. Park facilities are not fully developed so it is best to arrange a guided tour such as a jungle walk or a boat trip. Ream Beach located in Ream National Park, thought not untouristed , the Ream Beach see far fewer visitors than Sihanoukville beach. The beach to the right is long and narrow and frequented more by fishermen than tourists. Behind the beach is a mangrove swamp, which attracts a wide variety of the tropical birds. The beaches to the left nearer the Naval Base

SUNSET: SIHANOUKVILLE

offers several excellent spots to watch sunset. Most people opt for the beaches. Victory is the most ideally oriented beach for sunset. The view from the other beaches is the sometimes partially obstructed depending on the time of year. Perhaps the best sunset point is at the top of Sihanoukville Mountain. The rocks at the top face west offers a beautiful view of the town, port, ocean and islands