Cambodia Landmarks

Best time to go to Cambodia

The ideal months to visit Cambodia are December and January, when the humidity is bearable, the temperatures are lower and the chance of rain is lower. Temperatures begin to rise from the beginning of February until the hottest month of April often exceeds 40 ° C. From May / June, the southwestern monsoon brings rain and high humidity, only suitable for the fewest visitors.However
, the rainy season from May to October can be a good time to visit Angkor, as the rainforest is in full splendor – the northeastern regions should be during will not be visited this month because the streets are flooded.

The country’s largest festival, Bon Om Tuk, takes place in early November and is well worth a visit. Other interesting festivals are the Phnom Penh Water Festival and the Khmer New Year.

Cambodia Sightseeing Places

Money

Currency: 1 Cambodian Riel corresponds to 10 Kak and 100 Sen.

Currency abbreviation: KHR (ISO code), CR – ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG

Banknotes are in circulation of 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 riels (more common) and 50, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 riels (less common). The coins of the amounts of 50, 100, 200 and 500 Riel are rarely used.

Exchange rate:
October 2009
1 US dollar = 4237 Riel
1 Euro = 6228 Riel
1 Swiss Franc = 4113 Riel

Sightseeing

Cambodia is an interesting country that should not be missed. The country offers its visitors a wide range of activities and a large number of different sights and attractions.

Under no circumstances should you miss the Angkor Wat. The Angkor Wat is a temple city located near Siem Reap. It is estimated that Angkor Wat was created between 850 and 1110 AD. Angkor Wat had disappeared from the scene for a while and was left to the jungle, although more than a million people lived here during its heyday.
The ordinary people of the city lived in wooden buildings, of which no remains can be seen today. Today there are some temples from Angkor Wat from different eras of the time to see. These were also used to store the rice there.

Cambodia Landmarks

Even then, agriculture was a very productive branch of the economy, since sophisticated irrigation technology was available. So agriculture formed the basis for the city’s wealth. Angkor Wat was abandoned in 1430. Why the city was left to its own devices by the inhabitants can no longer be understood today.

Another temple not to be missed is the Banteay Chhmar. The temple complex is near the border with Thailand. The advantage here is that the facility has not yet been fully developed for tourism and therefore there is no mass tourism. Banteay Chhmar was built by Jayavarman VII. At that time it was originally surrounded by a nine-kilometer wall.

The Banteay Srei is also worth seeing. This is a Hindu temple that is wide for the goddess Shiva. It was built in 967.

The Beng Malea is also worth a visit. In terms of size, the temple complex can easily keep up with Angor Wat. Beng Mealea was built in the twelfth century AD. The builder was Suryavarman the second.

Other temples and religious buildings in Cambodia are the Preah Khan, Kbal Spean, Koh Ker, Prasat Preah Vihear, Sambor Prei Kuk and Phnom Chnoork.

One of the most interesting sights in Cambodia is Western Baray by Ankir. This is an old system, measuring eight kilometers by 2.3 kilometers, that was built by human hands. The facility was originally designed to ensure the water supply for Angkor Wat residents.

Museum lovers should not miss the National Museum in Phnom Penh. There are fantastic exhibitions in the museum where you can learn more about the history of the country.

Phnom Penh in Cambodia

In the southwest of the country of Cambodia, the capital, Phnom Penh, lies more precisely on the Torrle Sap, an inflow of the Mekong. The city is the main economic center in Cambodia. Covering a total area of ​​376 square kilometers, more than 2 million people live.

The city, founded in 1372, got its name from a 27 meter high artificial hill: Wat Phnom Daun Penh (hill temple). At the time of the second Indochina, Phnom Penh was attacked several times. When the Khmer Rouge conquered the capital of Cambodia in 1975, most of the city’s inhabitants were deported to the countryside. At the beginning of 1979, however, the Khmer Rouge had to leave the city itself.

The sights Phnom Penhs were mainly shaped by the various occupying powers. You will find, next to elegant, magnificent French colonial villas, Khmer temples or the Royal Palace next to buildings in the Art Deco style of the 1920s.

Royal Palace
The headquarters of the King of Cambodia has been the ornate Royal Palace since 1939, some of which is also open to visitors. The highlight on the palace grounds is the Silver Pagoda.

Wat Botum
This original wat was founded in 1422 by King Ponhea and got its current name four hundred years later. This is not the only wat, there is Wat Langka from 1422 or Wat Ounalom, which housed the Buddhist Institute within its walls until 1999.

National Museum
To honor King Sisouath, the National Museum was opened in Phnom Penh in 1917. At this place you get a deep insight into the history of Angkor. The around five thousand exhibits are overwhelming.

Toul
Seleng Genocide Museum
Everyone has heard of the Khmer Rouge, its head Popot and the crimes they have committed. In this museum you can learn a lot about the atrocities of this regime. The museum building was a concentration camp from 1975 to 1979, in which many people lost their lives.

Wat Phnom
This wat is surrounded by a wonderful, green park. A statue of Ms. Penh is in the western part of the pagoda. This statue was erected in her honor since she found four ancient Buddha statues on the Mekong River in 1372.

Central Market (Phsar Thmie)

This building is a unique witness to the art deco architecture of the 1920s.