Siem Reap has just been named among TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Cultural Destinations in the World for 2026, and while Angkor Wat deserves every superlative thrown at it, the city and its surroundings reward those who stay curious well beyond the temples…
Angkor Wat by moonlight. On full moon nights, the temple complex opens for nocturnal visits. Bathed in silver light with virtually no other visitors, it becomes something altogether more ancient and affecting than the daytime version.
Beng Mealea. An hour from the city, this largely unrestored jungle temple feels like a genuine discovery: roots splitting stones, corridors half-swallowed by forest, almost no crowds.
The APOPO Hero Rats Centre. Where African giant pouched rats are trained to detect landmines left from Cambodia’s devastating civil conflict. Sobering, extraordinary and impossible to forget.
Phare Cambodian Circus. A spectacular performance by graduates of a social enterprise arts school. More theatre than circus, and one of the most joyful evenings in the region.
Tonlé Sap Lake. Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, home to floating villages where entire communities live on the water year-round.
Pub Street and the Old Market. For Khmer street food, cold Angkor beer and the particular pleasure of a city that knows how to end a day well.
Karma Bayon sits minutes from all of it. Book by 31 July 2026 for travel by 30 September and receive US$100 Karma Concierge Credit, a free Angkor Wat tour for up to four guests and return airport transfers.
