Our Cambodian trip started from this small provincial capital. For a lot of tourists, Krong Stung Treng is a common stopover on the way to or from Laos. Town itself does not have too much to offer apart of the local market, couple of restaurants, guesthouses and Mekong river. After a good breakfast and brief market exploration we were ready to start our Cambodian trip!
Our primary destination was Siem Reap with its Angkor Wat complex. So basically over 300 km of paved road and full day of driving was waiting for us!
On the way we couldn’t miss Koh Ker temple, that’s situated about 120 kilometres northeast of Siem Reap. Koh Ker in ancient inscriptions, was the capital of the Khmer Empire for a very brief period from 928 to 944 CE. In this short time, as well as before and after, many sanctuaries were built and a spectacular 36-metre high seven-tiered pyramid Prasat Thom was erected. More than 180 sanctuaries have been found in an area of 81 square km. Since 1992 the site of Koh Ker has been on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

Our next obvious stop was Siem Reap; thanks to its Angkor Wat complex its the most visited site in Cambodia. Town has great variety of accommodation and good selection of restaurants for any pocket size.
Talking about Angkor: entrance fee in low season is 20 USD and probably its worth it as it's one of the most important archaeological sites of Southeast Asia. It extends over approximately 400 square kilometres and consists of scores of temples, hydraulic structures as well as communication routes. For several centuries Angkor, was the centre of the Khmer Kingdom.
Angkor was named a World Heritage site in 1992. The Angkor complex represents the entire range of Khmer art from the 9th to the 14th centuries, and includes a number of indisputable artistic masterpieces.
Our first stop was at Banteay Kdei. Its name means “Citadel of Chambers”. The ruins are a fascinating maze of chambers that are a delight to explore. Also serving as a Buddhist temple, these ruins have been home to an active monastery at multiple time periods since their construction in the 12th century.
Next temple we visited was Pre Rup. The modern name of this imposing and intriguing temple mountain translates as ‘turning the body’, referring to an ancient cremation rite but its origins were unrelated to cremation ceremonies.

After warm up with smaller temples we were ready for the most important and impressive once so it was time to visit the heart of Angkor Thom with its 12th-century Bayon temple. The Bayon was the last state temple to be built at Angkor, and the only Angkorian state temple to be built primarily as a Mahayana Buddhist shrine dedicated to the Buddha. 37 standing towers belong to Bayon temple with the central tower rising 43 meters above the ground.
In Khmer Angkor Wat means "City of Temples”. Angkor Wat is the heart and soul of Cambodia and a source of fierce national pride. It even appears on the nation’s flag. Unlike the other Angkor monuments, it was never abandoned to the elements and has been in virtually continuous use since it was built. It was originally built in the first half of the 12th century by Emperor Suryavarman II as the state temple and political center of his empire. Originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple by the end of the 12th century.
You need to be really fast and efficient if you decided to explore the whole complex in one day (as we did). Bring enough water and some snacks as it can be really hot and long day.
We couldn't miss the capital of Cambodia on the way to the south. Phnom Penh definitely has the vide of the big capital and in our opinion worth couple of days of visit .
For many thousands of years, the art of stone carving has flourished in Cambodia. From the small statues made by local artisans to the famous, breathtaking carvings found at Angkor Wat, stone carving has become one of the country's most cherished art forms. We were lucky to witness this amazing "work in progress" on the way to the seaside. After a long day of driving, we finally got to the ocean. The plan was to visit Kampot and Kep. The area offers a wide choice of accommodations and ferry departures to the offshore islands. We stopped there just for two nights. It was enough to check the whole area with its not very inviting water and overpriced restaurants. Unfortunately we didn't have much time for deeper exploration. We were ready to make our way to Vietnam