The popular image of Cambodia is of the overgrown remains of stone temples and palaces, and today’s adventurer finds many tours that show off both the beauty of Cambodia’s well-preserved ecosystems and the strength of its enduring Buddhist heritage. Your adventure tour in Cambodia can range from a few days’ dash to Angkor Wat to a multi-week trek village to village through Cambodian jungle and countryside.

Cambodia’s greatest temple, Angkor Wat, meaning “City Temple”, is a popular first or final stop on many adventure tours. Many adventure treks begin in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap near the Angkor complex. After exploring Cambodia’s 1-squre kilometer “City Temple” many adventurers head south to Tonle Sap Lake Wildlife Sanctuary for bird watching. More ecotourism adventures and mountain trekking can be found farther south in the Krâvanh (literally “Cardamom”) Mountains region, where Camodia’s highest peak, the Phnom Aural at 1,813 metres (5,948 ft), is found. Nearby adventurers find the Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia’s home for a variety of avian and terrestrial species.

Moving farther afield, adventure trekking in the Cambodian countryside gives adventurers the chance to view village life first hand. Some of the most remote areas of Cambodia are now serviced by local guides who take adventurers village to village through jungle terrain in the most remote areas of the country. Virachey National Park in northeast Cambodia is great venue for adventure treks into the heart of the jungle with a return journey by kayak down the Se San River to add some variety to the adventure tour. Adventurers can also find kayaking trips where the Mekong River flows through Cambodia, especially near Kratie where the Irrawaddy dolphin still thrives.

Road biking tours take adventurers from Cambodia’s capital Phnem Penh 180 kilometers past Siem Reap to Angkor, doubling back along on the banks of the Mekong and continuing south for a day or two of relaxation at Cambodia’s white sand beaches near the port of Sihanoukville. Even there adventurers can continue their exploration of Cambodia by finding a snorkel or scuba rental and checking out the undersea life of the coral reefs near Sihanoukville: jelly fish, leopard sharks, and giant clams.