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Are you looking for the best things to do in Siem Reap? I have five incredible experiences for you to check out below!
For such a small town, there’s a surprising amount of things to do, but if it’s your first time visiting a lot of the best experiences can be easy to miss. We’ve explored Siem Reap to its fullest and in the process narrowed down the best of the best when it comes to things to do.
We’ve done all of the tours below and can confidently recommend them. So all you need to do is quickly read through and decide which is best for you!
Quick Pick: Our Favorite Tour
Our personal FAVORITE experience in Siem Reap is this private sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. You’ll see four awe-inspiring temples at the best time of day and have nice extras like an English-speaking guide and an air-conditioned vehicle.
This tour is VERY popular and you can check out the 1,500+ reviews and book it here!
Tip: Reserve this tour early to guarantee your spot and get FREE cancellation 24 hours before you go!
- Quick Pick: Our Favorite Tour
- 1. Private Full-Day Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour
- 2. Small Group Nature Tour to Kulen National Park & 1000 Lingas
- 3. Cultural Siem Reap Food Tour by Tuk-tuk with Sunset at Lotus Farm
- 4. Small Group Tour to Tonle Sap Lake & Floating Village
- 5. Khmer Cooking Class at a Local's Home in Krong Siem Reap
- Thanks for reading!
- Why We Book Tours with Viator
- Don't Forget Travel Insurance!
1. Private Full-Day Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour
- Price: $60 USD
- Duration: 8 hours
- Time: 4:30 am
- Highlights: See Angkor Wat Temple at sunrise, private tour of Bayon Temple, Ta Prohm Temple, Banteay Kdei Temple
- Inclusions: Private English-speaking guide, round-trip transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water
- Pickup from: Any hotel in Siem Reap
- Rating: 5 Stars (Read the 1,500+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Angkor Wat is the Eighth Wonder of the World for a good reason. Built over 900 years ago, this sprawling temple complex is one of the few in the world that is a mixture of both Hindu and Buddhist influence. There are 72 different temples making it the largest religious site known to ever exist. So yeah, no trip to Siem Reap is complete without exploring at least a little bit of it!
This tour of Angkor Wat not only takes you to four of its most iconic temples with a certified guide, but also has you there early for one of the most epic sunrises you’ll ever see. It’s a private tour which means you get your guide completely to yourself so you can nerd out and ask as many questions as you want, trust me when I say there is a lot to learn.
The vehicle you take is comfy and air-conditioned which is a huge plus in Cambodia because it’s always so dang hot. While the temples are incredible (I personally love Ta Prohm) everyone, ourselves included, can’t say enough good things about the guides. Cambodians are some of the friendliest people in the world!
If you like the idea of exploring ancient temples with a knowledgeable and friendly guide, but four temples doesn’t sound like enough, then I recommend this two-day tour. You visit 15 temples and get to see the sunset from the highest one in the city. It’s such a well-rounded experience!
Book our favorite sunrise tour to Angkor Wat here to get FREE cancellation!
Related Read: For a few more tour options, we narrowed it down to our top 5 Angkor Wat tours here!
2. Small Group Nature Tour to Kulen National Park & 1000 Lingas
- Price: $48 USD
- Duration: 8 to 9 hours
- Time: 8 am, 8:30 am
- Highlights: Explore Phnom Kulen National Park, 1000 Lingas, Phnom Kulen Waterfall, Preah Ang Thom pagoda
- Inclusions: English-speaking guide, round-trip transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle, Kulen Mountain Ticket Pass
- Pickup from: Any hotel in Siem Reap
- Rating: 5 Stars (Read the 1,250+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Kulen National Park is the best way to escape the heat of the city and immerse yourself in nature, but it’s more than just natural beauty. Kulen Mountain is a holy mountain and the whole area is revered by Buddhists and Hindus alike. With a 16th-century monastery, a massive sleeping Buddha, and even ancient stone carvings deep in the jungle it’s a blast to explore.
We took this tour to the national park to experience it for ourselves and I’m so glad we did. Once we got there, we took an easy 1-mile (1.6-km) hike to the 1000 Lingas. This is an archeological site and natural wonder all rolled into one. I was blown away by the ancient stone carvings with the gorgeous backdrop of the running river and waterfall!
After learning all about this area from our guide (shoutout to Chenda, you’re amazing!), we hiked back down and began driving our way to our next stop, Kulen Waterfall. On the way, we pulled over to take some epic pictures of the Kulen Mountain Valley which has to be the most spectacular viewpoint in the park.
The rest of the day was spent swimming in the Kulen waterfall and visiting a local pagoda where we watched monks perform daily tasks and occasionally sneak a smile at the passing tourist. It was such a cool thing to see! If you love nature, history, and fancy a dip in a cool refreshing waterfall this tour is an absolute blast.
Read recent reviews and book this 5-star nature tour here!
3. Cultural Siem Reap Food Tour by Tuk-tuk with Sunset at Lotus Farm
- Price: $75 USD
- Duration: 4 hours
- Time: 4:30 pm
- Highlights: Eat at three local hidden restaurants and at a local villager’s house, see the sunset at a lotus farm, learn about Cambodian culture
- Inclusions: English-speaking guide, round-trip transportation by tuk-tuk, all food and drinks, unlimited beer
- Pickup from: Any hotel in Siem Reap
- Rating: 5 Stars (Read the 140+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Cuisine in Cambodia is often overlooked due to the popularity of its neighbors Thailand and Vietnam. However, for those who dig just a little bit into Siem Reap’s food scene, there is a world of flavors to be discovered. Food and culture go hand in hand and Siem Reap is the perfect place to experience just that.
There’s a good reason that this food tour is the top-rated one in Siem Reap and after taking it myself, I can confidently tell any foodie reading this that you can’t miss it. We tasted and experienced so many incredible things during this, but I’ll focus on just a few of the highlights.
All of the stops are super local and hand-picked so you try only the most authentic Cambodian food. For example, the first restaurant we ate at is the only one in the city that serves a specific type of noodle dish that originated in northwestern Cambodia!
After seeing a beautiful sunset at a lotus field, we had a sit-down meal at a local villager’s house with freshly caught fish. For me, this was the highlight since we got to experience how people in Cambodia prepare and eat food on a day-to-day basis. Our host was one of the friendliest people I have ever met and took the time to show us how people catch a variety of fish from the nearby Lake Tonle Sap. There was so much more, but I’ll leave that for you to discover when you take this tour yourself!
Book this amazing food tour here and you can pay later!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
4. Small Group Tour to Tonle Sap Lake & Floating Village
- Price: $49 USD
- Duration: 5 hours
- Time: 8:30 am, 2 pm
- Highlights: Visit the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, see floating villages and meet the people who live there, take a boat out onto the lake, canoe ride through mangrove forest (upgrade)
- Inclusions: English-speaking guide, round-trip transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, boat ride
- Pickup from: Any hotel in Siem Reap
- Rating: 5 Stars (Read the 900+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and is fed by the Mekong River. It’s a major source of food for Cambodia and many communities have lived along its shores for thousands of years. Taking the time to visit it and its wonderful inhabitants was one of the highlights of our time in Siem Reap since it offers a truly authentic Cambodian experience.
This tour of Tonle Sap not only immersed us into the daily life of the people who live there but also taught us so much about the country as a whole. Having a guide who translated for us as we took boats out to floating villages and met locals was an unforgettable experience. It was nonstop smiles as we explored a side of the country few do.
What made the day especially fun is that it’s not a paved road to the lake and village, but a bumpy adventure with boat rides and dirt paths. Locals smiled and waved as I tried (and failed) to speak Khmer, but they didn’t mind at all and were just as friendly nonetheless.
Everywhere we went our guide was teaching us about life in Cambodia. From food to transportation, and history to modern culture we learned about it all. There were so many little moments from the day that I’ll remember forever. If you’re after those authentic travel experiences that change the way you see the world don’t miss out on this tour, trust me!
Easily book this once-in-a-lifetime experience here!
Related Read: Heading to Thailand next? Our guide to traveling Thailand on a budget will come in handy!
5. Khmer Cooking Class at a Local’s Home in Krong Siem Reap
- Price: $27 USD
- Duration: 3 hours
- Time: 9:30 am, 12:30 pm, 3:30 pm
- Highlights: Learn how to cook traditional Cambodian food like Green Mango Salad, Tom Yam Soup, Fish Amok, Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts, and more
- Inclusions: English-speaking guide, round-trip transportation, 4-course meal (vegetarian options available), all ingredients
- Pickup from: Any hotel in Siem Reap
- Rating: 5 Stars (Read the 1,650+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
Taking this cooking class in Siem Reap is a great way to learn some recipes that you’re hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the world. Cambodian cuisine doesn’t get the spotlight as much as it should, so I love surprising friends and family with traditional tasty meals! They’re healthy, easy to make, and oh-so delicious.
I loved this cooking class because depending on the time of day you go, you learn how to make different things. I’m partial to dinner myself so that’s what I signed up for, but I guarantee all the meals you make will be excellent!
Even better is that it’s in a local home and I had so much fun preparing food in a traditional kitchen. The hosts were amazing and even helped me learn the names of certain ingredients in Khmer! Although, if I had to go to the market and ask for them myself I don’t know how well I would do.
Everything we made was wonderful, but my favorite was Fish Amok. It’s a lesser-known Cambodian dish that’s kind of like curry with fresh spices and fish caught from nearby Tonle Sap Lake. However, the banana with coconut milk dessert we made is everyone’s favorite back home and I can’t deny that this easy-to-make treat somehow winds up in my fridge far too often!
You don’t have to be a master chef to make the most of this class and I seriously can’t recommend it enough!
Book this local cooking class here!
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind. You can read our honest review of SafetyWing for all the pros and cons.
Thanks for reading!
We loved our time in Siem Reap and these experiences are among our favorite memories. They helped us discover some of the best places, food, and culture that Siem Reap has to offer. I hope you found an experience you want to take while you’re here!
If you’re planning a trip to this part of the world, take a look at all our blogs on Asia for more inspiration. I also put a few blogs below that might be helpful!
Southeast Asia Highlights: My 11 Favourite Experiences
Tips for Visiting Angkor Wat: Cambodia’s Most Popular Tourist Attraction
23 BEST Places to Visit in Sri Lanka (to help plan your trip!)