I found the best way to explore Siem Reap

The only way to experience a city as dynamic as Siem Reap is at your own pace from a tuktuk.

Stepping into the tropical heat on our first morning in Siem Reap, I skip the offer of a ride from a tuktuk blasting ABBA’s “Take a Chance on Me” and instead climb aboard one that doesn’t double as a roving disco as I set off to reacquaint myself with Cambodia’s second-largest city.

The nearby Angkor temples have enshrined Siem Reap in global “must-see” itineraries and spawned a bustling tourist mecca. It also ticks all the boxes for a sun-fuelled and action-packed escape, easy on you and your pocket.

Tuktuks are not only the most fun but also the cheapest and easiest way to get around. We traverse the city at pace. My driver deftly handles the frenzy as we take in whitewashed schools, Buddhist monasteries, hospitals and the heavily touristed Old Market. After darting across the tree-lined Siem Reap River that meanders through town, we arrive in the old French quarter.

The King’s summer palace – off-limits to the public – sits behind gilt gates adjacent to the Royal Independence Gardens. Twenty years earlier, I’d dined with friends on the gardens’ manicured lawns when it was part of the stately Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor. Raffles gave up the land for public use, and today bats dangle from its trees, while yoga enthusiasts mimic batlike poses.

A small organic farmers’ market opens here on weekends, but we head further from the city centre to check out the permanent and sprawling locals’ market, a striking representation of Cambodian life where mops, toys, clothes and provisions vie for space.

Leaving a newly paved thoroughfare, we are soon enveloped by rural life, bouncing in and out of potholes in the rust-red soil of back roads, lined with palms and narrow double-storey homes. We pass Zannier Hotels’ Phum Baitang, one of Siem Reap’s most exclusive resorts, tucked behind high, solid-looking walls. Siem Reap boasts a smorgasbord of luxury hotels. For a small fee or restaurant booking, some welcome outsiders to lounge by the pool and luxuriate in the French colonial opulence of yesteryear.

FCC Angkor by Avani was once the Foreign Correspondents Club, and we quickly feel at home, taking a dip in the pool, dining, and eventually settling in the aptly named Scribe bar with its chic décor. With my taste for luxury only whetted, the next stop is Raffles, where we dine and admire one of the largest pools in Cambodia, set behind the hotel’s huge, white, Art Deco façade (pool passes are $US20 a day).

But the ancient Angkor temples are the reason so many hotels are here. Having booked a tuktuk and guide through our hotel, we depart at 4.30am the next day to catch the sun rise behind Angkor Wat. The scene is serene and majestic. Over six hours, we cover the “big three” temples – Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm – roaming freely alongside our guide, with the overcast sky, full moat and dense forest adding to the spiritual atmosphere.

Nowadays Siem Reap offers far more than temples. There’s ziplining, quad biking, floating villages and the well-known Phare Circus, along with a burgeoning artisan scene. Check out Claycult for handcrafted jewellery or Herbal Kulen for gin and herbal tea.

Two new attractions are must-dos. The Cambodia Elephant Sanctuary, a 45-minute minibus ride from the town centre, is an immersive encounter, feeding and bathing two delightful rescue elephants. We also try a blend of surfing and skateboarding at Wake Park Cambodia, the country’s only wakeboarding park. Worn out by the thrills and spills, we retire to hammocks at the timber bar, the sound of monks chanting in the distance.

As we trundle home, the Angkor Eye ferris wheel sits illuminated in the distance and a group of skinny cows strolls along the roadside. As we reach the sights and sounds of Siem Reap’s night-life, I’m reminded of the disco tuktuk and ABBA’s lyrics, “Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on me”. Now is the time to take a chance on Cambodia.

The writer travelled at her own expense.

Originally published as I found the best way to explore Siem Reap