Battambang attractions

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What to see and do in and around Battambang . . .

For tours which feature the attractions of Battambang and around please click here.

Prasat Phnom Banan Vineyard

On the road between Battambang and Phnom Banan is a unique sight in Cambodia – a vineyard! Grapes were introduced to Battambang in early 2001 by a local Cambodian farming family. Varieties of Shiraz grape from America and Australia were planted and in November 2004 the first ever Cambodian produced wine was bottled, both a Rosé and a Shiraz. Despite Cambodia being a French colony the French never introduced vineyards as they thought it would be impossible to produce wine in the tropics. Chan Thay Chhoeung and his wife are proving this to be incorrect. The focus is on producing an organic wine and they are more than happy to show people around the vineyard explaining the differences of growing grapes in the tropics, followed by a wine tasting, a lunch comprising of organic vegetables, and of course the opportunity to support a fledgling industry by purchasing a few souvenir bottles…

Prek Toal Community Tourism Site

Prek Toal is a protected eco-system regarded as the single most important breeding ground for globally threatened large waterbirds in South East Asia, and is located at the confluence of the Tonle Sap lake and the Sangker River, about halfway along the boat trip between Siem Reap and Battambang. The site is an ornithologists dream as every year from January to June, as the lake’s water level recedes, flocks of migratory storks, adjutants, pelicans, ibises, cormorants, and more come to nest in the surrounding flooded forest. Over 120 species of water and forest birds have been recorded, among which are 15 endangered species such as the greater adjutant and the masked finfoot. However, there is more to the experience than just bird watching, the floating village of Prek Toal has set up a community tourism project. Here you can learn about the lives of the people who lead an entirely aquatic existence. Several hundred families live on the water in houseboats or houses built on bamboo rafts. Homes are served by floating shops, floating barbers, floating petrol stations, in fact all the amenities of any village on land, yet floating. The only buildings on stilts (more than 10m high) are the pagoda, the spirit house, and the school. In the past a threat to the area was large scale egg and chick collection by villages, however since the introduction of the community tourism project and the realisation that economically the birds are worth more alive this has stopped and 7 bird species have been saved from extinction. Villagers are now employed as rangers, project staff, boatmen, and guides, homestays are also offered. Aside from tourism the economy of the village relies mainly on fish and you can witness prahoc (fermented fish paste) and tuk trey (fish sauce) processing, as well as fish being dried and smoked. Other activities include floating vegetable gardens, water hyacinth handicraft, and crocodile farming! Visiting Prek Toal is a truly wonderful personal experience, yet it is also a socially responsible experience as and you will be contributing to the protection of the waterbird colonies and the well-being of the local communities.

Smokin' Pot Cookery School

As well as being a great restaurant in the evenings, during the day the Smokin’ Pot is a Cookery School, one of Cambodia’s first. The cookery course begins at 9:30am with Vannak, the owner and chef, discussing with you what 3 course Khmer meal you would like to learn to cook. Once decided Vannak escorts you to the local market where he will assist you in buying all the ingredients needed and explains the various herbs and spices required. Back at the restaurant the cooking lesson begins in a pleasant informal and fun atmosphere. Then around midday the moment arrives where you will sit down and enjoy the toils of your labour as you eat what you have just created. Afterwards Vannak will present you with a small souvenir recipe book so you can impress you friends back home!

Wat Ek Phnom

Wat Ek Phnom dates back to the 11th century Bayon period and as is one of the most-visited attractions around Battambang. The ruins, dating from the reign of Suryavarman I, are now dilapidated but this makes for an atmospheric setting. The ruins, which consists of prasats on a platform with some carvings in pretty good condition, have been heavily looted and sections have been purposely collapsed to make it easier for the looters to reach their goal. Today the temple sits in the grounds of a modern pagoda surrounded by lotus ponds, small streams and rivers, giving the feeling of being on an island. The temple itself is enclosed by a crumbling laterite wall, and the buildings of the main sanctuary are lined up in a row, joined by an enclosed walkway. To enter the temple sanctuary involves a climb through a window or a broken section of wall, or walk round to the slightly better-preserved south side, where a crumbling doorway survives, along with some carvings. A real highlight of visiting Wat Ek Phnom is the 15km journey, the dirt road follows a winding river passing through a series of picturesque villages where it appears life has remained unchanged for centuries – look out for the unique antique covered bridges. This trip is a real delight around sunset when the golden glow is ideal for photography.

Battambang - Siem Reap Cruise

The boat trip between Siem Reap and Battambang is possibly the most fascinating journey in Cambodia! Depending on the time of year the cruise can take from 6 to 10+ hours and the range of sights experienced is incredible. An early start is required as you head to the port and witness Cambodia stirring to life – you are surrounded by timeless scenes: fishermen returning from the lake with their nights silvery catch; the blue smoke of fires shifting like mist in the pale pink light of dawn; the scent of breakfasts being prepared; and always, the sound of laughter and conversation. Departing from Siem Reap initially you pass through the floating village of Chong Khneas, here you will see a couple of floating petrol stations, fish farms, floating restaurants and amazingly, floating pig sties. Men fish and repair vessels or extend their houses, women cook and wash up in kitchens at the sterns of the boats/homes, and children leap from rickety wooden porches to splash around for your (and their) entertainment. Suddenly you're heading out into the vast inland ocean of the Tonle Sap, South East Asia’s largest freshwater lake, and one of the most fish abundant in the world. As you head further west more floating villages appear and you enter the Sangker River and the protected wetland of Prek Toal. You now pass an amazing variety of landscapes and lives, seemingly unchanged for hundreds of years. The river is narrow and winding in this flat landscape, and around each corner it seems there is a new vista - boats laden with fish traps, floating villages, fish farms, stilt houses rising out of the water, an abundance of birdlife, and green swathes of rice paddies stretching into the distance periodically give way to closer views of the dried up river banks rising above the boat like cliffs, or densely growing trees brushing close around you. Soon enough the countryside becomes more cultivated, neat rows of vegetables appear planted in the rich silt of the receding waters on the river’s edge, and the first bridges and buildings of Battambang come into view.