Cambodia’s Siem Reap is the gateway to ancient Angkor – here’s how to get the best out of your trip

Angkor Wat, Cambodia's iconic landmark - (Getty)

Bigger than Greater Glasgow and decked in detailed bas-reliefs, the Unesco-venerated temples of Angkor in Cambodia’s second-largest city of Siem Reap are an outlier of sorts when it comes to tourist attractions: I’d be willing to bet that no one leaves this world wonder underwhelmed or disappointed. Jaws will drop, eyes will not be believed and awe will be inspired. Whatever you’re imagining, it’s bigger and better – and well deserving of its place adorning Cambodia’s national flag.

Home to the jungle-swallowed ruins of the ninth- to 15th-century capital cities of the Khmer Empire, the Angkor Archaeological Park has been on my to-visit list since I found out it existed – more so after watching 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, which propelled annual visitor numbers from the thousands into the millions.