The Angkor Archaeological Park, accessed from Cambodia’s international airport in the town of Siem Reap, is a must see for any visitor.

Like our own Cultural Triangle, Angkor has a host of well preserved archaeological ruins - relics of antiquity around a thousand years old – that are guaranteed to inspire awe in the visitor.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, this was the capital of the Cambodian Khmer Empire between the 9th and 15th century, when it extended from what is now China’s Yunnan province in the north to Singapore in the south, from Vietnam in the east to the Bay of Bengal to the west.

The highlight of any visit here is the magnificent temple whose image is featured on the Cambodian national flag - Angkor Wat (whose literal translation means City which is a Temple). Approaching from the east, the sheer size and grandeur of this monument cannot fail to move the visitor. Extending over 500 acres the complex is surrounded by a 200 metre wide moat; the central towers rise to a stupendous 65 metres. It was originally built in the 12th century as a Hindu temple, but with changes of regime became a place of Buddhist worship. Sadly, most of the Buddha statues were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in the nineteen seventies – but the extraordinary well preserved bas relief carvings in its galleries are still so intricate and beautiful that it is hard to imagine they were created centuries ago.

Probably the most photographed monument in the Angkor complex is the south gateway to Angkor Thom, the original fortified city of King Jayavarnman VII (1181-1215). This gopura (tower) bears four enormous faces that are thought to represent the King himself, facing the four cardinal directions. At the centre of Angkor Thom is the famous Bayon temple – site of 54 towers decorated with over 200 massive serene stone faces, again thought to represent the omnipresent King.

Other sites – the miniature temple complex of Banteay Srei with its delicately carved pink sandstone motifs, the island temple of Preah Neak Pahn ("Coiled Serrpents") with its sculpted waterspouts in the form of animal and human heads, the aerial palace of Phimeanakas – are well worth seeing. However, to get a real feel for these ruins, which until a few decades ago had been engulfed by the tropical jungle, one should visit the monastery of Ta Prom or the temple of Ta Som. Here, massive fig and silk cotton trees can be seen growing out of the very walls of the buildings. In some places the tree roots cling to the sides of the buildings, in others they bind the crumbling edifices together. Commencing life as tiny seeds dropped by birds into the crevices of these buildings, these huge trees have over the years grown and flourished, allowing the jungle to encroach and engulf these works of man.