What to do in Siem Reap With Kids
Having two young children, I know a thing or two about what to do with kids in Siem Reap!
Siem Reap is a great place for kids as well as adults. From exploring ancient ruins to swimming and circuses, there’s something for everyone. This blog will be updated consistently to keep up with the scene in Siem Reap.
The Siem Reap wake park is a favorite place of mine to take my two daughters. They have a wakeboarding park for adults and older children, but they also have a man made beach and swimming area, and also “Aqua Land” - a bouncy castle floating in the middle of their pond. Often on a Sunday, I will take the family to go for a swim, hang out and play on the beach and playground, and have a meal in the kid friendly restaurant. After a day here, the kids sleep very well!
Kameng Leng - Play space/Restaurant/drop-off childcare
Treat the kids to some play time, and/or treat yourself to some me time after dropping your kids off at this family centered play space and restaurant that offers a drop-off childcare service and endless play options for your kids. A western run facility with well trained staff to take care of your kids, this is the place to go to enjoy a coffee, have a delicious lunch and let the kids play in the outdoor playground in the bamboo hut, sandpit, mud kitchen, teepee, see-saw and other safe natural toys to keep young kids busy and active! The indoor space features a wide range of role play and educational wooden toys and lots of beautiful books. There is an air conditioned nap room and kid friendly seating including high chairs and toddler sized tables and chairs.
We are big fans of the original food at Kameng Leng so we will usually go for lunch with the kids, but when my wife and I want to go for a quiet lunch together, we will often drop our daughters here. The only problem is that they never want to leave!
Angkor Wat & Other Temples
Lets get the obvious one out of the way - my two young girls really do love visiting the Angkor temples - they love climbing up the ancient ruins and taking pictures of themselves. If you want the best experience of the temples with kids, I have a few useful suggestions. Having been hundreds of times to Angkor Wat and also photographed lots of kids of all ages, I know how to have the best experience.
The crowds are the main thing I try to avoid when visiting the Angkor Archeological park, which encompasses over 50 temples. The usual tourist route is to visit Angkor Wat at sunrise, and then move on to the other two of the “Big three” temples which are Bayon and Ta Prohm. Most tours and guides will recommend these temples for obvious reasons, but if you’re willing to try something different, here are my top temples and times to visit with kids:
Bayon Temple
Though Bayon is one of the “big 3”, my best tip is to avoid Angkor Wat in the morning, and get to Bayon at 6.30 am or 7. Tourists are at Angkor Wat for sunrise and then come to Bayon as their second stop. If you go at this time, you have a good chance of being alone in this spectacular temple and it will be nice and cool. Just watch out for the cheeky monkeys! (Don’t carry food with you!)
Ta Nei
A favorite temple of mine, Ta Nei is set back in the forest in peace and quiet. At all times of the day you’re likely to be alone here, but early morning is still my favorite time to go. This temple is not a famous one, but it does resemble the famous “Ta Prohm” with its big trees and jungle feel.
Phare Circus - not your average circus
When you hear ‘circus’ you probably think - why would I come to Siem Reap to see a circus? well this one is unique.
More than just a circus, Phare performers use theater, music, dance and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories; historical, folk and modern. The young circus artists will astonish you with their energy, emotion, enthusiasm and talent, making Phare Circus the top-rated modern cultural performance in Siem Reap.
Phare artists are students and graduates from Phare Ponleu Selpak’s (www.phareps.org) vocational training center in Battambang. The association was formed in 1994 by 9 young men coming home from a refugee camp after the Khmer Rouge regime. They were greatly helped during that time by an art teacher using drawing classes as therapy and wanted to share this new skill among the poor, socially deprived and troubled youngsters in Battambang. They founded an art school and public school followed to offer free education. A music school and theatre school were next and finally, for the kids who wanted more, the circus school. Today more than 1,200 pupils attend the public school daily and 500 attend the alternative schools. Phare Ponleu Selpak also has extensive outreach programs, trying to help with the problems highlighted in their own tales.
Phare The Cambodian Circus offers these students and graduates somewhere to hone their skills and a place to earn a decent wage. Money that will take them out of poverty and give them self-respect and freedom.
Top tip - for younger children, check which show is on, as some shows with loud drumming and fire displays and scary masks, can scare some younger children.