Banteay Chhmar Temple is the reason to come. Built under Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century, it belongs to the same Angkorian world as Bayon and Ta Prohm but sees only a fraction of their visitors.
The site is large, damaged, and deeply atmospheric. Look for the remaining Avalokitesvara bas-reliefs on the western gallery, the face towers, and the way roots and fallen stone make the ruins feel alive rather than abandoned.