Phnom Sampeau — Boat Mountain — rises sharply from the flat Battambang plain about 12 kilometres south of the city. The hill is topped by a working Buddhist temple complex reached by a long staircase or (more easily) by tuk-tuk on the road that winds around the back. The views from the top across the surrounding rice paddies and distant mountains are some of the best in the region.
Below the temple, the limestone caves penetrate the hill. Several are equipped with shrines and welcoming Buddha images; the Killing Caves are darker spaces where bones and skulls from the Khmer Rouge period are preserved behind glass. At sunset, millions of bats pour from a crack in the hillside in a stream that can last 20 to 30 minutes — one of the most spectacular natural sights in Cambodia. Arrive at least an hour before sunset to visit the caves and be in position for the bat emergence.