Cambodia's capital sits where the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers meet. Climb to Wat Phnom, the hilltop temple that gave the city its name, then wander the gilded Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. Set aside a quiet afternoon for the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21), now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and read up on the Khmer Rouge before you go. It will change how you see everything else.

A short boat ride up the Mekong from Phnom Penh, Silk Island has been home to generations of weavers. At the Silk Island Community Centre, around 330 women keep the craft alive, and you can follow the whole process from silkworm to finished scarf. Bring cash and shop early, before the line forms (trust me on this one).

These 7th-century temples are roughly five centuries older than Angkor Wat and far quieter. Tree roots and moss are slowly reclaiming the brick towers of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Book lunch, a guide or even a simple homestay through the local community-based tourism association, which works with seven surrounding villages.

Angkor is the whole UNESCO-listed park, about 400 square kilometres of temples, and Angkor Wat is just one of them. Go inside the gates to the reflecting pools for the classic sunrise photo, then visit the stone faces of Bayon and the jungle-wrapped Ta Prohm. Buy a multi-day pass; one day is never enough.

Your base for Angkor is a town full of social enterprises. Ride with a Tuk Tuk Lady Driver, eat at SPOONS (a restaurant that trains young people in hospitality), and catch a show by Phare, The Cambodian Circus, whose ticket sales fund tuition-free arts education. Finish at the night market for a foot massage that costs just a few dollars.

Each rainy season, Southeast Asia's largest lake swells to several times its dry-season size, and the river feeding it runs backwards. Kampong Phluk is a full town on stilts, with its own hospital, restaurants and floating gas stations. Visit with a community-run boat and remember: no photos of the children.