Wat Moha Leap Pagoda

Sacred Wat Maha Leap southeast of town is one of the last remaining wooden pagodas left in the country. More than a century old, this beautiful pagoda was only spared devastation by the Khmer Rouge because they converted it into a hospital. The wide black columns supporting the structure are complete tree trunks, resplendent in gilded patterns. The Khmer Rouge painted over the designs to match their austere philosophies, but monks later stripped it back to its original glory.

Many of the Khmers who were put to work in the surrounding fields perished here; 500 bodies were thrown into graves on site, now camouflaged by a tranquil garden.

The journey to Wat Maha Leap is best done by boat from Kompong Cham. Follow the Mekong downstream for a short distance before peeling off on a sublime tributary known as Small River, which affords awesome glimpses of rural Cambodian life.