Wild Angkor is an encounter guide to the ecologically diverse natural world of Angkor Park, the Kulen Mountains to the north, the Tonle Sap to the south and the countryside of Siem Reap.
Sensibly, it begins with a wandering path along the town’s riverbanks, and all the diverse plants, insects, birds and mammals you could encounter as you walk to your favourite coffeeshop. The guide is richly illustrated with hundreds of informative photographs and key locality maps, which makes it a treat as an evening flip through.
It includes information on rainforest, birding, camping, waterfalls, cycling routes and more. There are also yellow tabbed details sections that provide helpful info about Google Maps, access, local accommodation, entry costs and opening details, and any warnings necessary.
Finally, a new guide about Cambodia has arrived to be the perfect shelf-sister to Michael Petrotcheko’s Focusing on The Angkor Temples. (2011).
Wild Angkor is written and compiled by long-term natural enthusiast Wayne McCallum, and one of the most attractive elements of this book is that McCallum has spun a web around the many different NGOs and government organizations that work within the field of the natural environment in this country. Rather than create a book all about his own knowledge – which is deep – he has magnanimously shared an extraordinary number of facts and figures and contacts for the ecological operations that work in the different landscapes around and through the Angkor World Heritage Park.
There are some delightful sections on the concept of rewilding, where, what was previously an endangered animals have been re-introduced into their original habitat.
What is particularly impressive about this guide is that it was printed and bound in Cambodia. There have been many attempts that have high-value books printed in the country that have subsequently fallen apart because the printers have not used sufficient quality adhesives and bonding techniques to hold the books together in tropical conditions. Wild Angkor stands out on the quality front. It was printed by Sok Heng Printing House in the capital.
McCallum also managed that difficult balance within a generalized overview and detailed information about specific flora and fauna species. Finally, we can access the diversity of the local natural world and wonder how it has been transformed, and then survived beyond the great civilization of Angkor.
I heard one whingeing expat say “But it’s too heavy”! They do not realise, however, that every good guidebook can be sliced down the spine and divided into appropriate sections needed for that specialty day trip. Thus, it fits in your back pocket! After all, ‘well-worn’ is one of the greatest accolades one can give to any guidebook.
Wild Anchor. Encounter Guide to the Natural World of Angkor Park, the Tonle Sap, Phnom Kulen National Park and Beyond. 276 pages. Wayne McCallum (2024) Howl Press, Cambodia. Available in all great café, stores, bookshops and hotels throughout the country.
Learn more at waynemccallum.com
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