Fodor's Expert Review Choeung Ek Memorial
Under Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979, thousands of prisoners who had been tortured at the infamous Tuol Sleng prison were taken to the rural Choeung Ek extermination camp—long known as the "Killing Fields"—for execution. Today, the site is a memorial consisting of a monumental glass stupa built in 1989, filled with 8,000 skulls exhumed from nearby mass graves. It's an extremely disturbing sight: many of the skulls, which are grouped according to age and gender, bear the holes and slices from the blows that killed them. Located about 14 km (9 miles) southwest of downtown Phnom Penh, the peaceful site can be reached in 30 minutes by tuk-tuk or taxi (fares start at around $12) and an excursion is often combined with a visit to the Genocide Museum. The audio tour, available in English, is excellent and included in the fee.
