Angkor Wat

In the jungles of Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is a vast network of beauty, an area that UNESCO calls one of the most important archaeological sites of Southeast Asia. As capital of the Khmer Kingdom, the sprawling surroundings boast ornate temples, hydraulic structures, and other feats of early urban planning and art from the 9th to the 14th centuries.

Of particular note is the temple of Ta Prohm, now covered in the colossal roots of silk cotton and thitpok trees. Their tendency to grow over the ruins have earned them the nickname "strangler trees." While the other monuments are maintained and protected from the hungry crawl of the jungle, archeologists have left Ta Prohm to the whims of the trees.