Centuries before the 'discovery' in 1860 of Angkor by French botanist Henri Mahout, Cambodians living near the site spoke of a lost city in the jungle. The people told stories of huge temples constructed by ancient gods. These tales reached the ears of the French who began colonising Indochina in the 1800s. Most of the colonial population found it hard to believe that the basic agricultural society they found in Cambodia could have been capable of having established a powerful ancient capital in its distant past.

When Henri Mahout's expedition in 1860 stumbled across the giant temples hidden in the jungle they must have been speechless, and the place still takes your breath away today. Angkor was the capital of the powerful ancient Khmer empire and was founded in the 9th century AD by King Jayavarman II. The site consists of literally hundreds of temples which range from the astonishingly well-preserved to those almost completely lost to the jungle.

Angkor is just a few miles from Siem Reap, a town which has grown up almost entirely around the business of taking tourists to the temples. We had two days to see the site and we hired a tuk tuk driver to take us around, much faster than Mahout's elephants. We found that there were far fewer tourists than we expected, and in many of the temples you can find yourself totally alone with just the jungle noises for company.

The first stop was Angkor Wat the most recognisable symbol of Angkor, and perhaps of Cambodia featuring on its bank notes and the national flag. Angkor Wat is enclosed by a moat and its central tower is flanked by four smaller ones, all of the towers reflecting the shape of a lotus bud. The place is impressive, with beautiful carvings but as it is the busiest temple, it perhaps has less atmosphere than some of the others.

For atmosphere it was hard to beat Ta Phrom, the temple has been left as it was found - almost completely swallowed up by the jungle, with trees growing through its walls and creepers hanging into its crumbling towers. With the canopy of trees closing over its top and the screeches of exotic birds, you almost feel like you've discovered it yourself.

Also fascinating is the Bayon temple, which has over 200 faces of King Jayavarman VII carved into its towers. Wherever you look you are surrounded by his watchful, smiling image. On the last day we climbed up the steep narrow steps to the top of Phnom Bakheng for sunset. The temple is built on top of a hill and has fantastic views across Angkor Wat and the surrounding countryside. We sat perched on the edge of the warm stones and watched the sun sink in a pink sky over the rice fields and jungle beyond.