8. Under the Big Top | 7 p.m.

Don’t expect dancing animals at Phare, the Cambodian Circus (from $18 a person), where every evening strands of theater, dance, music, storytelling and circus arts come together in a sophisticated hourlong show staged by students and graduates of Phare Performing Social Enterprise’s Battambang school, which provides free arts education to economically and socially challenged Cambodian youth. Reserve your ticket (best seats, closest to the stage, come with a bottle of ice water, $35) and arrive early to browse Phare’s small crafts shop or grab a juice at the cafe. (Note: latecomers are not admitted after the show starts at 8 p.m.) Shows change monthly.

9. Feasting for a Cause | 9:30 p.m.

Hire a tuk-tuk ($2) for the short ride to Marum, a hospitality training restaurant for disadvantaged Cambodian youth run by Friends-International, with similar restaurants in Phnom Penh and Laos. Occupying a lovely teak mansion whose tables spill into a large garden shaded by trees strung with fairy-lights, Marum’s menu tends to tapas-style fare both authentically (crisp and creamy silkworms with spicy green mango salad, $4.50) and creatively Cambodian (rice paper rolls with grilled peppers, goat cheese and tamarind chile dip, $4). The main-course-size stir-fried beef in a silky sauce soured with red tree ants, over crunchy water spinach leaves ($6), will surprise you, in a good way. Save room for the dense, spicy chocolate and Kampot pepper cake with passion fruit syrup ($5.50).

Sunday

10. Tranquil Temples | 6 a.m.

The best way to avoid the crowds at Angkor Wat is to rise before the sun and venture beyond the main temples. Situated atop a hill of the same name some 90 minutes by tuk-tuk ($25) or one hour by taxi ($40) from Siem Reap, Phnom Bok temple is reached by a climb up 635 wide steps ($20 day passes are sold from 5 a.m. at the entrance to Angkor Archaeological Park, through which you’ll pass en route). Your reward for the effort is silence, plus sweeping views over Tonle Sap Lake, the Kulen Plateau and swaths of undeveloped rice fields. Built between the ninth and 10th centuries, the temple itself is unrestored but picturesque, especially when the frangipani trees sprouting from its three towers are in bloom. Bring a picnic (most hotels will pack a simple breakfast box) and enjoy the solitude for an hour or so before descending to join late-risers at the more popular temples closer to Siem Reap town. A loop might include stops at diminutive Banteay Samre and Banteay Srei, whose elaborately carved red sandstone temples draw visitors by the busload.

If You Go

Lodging

With over two million visitors a year Siem Reap boasts a range of hotels to match any budget. One of the city’s most luxurious, and private, boutique lodgings is Maison Polanka (Upper East River Road; maisonpolanka.com), with just five rooms (from $170 ) spread over two traditional teak houses in a walled garden 5 minutes by car or tuk-tuk from Siem Reap’s Central Market area.

Less pricey boutique amenities can be had in a tranquil setting about halfway between Siem Reap town and Angkor Wat, at Soujourn Boutique Villas (Treak Village Road; sojournsiemreap.com). Just ten rooms (from $60 ) share a swimming pool set in tropical gardens, and there’s an on-site spa. The hotel was opened under the auspices of a non-governmental organization that funnels hotel proceeds into projects within its surrounding community.