Families, and anyone who wants an hour that is not a temple
The APOPO Visitor Centre in Siem Reap explains Cambodia's landmine legacy and introduces the HeroRATs, African giant pouched rats trained by the non-profit APOPO to detect mines by smell. Guided tours of 45 to 60 minutes run every half hour from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm daily, with a live demonstration and usually a chance to hold a rat. Adults pay $10, children under 10 go free, and ticket income supports mine clearance.
September 2026
Photo: Ellywa, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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The APOPO Visitor Centre in Siem Reap is where you meet the HeroRATs: African giant pouched rats trained to sniff out landmines in the Cambodian countryside. In under an hour you learn why Cambodia is still clearing mines decades after its wars, watch a rat at work on a demonstration field and, usually, get to hold one.
It is one of the most rewarding hours you can spend in Siem Reap away from the temples. Children love the rats, adults leave understanding something important about modern Cambodia, and your ticket helps pay for the clearance work it describes.
From the late 1960s to the late 1990s, Cambodia lived through civil war, the Khmer Rouge regime, the Vietnamese invasion and years of guerrilla fighting. All sides laid landmines, especially along the border with Thailand in the north-west. Unexploded bombs and shells were also left behind from the heavy bombing of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Clearance has made huge progress, and the areas that visitors normally go to, including the Angkor temples and main roads, are safe. But in some rural areas mines and unexploded ordnance still limit where families can farm, build and send their children to school. That is why organisations such as APOPO, working alongside Cambodian demining authorities, are still in the field.
APOPO is a Belgian non-profit organisation that trains African giant pouched rats, which it calls HeroRATs, to detect the explosive in landmines by smell. The rats are bred and trained in Tanzania before being deployed in countries including Cambodia.
The rats are far too light to trigger a mine when they walk over it. That is the whole reason the method works, and why no rat has been killed on the job.
A trained rat can search an area the size of a tennis court in about 30 minutes. A person with a metal detector could take up to four days, because they have to check every piece of scrap metal.
The rats learn to associate the smell of explosive with a treat. When one finds a mine, it stops and scratches the ground, and its handler rewards it with banana or peanuts.
Rats work on long lines between two handlers. APOPO also uses detection dogs and human deminers, and specialist teams safely destroy every mine that is found.
According to APOPO, its teams have released more than 40 square kilometres of land in Cambodia since 2014. Once cleared, the land is handed back to communities for farming, housing and schools.
The best-known HeroRAT of all worked here in Cambodia. Magawa was trained in Tanzania and spent five years clearing land in Siem Reap province.
Visits are by guided tour, which starts every half hour and lasts 45 minutes to an hour. Groups are usually small, and the guides are engaging and happy to answer questions.
There is a small shop selling APOPO souvenirs and local crafts, and you can adopt a HeroRAT to support the work after you go home. Drinks are available at the centre.
| Opening hours | Every day, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Tours | Every 30 minutes; last tour at 4:30 pm |
| Tour length | 45 minutes to an hour |
| Adults | $10 |
| Children under 10 | Free |
| Booking | Online booking recommended, especially in high season |
| Where the money goes | Ticket income supports APOPO’s mine clearance work |
Prices and tour times are as published by APOPO. Check its booking page before you go, as schedules can change on public holidays.
Wherever you travel in the Cambodian countryside, stick to paths and roads that are clearly in use. The main tourist sites are safe, but it is a sensible rule in remote border areas.
The centre is on the northern side of Siem Reap, on the way between the town and the Angkor temples. From the Old Market or Pub Street it is a 10 to 15 minute tuk-tuk ride, and any driver can take you. PassApp and Grab both work in Siem Reap.
To learn more about Cambodia’s recent history, the War Museum Cambodia is also on the edge of town and pairs well with APOPO. For the ancient story, the Angkor National Museum is a good introduction before you head out to Angkor Wat itself.
We can build the APOPO Visitor Centre into your Siem Reap days, timed between temple visits, with a guide who can add context on Cambodia’s recovery. It fits especially well into our Siem Reap Slow Travel journey and our family trips. Send us an enquiry and we will plan a Siem Reap stay that goes beyond the temples.
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