Ta Phrom provides an indication of how the early explorers would have discovered Angkor; twisted fig and banyan trees, whose roots grip the faded masonry like octopus tentacles, overrun this mysterious outlying temple.

The French tried to maintain the structure of this royal monastery as they found it, clearing as few of the jungle creepers as possible, and the result is one of the most enchanting set of ruins in all of Angkor.

One of the trees, a tall strangler fig near the centre of the complex, appeared in the Angelina Jolie film Tomb Raider, the fabulous ruins providing a perfect backdrop for her character, Lara Croft's, adventures.