As a Cambodian who was born, raised, and still lives in Phnom Penh, I’ve never really been the type to explore my own city.

It’s what I’ve seen every day, so naturally, not much excites me anymore. But that perspective started to change as I got older, traveled to a few countries, and started working in hospitality.

My budget has never really allowed me to travel that far, so most of my trips have been around Southeast Asia. Out of all the countries I’ve visited, I’ve probably been to Vietnam the most. And every time I come back from a trip, I’m always amazed by what I see and experience.

It always makes me think, Why don’t we have more of this in Phnom Penh?

I’m not talking only about tourist landmarks like the Royal Palace, National Museum, Wat Phnom, and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still impressed by these places despite having lived here my whole life, and never in a million years would I tell tourists to skip them.

But Phnom Penh has so much more to offer than the usual tourist spots.

My manager at work mentioned a treasure hunt in Phnom Penh to me once. I didn’t think much about it until I finally tried it myself a few weeks ago.

And wow, I was impressed.

This treasure hunt is part of an Urban Tales Phnom Penh tour hosted by Ubiquest. A few other hoteliers and I joined the tour about two weeks ago, and we were all pretty impressed by how much fun it was.

So, what’s this treasure hunt about?

If you’re familiar with the treasure hunt concept, you probably already know how it works. You follow a series of clues, solve riddles, and figure out where you’re supposed to go next to eventually find the hidden treasure.

If you’re not familiar with it, that’s basically what it is.

But Urban Tales is a little more elaborate than your usual treasure hunt.

The whole activity is built around a fictional story about a lost Khmer antique and a mysterious French explorer. You follow clues around Phnom Penh, interact with people along the way, solve puzzles, and slowly piece together the story as you move from one location to another.

It’s part treasure hunt, part city tour, and part mystery game.

And the best part is that you actually have to explore the city to solve it.

Our Urban Tales Phnom Penh Treasure Hunt

We started at 8:30AM at the National Library, where we met our Ubiquest tour guide, bong Kruy.

He briefed us on how the game worked and gave us our very first clue.

From there, the hunt began.

The main objective was to find a lost Buddha antique. I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil the fun for you.

To get there, we had to follow clues, figure out hidden meanings, solve challenges, and figure out where to go next.

What I personally enjoyed most was how Ubiquest incorporated actual Phnom Penh landmarks, Cambodian culture, and local traditions into the game.

We weren’t simply walking around the city and being told about its history. We were actually interacting with it.

Throughout the game, we visited places like Wat Phnom, the old French Quarter around the Post Office, temples, and other parts of the city that I probably wouldn’t have thought to visit as part of a normal day out.

And then there were the cultural elements.

At one point, we had to play Ouk Chaktrong, the traditional Cambodian chess game, and win before we could receive part of the antique and the clue to our next destination.

We also went to a Chinese temple to look for another clue.

As a Cambodian, this part reminded me of how Cambodian and Chinese communities have lived alongside each other for generations.

Another part of the game brought us to a pagoda, where we asked a monk to bless the antique we had found.

All of these things were incorporated into the game so naturally. It didn’t feel like someone was simply trying to squeeze Cambodian culture into a tourist activity. It felt like the culture was actually part of the story.

It felt surprisingly real.

And before you start wondering, no, this isn’t a real treasure hunt for an actual lost antique. The story is completely fictional. But the way they designed the game made it feel surprisingly real.

There were actors and actresses along the way for us to interact with, and they played their roles so well that we actually felt like we were part of the story.

We weren’t just following a guide from one tourist attraction to another. We were following a story. We had to pay attention, solve things, remember clues, and actually use our brains.

And yes, there were moments when we had absolutely no idea what we were supposed to figure out. Haha

What I liked about Urban Tales

What impressed me most was that I, a local who has lived in Phnom Penh my entire life, actually got to see the city differently. I’ve passed some of these areas countless times, but I’ve never looked at them from this perspective.

Instead of simply walking past a temple, we had a reason to go inside. Instead of just seeing a traditional game, we had to actually play it. Instead of simply visiting a Chinese temple, we had to search for something there.

It made the city feel like one giant game board.

And I think that’s what makes this activity interesting even for locals. You don’t have to be a first-time visitor to Phnom Penh to enjoy it.

In fact, I think locals might appreciate it even more because it gives you an excuse to explore parts of your own city that you normally wouldn’t bother with.

Is Urban Tales worth trying?

I’m not paid to write this. I know this whole article probably sounds like I’m promoting Ubiquest way too much, but honestly, I just enjoyed the activity THAT MUCH.

I didn’t even know how much it cost because my manager paid for my participation. According to their website, however, the activity starts from $37 per person, excluding VAT, depending on the size of your group.

If you’re visiting Cambodia and you’ve already done the usual Phnom Penh tourist attractions, I’d definitely recommend giving Urban Tales Phnom Penh a try.

And if you’re a local, don’t think this is only for tourists. Get a few friends together, prepare to walk around the city, and be ready to use your brain quite a bit. Haha

I ended up talking about this activity to my fiancé non-stop after I got home. That’s basically how much I enjoyed it, and it’s also why I decided to write about it here.