If you have a spare time in Siem Reap and you prefer to get away from the crowd and keen for more photo opportunity so please choose our Escaping the Crowd-Outlying Adventure itinerary and it will give you time to understand more about the real country side of Cambodian people, their way of life , culture , tradition and see how farmers make a living for their every day of life .
The tour sites can be combined for this one day trip :
The tour sites can be combined for this one day trip :
- Phnom Kulen park + Banteay Srey temple
- Koh Ker temple + Beng Mealea temples
- Beng Mealea temple+ Kompong khleang- fishing & flooded village
- Beng Mealea temple + kompong Phluk
- Beng mealea temple + Rolous group
- Phnom Kulen park + Beng Mealea temple
- Kbal Spean mount + banteay Srey temple
- Prek Taol bird sanctuary + Mechrey floating & fishing village
- Ang Trapang Thmar bird sanctuary + Banteay Chmar temple
Beng Mealea temple(untouched one) :
Beng Mealea temple is one of the larger Angkor temple and it's built on the similar scale and floor plan to Angkor Wat .it of cause ,this temple was built by the our great king of the Angkor Wat ,Suryavaraman II (1113-1150). the temple is located some a bout 70km from Siem Reap and its main UNESCO archaeological park .it is the most accesssible of the Angkor 's lost temple , a mirror image of the mighty Angkor Wat ,but totally and utterly consumed by the jungle the nature has triumphed here , and it is hard to get a sense of the monument's shape amid the daunting ruins .like Angkor Wat,Beng mealea was enclosed by a large moat ,which would have measured 1200m by 900m One inside the complex, visitors climb over heaps of stone ,edge along dark and damp corridors and through dense foliage -this is not one for fainthearted .the atmosphere ,however is something special .for the tourist main attraction of the BengMealea is as a exotic travel adventure ,a lost temple still gripped by the jungle ,removed from the tourist crowds of Angkor highlights of Bengmealea is an inclusion wonderful photo opportunities of the interplay of ancient carved stonework and nature,its commonly believed to be a forerunner or blueprint for Angkor Wat and decorated in the substantially the same art style .the temple has remained in its collapsed state , partly hidden by the jungle .
Koh Ker temple :
Koh Ker temple is a huge temple complex that served as the capital the Khmer empire for a 20 years period between 928-942 A.D by the a rival king Jayavaraman IV .it is located more than 100 km northeast of Siem Reap ,in Preah Vehear province .it does look ,from distant ,like a small hill because it is covered by forest .up close,how ever it is actually a 35m high great Stupa made of sandstone .it has designed resembles a seven-stepped Stupa,the temple faces west toward Angkor city , each level about 5m above the other each deck has a 2m-wide terrace,and there is a 55 steps staircase to the top. the temple So far 96 temples has been found in Koh Ker site but most are not be accessible These temples were not constructed near each other .Today,many of them are no longer standing ,and some are buried in the ground .
Koulen mountain park :
Phnom Koulen is a mountain range of moderate height that stretches over 12.8km along the Angkor plain .it is located 60 km north of Siem Reap and its name means " The mountain of the Lychees '' .Phnom Koulen has a symbolic important and it's venerated by Cambodians as it is the site where the Khmer empire originated from . there is a sacred hilltop of site on top of the range (also known as Phnom Koulen ). The study undertaken last century identified over 20 minor temples ruins are found around the plateau , However ,most of them are not be accessible yet .
Phnom Koulen is a birth place of the Angkor era as it was here where that king Jayavaraman II united different states in the region and proclaimed independence from Java in AD 802 In the ceremony that celebrated in the same year in Phnom Koulen ,He proclaimed himself as king of universe and he built a temple called Rong Chen temple ,the first pyramid built by an Angkorian king , but many of them are very difficult to reach that would be where his royal Linga was kept .
Further more , you will also see the river of a 1000 Lingas that were carved on the Siem Reap river bed over last thousand years ago ( 802 - 850AD) that was believed to make it to be holy and blessing the things on earth .Along with these you will also see the huge 16th century made reclining Buddha that built on the top rising stone of the Koulen mountain .it is very popular for the local people because they are in deeply believed as the holy place to worship and pray to make their wishes . Your touring is yet not finished ,After your sweaty tour for a while so now it's time for you to fresh you up with the Phnom Koulen waterfall . it's a good spot to cool you off after explorations .It has two levels .The first is 4 to6 meters high and 10 to 15 meters wide, depending on whether it;s the dry or rainy season . the second level is 15 to 20 meters high and 6 to 8 meters wide ,depending on the season . Near the waterfall is a small jungle covered laterite temple called Kraol Romeas temple .
Phnom Koulen is a birth place of the Angkor era as it was here where that king Jayavaraman II united different states in the region and proclaimed independence from Java in AD 802 In the ceremony that celebrated in the same year in Phnom Koulen ,He proclaimed himself as king of universe and he built a temple called Rong Chen temple ,the first pyramid built by an Angkorian king , but many of them are very difficult to reach that would be where his royal Linga was kept .
Further more , you will also see the river of a 1000 Lingas that were carved on the Siem Reap river bed over last thousand years ago ( 802 - 850AD) that was believed to make it to be holy and blessing the things on earth .Along with these you will also see the huge 16th century made reclining Buddha that built on the top rising stone of the Koulen mountain .it is very popular for the local people because they are in deeply believed as the holy place to worship and pray to make their wishes . Your touring is yet not finished ,After your sweaty tour for a while so now it's time for you to fresh you up with the Phnom Koulen waterfall . it's a good spot to cool you off after explorations .It has two levels .The first is 4 to6 meters high and 10 to 15 meters wide, depending on whether it;s the dry or rainy season . the second level is 15 to 20 meters high and 6 to 8 meters wide ,depending on the season . Near the waterfall is a small jungle covered laterite temple called Kraol Romeas temple .
Kbal Spean mountain park :
Kbal Spean ( the head of the river ) lie 50 km north east of Siem reap town or about 12km from banteay Srey temple .
The original River of thousand lingams ,Kbal Spean is an intricately carved riverbed deep in the foothills of the Cambodia jungle .Lingams are phallic representations sacred to Brahmanism as symbol of fertility , and hundreds of them are carved into the rocks here , as are several carvings of gods and animals above the small waterfall .the area was rediscovered in 1969 , when French researcher Jean Boulbet was shown the carving by a local hermit .A visit to Kbal Spean , a reference to the natural rock bridge , is one of the easiest way to take a short jungle trek in the Angkor area .It is a 30 -minutes walk to the carving through stream forest and some curious rock formations.
The original River of thousand lingams ,Kbal Spean is an intricately carved riverbed deep in the foothills of the Cambodia jungle .Lingams are phallic representations sacred to Brahmanism as symbol of fertility , and hundreds of them are carved into the rocks here , as are several carvings of gods and animals above the small waterfall .the area was rediscovered in 1969 , when French researcher Jean Boulbet was shown the carving by a local hermit .A visit to Kbal Spean , a reference to the natural rock bridge , is one of the easiest way to take a short jungle trek in the Angkor area .It is a 30 -minutes walk to the carving through stream forest and some curious rock formations.
Preah Vihear temple :
Preah Vihear temple is located in Preah Vihear province and standing a long the Thai-Cambodian border at north of Cambodia ,on the mountain range of Dong Rek that is rich in forests , mountains and streams .
Preah Vihear temple ,which is 800 m long and 400 m wide , sits atop the 625-meter-high Phnom Preah Vihear in the Dangrek mountain range on the border of Thailand The Cambodia side of the mountain is very steep , while the Thai side is gently rolling .There are three ways to reach Preah Vihear temple .
Preah Vihear temple is a cultural and history sites . The temple was built over a 300 years in the late 9th to 12th centuries to warship Shiva by four kings :
King Yasovaraman I (AD 889 -910 ) .
King Suyyavaraman I (AD 1002 -1050)
King Jayavaraman VI (AD 1080-1109 )
King Suryavaraman II (AD 1113-1150)
(This tour is a day trip tour to be taken )
Preah Vihear temple ,which is 800 m long and 400 m wide , sits atop the 625-meter-high Phnom Preah Vihear in the Dangrek mountain range on the border of Thailand The Cambodia side of the mountain is very steep , while the Thai side is gently rolling .There are three ways to reach Preah Vihear temple .
Preah Vihear temple is a cultural and history sites . The temple was built over a 300 years in the late 9th to 12th centuries to warship Shiva by four kings :
King Yasovaraman I (AD 889 -910 ) .
King Suyyavaraman I (AD 1002 -1050)
King Jayavaraman VI (AD 1080-1109 )
King Suryavaraman II (AD 1113-1150)
(This tour is a day trip tour to be taken )
Kompong Phluk-fishing & flooded village :
The Kompong Phluk fishing &flooded villages is a cluster of three villages of stiltedhouses built within the floodplain .about 16 km southeast of Siem Reap in the rainy season, but in the dry season is a bit far and difficult for boat moving because very shallow water .the villages are primarily Khmer and have about 3000 inhabitants between them .flooded mangrove forest surround the area and is home to a variety of wildlife including crab-eating macaques .During the dry season when the water is low , the buildings in the villages seem to soar atop their 6-8 meter still exposed by the lack of water .At this time of year many of villagers moved out onto the lake and build temporary houses .In the rainy season when the water rises high, the villagers move back to their permanent houses on the floodplain .Kamponh Phluk's economy is as one might expect, based in fishing ,primary in shrimp harvesting .
Kampong Phluk sees comparatively few foreign visitors and offers a close look at the sunken forest and lakeside village life . You can do this by combining with the tour of Beng Mealea temple or Rolous group temples .
Kampong Phluk sees comparatively few foreign visitors and offers a close look at the sunken forest and lakeside village life . You can do this by combining with the tour of Beng Mealea temple or Rolous group temples .
Konpong Khleang- fishing & flooded village :
Kampong Khleang is locate on northern lake- edge and about 45 km from Siem reap town .It is more remote and very less tourited than Kampong Phluk .Visitors during the dry season are universally awestruck by the forest of stilted houses rising up to about 10 meters to the air .In the wet season the water rises up to within one to 3 meters of the building .Kampong Khleang is a permanent community within the floodplain of the lake , with an economy based in fishing and surrounded by sunken forest , but Kampong Khleang is significantly larger with near 10 times the population of Kampong Phluk .Make it the largest community on the lake .
The tour to this place can be easily combined with tour of the Beng Mealea temple.
The tour to this place can be easily combined with tour of the Beng Mealea temple.
Chong Kneas - floating & fishing village :
Chong Kneas is the floating village at the edge of the lake closest and most accessible to Siem Reap. If you prefer a relatively quick and easy look at the Tonle sap. Boat tour of Chong kneas are available ,only 14 km from Siem Reap town . You will see the different ,Khmer and Vietnamese floating households and the floating markets clinics ,schools , stores ,Churches ,fish 7 floating crocodile farms , but very touristed and is not as picturesque as floating villages further afield . This place is a bit see more commercial area .
Mechray - fishing & floating village :
Visiting the floating village of Mechray on the northern shore of the lake near Siem Reap is truly an incredible experience. Residents of Mechray have adapted to life on the Tonlé Sap by moving all of the necessities of life onto lake. Houses, stores, schools and restaurants have all been moved onto floats. Even pigs, chickens and other livestock are taken along and raised in floating pens. As the lake recedes everything thing moves toward the new shores. One exception is the village pagoda which is an island surrounded by water during the rainy season and left high and dry, over two kilometers away, during the dry.
Prek Toal - bird sanctuary :
The bird sanctuary at Prek Toal core area of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve is called "the single most important breeding ground in South-East Asia for globally threatened large water birds." The Biosphere covers 31,282 hectares at the north-west tip of the Tonle Sap Lake and plays host to species including Greater and Lesser Adjuncts, Black-headed Ibis, Painted Stork, Milky Stork, Spot-billed Pelican, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle and many more species. Of the three Biosphere core areas on the Tonle Sap Lake, Prek Toal is the most accessible from Siem Reap and the most popular with birdwatchers. The best time of year for viewing is the dry season when flocks of migratory birds congregate at Prek Toal. As the dry season progresses and the water recedes, the number of birds increases but the travel to some of the more important viewing areas becomes more difficult. A day trip is commended to visit the bird sanctuary with early departure.
Ang Trapeang Thmor - bird sanctuary :
Ang Trapeang Thmor, Crane Reserve Along with Prek Toal and Tmatboey, Ang Trapeang Thmor should surely figure as one of the prime birding sites of northwest Cambodia. The protected area is a huge reservoir built by the Khmer Rouge featuring extensive wet grasslands which grade into deciduous dipterocarp forest. It is most renowned for being the home of the largest-known flock of the rare Sarus Crane during the dry season (January-April). But almost 200 other species have been documented since the discovery of the site by the late Sam Veasna in 1998. At the height of the dry season – in March and April – feeding herds of the endangered Eld’s Deer can be seen at the fringes of the reservoir.