Siem Reap: Overland to Preah Vihear, Koh Ker temple

The main circuit of temples around the Angkor Archeological Park is impressive, and a must see. But it’s got nothing on this! Our guide Ty brought us to three remote temples in one day. These are well off the beaten track (IYKYK), and minimally touristed. There were only a handful (like 5!) of people there at each one. Preah Vihear (sky temple) is actually 100 years older than Angkor Wat and offers stunning views from the mountain top across the borders of Thailand and Laos. It’s mostly only visited by monks and intrepid domestic tourists. The 4x4 truck needed to take you up the mountain is a trip unto itself! Koh Ker park hosts plenty of smaller temples, all in various states of ruin. You’ll visit the small, but picturesque Prasat Pram and then the star of the show is Prasat Thom, a giant 6 story Mayan looking pyramid temple hidden deep in the jungle, giving Raiders of the Lost Ark vibes to whomever intrepid enough to seek it out. There were only three other people there besides us. And the views from the top after a hearty climb are priceless! And Beng Mealea….. My hands down favorite! If you liked Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple), you’ll die for this one. We caught it just after the rain. It was so atmospheric (almost spooky), glistening, abandoned, and hopelessly destroyed. I could have spent hours wandering the elevated walkways amongst the tree devoured ruins. How is this place so untouristed?! In between the main three temples, you also get to see a few quick, small temples and points of interest, and are treated to Ty’s wealth of information and inimitable wit. Not everyone has the time for this tour, but if you do you will never regret it! It is the Cambodia that few see

The main circuit of temples around the Angkor Archeological Park is impressive, and a must see. But it’s got nothing on this! Our guide Ty brought us to three remote temples in one day. These are well off the beaten track (IYKYK), and minimally touristed. There were only a handful ( like 5!) of people there at each one. Preah Vihear (sky temple) is actually 100 years older than Angkor Wat and offers stunning views from the mountain top across the borders of Thailand and Laos. It’s mostly only visited by monks and domestic tourists. Koh Ker is a giant 6 story pyramid temple hidden deep in the jungle, giving Raiders of the Lost Ark vibes to whomever intrepid enough to seek it out. There were three others there besides us. And the views from the top after a hearty climb are priceless! And Beng Mealea….. My hands down favorite! If you liked Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple), you’ll die for this one. We caught it just after the rain. It was so atmospheric (almost spooky), glistening, abandoned, and hopelessly destroyed. I could have spent hours wandering the elevated walkways amongst the tree devoured ruins. How is this place so untouristed?! In between the main three temples, you also get to see a few quick, small temples, and are treated to Ty’s wealth of information and inimitable wit. Not everyone has the time for this tour, but if you do you will never regret it! It is the Cambodia that few see.

What a treat this day tour has been: you really get to see three very unique temple complexes which see very few tourist . Hence, it is a breathtaking experience because you feel like an explorer. In two temples we were the only guests present - just us, our guide - the staff of the sights. Our guide Pitt was amazing: he spoke really good English and gave his best to make this day a memorable one. This long day on the road flew by quickly. The pickup at the hotel was smooth, the vehicle very comfortable, all was safe - and if you pack some lunch/snacks you can skip a proper break. Highly recommendable! Finally a word of advice: while the tour agency happily caters to you wishes for a comfortable starting time, you should not start from Siem Reap later than 7 am. We started later and therefore only made it to Beng Mealea Temple (you have seen nothing like it) by making some shortcuts and due to efforts of our guide and drive to make in time to this temple before closure. While it worked for us, you might not always be so lucky due to traffic.