Tour Name: Angkor Wat Preah Vihear Koh Ker and Beng Melea Tour 3d
Tour Code: A3G
Tour Duration: 3 days
Tour Operates: all year round / on demand
Number of Pax: available upon request
Tour Price: available upon request
Pick-up and drop-off location
Can be anywhere upon request
Hotel in Siem Reap
Upon arrival in Siem Reap airport
Upon arrival in Siem Reap bus station
Upon arrival in boat pier in Chong Kneah floating village
Any AirBnB and residences in Siem Reap.
Day I - Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Prohm, small circuit and watching sunset at Phnom Bakheng hill or at Pre Rup temple
Angkor Thom city complex – you will be met and welcomed by our English speaking guide at your pick-up location in Siem Reap and then transfer onward to visit the Great City of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. This city is surrounded by an 8m high wall; each side of the city is 3 kilometers long. It draws a perfect square you access this town through 5 gates, 4 of them represent the cardinal points and the 5th one the Victory Gate was the one leading directly to the Royal Palace area.
You will arrive via the South Gate, an impressive stone gate carved with Elephants and 4 giant faces. On each side is a row of 54 gods or demons holding the sacred Naga snake.
After passing through the South Gate, you will go down along this shady road to the Bayon temple. This temple lies exactly in the center of the city. The particularity of this monument is the 54 towers representing the 54 provinces of the then Great Khmer Empire. Each tower has 4 faces. This is the only temple in Cambodia depicting scenes of the everyday life at the time of the empire.
From the Bayon continue by walk to the Baphoun recently re-opened to the public. There you will pass by the Phimeanakas the location of the Royal Palace. The only remaining are a pond and a temple. The palace was made of wood and did not survive the time and the wars.
Then continue to the Terrace of the Elephants. This Terrace was the place where the parade was done for the king. Next is the Terrace of the Leper King, depicting the water world.
Ta Prohm overgrown temple – continues transfer to Ta Prohm - one of the most popular temples of the Angkor Complex. This temple was built in the memory of the King Jayavarman VII’s mother. When found by the French conservators at the end of the 19th century, they deliberately left this temple in the same condition as it was discovered, overgrown by strangler fig and silk-cotton trees, giving the temple a mystical and romantic appeal.
Your visit will include Banteay Kdei, a Buddhist monastery from the late 12th century, Srah Srang, also known as the “pool of ablutions”, the identical twin temples of Tommanon, Chaosay Tevoda, Ta Keo and Krovan temple.
Lunch at local restaurant (at your own costs)
Angkor Wat – continue visit the magnificent temple of Angkor Wat, built by Suryavarman II in early 12th century. Angkor Wat is constructed following the model of the temple mountain symbolizing the mount Merou, home of the gods, considered as the masterpiece of the Khmer architecture. This Vishnuite temple is the King’s funerary temple that is why the temple is oriented to the west. Inside the temple the walls are covered by carvings and bas-reliefs depicting the Hindu mythology and the wars Suryavarman II made during his reign. As well Angkor Wat is well known for the 1800 Apsara dancers decorating the all temple. But like most say, it takes a life time to discover all the wonders of this temple.
Return to Siem Reap after watching sunset at Phnom Bakheng Hill. Dominating the flat landscape, this 10th Century mountain temple is the most popular spot in the area to watch a classic sunset over Angkor Wat and the surrounding forest or
Watching sunset at Pre Rup temple, a Hindu temple, built as the state temple of king Rajendravarman and dedicated in 961. It is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone construction. The temple’s name is a comparatively modern one meaning "turn the body". This reflects the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the service progressed.
Overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.
Day II - Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre and Chong Kneah floating village
Angkor Wat sunrise is optional (pick up at 5am for viewing the picturesque sunrise at Angkor Wat and then return to hotel for breakfast).
Banteay Srei - in the morning, after breakfast at your hotel, depart for an excursion to visit Banteay Srei, made of pink sandstone and is one of the smallest temple you can visit but one of the most beautiful as well. Built in 967 AD by a guru to Jayavarman V, it showcases the most exquisite, deep and complex carvings in all Khmer architectures. As well the carvings and bas-relief are in a perfect condition although being here for more than millenary.
On the way back to Siem Reap, visit an isolated temple Banteay Samre. Situated on the eastern edge of the Angkor complex, this temple is very similar to Angkor Wat. The structure with its typical lotus flowers shaped tower but has very compact proportions. This temple was built during the best period of the Khmer architecture and its condition is almost perfect.
Lunch at local restaurant (at your own costs)
Mechrey floating village – in the morning, you will be met and welcomed by our English speaking guide, picked up and transferred to Mechrey floating village, is a floating village about 15km north of Chong Khneas, about half way to Prek Toal. The village’s economy is based primarily in fishing, and quite a few farm crocodiles as well. In recent years Mechrey has also opened itself to eco-tours, welcoming tours of the village and area. There is also a fair bit of wild bird life in the area.
Angkor Silk Farm belongs to Artisans Angkor, a social-business enterprise aiming at reviving Khmer cultural heritage while giving job opportunities to young Cambodians living in rural areas.Free guided tours through the eight hectare farm give a unique insight into the different stages involved in silk production, from the mulberry tree orchards, silkworm breeding, the spinning mills and the dying and weaving processes in the very traditional way. A shop is there for visitors as well. Tours are in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean,Japanese or Khmer.
Overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.
Day III - Preah Vihear, Koh Ker and Beng Melea
Preah Vihear – in the morning, after breakfast at the hotel, pick up and transfer onward to visit Preah Vihear Temple. It is situated atop cliff in the Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia (180 kilometers from Angkor Wat) and on the border of Kantharalak district (amphoe) in Sisaket province of eastern Thailand. In 1962, following a lengthy dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership, a majority of the International Court of Justice in The Hague awarded the temple to Cambodia.
Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, Prasat Preah Vihear has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-centuries-long Khmer Empire. As a key edifice of the empire's spiritual life, it was supported and modified by successive kings and so bears elements of several architectural styles. Preah Vihear is unusual among Khmer temples in being constructed along a long north-south axis, rather than having the conventional rectangular plan with orientation toward the east. The temple gives its name to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, in which it is now located.
On July 7, 2008, Preah Vihear was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Construction of the first temple on the site began in the early 9th century; both then and in the following centuries it was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in his manifestations as the mountain gods Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara. The earliest surviving parts of the temple, however, date from the Koh Ker period in the early 10th century, when the empire's capital was at the city of that name.
Today, elements of the Banteay Srei style of the late 10th century can be seen, but most of the temple was constructed during the reigns of the Khmer kings Suryavarman I (1002 -1050) and Suryavarman II (1113 -1150). An inscription found at the temple provides a detailed account of Suryavarman II studying sacred rituals, celebrating religious festivals and making gifts, including white parasols, golden bowls and elephants, to his spiritual advisor, the aged Brahman Divakarapandita. The Brahman himself took an interest in the temple, according to the inscription, donating to it a golden statue of a dancing Shiva. In the wake of the decline of Hinduism in the region the site was converted to use by Buddhists.
Lunch at local restaurant (at your own costs)
Koh Ker – continue visit Koh Ker. It is a former capital of the Khmer Kingdom, pre-dating Angkor, and is home to many spectacular 10th century temples. A brief interruption: the exception took place in 928AD when, for reasons that remain unclear, there was a disruption in the royal succession. King Jayavarman IV moved the capital 100 km from Angkor north to Koh Ker, where it remained for 20 years. When the capital returned to Angkor, it centered not at Phnom Bakheng as it had before, but further east at the new state-temple of Pre Rup (961AD).
Beng Melea - continue to visit Beng Melea. Sprawling jungle temple covering over one square kilometer, the temple is largely overrun by vegetation and very lightly touristed, giving it an adventours, ‘lost temple’ feel. Photographers: trees growing from the broken towers and galleries offer some of the best ‘tree in temple’ shots aside from Ta Prohm. Constructed in a distinctly Angkor Wat style under the same king that built Angkor Wat, Beng Melea preceded and may have served as a prototype of sorts for Angkor Wat. Though there are some lintel and doorway carving, there are no bas-relief and the carvings are comparatively sparse. When the temple was active, the walls may have been covered, painted or had frescos. In its time, Beng Melea was at the crossroads of several major highways that ran to Angkor, Koh Ker, Preah Vihear (in northern Cambodia) and northern Vietnam.
Return to Siem Reap.
Tour Ends
Included
- Full tours and transfers by private luxury A/C vehicle
- English speaking guide
- Angkor passes
- Preah Vihear ticket
- Koh Ket ticket
- Beng Melea ticket
- Transfer up and down Preah Vihear mountain by private 4WD.
Excluded
- Meals not mentioned
- Accommodation
- Visa fees $30 (visa on arrival, please bring 1 of your recent passport-size photo to visit your Cambodia visa). Southeast Asian passport holders do not require a Cambodian visa
- Drinks, laundry, telephone calls, tips and expenditure of a personal nature
- Personal travel insurance
- Any services not mentioned in itinerary.
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