Koh Ker & Beng Mealea Temple Full-Day Private Tour from Siem Reap

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Pick up at your hotel in the lobby in Siem Reap city that your English speaking driver meet you at your hotel in the lobby at starting time selected in booking

   1 h

2. Koh Ker was the capital of the Khmer Empire for a brief period, between 928-941 C.E. under its founder King Jayavarman IV. As yet, the only authentic, contemporary information about the political ideology of Angkor comes from the Koh Ker inscription which establishes a clear shift of Khmer political ideology from ‘rāja’ or king, to ‘rājya’ or the kingdom and its people. In support of this new ideology, no war was waged by Jayavarman IV; his reign was the most peaceful phase of the Khmer Empire, which enabled a cultural resurgence. This time of peace allowed Jayavarman IV to carry out projects of regional, social, economic and architectural development, town planning and rural infrastructure, of which the ensemble of monuments at Koh Ker bear testimony.

   3 h

3. This small temple is in a fair state of preservation, with three surviving sanctuary towers and two libraries. While its enclosure walls survive, the temple's east gopura no longer exists apart from its foundation stones. We do not know when precisely when the temple was constructed as it was never fully completed--note the unfinished lintels above all five of the doorways.

   1 h

4. Beng Mealea is one of the most evocative Angkor temples around Siem Reap. A central tower lies in rubble with vines and roots slowly constricting walls adorned with ancient Khmer art. Through the dappled light of huge trees growing through the ruins, impressive carvings hint at the importance of this once great temple.

   2 h

5. After tour drop off at your hotel in the same place was pick up

   1 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 8 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Siem Reap

• Its from-price is 23% above the median of the 2414 experiences we list in Siem Reap.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 580 of 2414.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Siem Reap

Siem Reap is the riverside town beside Angkor, Cambodia's vast complex of Khmer temples, with night markets, river walks and a relaxed centre.

Angkor Wat, often called the largest religious monument in the world, rises above its moat in a silhouette of lotus-bud towers that is breathtaking at sunrise. Nearby, the walled city of Angkor Thom holds the Bayon, with its more than two hundred serene stone faces, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Baphuon, while Ta Prohm is gripped by the roots of giant silk-cotton and strangler fig trees.

Top-ranked sights in Siem Reap: Angkor Thom, Tonlé Sap, Kampong Phluk.

See all 2414 experiences in Siem Reap