day trip: Koh Ker and Beng Mealeaclassic full-day excursion to remote Khmer temples (itinerary 1B)
itineraryYou want to feel like the first explorers? In this case, Koh Ker is exactly what you have searched for. Try this tour, it will meet or surpass your expectations:
I will pick you up at your hotel or a place of your choice. If you want to enjoy your stay in Koh Ker, we have to start in the early morning, 7.30 or earlier, because it’s much more than 200 km up and down, the road being partly in a bad condition, and there’s really very much to see in Koh Ker as well as in Beng Mealea. I think that you may want to stop somewhere on the way, maybe to take a photo of rural life in Cambodia or to quench your thirst or just to take a break. In the morning we first take the National Road Number 6 to Damdaek Village, it has a nice untouristed local market. It’s easy to find a snack or some fruits here. Afterwards we will cross a rural area with many stilt houses and paddy cultivation. Here are still a lot of palm trees, it’s a really nice landscape and typical Cambodian. However, the road will become more dusty and lonely behind Beng Mealea. We are crossing a tropical dry zone jungle, sometimes scrubland. Due to illegal logging of precious timber, the forest is in a very poor condition and admittedly not a nice sight any more. Much of the deforested land has dried out. The last part of the road to Koh Ker will be quite bumpy. It’s your choice whether you like to see Beng Mealea first or on the way back from Koh Ker. Most travellers like to visit Koh Ker first and to proceed to Beng Mealea in the afternoon. So you might guess, Beng Mealea is less crowded in the morning. Actually, that’s not the case. Bus groups on their way from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh often visit Beng Mealea in the morning. However, we have to start earlier than normal tourists. So you would arrive in Beng Mealea an hour or so before “morning rush hour”. One hour is time enough to visit the places along the wooden walkway. When Beng Mealea becomes more crowded about 10.00 o’clock, you could visit the more hidden angles of the huge compound. The normal itinerary visiting Koh Ker in the beginning has another disadvantage besides seeing Beng Mealea in the "afternoon rush hour”: You would have to explore Koh Ker in the late morning and early afternoon hours. Then sun is high, it’s not only hotter, it’s not at all the perfect light for taking pictures, either. The late afternoon light would be better in Koh Ker. But as already mentioned: It’s your own choice. Most guests prefer to see Koh Ker first. Of course, we can do it this way. servicesIf you ask me for a quotation for driving service to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea and do not mention other specifications, my price offer will include:
- pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or guesthouse - transportation in A/C vehicle - driving to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea and back to Siem Reap, - round tour on the ring road in Koh Ker - branch off to see the Phnom Kulen sandstone quarries - fuel costs - taxes - cooled water bottles - cool towels - politeness and competence of an experienced driver and, if you like, my smiles Unless you don't explicitely ask for additional services, my quote will not include: - meals - entrence fees - guiding by a licenced lecturer - personal travel insurances - refreshments, personal expenses, tips Maximum number of travellers: 13 Please let me know, if you wish lunchbox or guiding additionally. I know tour guides in Siem Reap for all major foreign languages. All programmes mentioned on my websites are flexible and can be adopted to your wishes and preferences. timingAs already mentioned, start is 7.30 am or earlier. Driving from Siem Reap to Koh Ker takes about 3.5 hours (one way). Parts of the 110 km long road are very bumpy, particularly the last 30 km close to Koh Ker.
Sightseeing in Koh Ker takes at least 1 hour only for Prasat Pram (temple tower draped in roots) and Prasat Thom (main temple complex with pyramid Prasat Prang in the rear). If you want to see all major temples at Koh Ker’s ring road, you will need about two and a half or three hours at least. If you are interested in really exploring and enjoying the sites in Koh Ker, a stay of four hours is much more recommendable. Driving to Beng Mealea will take about an hour and a half. Most parts of the road between Siem Reap and Beng Mealea are in a fair condition, though not good enough for fast driving. You will probably ask for some brief stops. The road from Beng Mealea to Koh Ker again will take one and a half hours, it crosses former tropical dry forest in a very remote and poor area. There are only very few houses along the road and no tourist facilities. The last 30 kilometres are bumpy. After arrival in Koh Ker and paying for your ticket, you will first visit Prasat Prang with its stone covering trees on the left side of the road. Afterwards you will see nearly all the temples along the ring road counter clockwise, before arriving at the main complex, Prasat Thom. On the way back to the entrance you will see one more important temple at the western part of the Koh Ker ring road, namely Prasat Chin. Of course, you could also choose to drive clockwise. But it makes more sense to see Prasat Thom and the pyramid at the end of the round tour, as the final climax. travel info: food and accommodation in Koh KerLunch box can be provided at the site. Camping would be illegal. Only hostel style accommodation is available near Koh Ker. In about 8 km distance, Mon Morokod Koh Ker Guest House has western toilets and running water and electricity for some hours in the evening. It has a good restaurant, too. This guest house is on the access road to the temples, in the outskirts of Srayang. The next 3-star hotel is in 70 km distance in the provincial capital now called Preah Vihear (City), formerly known as and on maps still called Tbaeng Meanchey. It is on the way from Koh Ker to Phnom Penh, which is in more than 400 km distance from Preah Vihear.
more Koh Ker travel information... |
alternative day trips:
other 1-day itineraries that make sense
Koh Ker exclusivelyitinerary 1A:
more time for Koh Ker, no break at Beng Mealea Beng Mealea & Roluositinerary 1D:
Bakong pyramid, Preah Ko ancestor temple, Lolei ancestor temple, Phnom Kulen sandstone quarries, Beng Mealea jungle temple Beng Mealea & Chau Say Vibolitinerary 1E:
Beng Mealea jungle temple, Phnom Kulen sandstone quarries, Chau Say Vibol complex Phnom Bok temple on a hill Beng Mealea & Kampong Khleangitinerary 1F:
Kampong Khleang, largest stilt village, opportunities: boat excursions, Phnom Kulen sandstone quarries, Beng Melea jungle temple Beng Mealea & Kampong Phlukitinerary 1G:
Kampong Phluk, famous stilt village, opportunities: boat excursions, Phnom Kulen sandstone quarries, Beng Mealea jungle temple Beng Mealea & Banteay Sreiitinerary 1H:
Phnom Kulen sandstone quarries, Beng Mealea jungle temple, Kbal Spean riverbed carvings, Banteay Srei jewel of Khmer art Beng Mealea & Phnom Kulenitinerary 1J:
Phnom Kulen sandstone quarries, Beng Mealea jungle temple, Phnom Kulen waterfalls Sleeping Buddha on Phnom Kulen 1000 Lingas on Phnom Kulen Beng Mealea & Prasat Bakanitinerary 1K:
Beng Mealea jungle temple, Prasat Bakan (Preah Khan Kampong Svay) Preah Vihear exclusivelyitinerary 1C:
Preah Vihear mountain temple Preah Vihear & Koh Keritinerary 1L:
Preah Vihear mountain temple, pyramid in Koh Ker, Prasat Pram in Koh Ker travel info:
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contact
driver from Siem Reap to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea:
Pheak (Hor Sopheak), Number 648, Group 8 Vihear Chen Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone: (+855) 069 51 01 41
sopheakraksar@gmail.com
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copyright 2014 photos and texts:
Ando Sundermann, Grünental 6, 32760 Detmold, Germany, (+94) 052319438185,
sundermann.ea@web.de
All rights reserved.
driver from Siem Reap to Koh Ker and Beng Mealea:
Pheak (Hor Sopheak), Number 648, Group 8 Vihear Chen Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone: (+855) 069 51 01 41
sopheakraksar@gmail.com
___________
copyright 2014 photos and texts:
Ando Sundermann, Grünental 6, 32760 Detmold, Germany, (+94) 052319438185,
sundermann.ea@web.de
All rights reserved.