Sambor Prei Kuk Travel Guide
This forested Cambodian treasure holds some of the country's oldest temples. It was the capital of an ancient empire and offers exceptional insight into the country's pre-Angkorian civilizations.
- Worth It?
- Well worth the visit for history buffs, but Sambor Prei Kuk could be passed over in favor more time at Angkor by anyone with tight time constraints.
- What to Do
- visiting ancient brick temples.
- Best Time to Go
- from November to April when rains are rare.
- How Long?
- A day is plenty of time to visit the complex.
- Trivia
- historians think the ancient temples complexes at Sambor Prei Kuk, with their lakes, gates and statues, served as inspiration for Angkor Wat's architects.
In all there are more than 100 forested temples in the park, built from bricks in honor of Shiva. This was 500 years before the foundations of Angkor Wat were laid. Tours are self-guided, with English language brochures available from the craft shop.
While the park is of substantial significance to historians and archaeologists, it has less to offer tourists than Angkor Wat with its enormous scale. That said, Sambor Prei Kuk is worthwhile and receives fewer visitors than Angkor. The entire area is hidden away by trees and is an ideal place to lose yourself for a couple of hours.
Travel to Sambor Prei Kuk - Getting There
Sambor Prei Kuk can be reached from Kampong Thom in 2 hours via a network of secondary roads. Just don't count on being able to pass during the rainy season. From Kampong Thom it's another 5 to 6 hours along the national highway to either Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, where you'll find prominent international airports.
Sambor Prei Kuk Things to Do
Sambor Prei Kuk Attractions
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