Phnom Bok

Phnom Bok is a small hilltop Hindu temple site in the Angkor region of northwestern Cambodia, situated on a wooded hill east of the main Angkor complex. The temple dates to the later 9th and early 10th centuries and forms one of the hilltop shrines around the Angkor plain.

The site includes brick and laterite construction with small sanctuary towers and carved sandstone elements typical of the period, and it is visited mainly for its elevated vantage point and close-up views of the surrounding rice plain and distant temple silhouettes. There are no large visitor facilities on the hill.

Phnom Bok is one of several temple hills in the Angkor area built during the early Angkorian period; it illustrates the practice of constructing temples on prominent local rises. The hilltop position has helped preserve parts of the fabric despite centuries of exposure.

The temple sits east of the main Angkor archaeological zone in Siem Reap province, on a small wooded elevation that is reached by a short drive and a walk up a stepped path from the surrounding flatlands.

• Viewing point: Sits on a forested hill offering panoramic sunrise views over the Angkor plain and is reached by a short steep climb from the road below.

• Climb Phnom Bok at sunrise or early morning for the best light and cooler temperatures-its hilltop temple offers wide views over the Angkor plain and far fewer people than Phnom Bakheng.
• Phnom Bok is a short, steep climb with stone steps and narrow paths; arrive early to avoid the mid‑day heat and to secure the best vantage points for photography.
• Pair Phnom Bok with nearby sites such as Banteay Srei on the same outing to make transport worthwhile; many visitors focus only on the main Angkor circuit and miss this quieter hill temple.

Phnom Bok is a 235-metre hill northeast of Angkor, with a modern Buddhist temple at its base and the ruins of a 9th-century temple at its summit, from which there is a spectacular view over the surrounding countryside. It is one of three temples that King Yasovarman I raised on the largest hilltops around his new capital: his state temple crowned Phnom Bakheng at the city’s centre, a second stood at Phnom Krom overlooking the Tonle Sap, and the third here at Phnom Bok, beside the northeastern corner of the East Baray.

Despite its general disrepair, the temple retains many fine carvings, and scrambling over the stones of the collapsed towers is enjoyable, if a little precarious. Frangipani trees sprout from the tops of the towers, and when in bloom the flowers are worth the visit in themselves. Just below the ruins is a small shelter for monks and a little wooden pagoda; if a monk is on hand to unlock it, the morning light streams through the doors to illuminate the Buddha images within.

The trail up the hill runs straight and fully exposed, so only fit walkers with hats and sunscreen should attempt it in the heat of the day. Go early to catch a spectacular sunrise, which pairs well with an onward trip to Banteay Srei to the north.