Siem Reap is the name of the town only a stone’s throw away from the impressive Temples of Angkor. It is a small and lively town with a great choice of nightlife, restaurants and markets but its main purpose is as a hub for tours to the nearby temples.

In the ninth century, the Khmer established Angkor as the capital of their huge kingdom stretching from present-day Thailand to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. For the next six centuries they ruled one of the largest empires in South East Asia. Angkor cultivated a power base of a mighty military and political force, and a rich and sophisticated civilization. The ruins seen today represent successive capitals constructed by a dozen Khmer kings, between the 9th and 13th Centuries.

The temples most visited are those of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan and Banteay Srei. With some smaller temple of Neak Pean, Ta Som, Banteay K’Dei, Ta Keo, Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda. We’d recommend at least 2 full days to explore the temples but you could easily extend this to a week and still be discovering more remote temples for as far as the eye can see. We can arrange a private car and driver to take you around these temples for as many days as required.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious temple in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. Conceived by Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat took an estimated 30 years to build. It is generally believed to have been a funeral temple for the king. It has been occupied continuously by Buddhist monks and is well preserved. The ancient walled city of Angkor Thom, literally “Great city,” built in the 12th Century by Jayavarman VII, contains the famous Bayon temple with its more than 200 enormous mysterious faces. It also contains the 300 meter long Elephant Terrace with its large sculptured royal elephants and mythical Garudas, the half-man and half-bird figures.

Preah Khan is an extensive monastic complex covering over 56 hectares built by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a monastery and teaching complex. Today Preah Khan is in a state of ruin resulting from a slow decline due to its loss of royal patronage in the middle of the 15th Century. It is often referred to as the jungle temple and is a must on any visit to the region.

For details of Siem Reap accommodation or any Angkor Wat tours click on the links on the right. Our experienced consultants can easily build any of these experiences into a tailor-made Cambodia holiday quote for you.