EXPLORER FLIGHTS FROM SIEM REAP TOUR – EXP5

Preah Vihear:

Preah Vihear is a Khmer temple situated atop a 525-metre cliff in the Dangrek Mountains in Cambodia close to the Thailand border, but most notably in Cambodian territory. As a key edifice of the empire’s spiritual life, it was supported and modified by successive kings and so bears elements of several architectural styles. Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, it has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-century-long Khmer Empire. Long been the subject of intense ownership disputes between the two neighbouring countries, Cambodia was officially awarded control of Preah Vihear in 1962 by the International Court of Justice and it is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Koh Ker:

Koh Ker is 100 km northeast of Angkor Wat. It was briefly the capital of the Khmer empire between 928 and 944 under king Jayavarman IV and his son Hasavarman II. A vast number of temples were built under his reign, until his successor returned to the Angkor area about twenty years later. The Koh Ker site is dominated by Prasat Thom, a 30 meter tall temple mountain raising high above the plain and the surrounding forest. Currently, access to the top is closed. Koh Ker is very attractive for anyone who would like to experience lonely temples partially overgrown by the forest and inhabited only by birds, calling to each other from the trees above.

Boeng Mealea:

Boeng Mealea is a temple located 40 km east of the main group of temples at Angkor Wat and built during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. Its primary material is sandstone and it is surrounded by moats. The basic layout is three enclosing galleries around a central sanctuary. There is extensive carving of scenes from Hindu mythology, including the Churning of the Sea of Milk and Vishnu being borne by the bird god Garuda. Causeways have long balustrades formed by bodies of the seven-headed Naga serpent. Smaller in size than Angkor Wat, the king’s main monument, Boeng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the Khmer empire’s larger temples.