Full Day Hidden Temples & Jungle Temple in Beng Melea Private Tour

Today we have a long journey west to the Beng Melea district. Beng Mealea lies at the foot of the southern cliff of Phnom Kulen, 40kms east of Angkor, on the road to the great Preah Khan.

It was the starting point of the canal, which led to the great lake, “Tonle Sap Lake”, which probably used to float the sandstone blocks from nearby quarries downstream to build many of the Angkorian monuments.

We start trekking into the bamboo forest from the village to Phuong Komnu, is a series of Angkorian reliefs carved into the southern cliff of Phnom Kulen, the quality of the work and their preservation is remarkable, and the danger of inevitable of the site makes them all the more precious.

It is an undiscovered tourist site in Angkor areas. In the afternoon we return to Siem Reap, stopping en route at Beng Mealea, a unique 11th-century temple, almost rivalling Angkor Wat regarding its size. The main temple sits on 108 hectares and is surrounded by a 45 meter-wide moat.

Although it dates from the same period as the Angkor temples, the artwork and friezes are different in style and tone from the sculptures at Angkor. Much of the temple is enveloped by jungle, adding to the sense of discovery and mystery.