Cambodia is a unique country in Southeast Asia. Its many religious temples are an important part of its heritage and the main tourist attraction of the country.
Built before Angkor times, the Sambor Prei Kuk temple was the basis for the Khmer style of the following centuries. It is a unique masterpiece appointed in 2017 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Highlights
- Beautiful scenery in the middle of the forest
- Impressive temples from pre-Angkorean art
- A beautiful attraction away from tourist areas
- Stunning bas-reliefs decorating the stone walls
- Ruins immersed in peace and silence
Where it is
The temple is in Kampong Thom Province, 30 km north of Kampong Thom and 176 km east of Angkor Wat. It is on the eastern bank of Tonp San Lake, close to the Sen River.
The world's newest UNESCO site
In 2017, the Sambor Prei Kuk temple has been added to the UNESCO list of cultural heritages. A "temple in the fertility of the forest", the site was built 300 years before Angkor Wat and is actually home to 10 different temples. These are divided into three clusters: North, Central, and South.
Each cluster consists of impressive temples depicting pre-Angkorian art: built mostly in brick and sandstone, the architectural features include prasats (Khmer for "castles"), octagonal towers, shiva lingams (phallic symbols for Shiva), ponds and reservoirs.
- North: The most ancient buildings are here, as well as temples from the 10th century. The sanctuaries are built of brick and limestone and are located on a rectangular hill. The temples are square or octagonal.
Prasat Sambor is the main temple: it was dedicated to one of the reincarnations of Shiva (the supreme being in Hinduism).
- Central: The least ancient group. Nowadays, only the central tower is visible. This temple is known as Prasat Thao, "Lion Temple", since two lion statues sit on top of the stairs. The temple also has a pond, which empties during the dry season.
- South: This cluster was built during the reign of Isanavarman I (in the 7th century) and it includes 22 sanctuaries. These were built on a hill with a gopura (a monumental tower).
The main sanctuary is the best preserved: according to the carvings on the wall, a golden statue of Shiva was placed right before the silver one depicting Nandi (a gate-guardian deity).
The temples constitute a unique opportunity to learn what paved the way for the glorious temples of Angkor.
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Planning our trip
We have spend that last eight months planning a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Alisa Lia was creative & patient helping us customize our tour to include the sites and adventures we were excited to see. Hard waiting for the trip to start. More
Jamie Danner, Oct 2023
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My experience in Thai
All of this was well organized by the local office. The holiday was wonderful. Our guide, Mr. Longdy( Siem Reap)were exceptional. He shared his extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. Thank you so much .shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. More
kelli, Jul 2023
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Seamless Planning
From the day I submitted an inquiry request, I instantly received a response from Monica asking my preferences for my trip. She has been attentive and responsive to our every needs and we very much appreciate it. Looking forward to our trip in November but many thanks to Monica for making this experience to seamless thus far. More
Sana Samhouri, Jul 2023
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Very professional agency for a memorable trip to Asia
A special thanks to Albee who worked with us and helped to tailor the itinerary to our taste, she was amazing and always available for whatever we needed. The trip would not have been the same without her and her team. Thank you! More
Daniela, Jul 2023
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It was our first time in Cambodia and …
It was our first time in Cambodia and we had a wonderful time. The accommodations, food, and sites were really beautiful. We ended our trip with a relaxing massage. Sam was very accommodating to our needs and knowledgeable. Thank you for the laughter and for being so kind. More
Amy Oakes Moon, Jun 2023
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Our guide Borin - never boring!
Our guide Borin, in Cambodia, was knowledgeable, understanding and thoughtful in every aspect of the plan he put together for our trip to Siem Reap and in its execution. He can read the room, and knew exactly how to pace the tour, when to pause, when to break, and how to prepare us for the maximum benefit. He is extremely kind and caring, and it showed at every turn. He also is a dab hand with the camera, and we have a lot of great pictures to show for it. Kudos to my Asia Highlights coordinator - Cathy Chen, for picking Borin. Borin works with a driver (007) who was also very kind and caring. Whenever we returned to the car, he would have cold towel rolls and chilled water to refresh us. So amazingly considerate. It was an unforgettable experience More
David Muliyil, Jun 2023
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Great visit!
Our guide, Anna, was fantastic! She was highly informative and a delight to spend our days with. Would request her again if we were to return! More
Alejandra M Almonte, Jun 2023
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We've had such a great experience…
We've had such a great experience planning our honeymoon with Alisa at Asia Highlights! We gave her our dream itinerary, thinking that it might be impossible to do all the things we wanted, but Alisa made our dreams a reality! She's gone so far above and beyond to answer ALL of our questions and make little adjustments that will make a huge impact on our experience. More
Lauren, Jun 2023
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Alisa knows how to work fast and please a customer.
Alisa is very helpful and works very fast. I am a very difficult client because Inknow what I want in therm of hotels and comfort. She had a lot of patience with me, and moved a lot the plan of the trip, always following my requests. It was a pleasure organizing my trip with her. I recommend her a lot! Thanks Alisa. Malala from Argentina. More
maria laura artola, Jun 2023
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson, Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger, Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux, Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
Monica, Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal, Mar 2023
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Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion! More
Deb M, Mar 2023
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In good hands with Sam
Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days. More
Carol Jones, Feb 2023
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Best tour guide in Cambodia
When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :) More
Len S, Feb 2023
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Mr. Sam
Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US More
Pho Lover, Feb 2023
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Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic! More
Danielle Blount, Feb 2023
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Excellent service and Wonderful Guides
All of our guides have been terrific. Mr. Sam in Siem Reip was especially wonderful. Both he and our driver were polite, safe knowledgable and informative. Sam made our trip memorable and enioyable. We will definitely recommend Sam and Asia Highlights to our friends. More
Kaaren, Feb 2023
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A typical tour of the site
A walking tour takes more than an hour. Start from the North Group and admire the square and rectangular prasats.
Then proceed to the Central Group, where you can admire the famous "Lion Temple". From here, you can easily reach the South Group, where the bas-reliefs, carvings and structures are in good condition.
Walk back to the North Group and look for the prasat almost entirely swallowed up by a huge tree.
Getting there
You can visit the temple on a daily trip from Siem Reap. Driving to Kampong Thom takes about 3 hours.
- Private car: if you want to travel in more comfort, you can book a private taxi online with your hotel or with a travel agent. Or sign up for a day tour which includes transportation.
When to visit
The best time of day to visit the temple is during the morning: since most of the temples face east, that's the time to admire them in their best light.
You can sleep there the night before and start the tour early in the morning, or start driving from Siem Reap around 7 a.m. and arrive there by 11 a.m.
A little bit of history
It is believed that the city of Isanapura (now Kampong Thom) was built by Isanaravam I, king of the Chenla Kingdom (Chenla is the name used by Chinese people to indicate Cambodia). The city was a few miles from the actual temples.
Under the kingdom of Janavarman I, the last king of Chenla, Cambodia knew peace and stability. When the king died, his daughter Jadayevi took power: Cambodia's territory grew and the capital was moved from Isanapura to another city (it's not clear which one, maybe Banteay Prey Nokor).
During the following centuries, Isanapura began to decline. It was still an important city during Angkor times, but it was entirely abandoned around the 15th century.
During the 19th century, French explorers travelled around Cambodia and became interested in Isanapura. Securing its future has been a long process, culminating with its election by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2017.
The two other UNESCO sites in Cambodia
Angkor archaeological park
Chosen by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992, the world's largest religious site is a magnificent testimony to the glory of the Khmer Empire and a must-visit location in Cambodia. Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city in the world.
Built between the 9th and the 15th centuries, Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city in the world. The temples were at first dedicated to Shiva, but they changed to become Buddhist temples.
Located in the middle of the forest, the site has been restored and it comprises the most important site of Khmer architecture. Two million tourists visit it each year. The site stretches over 400 km2, and it includes countless temples and monuments.
The unique atmosphere and the grandeur of the temples transform the visit into an experience you won't forget.
The temple of Preah Vihear
Located on a hill on the Cambodia-Thailand border, this temple is one of the most spectacular from the Khmer Empire. It used to be symbolic of the spiritual life of the empire, so it has been restored many times during its life by different kings.
The site has been disputed for many years between Thailand and Cambodia, until finally the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to the latter.
It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008. Its style is totally different from the style used in Angkor Wat. The entrance is marked by five gopuras (an entrance building), so that it is impossible to see the entirety of the temples all at once.
The temple is famous also for its location: a typical tour will involve hiking up the hill to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic view of the Cambodian plain.
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