Siem Reap Province - 38 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Siem Reap Province

Best known as the site of Angkor and the Angkor Wat temple ruins, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Types of Attractions in Siem Reap Province

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Siem Reap Province

Angkor National Museum

Angkor National Museum is a must-visit attraction in Siem Reap if you’re looking to learn about the ancient Khmer civilization and Angkorian temples. Located along with Charles de Gaulle Boulevard, this 2-story museum houses 8 galleries with over 1,000 artifacts that are categorized according to era, religion, and royalty.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Hindu Temples

Buddhist Temples

Tombs

Monuments

Notable Architectures

Largest religious monument in the world originally constructed early 12th century as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire. It was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.

Bakong Temples

Bakong Temples

Hindu Temples

The Bakong is the first of the large mountain temples in Angkor. It belongs to the Roluos group, build at the end of the 9th century. The Bakong and the other temples of the Roluos group, like the Preah Ko and the Lolei were build in Hariharalaya, an early capital of the Khmer empire. This area is now called Roluos, located North of Tonle Sap lake, about 15 kilometers East of Siem Reap.

Baksei Chamkrong Temple

The Baksei Chamkrong is a 10th century temple found near the Angkor Thom South gate. The very steep pyramidal temple topped with a single prasat tower was built as a Hindu sanctuary dedicated to Shiva. It was built by Harshavarman I in the early 10th century. It is now one of the main attractions in Cambodia.

Banteay Kdei

Banteay Kdei

Hindu Temples

Notable Architectures

Banteay Kdei, meaning “A Citadel of Chambers”, also known as “Citadel of Monks’ cells”, is a Buddhist temple in Angkor, Cambodia. It is located southeast of Ta Prohm and east of Angkor Thom. Built-in the mid 12th to early 13th centuries AD during the reign of Jayavarman VII, it is in the Bayon architectural style and it is now one of the great attractions in Cambodia.

Banteay Samre

Banteay Samre

Hindu Temples

Banteay Samre was built in the distinctive Angkor Wat style of construction and art and is a large, relatively low-rise temple. It was built around the same time as Angkor Wat, and the influence can be seen in the towers and railings which strongly resemble the towers of its larger and more famous cousin.

Banteay Srei Temple

Banteay Srei Temple

Hindu Temples

Banteay Srei is one of the most elaborate temples at Angkor, Cambodia. Dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, this 10th-century Cambodian temple is famous for its beautiful pinkish sandstone and intricate three-dimensional wall carvings.

Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre (BBC)

Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre (BBC)

Man-made Structures- Other

The Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre (BBC) is a new tourist attraction for Siem Reap Province featuring a live display of Cambodian butterflies. it is the largest enclosed butterfly center in Southeast Asia. The center is sometimes referred to as the Angkor Butterfly Center.

Baphuon

Baphuon

Hindu Temples

Baphuon is a beautiful 11th century “temple-mountain” with steep stairs leading visitors to a terrace which offers one of the best views in the Angkor Archaeological Park. Archaeologists believe that this pyramid-style temple, located within the city of Angkor Thom, was probably among the most impressive of the Angkor temples in its day.

Bayon Temple

Bayon Temple

Hindu Temples

The Bayon Temple is one of the more famous, popular, and beautiful of the structures in the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park. Situated just to the north of Angkor Wat itself, the temple was once at the center of the ancient city of Angkor Thom. It's sometimes called Jayavarman's Temple, in honor of the Khmer king who ordered its construction. It's best known for its many towers with gently smiling faces on each side.

Cambodia Landmine Museum

The Landmine Museum represents an agonizing window into the realism of the country’s land mine situation – during Cambodia’s 3-decade-long conflict, approximately 6 million land mines were planted in the nation. This museum was founded in 1997 by Aki Ra, with the aim to make the country safe through the removal of mines from wherever he could find them. Aki Ra was forced to work as a minelayer by the Khmer Rouge, planting land mines from an age as young as 5 years old.

Chau Say Tevoda Temple

Chau Say Tevoda was built somewhere between 1120 and 1150AD by King Suryavarman II. This smallish, graceful Hindu temple has a central sanctuary, 2 libraries and 4 gopuras (towers) which are at the 4 cardinal points on the compass. To the north is Thommanon Temple, which has a similar design and floor plan to Chau Say Tevoda.

Eastern Mebon

Eastern Mebon

Hindu Temples

East Mebon is a mountain temple that was built in the middle of the 10th century. It was built by King Rajendravarman II and dedicated to Shiva. Mebon is a pyramid of terraces with stunning sculptures and statues, including the 2m high elephants which sit on each corner. Although not as popular as the main temples, it is a widely visited temple and one that you should definitely make time for during your visit to Siem Reap.

Kbal Spean

Kbal Spean

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Monuments

The original River of Thousand Lingams, Kbal Spean is an intricately carved riverbed deep in the foothills of the Cambodian jungle. Lingams are phallic representations sacred to Brahmanism as symbols of fertility, and hundreds of them are carved into the rock here, as are several carvings of gods and animals above the small waterfall.

Krol Ko

Krol Ko

Hindu Temples

Monuments

Krol Ko at Angkor, Cambodia, is a Buddhist temple built at the end of the 12th century under the rule of Jayavarman VII. This is a small temple with a single central tower surrounded by two laterite walls. Pediments displaying the most interesting carvings at the site are on the ground along the enclosure wall. Krol Ko is comparatively untouristed, offering a peaceful atmosphere.

Lolei Temple

Lolei Temple

Hindu Temples

Prasat Lolei is an island temple built in 893 by King Yasovarman I, to honor his ancestors. The temple was constructed on an artificial island in the Indratataka baray, a vast water reservoir measuring nearly 4 kilometers long and 750 meters wide. The baray, now dry, was dug out for irrigation purposes and as a source of drinking water for the capital.

Neak Poun

Neak Poun

Hindu Temples

Islands

Neak Pean is small and a collection of five ponds, it is worth a visit for its unique features. It is believed to have been consecrated to Buddha coning to the glory of Nirvana. It is one of the temples that make one dream of the olden days of luxury and beauty.

Phimeanakas

Phimeanakas

Hindu Temples

Phimeanakas – sometimes called Vimeanakas – is a large, 3-tiered pyramid of laterite and sandstone construction. It used to be the tallest climbable temple in Angkor Thom, where a stairway on the western or backside of the temple affording the easiest way to climb to the top, from which you would get a good view of the surrounding area. While lacking the impressive carvings of other Angkor structures, and with the stairway now closed, it was one of the wonders in Cambodia.

Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng

Hindu Temples

Notable Architectures

Phnom Bakheng, the state temple of the first Khmer capital in the Angkor region, survives as one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures. The Temple of Phnom Bakheng was constructed between the late ninth and the early tenth century by Yasovarman I as the centerpiece of his new capital, known as Yasodharapura.

Phnom Bok

Phnom Bok

Viewpoints

Mountain Peaks

Phnom Bok is situated in the northeast of Eastern Baray of Siem reap province. It is one of the three hills chosen by King Yashovarman I that had high religious value during the Angkorian period. Phnom Bok sits at the summit of the highest hill in the Angkor area which is over 200 meters high above the ground and the main attraction is the temple compound on the very top. It is one of the great attractions in this area and it gives a wide view of this area.

Map of attractions in Siem Reap Province

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For more information about Siem Reap Province, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siem_Reap_Province