Full-Day Adventure to Kulen Mountain, Beng Mealea and Floating Village

Today, after your wonderful breakfast, we will meet in the hotel lobby at your desired time and we travel about 1h30 to Phnom Kulen, considered the most sacred mountain in Cambodia. It was here that Jayavarman II declared himself a “god-king” and gave birth to the Khmer Empire in 802 AD. Declaring a unified Khmer empire under a single ruler, he began what would later be known as the Angkor period, although the capital city would not be moved for another century. We will pass through a lush landscape of rice fields and isolated villages to the national park. You’ll explore several ruins, including the Yoni and Linga sculptures carved into the sandstone riverbed and the stone depiction of the Hindu god Vishnu reclining on his serpent Ananta, with his wife Lakshmi at his feet. Wat Pre Ang Thom is a place of pilgrimage for the Khmer during religious festivals and the large reclining Buddha carved from a huge sandstone rock here offers spectacular views of the lush jungle. Nearby are impressive riverbed rock carvings and a classic waterfall further downstream which is the perfect place to cool off after exploring.

We head to Beng Melea to explore the lost temple of Beng Mealea, the titanic of temples, a sleeping giant lost for centuries in the forests of Cambodia. It is the most accessible of Angkor’s lost temples, a mirror image of Angkor Wat, but completely consumed by nature’s voracious appetite. Built in1113-1150, the forest has gone wild here and it’s hard to get a sense of the monument’s shape amid the intimidating ruins. After a wonderful day of excursion, I will take you back to your hotel or location of your choice.

We take a break at a safe local restaurant for a drinks or lunch while the temperature is warm.

We travel to visit Kampong Khleang floating village, one of our unique sightseeing excursions in Siem Reap next to Angkor temples. You take a wooden boat to the village where you will get a glimpse of daily life in Cambodia, discover an amazing and different way of life in the largest freshwater lake Tonle Sap in South Asia. You get a fascinating insight into local life by exploring the stilt houses which in the dry season are 7m high, but in the rainy season they are only about 1m above the water. Sailing through the flooded mangrove forest is an amazing thing in this village and is definitely one of the highlights of a trip to Cambodia. Kampong Khleang is one of the unmissable floating villages. After a beautiful day, we take you back to your hotel.