(
Holy Ruins of Beng MealeaSiem Reap, Cambodia
Forget tourist-heavy Angkor Wat. Some 40 kilometres east you’ll find Beng Mealea, a large unrestored temple that’s completely overrun by nature. Built in the twelfth century, the temple is surrounded by a 45-metre-wide moat (mostly dry) and once marked the centre of an Angkorian-era town.
Now in a state of disrepair, the maze-like ruins are best navigated with a guide. To access the most interesting parts you’ll need to climb over large stones, up walls and around dense foliage. It’s sweaty work but worth the effort.
get there
Beng Melea is about 70 kilometres – an hour in a car or two in a tuk-tuk – from the city of Siem Reap.
Admission to Beng Mealea is about US$5.
Tourism Cambodia
tourismcambodia.com
Ready to go?
Get Inspired In Print
While you're here
Deep in the South Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia you can jump on the back of...
Deep in the South Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia you can jump on the back of a motorbike...
Arriving at Shinta Mani Wild via a 400-metre zip line over the rushing Tmor...
Arriving at Shinta Mani Wild via a 400-metre zip line over the rushing Tmor Rung River is...