Here is a question that has conjured all kinds of theories! Angkor Wat, the great temple of ancient Angkor remains one of the most researched temples in Cambodia but also one of the most mysterious. Still to this day, some believe it was built by giants, some still point to the ancient belief that was … Read more
I am sure you know about the “Dinosaur” of Ta Prohm, the apparent ancient carving of a Stegosaurus by people who would have never known that such existed. Or did they? At the end of this article I’ll explain exactly where to find it and what you need to know about the Ta Prohm Dinosaur, … Read more
While, somewhat sadly, we don’t have any surviving ancient Khmer texts apart from inscriptions what we do have are the accounts of the traveling diplomats such as China’s Zhou Daguan in the 13th century followed by Japanese pilgrims in the 17th century and then French explorers in the 19th century. One of those French explorers … Read more
No matter how many books or research papers you read, can you truly get an understanding of the real local culture and beliefs that surround this ancient wonderland? It should also be said that much of what’s written looks at the Khmer Empire almost purely through French eyes via an Indian lens upon what became … Read more
It is fascinating (to me at least) to look upon Angkor today and not only wonder about its truly ancient history but also how it is still making history and touching the lives of so many, every day, in so many ways. This article comes from an Australian newspaper, the Cairns Post of Friday 8 … Read more
Some sad news. Last night, around 9 pm 30/08/21, the Facebook account connected with Hello Angkor was hacked. The hacker was able to change the login info and security details leaving no ability to recover the account. Having tried all means with Facebook to reinstate access I have to now accept the page is lost along … Read more
Today I’d like to introduce an amazing ancient map of Angkor Wat created by Japanese voyagers sometime around the 17th century. It’s truly quite fascinating and offers a great insight into Angkor Wat in the post-Angkor period. It’s not without a twist though. As scholars have deduced, the Japanese may have actually been on a voyage … Read more
The Terrace of the Leper King, located in Angkor Thom between Tep Pranam and the Terrace of the Elephants/Royal Palace, was first cleared by Jean Commaille, in 1911, which revealed the amazing reliefs of the internal wall. This clearing work was continued by Henri Marchal between 1917 to 1925, and followed by BP Groslier who … Read more
The Ancient Royal Road network stretched across the Khmer Empire heading north, east, and west, and amazingly, much of it is still in use today. A fantastic way to explore that ancient trail is via the section that leads from Angkor to Beng Mealea featuring ancient bridges and unique temples along with beautiful countryside and … Read more
Head in any direction from Siem Reap and you are sure to find ancient remains in your travels, so, how about an easy road trip talking in ancient bridges and a few unusual ancient temples? The RN6, or Highway 6, has just that, and to boot it has one the largest and well preserved of … Read more
A short note on reaching a milestone with the mapping efforts. Siem Reap Province now has 1194 temples and ancient sites listed to a reasonable level of accuracy! After pouring through several data sets, research papers, journals, etc, going much further is probably getting a little too granular at least until other regions are brought … Read more
The Royal Palace is one of the more popular areas in Angkor and today I hope you’ll read on as we take a look at the larger royal citadel area, uncover some lost shrines, and chart a rarely visited area. The Royal Palace as you well know was the seat of successive kings through the … Read more
Well removed from the regular tourist and even the local visitor routes, Angkor Thom is hiding some amazingly hidden sites that few have ever seen and even less seem to know about. Located well into the jungle of razor-sharp vines, funnel-web spiders, and nests of wild bees, they have been left seemingly undisturbed for centuries. … Read more
Here’s a nice easy trail, by foot or bicycle that takes you around to rarely visited giant lion statues which ‘Maurice Glaze described as “amongst the finest and the best proportioned to be found in Khmer art”. They truly are beautiful and the best examples are truly hidden from the well-worn paths of many travelers. … Read more
Siem Reap’s Angkor Archaeological Park, home to Angkor Wat, is a massive area covering some 400 square kilometres, packed with hundreds of spectacular ancient temples, monuments, and infrastructure dating back to the 9th century. The area houses what was once the capital of the great Khmer Empire and the largest pre-industrial city in the world … Read more
Catching the sunrise at Angkor Wat is a must-do experience while in Siem Reap, and here is the ultimate guide to getting to the right place and getting yourself some awesome photos. Angkor Wat opens at 5 am every day allowing people to experience the break of day as the sun rises from behind the … Read more
For the first-time visitor Angkor can be a little confusing in how to best approach getting in all the key sights in a limited time, so, what is the best way to see Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples? The best route that covers all the major temples of Angkor, with the least fuss, is … Read more
Well within the highly visited temple area of Angkor hides a secret trail away from everything, and everyone. This trail leads us around the ancient wall of Angkor Thom featuring amazing views, close-ups with the amazing smiling faces of the Angkor Thom gates, and four hidden temples. Angkor Thom is the large walled ancient city … Read more
Angkor Wat is the UNESCO-listed ancient temple located near Siem Reap that has been rated as the world’s top travel destination and by many as one of the world wonders, so, how much does it cost to visit? A one-day pass is available for $37 USD including a full day’s access to Angkor Wat and … Read more
Angkor Wat is the largest and most renowned temple of the ancient Khmer Empire, but when was it built and by who? Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century somewhere between 1113 and 1150 AD under the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113-1150 C.E.). Based on vague references found on … Read more
Looking for the key sights within the Angkor Wat Temple? There is a lot, and with only one chance to visit there is a lot that people miss such as all the bas-reliefs, pediments, and architectural features. Here are two maps, one based on Google Maps and one in image form that will help navigate … Read more
Fancy a scenic trail within Angkor that’s rarely explored, has a jungle wandering feel featuring water views along with ruinous and intriguing ancient construction offering up amazingly unique photo opportunities? Read on. Preah Khan, the brother to Ta Prohm, is one of the larger and more interesting sites inside of Angkor Archaeological Park. Located just … Read more
Siem Reap is on the cusp of one the largest renewals in its modern history led by a massive government works program, namely the “38 Road Project” and even larger foreign investment developments. The large scale private developments, mostly led by foreign capital inflow, including Angkor Lake of Wonder – (or Naga World Siem Reap) … Read more
Siem Reap Municipality Provincial Authority, in cooperation with the Union of Youth Federation of Cambodia, has been busy preparing a holiday program including traditional religious programs, cycling, charity events, floating markets, exhibitions, and cycling, hiking, camping on Kulen Mountain and more. The river, full of a fresh allowance of water, looks absolutely amazing at the … Read more
Cambodia has, to date, through luck or good management, been fortunate to have not suffered the pandemic to the extent of neighboring countries or those further afar. As stated by the Cambodian CDC, as of 9am April 9, 2020, we had identified a total of 118 cases of COVID-19 patients, and six more had recovered. … Read more
Cellcard is one of the major mobile phone network providers in Cambodia offering reasonably fast 4G internet under a variety of prepaid and monthly plan arrangements. With Cellcard, USSD codes are used a lot. Such as checking plans, balance, and even your own number To check your remaining balance and bundles Dial #823# To check … Read more
In an effort to boost tourism visitors buying tickets to Angkor Archeological Park will be given extra days for free. This is a time-limited offer running from the 25th of February to the 25th of June 2020. During the offer period $37 One Day Angkor Archeological Park Pass is valid for 2 days (normally one … Read more
List updated with new options for 2022! Where to find a great breakfast in Siem Reap? Keep walking past Pub Street and on to one of these picks below. Here I will introduce places to try Khmer breakfast favourites including Kuy Teav (noodles), Bor Bor (rice porridge), Egg Baguette, and Bay Sach Chrouk Ang (Pork … Read more
Here is our big list of buffet restaurants in Siem Reap including hotel buffets, all you can eat BBQ’s, free flow breakfasts and more. Outside of the hotel buffets prices start around $6.50 which is amazing value and the BBQ buffets offering a unique truly local experience. For hotel buffets offering more international cuisine prices … Read more
Siem Reap is well known for amazing value accommodation and today I want to highlight some of the amazing value that can be found in the five-star category. There are around 100+ five star rated hotels in Siem Reap offering a diverse range of service and experience levels with prices ranging from around $40 to … Read more