Sambor Prei Kuk

Chenla The Chenla civilisation flourished from the late 6th to early 9th century occupying a large swathe of Southeast Asia including Cambodia, southern Laos, parts of the Mekong Delta and much of what is today central and northeastern Thailand. It was to give rise to the wonders of the Angkor empire – Bayon, Angkor Thom, Preah Vihear and of course…

Capital Cities of Cambodia Off the top of our heads we’ve come up with no less than 11 different capital cities of Cambodia over the course of some 1500 years – although we may well have overlooked another one or two – while several of these sites have been the capital on more than one separate occasion. Many of the…

Off-the-beaten-track Temples If one checked tourist arrivals and length of stay in Cambodia it would quickly become apparent that the vast majority of foreign visitors to the kingdom don’t get much further than the Angkor Historical Park on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Spectacular as these jungle-clad, ruined temples are, often equally impressive, but far less-visited, off-the-beaten-track temples can be…

Lesser-known Angkor temples As you’ll discover on our Beyond Angkor tour, there are myriad, spectacular, lesser-known Angkor temples (as well as pre-Angkor) lying the length and breadth of Cambodia just waiting to be explored. Of course, iconic Angkor Wat, Bayon’s mysterious carved faces and the roots and creepers of atmospheric, jungle-clad Ta Prom are justifiably world-famous, but some of these…

Sambor Prei Kuk We’re delighted to see Cambodia gain a 3rd UNESCO World Heritage Site, after Angkor and Preah Vihear, with the inscription of the ruined 6th to 7th century Khmer capital at Sambor Prei Kuk.  These picturesque ruined temples, scattered through the forest north of Kampong Thom in central Cambodia, represent the remains of the royal capital, Ishnapura (or…

Sambor Prei Kuk – the earliest known Khmer city in Cambodia is a superb site, yet one that’s largely overlooked by visitors to the kingdom. Dozens of decorated brick towers dating from the 6th and 7th centuries – some ruinous, some still remarkably well preserved- are scattered through picturesque forest some 30 kms north of the provincial town of Kampong…