Private Tour Exploring Koulen Mountain & 1000 linga and Beong MeleaTemple

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Koulen National Park, Siem Reap Cambodia

Kulen Mountain Waterfall - Sleeping Buddha Carved , and admire the waterfalls, where you might want to go for a swim and seek relief from the lowland heat. This is where the 500 year long ‘Age of Angkor’ began. Phnom Kulen is the mountain on which Jayavarman II initiated the royal ‘god of the king’ linga cult in 802AD, declaring a unified and independent Khmer Empire under a single ruler. There are several minor ruins at Phnom Kulen including hundreds of linga stands in the Siem Reap River and active pagoda.

Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Beng Mealea, 40 km east of Angkor Wat Cambodia

BENG MEALEAR TEMPLE Date of Construction: Early 11th century C.E. Religious Affiliation: Hinduism Patron or King: Suryavarman II Artistic/Archeo. Style: Angkor Wat Location: 60 kms east of Siem Reap. Duration of Visit: 4 + hours Time to Visit: Anytime. Allow for travel time from Siem Reap.

Sprawling jungle temple covering over one square kilometer. The temple is largely overrun by vegetation and very lightly touristy, giving it an adventurous, ‘lost temple’ feel. Photographers: trees growing from the broken towers and galleries offer some of the best ‘tree in temple’ shots aside from Ta Prohm. Constructed in a distinctly Angkor Wat style under the same king that built Angkor Wat, Beng Melea preceded and may have served as a prototype of sorts for Angkor Wat. Though there are some lintel and doorway carvings, there are no bas-reliefs and the carvings are comparatively sparse. When the temple was active, the walls may have been covered, painted or had frescos. In its time, Beng Melea was at the crossroads of several major highways that ran to Angkor, Koh Ker, Preah Vihear (in northern Cambodia) and northern Vietnam. Regular admission ticket are not required but there is a separate $5 entrance fee. Beng Melea is located 63km east of town. The road is now in good condition and the trip from Siem Reap takes 1-2 hours.


Duration: 4 hours