Every morning thousands of travellers make the early morning journey to watch the sunrise over incredible Angkor Wat. This awe-inspiring trip frequently tops the list of things to do in Cambodia and sits alongside Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal as a top bucket list destinations. Unfortunately, all of this attention has made a visit to Angkor Wat slightly less than peaceful…
Only five years ago, finding solitude simply meant visiting nearby Ta Prohm or one of the many temples within Angkor Thom first thing in the morning. You could easily meditate under the 216 smiling stone faces of the popular Bayon temple until the tour buses slowly started to trickle in around 9am. The truly bold and ambitious made the long ride to the magnificently ornate Banteay Srei. Today, finding a solo temple experience requires significant research, effort, or a friend willing to share their temple treasure map. Luckily, we’re here to help! Banteay Ampil and Beng Mealea are two spectacular off the beaten path temples located near Siem Reap that will allow you to unleash your inner adventurer!
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Deserted Temples in Siem Reap
Banteay Ampil: The deserted dream.
Located about 35 km outside of Siem Reap town on a bumpy and often muddy single track that can only be reached by motorbike, Banteay Ampil is blissfully difficult to find. Part of the beauty of this temple is the journey to get here. You’ll pass by tiny stilt houses, rural students walking to school, sprawling green rice fields, and soaring palm trees. Once you arrive at the temple, you’ll likely find a single guard asleep in a hammock. Don’t be shocked if he’s surprised to see a visitor. Banteay Ampil is situated in the jungle outside of the Angkor Archaeological Park itself and a ticket is therefore not required here. Solitude and saving money! Definitely not possible at the other temples in Siem Reap area.
Beng Mealea: The massive maze.
Similar in style to Angkor Wat, Beng Mealea is entirely unrestored and uncleared of undergrowth, which is part of its jaw-dropping beauty. With four entrances, the sprawling complex easily justifies two to three hours of exploration. Climbing under small entrance ways and through rubble, you can find large sections of this maze to explore in complete solitude. Given the undisturbed adventuring you can do here, do watch out for snakes: I saw three during my Beng Mealea visit.
Whatever you do, DON'T FORGET THIS
When exploring hidden temples, riding on motorbikes, and traveling abroad medical emergencies can and do occur. Do not forget to purchase comprehensive travel insurance. My former roommate was medivaced to Bangkok from Cambodia after a medical emergency and her travel insurance ended up paying out a mid six-figure sum for the medical bills.
For adventure travel in Cambodia, check out World Nomads* for a quote and options for coverage including medical emergencies, luggage & gear and trip cancellation. Hopefully, you never need to make a claim, but if you do you’ll be beyond happy you were prepared! Don’t start your trip without it!
Both Banteay Ampil and Beng Mealea are a journey back in time to when the temples in Siem Reap province were less discovered. Places with this kind of mystical appeal are unlikely to remain untouched secrets for much longer, so try to visit them sooner rather than later!
Need help making your way to these temples? Drop me a line in the comments section! I’d love to help you get to know Cambodia!
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15 Responses
Hey Anika,
I am really inspired by your story to go to hidden temples. I would.love to go there. Are you willing to help me to come there? And maybe even have tips to stay?
Right now I’m in seam reap and I am thinking about renting a moterbike. And would actually really like to go tomorrow.
Hope to here from you soon!
Kind regards, Joerian
Hi Joerian,
I’m so sorry for the slow reply! Thank you very much for your kind words and I hope you were able to find the secret temples! Let me know how they were! 🙂
Happy travels,
Anika
Hi Anika,
I’m going to Siem Reap this weekend and I would love to discover the temples you mentioned ! Your pictures are amazing and the place looks so peaceful 🙂 Could you help me get in touch with your local expert ? Do you have any other places in Siem Reap to recommend ?
Thank you so much in advance 🙂
Kind regards,
Anaïs
Hi Anaïs,
I just sent you an email with the contact details and some other spots to check out in Siem Reap! Can’t wait for you to experience Banteay Ampil and Beng Mealea!
Enjoy your trip! 🙂
Anika
Hi we are going to these temples but do not know of a guide to go with. Do u have any suggestions. Also is koh ker worth seeing and roleus group.
Os the landmine museum worth a visit and have you visited the golden pheach silk making banteay srei district. We thought if visiting banteay srei temple but prefer mealea
Hello more questions your expert guide by motorbike sounds perfect. My partner will be with me. If u could send me details i would be so appreciative thankyou kindly
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your questions! I just sent you an email with contact information for my friend who took me as a guide by motorbike to these temples. 🙂
To answer your other questions, I would definitely recommend both the landmine museum and Koh Ker! I unfortunately haven’t been to Golden Silk Pheach or the Rulous Group of temples, so I can’t speak to these from firsthand experience! Let me know how they are if you do visit them!
Have a great time in Siem Reap!
Anika
Hi Anika,
My family and i are going to Siem Reap for 2 nights soon, we want to stay off the beaten track for our short time here. Do you have any advice for us? Are these two temples only accessible by motorbiking on our own?
Best,
Ali
Hi Ali,
I’m so happy to hear you’ll be visiting Siem Reap – it’s really a wonderful place! You can reach one of these temples, Beng Mealea, by tuk tuk or car, but for Banteay Ampil (as of last year), it’s only accessible by a single track dirt road, so you would have to go by motorbike with a guide. Let me know if you would like me to recommend someone. 🙂 Otherwise, for staying off the beaten path, I would say try to go in the morning to some of the further out temples within the outer loop of Angkor Wat such as Preah Khan, as you’ll often have them to yourself in the early mornings. Let me know if you would like any other specific advice and I’m happy to share it!
Happy travels,
Anika
Hello! I am organising a trip in August and used your blog extensively in the planning! So cheers to that! Awesome work, great advices all around! I would really love to see these hidden gems to get the ‘real feel’ of Cambodian temples before they were restored and cleared! Could you help me getting in touch with your local guide? That would be awesome!! Also, do you have any other great place in Siem Reap, like local markets or other to recommend?
Kind regards,
Mathis
Hey Mathis! Just sent you an email with contact details for my local guide and a great local market to check out! 🙂
Happy trip planning!
Cheers,
Anika
Hi Anika, Brilliant article. Thanks for letting us know about these hidden gems. I am planning to visit Cambodia this year and I would really appreciate if you could please email me the local guide contact.
Hey Nabeel!
Glad you enjoyed the article and that you’ll be visiting Cambodia! I just sent you an email with contact details for my guide. 🙂
Happy travels,
Anika