In at least five years, more likely ten years from now, Preah Vihear province is going to be one of Cambodia's major tourist destinations. Today, it remains one of Cambodia's most sparsely populated provinces, home to jungles and scrub forest, and a small, dusty provincial capital that is but a mere village. But Preah Vihear also happens to have three major temple sites. Until January 2003 when the road to the Preah Vihear temple was opened, the three sites were accessible only to the most hardy and determined of travelers. For the other two sites, Koh Ker and Preah Khan, this remains the situation. But in time, roads will be built, mines will be removed, and jungle will be cleared (the process is already underway). And when that happens, after Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, visiting Preah Vihear province will be as common as visiting Battambang, Sihanoukville, or Ratanakiri.
Preah Vihear is bordered by Stung Treng to the east, Kompong Thom to the south, Siem Reap to the southwest, Oddar Meanchey to the northwest, and Thailand to the north. Access to the province is by road only and at present there are only two decent roads into the province, from the west via Oddar Meanchey province and from the south from Kompong Thom. There is a road to Stung Treng, which in the dry season is rather easy on a motorbike, but is otherwise not a viable route to take.
With the exception of going to Preah Vihear temple and the town of Tbeng Meanchey, this province is not suitable for Cambodia novices unless you are in the accompaniment of some kind of guide with firsthand knowledge of the area. There are virutally no facilities anywhere, most of the roads are wretched ox cart tracks through the jungle, and the province is one of the most heavily mined in the country. These silent killers are saturated along the border and you can also assume that any temple that hasn't been properly cleared by one of the mine clearance agencies will have mines around it.
 Tbeng Meanchey
Preah Vihear's dusty little capital, this friendly little village is miles from nowhere but if you're going to any of the temple sites in the province you'll probably spend at least one night here. When I stayed here it was at the Phnom Meas Guesthouse and it was quite adequate. It's brand new so you won't find it in any of the guidebooks but it's on the same block as the Moha Sombat and Bakan guesthouses and a building or two away from the Mlop Dong Restaurant - basically a wooden shack with a couple of tables inside, and the food is fine. The road from Kompong Thom is fine as is most of the road up to Preah Vihear temple.
Preah Vihear temple
Long a contentious matter between Thailand and Cambodia as to who owns it, the temple is now firmly in the hands of Cambodia.
Koh Ker
This is a huge templex complex of possibly hundreds of large and small monuments. Many are still deep in the jungle and/or surrounded by mines. There are so many ancient structures still inaccessible that people aren't yet entirely sure of all that is buried in the forest. For the time being, the pyramidal structure that is the centerpiece of this tenth century capital is the one significant monument accessible to visitors. Siyong is the nearest village. Be forewarned, getting to Koh Ker is no walk in the park.
Preah Khan
Not to be confused with the Preah Khan located within the Angkor Archaeological Park and but a few kilometers north of Angkor Wat, this is probably the largest temple complex built during the ancient Khmer empire. The walls enclose in area of several square kilometers. I have not yet visited this temple and my understanding is if getting to Koh Ker is a one-way trip through hell, getting to Preah Khan is a round-trip. Lonely Planet does a pretty good job of discussing this temple and the ordeal of getting to it. |
