How to visit Beng Mealea temple

The crowds who come to Cambodia’s Angkor region are spoiled for choice when it comes to ancient Khmer temples to visit.

Within kilometres of the tourist town of Siem Reap are dozens of amazing sites, and it can take days just to see a selection of the best temples at Angkor.

But the thing with having so many beautiful temples within such easy reach is that everybody wants to see them. With about two million visitors to Angkor every year, it’s hard to escape the tourist masses and find a site less trodden.

That’s why I think a day trip to Beng Mealea is so worthwhile… where you can find the ultimate jungle temple!

An hour in the car from Siem Reap is all it takes to discover a temple far from the crowds and in such a state that you can believe you are the first to find it, hidden and lost in the Cambodian jungle.

I arrive in the late afternoon with a guide and two other tourists. Although more tourists have been coming out here in recent years, many of them come earlier in the morning (when the temple is at its busiest).

We are literally the only people here.

The sun at this time of the day is low in the sky and is casting an orange hue across the land. But the colour is struggling to break through the trees.

Dappled light creates an eerie effect, partly because it is a constant reminder of why there is not full sunlight here, like many of the other temples you’ll visit around Siem Reap.

In the years that Beng Mealea was abandoned, since about the 16th century, nature has taken its course and the whole site has been overrun by plants. Trees grow out of stone, vines are wrapped around gateways, and roots have stretched through walls.

Combined with the parts of the temple which have collapsed from neglect, it creates a sense of romantic rustic ruins.

Exploring the site is an adventure in itself. There is an elevated wooden walkway that leads through the main parts of the temple (with stairs, so not completely accessible unfortunately).

But you can also access other parts by clambering over piles of stones, scrambling along walls, and swinging around trees. (Make sure you obey the signs and don’t go where you’re not allowed, though!)

This is not Tombraider – this is the real deal. As my guide, San Park, puts it – you need to “rock and roll”.

The beauty of the dilapidation and imagining how it was at the peak of its glory is why I think this is one of the best things to do in Siem Reap.

Whether you stick to the main path or make some detours, each turn reveals a new section of the temple, as though you are an explorer.

In terms of area, it’s about the same size as Angkor Wat, if that gives you a sense of how big it is! At times it may seem even bigger if each step needs to be carefully negotiated to prevent a fall.

I’ve visited Beng Mealea a couple of times now, and it’s definitely getting much busier. But it’s still nothing at all like central Angkor, and there are also very quiet periods throughout the day.

It’s without a doubt worth the trip out here, though. The road will almost certainly become more travelled as the temples around Angkor get more and more crowded and the discerning tourist looks for more peaceful alternatives.

I’ve got lots of detailed information further down about the best way to visit Beng Mealea, but my main advice is to take a tour because that’ll arrange all the logistics for you and also combine it with some other great sites.

There are some good options here:

Even coming out here with a small group, like on any of these tours, there is still so much space that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do your best Lara Croft impersonation amongst the ruins of the jungle temple.

History of Beng Mealea

We can thank King Suryavarman II for some of the greatest projects of the Khmer Empire. He was the ruler who commissioned the famous Angkor Wat – and he also ordered the construction of Beng Mealea.

Under King Suryavarman II, Beng Mealea was built in the early part of the 12th century, and was then modified a bit by King Jayavarman VII a few decades later.

Although there are some key differences, Beng Mealea has a lot of similarities with Angkor Wat. Some historians think that it could have been a ‘test run’ for the main project. Or, also quite likely, they both just represent the architectural styles of the time.

There’s a fair bit we don’t know about Beng Mealea unfortunately, but what we do know is that it was built in a very strategic position – and that offers some insight into its story.

The temple was on the Royal Road heading east from the capital at Angkor. This put it at the crossroads of two important routes heading north-south and east-west, connecting important locations in the Khmer Empire.

Goods would’ve been traded here from the Kulen mountains and the marine area of Tonle Sap, for instance.

It’s also likely that Beng Mealea was a staging point for military and ceremonial processions that the Khmer would lead east.

From the beautiful artwork around the site, we can also tell that Beng Mealea had an important religious role as a temple.

Interestingly, although it’s assumed that it was primarily a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, there are also Buddhist elements that suggest something changed along the way.

Like most of the Angkor temples, Beng Mealea was abandoned sometime in the 16th century.

Reclaimed by the jungle, it remained hidden for centuries until its rediscovery by French explorers in the late 19th century.

Things to see at Beng Mealea

At first glance, it may look like all of the temple complex at Beng Mealea is just the same – monumental sandstone entangled with the jungle, roots and vines coiled around walls with sunlight filtering through the canopy.

But there are actually distinct sections to Beng Mealea and particular things you should be looking out for.

The structure is laid out in a rectangular shape and in the middle is the sanctuary, where you’ll see the remains of the collapsed central tower. This is one of the highlights.

Surrounding the central sanctuary are three large open-air galleries which would’ve had open space as well as smaller buildings within them.

For example, to the north and the south of the main eastern passageway are two ‘libraries’, which are buildings sitting on raised foundations with columns filling the window space.

I would recommend paying particular attention to the northeastern one, which has a carving called Churning of the Ocean of Milk depicting a Hindu creation myth.

On the southern side of the complex, you’ll find the ruins of two other large buildings that are now called ‘palaces’. These would have been used as halls for ritual ablutions and dances.

One of the most important things to see at Beng Mealea is the temple’s art. It was decorated with 180 lintels depicting important Hindu scenes, such as the epic story of the Ramayana.

You’ll be able to see some of these lintels as you walk around the city, as well as other pieces of sandstone that have been carved with motifs of flowers and vines, along with figures of deities.

Around the outside wall of Beng Mealea is a moat that’s 1200 metres long and 900 metres wide. It wasn’t for defence, though. It is actually a symbol of the cosmos ocean surrounding Mount Meru, the residence of the gods.

Outside of the main complex, there are also some much smaller satellite temples and other monuments that most people don’t visit but you could see if you’re particularly interested.

The best one is probably, Prasat Chrey, about a kilometre to the east, which has distinctive towers shaped like lotus buds and is also overgrown with vegetation.

Best tours to Beng Mealea

It’s about 65 kilometres to get from Siem Reap to Beng Mealea and unfortunately there isn’t really any public transport.

Although you can go with a taxi or tuk tuk, I think it makes more sense to go with a tour (although if you’re in a large group, it might make sense to organise transportation privately).

There are a few reasons why I would recommend a tour to Beng Mealea.

First of all, it just makes all the logistics of getting there and back much easier and saves you trying to work out transport yourself.

Secondly, although the enormous jumble of walls, statues, fallen bricks, and jungle vines is incredible to see… it’s a little hard to understand. You’ll definitely benefit from a guide who can explain what you’re seeing.

And thirdly, most of the tours include some other important sites that are located out in this direction, so you can do a really good day tour and see a fantastic variety of things, such as visiting Preah Vihear (another World Heritage Site).

My top suggestion would be one of these three tours, depending on what you’re looking for:

• There is this great tour to Beng Mealea that also includes the World Heritage temple complex of Koh Ker.
• There’s this excellent day-long tour that mixes heritage with nature, also taking you to Kulen Mountain and Tonle Sap.
• And for a complete World Heritage experience, there is this full-day private tour that includes Beng Mealea, Koh Ker, and the controversial temple at Preah Vihear.

Other than these three tours, there are some other good ones with a fun variety of experiences I would recommend here:

Whichever you choose, I think you’ll love visiting Beng Mealea – but also really appreciate the other sights out here to the east of Siem Reap, where you don’t get the same kind of crowds as Angkor.

Visiting Beng Mealea

Along with the temples at Angkor (obviously), I think a tour to Beng Mealea is one of the best things to do in Siem Reap.

If you would prefer to visit Beng Mealea independently, that’s possible too. The main issue you’re going to have is with transportation.

The best approach is to negotiate directly with a taxi driver or a tuk-tuk (your hotel may have a good recommendation – or you might find one you like when you are visiting the Angkor temples).

The price for a return journey to Beng Mealea, including waiting a couple of hours for you, should be somewhere around US$50, although there’s no fixed price so don’t be surprised if you have to pay a bit more than that in busy periods.

The temple at Beng Mealea is quite large and it will take you a while to explore inside, following the wooden walkways that lead through the different areas, perhaps going off on a sidetrack for a little explore, and then also walking around the outside to see different perspectives.

In all, you can probably do it in about an hour if you move continuously at a steady pace. But I would recommend giving yourself about two hours to take it all in and explore the various sections of the complex.

Although I would suggest bringing water and snacks with you anyway, there should be a whole row of stalls at the entrance selling food and drink, so you don’t need to worry too much.

Also, keep in mind that Beng Mealea is on UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List (which means it may be added one day). But three of Cambodia’s World Heritage Sites are nearby – the Angkor temples, Koh Ker, and Preah Vihear.