Angkor Temples Bike Tour, Siem Reap

As Bakong Temple is the first mountain temple sandstone in Cambodia, it has a special space in the culture and tradition of the country deeply. Located near modern Siem Reap, the temple was constructed by the rulers of Khmer Empire. It has the shape of a stepped pyramid which intricately exposes the Khmer architectural styles. It was also the official state temple of King Indravarman I in the final decades of the 09th century AD. Ed inside is Lord Shiva. The primary deity placThere are three concentric enclosures and they are separated by different moats. Elephant statues as guardians at the corners of three lower levels of the pyramid and statues of lions remain as the guardian at the stairs. Location: Hariharalaya, Roluos, Cambodia Price: Free

This is one of the must visit places in Cambodia for environment lovers all over the world. Highlights – This is probably one of the very few places in the world, where you will know about landmines, their dangers and risks, how it impacts kids, how it kills people and ways to disarm these landmines. There is a farm right behind the museum, where kids who are saved from landmines are put in relief camps and cared for. The museum is a repository of excellent tools, guns, weapons and other equipment that were used for mining in those days. Location – Situated at about 25km distance from Siem Reap, this museum is located in close proximity to Banteay Srei. Timings – 7.30AM to 5.30PM every day. Professional guided tours are available in English and Japanese on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9AM to 5PM. Price – Foreign adults – USD5. Cambodian citizens and kids below 10 years of age – free of cost.

If you love lotus flowers and if you have been craving to see thousands of flowers at one single place, the Lotus Farm at Battambang, Cambodia, is the place you have to be. Highlights – Apart from witnessing the flowers, you can get first-hand experience of how lotus plants are cultivated, how they are converted into various purposes. Do not miss to see the lotus fabric production when you come here. This is a process where selected lotus stems are cleaned thoroughly and then cut open to bring out the fibres. These fibres are then spun nicely into a thread by the weaving experts found here. Thee threads are very fine and resemble silk and the added advantage of these lotus threads is that no worms or other living beings are disturbed in this process. Location – Kamping Poy, Battambang. Timings – Open all through the day. Price – Entrance is free of cost here.

Do you love the harmless and colourful, winged-creatures called butterflies? How about spotting hundreds of butterflies at one location? Exciting, isn’t it? You have to come to Banteay Srei Butterfly Centre to witness this.   Highlights – One of the newer tourist spots in Cambodia’s Siem Reap Province, Banteay Srei Butterfly Centre, shortly known as BBC, consists of thousands of butterflies in one single place. It is the biggest butterfly exhibit centre in South East Asia and is definitely worth a visit for nature lovers. When you visit BBC, you can get introduced to butterfly farming, life cycle of butterflies, butterfly conservation and other ecological details. The amount collected by tourists goes towards the welfare of the local people. There are expert guides to take you through the farm. Location – Siem Reap.  Timings - 9AM to 5PM on all days of the week. Price – USD4 per adult and USD2 per kid.

Situated in close proximity to the famous Angkor temples, Me Chrey is a beautiful floating village which offers guests various opportunities to feel entertained. Living with locals and bird watching are few of them.   Highlights – When you visit the floating village of Me Chrey on Tonle Sap Lake, you should mandatorily get to know about the lifestyle of the locals living here. Planting rice plants and fishing are the main occupations of the locals. Come here during the early hours to witness live action of fishing. You can take boats or tuk-tuks from Siem Reap to reach Me Chrey. Location – Bank of Tonle Sap Lake, about 9km from Siem Reap. Timings – Can be visited all through the year; however visiting this place during sunrise is considered ideal. Price – While the boat ride costs just about USD20 per person, eco-tourism packages cost around USD70 per person.

Located towards the northeast of Angkor Archaeological Park, Preah Khan (meaning, Royal Sword), is a temple which was constructed by King Jayavarman VII. It is also quite closely situated to Ta Prohm temple, which makes this a good tourist spot. Highlights – Lots of plants and trees grow around the Preah Khan temple, which makes it look lovelier than ever before. Lord Buddha, in the name of Avalokiteshwara, is the main deity of this temple. The temple complex is quite huge and there are two gates leading into the temple. Prior to becoming a temple, this complex was used as the residence of the royal clan who ruled over this place, which gives a majestic look to this place. Location – Towards the western side of the Jataka Baray and north east of Angkor Thom, this temple is situated in close proximity to the Ta Prohm Temple. Timings – 5AM to 6PM every day. Price – Temple entry pass of USD20 (one day), USD20 (3 days) and USD60 (7 days).

There are many places in Siem Reap that capture the attention of history and archaeological lovers. Angkor Thom is one of them. Highlights – Set up during the 12th century by King Jayavarman II, Angkor Thom was the last and most reputed capital of the Khmer Kingdom. Built in pure Bayon style, this site was constructed using a large amount of laterite and massive naga-carrying figures on its 5 towers, each 23m tall. The gates opening to this site has massive representations of “Churning of the Ocean” episode from Hindu mythology. The gate on the south is often used by tourists who come from Angkor Wat to Angkor Thom. Traditionally, the Khmers addressed this as Prasat Angkor Thom. By 1609, many parts of Angkor Thom started getting damaged and what is left today are just the colossal remnants. Location – Siem Reap.Timings- 5AM to 6PM. Price – Part of Angkor Archaeological Park; therefore prices are USD20 (one day pass), USD40 (2-day pass) and USD70 (7-day pass).

If there is one place where you can witness Khmer majesty in full form, it is the Angkor National Museum.   Highlights – This museum is the best place to witness Angkor and Khmer civilisation representations under one roof. The museum contains various displays denoting the various religions and royalty witnessed by Khmer dynasty. Also some of the collections like inscriptions, carvings and details about great Khmer rulers, denote to the glory of this place during the pre-Angkorian era. One look around the place is enough to take you through the impressive history and evolution of Angkor over the years. Location – Siem Reap. Timings – 8.30AM to 6PM from April to September and 8.30AM to 6.30PM from October to March. Price – USD12 per person for adults and USD6 per person for kids below 1.2m of height. Guided audio tours are available for USD3 per person.