Being home to Angkor Wat means Siem Reap town has quickly become a tourist trap, over-run with bars, restaurants, hotels and stores catering to the foreign crowds. If it’s temples that you’re seeking while experiencing the real Cambodia then ditch Siem Reap from your itinerary and add Preah Vihear instead.
Steering away from the well-trodden trail comes with a warning, as amenities in Preah Vihear, for now, remain sparse when it comes to catering to the Western crowd. Apart from a handful of hotels, the rest of the accommodation and food options are geared towards the local crowd. However, this is all part of the experience and an overnight stay in Preah Vihear brings a bounty of rewards.
The remote northern province, which borders Thailand, is home to another of Cambodia’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, Prasat Preah Vihear. This site has also been at the centre of recent conflict with Thailand, adding to its intrigue.
While peace has been in place for several years, the slopes of the Dangrek Mountains, which house the temple, are dotted with soldiers and outposts, all keeping a close eye on their neighbours.
Visitors can also walk down to the base of the mountain, where Cambodian soldiers closely guard the border, which is marked by mesh netting topped with gnarls of barbed wire. They’re happy to pose for pictures and pass over their weapons as props to friendly faces, and a couple of bucks.
The temple itself is pretty impressive and spread across several levels, each built by kings wanting to out-do the structure below, between the 9th and 12th centuries. Again, this site comes with very few foreign faces and instead has mainly locals taking the trek to the temple’s peak, which boasts truly spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.
