Sambor Prei Kuk

Sambor Prei Kuk was the capital of the Chenla kingdom in the early seventh century, which makes it substantially older than anything at Angkor, and it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017. What stands are groups of brick sanctuary towers scattered through open dipterocarp forest, some octagonal, a form found almost nowhere else, decorated with carved brick reliefs and sandstone lintels, and several with the flying palaces motif, small carved buildings floating on the outer walls. Trees have taken several of the towers, roots gripping brick in the way that made Ta Prohm famous but with almost nobody there to see it. Being here alone, walking between groups on sandy forest paths, is the point; most visitors driving between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap pass within thirty kilometres and never stop.

What you actually see

• The octagonal towers - a rare brick form, in the southern group.
• Flying palace reliefs - carved brick panels of miniature buildings on the tower walls.
• Root-gripped sanctuaries - trees grown into the brickwork, without the crowds of Ta Prohm.
• The forest paths - sandy tracks linking the temple groups through open woodland.

When to go

November to March, when the tracks are dry and the heat is manageable. It works best as a break on the road journey between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap rather than a separate excursion.

Honest expectations

The site is spread out, shade is patchy and the walking adds up in heat. Brick weathers less dramatically than sandstone, so the carving is softer and less immediately impressive than Angkor's, and visitors expecting Angkor-level spectacle will not find it. There are still cleared and marked areas because of historic ordnance in parts of the province, so stay on paths.

Nearby

Kampong Thom town is the base; the road continues to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.