Review of Preah Khan
in Angkor, Cambodia

Last updated on Nov 18, 2013
All information below is subject to change

Preah Khan is a Buddhist Temple, built by Jayavarman the 7th at the end of 11th century. The temple is just as it was when rediscovered.

My first trip to this temple was in 2007. On the way to the entrance, I saw a poor elderly man missing both of his legs, begging for money. It was hard to look at him.

The last time we visited the 'labyrinth' site in April 2010, begging at all the temple sites had in fact been banned. No limb-less beggars either. 

... This site is one of my favorites because of its peaceful and mysterious atmosphere. The labyrinth reminded me of Ta Prohm because of how the Banyan and Kapok trees attached themselves to the temple walls. In fact, I thought it was in a better condition than Ta Prohm.

What can you see experience here?

• Walls and gallery pillars decorated with dancing Apsaras and Buddha images and statues.
  

• Powerful Kapok trees which reminds us of the life force of the jungle. The Kapok trees have the ability to destroy the temples as well as giving the temple support. Once the tree dies, so does the temple by crashing to the ground.
  

Dead tree in April 2010

Jump from stone to stone, and walk in the long corridors without being disturbed. You can get lost here (as I did several times).

At the end, I decided to find the main entrance so I could meet up with my Tuk-Tuk driver.

I thought I found the right exit, but guess what...I didn't.

I tried another one, but that didn't turn out to be right either! I got tired of looking after the right exit, so I found a random one and walked around the whole area to find the Tuk-Tuk driver.

It wasn't a short-cut, but at least I found him. In other words, this temple site is huge and you might get disorientated. 

During my trip in April 2010, I thought that Preah Khan was still a very nice site. It had deteriorated a lot more since my last visit in December 2007, but it was still in shape. This time I found my way out ;-)

I asked my boyfriend which site he liked the best in Angkor, and his immediate answer was: "LABYRINTH!" He's a nature-lover and almost hugged the trees during our visit in 2010.

Recommended time: 45 minutes

Return to top

Restaurants in Angkor park

There are so many restaurants inside Angkor park, and that also includes near Preah Khan. Remember to bring water to Angkor as it can get really hot.

I brought my Camelbak with a hydration system for the trip in 2010, and it was perfect since we could drink semi-cold water after 4-5 hours ;-) In 35 degrees, that's luxury!

Read more about the food inside Angkor park

Return to top of Preah Khan