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Holy Ruins of Beng MealeaSiem Reap, Cambodia
Forget tourist-heavy Angkor Wat. Some 40 kilometres east you’ll find Beng Mealea, a large unrestored temple that’s completely overrun by nature. Built in the twelfth century, the temple is surrounded by a 45-metre-wide moat (mostly dry) and once marked the centre of an Angkorian-era town.
Now in a state of disrepair, the maze-like ruins are best navigated with a guide. To access the most interesting parts you’ll need to climb over large stones, up walls and around dense foliage. It’s sweaty work but worth the effort.
get there
Beng Melea is about 70 kilometres – an hour in a car or two in a tuk-tuk – from the city of Siem Reap.
Admission to Beng Mealea is about US$5.
Tourism Cambodia
tourismcambodia.com
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