Banteay Srei

A scenic hours’ tuk tuk or taxi ride outside Siem reap town brings you to Banteay Seri, the only Angkorian temple carved in hard pink sandstone. Translated as citadel of the women, Banteay Seri is a small; miniature like temple compared to the other major temples but due to its intricate and extraordinarily beautiful decoration it has become a favourite for many visitors.

Never a royal temple, Bantay seri was not built by a king but by the spiritual teacher of King Jayavarman V. The temple is believed to have been completed in 967AD and is a hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.

The French rediscovered the site in 1914, the archaeologist described it as “a jewel of Khmer art”, it was later restored in 1930.

The best time to visit Banteay Seri is in the morning when it is reletivly cool and there is less chance of tour groups. There are facilities on site including clean toilets, a gift shop and restaurants selling simple Khmer food.

You will require an Angkor park pass to visit ($37 per person) and you will need to buy this from the Angkor ticket office on the road to Angkor Wat. Transport costs from $25 for a Tuk Tuk to $40+ for an air conditioned car and tour guides charge $35-$40 to escort you out here.

You can combine a visit to Banteay Seri with a number of other interesting sites to make a full day trip. The highly recommended Cambodian Landmine museum and the Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre is on the route and Kulen mountain and Beng Mealea also work well in combination with Banteay Seri.