Visiting Kaoh Ker: 1100 year old temples with NO VISITORS!

Kaoh Ker was our absolute highlight. It is 2 - 2.5 hours away from Siem Reap, so most people skip it. We hired motorbikes for USD$8 per day and drove ourselves up there, stopping at Beng Melea on the way. We wanted to get a day of writing in at Beng Melea so we camped overnight, but you could do this as a day trip if you don't mind a lot of driving. 

Visiting Beng Mealea on the Road to Kaoh Ker

Beng Mealea is a temple on the drive to Kaoh Ker. Most tour groups will stop here to break up the drive to Kaoh Ker. We loved this temple so much that we spent an entire day there doing some writing, and decided to continue onto Kaoh Ker the following day. 

This temple is in ruins and reclaimed by the jungle. You could whizz through the temple in 20 minutes if you're templed-out, or you could spend several hours there if you like to take your time. Either way, if you love seeing nature reclaim and take over, this is a must-visit temple. 

How to get to and around Kaoh Ker Temple Complex?

Easily! Either with a private driver or self-driven.

If you have a private driver, they will take you to each of the temples. You can organise a private driver either through your accommodation, or barter a price with a taxi driver on the streets. A private driver may suggest you visit "the best temples", but in our opinion - they're all the best. 

We opted to self-drive. We hired motorbikes in Siem Reap for USD$8 per day and drove ourselves there. It takes a bit over an hour to drive from Siem Reap to Beng Mealea, and then a bit over an hour to get to Kaoh Ker. The road is good and paved the whole way. It took around 2.5 hours to get back to Siem Reap. We don't recommend driving in the dark in Cambodia, although if you do plan to drive late, make sure to bring your own night googles / clear glasses to see so that you can protect your eyes while driving, as the visors of hire helmets are usually so scratched that you can't see through them. You don't want to get a stone flicking into your eyes - or a bug flying into them! During the daytime, just bring sunglasses. 

Budget for Kaoh Ker & Beng Mealea

Budget for Visiting Beng Mealea & Kaoh Ker

Here is our exact breakdown of the money we spent over our two days at Beng Mealea and Kaoh Ker. Note that there's no accommodation here - we chose to free camp with our tent. Do be careful if camping as there are lots of areas with unexploded mines. 

The total cost came to USD$133.38 for two people for two days, including bike hire, entries, and food. That's $33.30 per person per day.