Preah Vihear Province

Preah Vihear is a big northern province of Cambodia, bordering Thailand. The province itself is named after the temple of Prasat Preah Vihear, what is definitely a destination of this province. In Khmer language, it means sacred sanctuary, Preah Vihear is known as a place for honouring the ancient Hindu temple and three of Cambodia's most impressive legacies from the Angkorian era.

The Preah Vihear province is divided into seven districts and its capital is Preah Vihear municipality. Preah Vihear province is home to a number of remote villages, and the dramatic Dangrek Mountains, which rise steeply and form the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Preah Vihear is one of the nine provinces that are part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve due to the incredibly unique ecology surrounding Tonle Sap Lake.

Preah Vihear is also one of the least populated provinces in Cambodia with about 160,551 people. The area of the province is about 13800 km2, it’s provincial borders to the East with Stueng Treng, to the West with Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap and to the South with Kompong Thom. The province is blessed with endless natural treasure: hilly forests and scrub green vegetation. So Preah Vihear is an ideal destination in the lap of nature.

The country has a tropical climate with warm and humid weather and Preah Vihear as well. The year-round tropical climate helps Cambodia ideal for developing tourism. Cool season starts from November to March, the temperature is 22-28 degrees Celsius, hot season is from March to May (27c -35c) and rainy season is from May to October (24-32c, with humidity up to 90%). When building the plans to Preah Vihear, Cambodia, you should avoid the last two months of the rainy season because the countryside roads may be impassable.

• Visiting: As many provinces in Cambodia, attractions in Preah Vihear are mainly temples and historic and natural sites. The temple at Prasat Preah Vihear is top of the list in this province. You can stop or stay in the city of Preah Vihear or Sra’em town, one of quiet places which provides a wonderful insight into “real Cambodia” with locals going about their daily lives. In addition, there are some other fascinating sights such as: Ba Kan Temple, Koh Ker Temple, the complex of Preah Khan Kompong Svay, Noreay Temples, Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary,…

• Food and drink: As Preah Vihear is a remote region of Cambodia, there aren’t many large restaurants. You can enjoy traditional Khmer staple food and some Thai specialities at local restaurants or try street food in the city’s markets. Some restaurants you can refer such as: Dara Reas garden restaurant and Mlop Dong restaurant (in Preah Vihear city) are famous for typical Khmer food and some international specialities; Phnom Tbaeng restaurant has some Thai specialities; Apsara restaurant in the Preah Vihear Boutique Hotel has traditional Khmer cuisine against outstanding views; Lemy’s specialises in seafood, Oeng Kong Huey restaurant with a mixture of Khmer and international foods in Sra’em town and so on.
• Shopping: You may also find a small market in Tbeng Meanchey centre, which is a busy area with local shops dealing with the local daily consumer products, like fish, fruits, vegetables, meats and packed products. Most of the food and drink shops are surrounding the market.

• There are many ways to get to Preah Vihear: by car, bus or motorbike, it depends on your departure place in Cambodia. From Siem Reap, you can transfer by car or bus via Anlong Veng district. It’s about 200 km with 3-hour driving. The highway is fully paved, however both roads are graded gravel once they begin to approach the Dangrek escarpment.

From Phnom Penh, there are paved roads to via Kompong Thom to Sra'em. After that, it’s 30km from the town of Sra'em to Preah Vihear. Total is about 6-7 hours each way, which can be done round trip in one very long day. You can also reach the place from Kampong Thom via NH 64, which is about 155km South of Tbeng Meanchey. The road is in good condition.

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