Tours/Siem Reap/Private Tour to Beng Mealea, Banteay Srei and Floating Village
Viator · Private tour

Private Tour to Beng Mealea, Banteay Srei and Floating Village

5.0(2)Siem Reap1 hour
TRIPADVISOR5.0(2)

Description

A private tour to explore the rich cultural heritage of Cambodia. This experience takes you into the magnificent nature of Beng Mealea and Kampong Phluk encounters. You’ll be picked up by your guide, and a driver from your hotel. First, we’ll visit a country market. Then take a short boat ride through the fishing village and Mangrove trees to Tonle Sap Lake and walk through a Village to see the everyday life of the villagers. Drive to Beng Mealea. After lunch, you’ll visit the Beng Mealea temple and Ancient Quarry (the Place, where ancient Khmer cut the stones to build Angkor Wat). Next, visit the beautiful Banteay Srey Temple. On the way back to your hotel, you may want to visit a Sugar palm-producing village.

Tour Options

Temples and Kampong Phluk
  • Pickup included

Itinerary

40 min

You will also stop to visit a local market situated on the Bank of Rolous river. Rolous market is one of the important markets where the local villagers go there in the morning and late afternoon to purchase fresh vegetables, meats, fruit, freshwater fish as well as household items. It’s the oldest Khmer market in that area and a must-visit for those looking to experience the local lifestyle.

45 min

Kampong Phlouk is a great destination for tourists to visit the flooded Mangrove trees forests, and floating villages. Visit the beautiful Tonle Sap, the lake is the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world. This lake is the lifeblood of the country and the primary source of fish and protein for most of the Cambodian population. Visit the flooded forest and floating villages. You will see a floating fishing village that moves as water levels rise and recede during the year. Your local guide will explain to you the daily lifestyles and works of a local who lives on land and on water. Along the way, you will stop at some places to explore local villages on foot, meet and talk to local people.

Admission not included60 min

The community largely depends on fishing for survival, primarily shrimp, spending Cambodia's wet season fishing. Many houses and buildings are constructed on stilts ranging from 6 m to 9 m to accommodate the changes in water level between the wet and dry seasons. During the dry season (November-April) as the river thins due to receding water, many turn to farming to supplement their income. Tourism, which started in the village approximately 10 years ago, is also a growing part of the local economy.

30 min

Have some stops to visit Bamboo Sticky Rice village to taste local sticky rice cooked in bamboo, taste season fruit and enjoy your photo opportunities. “The ingredients of Bamboo sticky rice are sweet rice, black bean, coconut cream and other spicy put in the piece of bamboo and burn it. It is a kind of food for Khmer People”

Admission not included60 min

Visit the most interesting temple outside the Angkor area, King Suryavarman II’s the 11th century Beng Mealea temple – a prototype for the more famous Angkor Wat. Beng Mealea Temple stands almost forgotten in the jungle and getting to the site is quite an adventure in itself. It was isolated during Cambodia’s civil war. It is the largest temple outside the main Angkor complex and in places it is remarkably intact, but in other places it is utterly destroyed; tree roots envelop many of the temple walls and doorways. The atmosphere here is eerie but a welcome contrast to the more visited temples closer to Angkor Wat. Beng Mealea shares many characteristics with Angkor Wat, but on a smaller scale. It has three encircling galleries, the same four gates and entrances, and a pair of interior libraries. It differs from Angkor Wat in having only one central tower instead of the famous five towers of Angkor Wat.

40 min

Visit the Place where ancient Khmer people cut the Stones to build Angkor Wat. You will see hundreds of stone were cut and left there. The tour guide will tell you how they cut the stones and how they transport to build Angkor Wat.

60 min

Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. Banteay Srei was the only major temple at Angkor not built by a Monarch, it was built by a King’s counselor in the 10th century. It is an intricately carved and well-preserved Temple. The detailed reliefs on this sandstone structure are the finest, most skillfully crafted in Cambodia.

Pass by

The Cambodia Landmine Museum and Relief Center serves to educate the public on the dangers of landmines, and in addition it supports education for Cambodian youth. This home was created so that it might serve as a place of healing for bodies, hearts and minds. We believe that love, support and education are the essential means to secure a better future for the children that live here and our visitors. Just tell your guide if you want to pop in this site.

Pass by

BBC is a butterfly zoo near Angkor Wat. Founded in 2009, it is the largest enclosed butterfly centre in Southeast Asia. BBC has been designed and financed by Ben Hayes and Mike Baltzer, two British butterfly enthusiasts. BBC is part of the Cambodian project connecting responsible tourism with environmental conservation. Scientifically, butterflies belong to the insect group of lepidopterans, which also includes moths, and moths also have the attention of BBC. The centre showcase examples of the large variety of lepidopterans in Cambodia, preferably local varieties, in a large netted garden environment. As butterflies have a short lifespan of no more than a few weeks, and because many species are seasonal, there are twice as many species present around the centre during November and December. BBC also works as a sustainable butterfly farm, providing training for locals. Some of the farmed butterflies are meant for the centre's own gardens, while others are meant for sale and export.

Pass by

The village is well-known as Khmer Palm Sugar Producing village. The tour guide will explain you how the locals get palm Juice, and they produce the Palm Sugar. Just tell your tour guide if you want to pop in this site.

Highlights

Bottled water
Private air conditioned vehicle and short boat ride
English Speaking Tour Guide

What's included

Included
Bottled water
Private air conditioned vehicle and short boat ride
English Speaking Tour Guide
Not included
Admission fee - Beng Mealea & banteay Srei
Admission fee - Kampong Phluk

Pickup Locations & Times

You will be picked up from your accommodation to begin the tour by your Tour Guide and a Driver.

Traveller Ratings

5.0
2 reviews
5
2
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0

Important Information

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Specialized infant seats are available
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Your Tour Guide will send you a Link to purchase the temple entrance e-ticket days in advance.
  • Please wear flat shoes that are comfortable for walking.

Reviews(2)

C
costanzaa442
May 3, 2025
Absolutely recommended: tour, guide (Mr. Sim) and driver of the highest level

Our experience with the private tour to Beng Mealea, Banteay Srei and the Floating Village was simply unforgettable, far exceeding our expectations. The sites visited are of incredible beauty and interest. A special thanks goes to our guide, Mr. Sim. His professionalism and endless patience in accommodating our every need made the tour even more enjoyable and relaxing. Mr. Sim proved to be an inexhaustible source of knowledge, providing us with explanatory material that enabled us to fully understand the history and significance of each site we visited. His expertise and genuine passion for his culture were infectious and greatly enriched our experience. We would also like to mention our driver (sorry, I don't remember the name), whose courtesy and safe and comfortable driving contributed significantly to the success of the day. We highly recommend this tour to anyone wishing to explore these extraordinary places. If you are fortunate to have Mr. Sim, as your guide, and our driver, your experience is sure to be as exceptional as ours. Many thanks for a wonderful day!

Operator response

Hi Costanza and Peter, It was very nice to meet you in here. Thank you for visiting Asia and spending your time in Siem Reap. We're very glad to hear you enjoyed your Tour. We'll pass this on to the Tour Guide and the Driver. Thank you again for spending the time to leave us a review. We wish you and your family all the best. We hope to see you again soon. From Journey2 Team

T
Tong N
May 21, 2020
Very enthusiastic guide

We have had a tour with Journey2Angkor recently and the service was excellent. The car was clean, the guide was so informative. We loved Beng Maelea temple.

You might also like...