Beng Mealea

ប្រាសាទបឹងមាលា (Beng Mealea)

A huge unrestored temple collapsing into the jungle

⚠ 1.5 hours from town

Hours

06:00–18:30 (operator list, checked locally April 2026)

Tickets

2026 guides disagree: one says the Angkor Pass covers it, another lists a US$10 single-site ticket. Check on site

Address

Svay Leu district, about 1.5 hours by car from Siem Reap

Built around the same time as Angkor Wat, Beng Mealea was left almost untouched to the forest. Towers and galleries have fallen into heaps of house-sized blocks with trees growing over the top. Wooden walkways run across the ruins, so you look down into collapsed halls and passages and it feels like an expedition. It's often called the inspiration for Castle in the Sky; nobody has confirmed that, but when light falls through the trees onto the mossy rubble you can see why the rumour sticks.