The new international airport of Siem Reap and attractive Angkor sites nearby
January 13, 2024
The new airport is located 58 km east of Siem Reap. From there it is almost exactly an hour to Siem Reap city center. While the old airport was located on the edge of Siem Reap City, just a few minutes from most hotels, it is now out of service.
This seems like bad news. But there is also a good side: only about 40 minutes from the airport is the huge Boeng Mealea temple complex, built under the same Khmer king as Angkor Wat – Suryavarman II (1113-1150). Like the much better known Ta Prohm temple complex, it is completely surrounded by jungle. But there is no mass tourism at Boeng Mealea (yet) – you rarely find other visitors here.
The visitor could drive further northeast from Boeng Mealea and after an hour come to the temple complex Koh Ker, which was the capital of the Angkor Empire from 921-944. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023.
On the way from the airport to Siem Reap city, 15 km from the city is the Roluos temple group, which was the Khmer capital in the 9th century. The temples Bakong, Preh Ko and Lolei temples are located here.
With the new airport, remote and very attractive Angkor temples, which have previously been less visited, are becoming more of a focus for foreign visitors.