Location

Nestled beneath the low-slung mountains of the Phnom Kulen National Park and the green edge of the UNESCO World Heritage Angkor Conservation Park, despite its countryside location the Song Saa Reserve is only 45 minutes from the international airport and the hub of Siem Reap, Cambodia’s largest tourist centre. Nearby, the 10th century temple of Banteay Srei with its intricate stone carvings and arches is regarded by many as the Angkor Parks greatest archeological wonder.

Surrounding Attractions

Angkor Conservation Park

UNESCO World Heritage Angkor Conservation Area, comprising a over 35 large—including the world’s biggest religious structure, Angkor Wat—and numerous smaller temples, stretched across an area of 55 km2, the Angkor Conservation Park is one of the planet’s most revered and popular tourist sites. Home to a great Khmer civilization that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, the temples were reclaimed by tropical rainforest following the collapse of the empire in the mid-1400s. Much of this jungle cover remains today, ensuring that any journey to the temples is both a natural and cultural experience.

Banteay Srei Temple

Banteay Srei is a 10th century Hindu temple complex located within the greater Angkor Archaeological Park. Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the temple was built in 967 by a Brahmin priest who was a counsellor to then reigning King Rajendravarman II and his brother. Often referred to as the “jewel of Khmer art”, Banteay Srei translates to “Citadel of Women,” it being said that its delicate reliefs could only have been carved by women.

Phnom Kulen National Park

Cambodia’s most accessible national park is situated only 30 minutes from the Song Saa Reserve. A tableland of mountains, plateaus punctuated by striking outcrops, the national park is clothed in a thick cover of tropical rainforest, that serves as home to macaques, gibbons, pangolins and numerous species of bush birds. The birthplace of the Angkor empire, the national park also features numerous archeological treasures, including the acclaimed lingas of Kbal Spean, an impressive collection of carvings that line a local riverbed, which were carved in homage to the Hindu god Shiva.

The Kulen Elephant Forest

This recent addition to the list of Siem Reap attractions comprises 450 hectares of tropical rainforest that has been given over as a home to fourteen native Asian elephants. In their former life these majestic creatures were tasked with providing rides to visitors to the temples of Angkor. Today, in these enlightened times, the now retired elephants are allowed to roam free in a dedicated protected area.

Boeung Chhouk

A predominant landscape feature of the Song Saa Reserve is a large human-made lake known locally as Boeung Chhouk (‘Lake of Lotus’). Historic evidence suggests that the lake was developed in coordination with the construction of the Banteay Srei temple (circa 967 AD), the impoundment supplying water to the temple complex and its surrounding settlement.

Readily accessible from all major East Asian travel hubs

Travelling to Siem Reap has never been easier, for international routes, there are numerous international airlines including Silk Air, Dragon Air and Air Asia, just to name a few, operating to and from Siem Reap daily. There are also domestic operators include Cambodia Angkor Air and Cambodia Airways operating from Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.