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Neak Pean’s design is noticeably different from the designs of most of the other Angkor monuments. Experts believe that the layout represents the sacred lake Anavatapta and that the temple may have been used for healing or purification. Cross the lake on a wooden walkway and spend some quiet time admiring the temple—the view is particularly nice when the pools are full and the temple is reflected in the water.
While Neak Pean is reasonably close to the main Angkor Empire sights, most visitors visit on a tour of lesser-known temples. Most multi-day Grand Circuit tours also include a stop here. You can enter the area with a 1-day, 3-day, or 7-day Angkor Pass.
Neak Pean, sometimes written as Neak Poan, is a Buddhist temple which sits in the middle of a circular artificial island in Jayatataka Baray. It was built by the prolific king Jayavarman VII in the middle of the 12th century.
The temple was originally designed as a hospital, it was thought bathing in the pools here would cure disease. Each of the four pools are said to represent wind, fire, water and earth.
The Khmer kings created a number of huge artificial lakes known as barays. Neak Pean sits in Jayatataka Baray, which covers an entire square mile (2.5 square kilometers). Experts still debate exactly what the barays were used for; some think they helped irrigate the rice that fed Angkor’s citizens while others think their purpose was mainly religious.
Neak Pean has the same hours as most Angkor sites; it opens early in the morning and closes in the late afternoon. This site is at its most beautiful during Cambodia’s wet season, which runs May–October; the temple can be underwhelming when the reservoir and pools are dry.
Neak Pean is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of downtown Siem Reap, north of Ta Prohm and east of Preah Khan. There’s no public transportation and road conditions are challenging, so most visitors join an organized tour, book a private driver, or hire a private guide.
A favorite Angkor sunset spot, Pre Rup is a 3-tier mountain temple topped with five sanctuary towers. Built in 961 AD as a temple to the Hindu god Shiva, Pre Rup’s name means “turn the body,” and some believe it was used for cremations. Its warm brickwork and red laterite stone look beautiful at sunrise or sunset.
The sprawling temple complex of Angkor Thom, an ancient Khmer capital formerly ringed by a crocodile-infested moat, surpasses the world-famous Angkor Wat in both size and scale. Each of the site’s five gates are heralded by avenues lined with 108 deities that represent good and evil, which provide spectacular photo opportunities before you even step inside.
The Siem Reap Art Center Night Market is open from morning until late in the evening, but it is more of a night market than an art center. Close to the Old Market (Phsar Chaa or Phsar Chas), the site boasts a wealth of stalls selling crafts, souvenirs, the obligatory elephant pants, and snacks.
With everything from handicrafts to fresh produce, Siem Reap’s Old Market (Phsar Chas draws a mixed crowd of locals and tourists. While there’s plenty of souvenir shopping to do here—look for hand-woven, colorful silks—the market is also a fascinating snapshot of daily life in Siem Reap, complete with vendors hawking deep-fried bugs.
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Neak Pean Temple
