Kampong Thom, Cambodia: travel guide
Highway town and base for the ancient temples of Sambor Prei Kuk
A working highway town midway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and the base for Sambor Prei Kuk — the pre-Angkorian Chenla capital of Ishanapura, UNESCO-listed in 2017 and 24 km to the north-east.
About Kampong Thom
Kampong Thom is a working town on the highway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and its draw is Sambor Prei Kuk, the pre-Angkorian capital of Ishanapura, about 24 kilometres away. Its brick towers sit among forest, with several temple groups, including Prasat Tao, Prasat Yeay Poan and Prasat Chrei, scattered between the trees.
The area also has a rural side. Phnom Santuk is a hill with a pagoda and views, and nearby silk-weaving workshops show traditional craft at work.
It suits history enthusiasts and travellers who want temples without Angkor's crowds, usually as a stop of one night on the road between the two cities. The cooler dry months from November to February are the most comfortable for walking the temple groups.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Currency
- KHR
- Time zone
- Asia/Phnom_Penh
Last updated
Top places to visit in Kampong Thom
Kampong Thom Market
local_market · 4.1 rating · about 0.8 h · check the fee at the gate
The town's covered market on NR6 — the reason half the buses between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap stop here, and the best place in the province for grilled river fish at 6 a.m.
Phnom Santuk
hill_pagoda · 4.2 rating · about 1.5 h · check the fee at the gate
A sandstone hill 200 m above the plain, climbed by 980 steps past reclining Buddhas carved directly into the outcrops, with a working pagoda and a macaque troop at the top.
Kampong Thom Museum
regional_museum · 4.3 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
A one-room provincial museum holding the Chenla-period sculpture lifted from Sambor Prei Kuk before the site was looted — worth twenty minutes before or after the temples.
Sambor Prei Kuk
archaeological_site · 4.6 rating · about 2.5 h · entry $10 (≈ ₹950), One USD 10 day pass covers all three temple groups.
The brick temple city of Ishanapura, capital of Chenla in the early 7th century and the ancestor of everything built at Angkor three hundred years later. Over a hundred sanctuaries stand in open forest. UNESCO-listed 2017.
Santuk Silk Farm
craft_workshop · 4.5 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
A working mulberry-to-loom silk farm below Phnom Santuk where the whole chain — worms, reeling, dyeing, weaving — happens in one open shed, and the weavers will let you sit at the loom.
Prasat Chrei
chenla_temple · 4.6 rating · about 0.5 h · entry $10 (≈ ₹950), Covered by the single Sambor Prei Kuk day pass.
A brick sanctuary in the northern group at Sambor Prei Kuk, its base still carrying the medallion reliefs that give the Chenla style its name.
Independence Monument
monument · 4.3 rating · about 0.3 h · check the fee at the gate
Kampong Thom's lotus-tower independence monument on the roundabout by the Stung Sen bridge, lit at night and the town's obvious orientation point.
Prasat Tao
chenla_temple · 4.5 rating · about 0.8 h · entry $10 (≈ ₹950), Covered by the single Sambor Prei Kuk day pass.
The Lion Temple, the central group's largest surviving sanctuary, guarded by a pair of sandstone lions on its eastern stair — the best-preserved single building at Sambor Prei Kuk.
Prasat Yeay Poan
chenla_temple · 4.5 rating · about 0.8 h · entry $10 (≈ ₹950), Covered by the single Sambor Prei Kuk day pass.
The southern group: an octagonal brick tower inside a double enclosure, its walls carved with the "flying palaces" — miniature aerial pavilions found almost nowhere else in Khmer art.
Prasat Andet
chenla_temple · 5.0 rating · about 0.5 h · check the fee at the gate
A single 7th-century brick tower on a low mound west of town — the find spot of the Harihara of Prasat Andet, one of the masterpieces of pre-Angkorian sculpture, now in the National Museum.
Where to stay in Kampong Thom
Hotels
- Sambor Village Hotel
- Seng Chheng Horn Guest House
- Kampong Thom Palace Hotel
- Vimean Sovann Guest House
- Pich Punloeu Thmei Guest House
- Sokchea Chantha Guest House
Getting to Kampong Thom
Nearest airport: Siem Reap (Siem Reap-Angkor Intl) (SAI), about 103 km away in a straight line. The road or rail journey is longer.
Getting around
- Walking
Best time to visit Kampong Thom
- Jan 35°C
- Feb 37°C
- Mar 38°C
- Apr 37°C
- May 35°C
- Jun 34°C
- Jul 33°C
- Aug 31°C
- Sep 32°C
- Oct 32°C
- Nov 31°C
- Dec 33°C
More in Cambodia
Frequently asked questions about Kampong Thom
- What are the top-rated places to visit in Kampong Thom?
- The highest-rated places in our Kampong Thom guide are Prasat Andet, Sambor Prei Kuk, Prasat Chrei, Santuk Silk Farm, Prasat Tao.
- How do I get around Kampong Thom?
- Ways to get around Kampong Thom covered in our guide: Walking.
- What is the weather like in Kampong Thom?
- Average daytime highs in Kampong Thom run from 31°C in Aug to 38°C in Mar.