Travel from Banlung to Siem Reap

The only way to travel from Banlung to Siem reap is by road, and it’s a slow journey which takes 7 hours 00 minutes. However, it’s an even longer journey if you decide to travel to Siem Reap via Phnom Penh and there are few popular places to stop on the direct road route from Banlung to Siem Reap, which means travellers on this route have little option but to put up with the discomfort of a long journey by minivan.

Bus Times from Banlung to Siem Reap

There is 1 direct service a day from Banlung to Siem Reap a day available to book online.

Buy Tickets from Banlung to Siem Reap

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Banlung Virak Buntham Express Bus Stop

• Virak Buntham Express bus services to Siem Reap depart from the Virak Buntham Express in Krong Banlung.

Siem Reap Virak Buntham Express Bus Stop

• Virak Buntham Express services from Banlung arrive in Siem Reap at 249 next to Nakpeoun Old Market roundabout, St. Sevot Tha, Svay District, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.

About Ta Som Temple near Siem Reap

Ta Som is a small temple built by the Buddhist Khmer King Jayavarman VII, who reigned from 1181 to 1218. Ta Som bears similarities to the more famous Bayon Temple. The distinctive feature of Ta Som is the gopura. Gopura are entrance ways with towers on top, an architectural feature closely associated with the Dravidian architecture of Hindu temples in Southern India and an interesting clue as to the ancient origins of the Khmer Empire. Unlike the gopuras which adorn Hindu temples, the two gopuras at Ta Som features four faces pointing towards the cardinal points. There is some debate as to whose face is depicted in these gopuras, and those of similar carvings at Bayon Temple. One theory is that the faces depict Lokeshvara, the the Bodhisattva of compassion, whilst another theory is that carvings on the gopura depict Jayavarman VII himself.

These distinctive gopura are located on the outer wall of Ta Som Temple which has three enclosures. The inner most enclosure measures 20 by 30 metres and has further gopura above the entrance ways on each side of the enclosure. These gopura feautre two tiers of towers the bottom wider than the tower at the top. The carvings in the walls of the structures themselves tell an interesting story. The original temple building was altered around the time of the 13th Century when the official religion of the Khmer Empire changed back to Hinduism and the images of the Buddha appear to have been deliberately defaced and Hindu inscriptions retrospectively added to the original temple structure.