Angkor Borei & Phnom Da
Known as Vyadhapura when it served as the capital of ‘water Chenla’ in the 8th century, Angkor Borei – founded in the 5th century – is one of the earliest pre-Angkorian sites in Cambodia.

Today, Angkor Borei is a small, impoverished riverine town surrounded by an ancient wall. The local economy is based on dry-season rice cultivation, year-round fishing and raising the chickens and pigs that forage on the unpaved streets.

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Getting there & away
Angkor Borei and Phnom Da are about 20km east of Takeo town along Canal No 15, built in the 1880s to connect Takeo with the Tonlé Bassac and the Mekong Delta. Clearly delineated in the dry season, the waterway is surrounded by flooded rice fields the rest of the year.

For great, bracing, open-air fun, zip along the canal in a fibreglass motorboat (US$25 return, 35 minutes to Angkor Borei, 10 to 15 minutes more to Phnom Da) or, in the dry season, a smaller wooden motorboat (US$15 return), both available for hire at Takeo’s boat dock. All but a small part of what you pay will be spent on fuel. In the wet season the water can get rough in the afternoon, so it’s a good idea to head out early. Bring sunscreen, a hat and, in the wet season, rain gear. Many of the heavily laden boats you pass are bringing terracotta tiles and smuggled fuel from Vietnam.

Larger boats (3000r per person, two hours) depart from Takeo’s boat dock at 1pm or 2pm and from Angkor Borei at about 7.30am. Another cheap option is to wait around for enough locals to fill a share motorboat (8000r per person).

Phnom Da used to be an island during the wet season but a causeway now assures year-round land access. From Angkor Borei, wooden long boats (3000r per person) travel frequently to Phnom Da, or you can take a moto (US$2 return).

Angkor Borei can also be visited on an overland day trip from Phnom Penh. By car, take NH2; drive east on Highway 107, which passes south of Phnom Chisor; and then turn south at Prey Lvea

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Place To Visit

Archaeological Museum
The modest, new archaeological museum, a bit east of the road bridge, occupies a Khmer-style building set to open in 2008. Featured are locally discovered Funan- and Chenla-era artefacts, including human bones, pottery, jewellery and stone carvings. The dark-red statues are copies of important works now in Phnom Penh's National Museum or Paris' Musée Guimet.

Phnom Da
The twin hills of Phnom Da, spectacularly isolated by the annual floods, are 3km south of Angkor Borei. The rocky slopes shelter five artificial caves, built as Hindu and, later, Buddhist shrines and, during the Vietnam War, used as hideouts by the Viet Cong.

Temple
On top, 142 steps up, is a temple whose foundations date from the 6th century. Rebuilt in the 11th century, it's 12m square and 18m high. The entrance faces due north, with blind doors - decorated with bas-relief naga - on the other three sides. The lower section is laterite, while the upper reaches are made of red bricks. The finest carvings have been taken to museums in Angkor Borei, Phnom Penh and Paris.

Wat Asram Moha Russei
Nearby, on a second hillock, is Wat Asram Moha Russei, a smaller, restored Hindu sanctuary, made of sandstone, that's 5.5m square and 8m high.