Welcome to Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia.  The Banteay Chhmar Community-Based Tourism (CBT) group is pleased to welcome you to our official visitor’s site.  This site will provide you with information about the 12th century Angkorian temple, homestays, travel, reservations and tourist activities in the area.

Banteay Chhmar Temple is one of Cambodia’s national treasures. Dating from the Angkorian period, it is a precious and irreplaceable link to the cultural heritage of the Khmer people.   There are countless Buddhist images and startling bas-reliefs of Angkorian-era life that signify its importance as a temple complex.
For 800 years, the temple has remained mostly undiscovered and untouched.  The forces of nature resulting in overgrowth and collapse. Recent times, unfortunately, have seen numerous acts of egregious looting.

Fortunately, things are improving.  The Cambodian government, local authorities, villagers and partners such as Global Heritage Fund (GHF) and Heritage Watch are dedicating their time and effort to the temple’s conservation and to the improvement in the livelihoods of the local community. Banteay Chhmar Temple is on Cambodia’s tentative list for submission as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In some ways, after 800 years, Banteay Chhmar still remains the same.  Most people still make their livelihoods through farming, fishing and handicrafts.  As the infrastructure in the area improves, hopefully more people will see improvements in their lives.

The CBT is part of this improvement and development process.  Tourism is an excellent long-term, sustainable and low-impact way to improve the livelihoods of the community. We are helping to protect the cultural heritage and environment, as well as increase income for villagers through tourism activities – homestays, tour guides, cooks and other activities.

We hope, what you will remember the most in Banteay Chhmar and in Cambodia, are the people, their smiles and their hospitality.

Please feel free to contact us about any travel and visitor-related questions that you may have. We are here to make your visit pleasant, enjoyable and rewarding. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in the future.