West Barray

12 km from Siem Reap

Locals just call it Barray Lake, but for tourists it’s important to know that there is also an East Barray, which is located inside the Angkor Archaeological Park. The West Barray, is not inside the Angkor Park and can be visited without an Angkor Pass. There are basically two areas that are interesting to visit. One part is very much focused on tourism, the other part is where you’ll find all the locals. We recommend you to have a short stop at the tourist site and quickly move on further down the road and enjoy some quality time among the locals.

What’s so special about West Barray?

The West Barray is one of the largest man made fresh water reservoirs in the world. Constructed started in the 11th century during the reign of king Suryavarman I and was completed under Udayadityavarman II.

With clear, still waters, the barray today is a popular place for swimming and boat rides by local residents. It has occasionally served as a landing site for seaplanes. The west Barray area is a great place to visit with young children.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TEMPLE RULES?

READ THEM HERE

How to get to West Barray?

Renting a motorbike or electric bike is probably the best way to visit the West Barray. You can, of course, go there by tuktuk and ask the driver to enjoy some time with you, but failry it’s much nicer to go there on you own.

Make sire that before you leave, you identify the two different areas. The area where you can find little tourists shops are nice to walk by and further down the road you’ll find a small beach with lots of hammocks. That’s were the local like to go and it’s one of the best places around Siem Reap to enjoy your day. It’s also very suitable to visit West Barray with children.

How much will it cost?

Access to the West Barray area doesn’t cost you anything, since it’s not part of the Angkor Archaeological park. Please make sure you use highway 6 to travel to West Barray. Other routes lead through the park and to access the park you DO need an Angkor Pass.

Perfect for children

West Barray is very nice to go with your kids. The lake is a great place to swim and life jackets as well as some playing materials are available at the small beach.

What you SHOULD do!

If you’re tired of all the temples and you’re just looking for a nice place to relax, this is the place to go! During weekday mornings you won’t find many locals here. Busiest days are Saturdays and Sundays and the busiest moments of the day are between 2 and 5 pm.

What you should NOT do!

Woman should wear a T-Shirt if they are planning to swim. Remember that many locals visit this place and swimming in a bikini is not appropriate in Cambodia culture.