On our previous post we already covered some of the sites to visit at Bokor mountain, like the Black palace, Lok Yeay monument or the old church. We also wrote about our experience doing an authentic jungle hike. But there was too much to see to cover it all in one day. Here’s what we saw on our third day at Bokor mountain.
The Bokor Palace
This palace is a historical building built by colonial French. It served as a hotel and casino from 1925 to 1972. After that, the palace was abandoned. During many years, curious people came to Bokor to explore the abandoned building of what used to be the pearl of Bokor. Now, the building has been renovated and restored keeping the main structure and look. People today can enjoy staying at this 6 star hotel with the most stunning views and experience the history of the hotel’s past glory and splendour. We could see some of the rooms, and just by entering them it felt like we were entering a time machine. The suite on the top floor was absolutely a palace on its own!
Wat Sampov Pram
The temple Wat Sampov Pram was built in 1924 by King Monivong. You can enjoy walking around the temple and the buddha statue. Here there is as well a breath-taking view over the green jungle, and the sea behind. It’s especially beautiful during and after sunset!
The meditation rock
A few kilometres away from Thansur Sokha hotel you can visit the meditation rock. You will recognise the road when you start seeing hundreds of stone piles on both sides of the road. On the way, there is also a Nepenthes field. It is very interesting to see these rare plants from close!
At the end of the road, there is an easy path that leads to an open area. Continue heading into the jungle, you will see some wooden stairs. You will arrive to the meditation rock, a magical hidden spot where you can see the trees growing their roots just off the rocks.
The gate between heaven and earth
This rock formations are another destination on Bokor Mountain. It is a sacred place where locals come to perform prayers, as the two vertical stones represent a gate between heaven and earth.
Did you know that in the early days elephants and tigers lived on Bokor mountain? We heard that elephants had left the mountain long time ago. But it is believed that there are still some tigers around, although they have not been seen lately. We thought this was a legend and didn’t even think about it.
However, when we visited this place, we saw some paw prints on the sand. Again, we didn’t think much about it. Minutes later, our friends who were just a few meters away behind us started running as they heard a roar from some animal close by…. we will never know if it really was a tiger. But we can believe now why the legend stays alive!
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