Chau Srei Vibol Temple

This guide to Chau Srei Vibol Temple in Siem Reap opens with an odd detail: a modest hilltop shrine ringed by one of Angkor's largest moats, a scale usually reserved for symbolic devotion but here suspected of serving defense instead. It follows the old royal road running east toward Preah Khan of Kompong Svay and the debate over whether Siamese armies or centuries of neglect left the ruins broken. Along the short climb you will pass broken lion guardians, a nearly intact sandstone fire temple, and two libraries flanking the summit sanctuary. Few Angkor Wat-bound visitors make the detour, so you may have the hilltop to yourself.