Current situation in Preah Vihear temple (Cambodia)
 

Hi there
I was wondering if some members of this forum have recent info or have been recently to Preah Vihear temple at the northern border of Cambodia. I have been there last February and the tension between Cambodia and Thailand was at its best. There were armed forces everywhere in the temple. I was very lucky because I had a great visit of this wonder and 2 hrs after I left, the 2 armies started to fight there. For a few months now, we don't hear anything so I suppose the situation is quiet now. The French foreign affairs ministry site still mentions warnings to go there. I'm planning to go again this winter, so I'd like to know about the current situation (safe or not to go there).
Also, did they finish to build the road wich goes up the cliff to reach the temple (last February, the work was well advanced but with all the fights there, I suppose there has been some delays).
Thanks for any advice/info

All the antagonism subsided with the coming of the Thaksin proxy government. While I haven't been up there recently I'd not hesitate to send people up that way.

The reality is that the conflict was nothing more than one country antagonizing another that they didn't like. It's up to you choose which country fits which role.

Thank you Dsquared37 :)

Did you go from Siem Reap to Preah Vihear? If so, do you have a particular driver / service that you'd recommend?

Many thanks.

Yes, it's a very easy drive now (3 hrs one way from S.R.). I've been twice (feb 2011 and feb 2012). Any agency downtown S.R. can organize this for you, but prices can be very different. What I did the 2 years is "renting the car with driver" for the whole day. You leave at 6:00 am from your hotel in S.R., arrive 9:00 or 9:30 in Preah Vihear, spend 3 hrs there, and go back to S.R. via Koh Ker that is very interesting to visit. The road from P.V. To Koh Ker is brand new as well, so no pb. You will be back in S.R. around 6:00 pm and you'll have a great day.
For this tour, I found the best price (100 USD) at the following agency :
Two season travel tour. They are located downtown S.R. near the old market. Entrance is on street 9, close to corner with street 10. They have been very reliable the 2 times I used their services.
What you can do is when you arrive in S.R., go to their offices and arrange this for the day you wish. No need to book in advance, as you just need a car with a driver and they have plenty. Of course, keep in mind that a driver is not a guide. You can ask for a guide but of course, it will cost you more.
Enjoy this wonderful temple while it is still not part of the group tours...:rolleyes: it won't be long before they invade this place :(

Very nice. Thanks for the info. ^^

You are welcome dsquared37 ;)

One last precision : P.V. Temple is located at the top of a cliff. From the Cambodian side of the border, you arrive at the bottom of the cliff, where your driver will drop you at a kind of ticket booth. There is no fee to access the temple but you are obliged to pay for your transportation up the cliff to the temple :rolleyes: , either by motorbike or kind of pick-up truck. The price is outrageous for a so quick ride (e.g. USD 10 or 15/pax round trip) and your driver is not allowed to drive you up there. But at the end it doesn't change anything for you because if you'd have to pay to enter the temple, it would be about the same price.

That's outrageous for any ride within Cambodia. Even worse than the $20 to drive up to Phnom Kulen.