How to get to Pol Pots bunker

Due to mainstreams travelers seeming hatred of dark tourism you’ll see scant information about the bunker of Pol Pot online. Quite ironic when people like the Lonely Planet try to dress themselves up as edgy..

Lake view near the Pol Pot bunker

I’ll do some important managing expectations stuff right off the bat. If you need your tourist attractions with LED lights, a nice toilet, and AC, do not visit the home of Pol Pot. On the other hand if you like off roading, stunning jungle views and something really off the beaten track then you’ve hit gold with this.

The Pol Pot compound

I’ll go out on a limb and assume you realise you need to be in Anlong Veng, but in case you don’t, it is 3 hours from Siem Reap. You can reach it by public transport, but this whole affair becomes much easier if you’re bringing your own vehicle. Hiring a bus, or car in Cambodia is cheap as hell. Daily rentals being anywhere from 50-70 bucks.

Manual bike in Anlong Veng

Once you’re in Anlong Veng pretty much everything is easy to, or has information on how to reach it. The exception and reason for this blog is the lack of information about the home/bunker of Pol Pot.

Pol Pot bunker

The bunker cannot be reached by car and you will either need a driver, or the ability to off road and drive a bike with gears. Bikes can be rented on the road that leads down to the Thai border. Under $10 secures bike for the day with cost for the driver depending on your skills of negotiation, but in theory should come with the bike.

The house is then signposted from the Thai border. As you drive up to the Anlong Veng Peace platform, take the right towards Pol Pot’s bunker rather than carrying on to the house of Ta Mok and the viewing platform.

Pol Pot bunker

What awaits you is some super off roading as you drive through stunning mountaintop and jungle scenery. Be prepared to stop for lots of photos. It cannot be overestimated that of you can’t drive under these conditions then get a driver. On the journey expect to ask a lot of amused locals where the Pol Pot house is.

Wall at the Pol Pot compound

The bunker itself won’t impress you if you are a princess about your tourist sites, but if you like them raw and in your face, then this is the place to be. If you’re lucky a soldier might rock up to make sure you behave yourself. The little information online suggests lots of gravity and not much to see, but this certainly was not our experience.

It’s well worth the effort coming to the bunker!

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