AndSheXplores

Angkor Wat has been on top of out bucket list for a long long time. The amazing history behind the temples integrated within the jungle of Siem Reap really live up to the hype. The ruins are in good condition and the beauty is that there are still digging more of them. Since we do like to explore cultural sights in peace, our challenge during our preparation – how to beat the crowds?

Angkor Wat has become one of the world’s most renown cultural sights and attracts many people from all over the world. According to some sources it is the largest cultural sight in the world but this does not mean that it does not get overcrowded. We heard that before the shooting of Tomb Raider in 2000, there were only 2 international hotels in the whole city of Siem Reap. Apparently they had problems hosting the whole film crew 🙂 According to the government stats there were only 7,000 foreign visitors in 1993, half a million in 2004. And today? About 3 million visitors per year!

So how to make prepare yourself to be among those fractions of visitors that do not spend their cultural experience in long queues? We did extensive research before on-boarding on this trip and we prepared the ultimate itinerary to beat the crowds and have a memorable Angkor Wat visit.

Temples Pass

Tickets can only be purchased here, so no online booking options, but you can now pay with credit card. We headed to the ticket office one day prior our visit to be able to sleep a few minutes longer on Day 1. These are your options:

• 1 Day: $37 ,valid only on the day of purchase.
• 3 Days: $62, valid for 10 days from the date of purchase (you can choose which 3 days to visit).
• 7 Days: $72, valid for one calendar month from the date of purchase (you can choose which 7 days to visit).

I truly recommend you take the 3 day pass since I really cannot imagine how to see everything in 1 day. And I assure you will not get “templed out”! Since we stayed in Siem Reap for more than a week, we visited temples every second day which is a great option if your time permits it.

Getting around

I already mentioned the different riding options around Siem Reap here. Some rent a bicycle to get around but to be honest I cannot imagine pedaling in mediocre bikes for the whole day under the screaming sun. We did it in 2 ways – with tuk-tuk taxi and scooter. Both are fine, just be sure that the driver understands that you will not be doing the Small nor the Big circuit but rather a custom tour and agree on the price before your trip. For a custom itinerary we paid $30 for 1 day. You can also get a driver that is also a guide but the costs are quite high; around $70-$90 a day.

Is having a tour guide necessary?

It’s not. We didn’t have a guide since we read a lot about the temples before that. You can get one for the whole day for about $30 but we rather discovered the temples ourselves. Just be aware that the mobile connection in the area is really bad. This means that it’s good to know where you’re going and how to get there in advance.

Our Ideal itinerary

This is how we planned out our trip and it turned out great. You can adapt it to your needs of course. We wanted to take it slow but not be at the temples for the whole day. The most important thing is to start early in the morning – you will avoid the hot conditions (up to 40°C / 104℉) and beat the crowds.

Day 1: Angkor Wat sunrise – Preah Khan Temple – Neak Pean – Ta Som – Eastern Mebon – Prae Roup

Departure time from hotel: around 5 AM; Return to hotel / city: around 1 PM

The first day is a shortened version of the Grand Circuit. It will be your busiest day, you will walk a lot and see many memorable sights so be sure to be well rested. Arrange a take-away breakfast package at your hotel and go for the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Position yourself in front of the left lake and take beautiful photos of the temple and its reflection in the pond. The place was quite busy but less than we expected. Still go there early to find a good spot and have one of the most scenic breakfast you’ll probably ever had.

After the sunrise head straight to Preah Khan Temple and skip the interior of Angkor Wat and the Angkor Thom area since everybody will go there (you will visit this on day 2 and day 3). We got to Preah Khan Temple at around 7.15 AM and had the place all to ourselves. Wonderful sculptures, unique details blended with giant trees in a wonderful setting. This mysterious temple truly awed us. The visit should take you an hour or so.

The next stop is Neak Pean, a small temple in the middle of the lake. The wooden bridge leading to the temple is nice while the temple itself is ok. Despite the early morning it already gets super hot so don’t forget to apply sunscreen!

Ta Som is quite similar to Preah Khan and is particularly known for the astonishing exit with a literally integrated majestic tree. Hard to explain how those two coexist so well together – the temple is still holding while the tree is still growing!

Your final two stops of the day are Eastern Mebon and Prae Roup. The two temples are quite similar and close to each other. In contrast to Preah Khan and Ta Som, these are temple mountains, so much higher and open so you do see some lovely views from atop. The sun is already burning hot at midday so we headed back to the city and grabbed lunch. The afternoon was all about relaxing after a busy day.

Day 2: Angkor Thom area

Departure time from hotel: around 6.30 AM; Return to hotel / city: around 12 AM

Have an early breakfast and head to the Angkor Thom area. It’s easy to spot it on the map – a huge square with city walls.

The Bayon temple officially opens at 7.30 AM but they are letting people at around 7 AM. Head to Bayon temple first and admire beautiful smiling and serene faces on large towers makes it truly unique. This is were they put extra effort in the details and the sight is amazing. We spent almost 2 hours walking around the temple. Also a photographer’s paradise since there are so many angles to choose from. It gets really crowded already at 8.30 AM so be sure to visit before.

There is a nice walking trail among the trees and temples in the north of Angkor Thom. Make sure to visit the visit the Baphuon temple.

Day 3: Angkor Wat sunrise again (optional) – Angkor Wat interior – Ta Prohm – Banteay Kdei – Ta Nei – Ta Keo

Departure time from hotel: around 5 AM (or 6 AM); Return to hotel / city: around 12.30 AM

The Angkor Wat sunrise is optional. We wanted to see this sight one more time, this time without focusing too much on taking great photos. We had a more quiet spot and the scenery was equally spectacular. After that we visited the interior of the Angkor Wat temple which does not take so much time, half an hour tops. You can visit the top but expect to wait in line for a few minutes. We decided to skip and head straight to Ta Prohm.

If we had to choose our favorite “temple in the wild”, Ta Prohm would get our vote. If you watched Tomb Raider you will see that many scenes were shot here and rightly so. Ta Prohm features multiple trees growing out of the ruins and is very picturesque. The temple opens at 7.30 AM sharp. Make sure you’re there at around that time since it’s one of the most popular sights. The paths are narrow and I can imagine that there are long queues during the day. So get there early, it’s truly worth the effort!

Banteay Kdei is a stretch of ruins right next to Ta Prohm. Still a nice temple but less detailed than other temples we visited. Ta Keo is a temple mountain with very steep stairs to get to the top, similar to Prae Roup and Eastern Mebon from our first day. Our last stop was Ta Nei which is a small temple only accessible by a narrow and slippery sandy road, so be careful if you’re on the motorbike. It’s quite remote and deep in the forrest and we saw chimpanzees playing on the trees above us 🙂

We decided to visit Ta Som one more time before heading back to Siem Reap. You can also re-visit any of your favorites like we did 🙂

Amazing visit at the Angkor Wat area, one of the best cultural adventures we’ve ever had! Let me know if this itinerary helped you and if you have any other tips on how to beat the crowds and make your time at Angkor an unforgettable experience.

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