The Best Way to Explore Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the worlds largest religious monument in the world!

 

History of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the worlds largest religious monument in the world! It was constructed in the early 12th century by Khmer King Suyavarman II. It was the capital of the Khmer Empire and has become the symbol of Cambodia. The Angkor Wat temple appears on the national flag and is a popular attraction for visitors from every part of the world. It is truly a wonder and deserves a few days of exploration. The site measure 402 acres and consists of many temples, lakes and sacred sites.

 

What’s the Best Way to Explore?

There are a few options. For example, you can hire a motorbike and a driver (you can’t drive a motorbike yourself in Siem Reap, only with a local driver), you can do a bike tour, you can go with a tour company on a mini van/bus or you can hire a tuk tuk for the day (remorque – what they call them in Cambodia) and explore the temple complexes yourself.

 

Our Experience

We went with the last option and really enjoyed it! You can hire a tuk tuk almost anywhere in the city including at your own hotel or hostel. It’s cheap and you have a lot more freedom that way. We chose to not hire a tour guide. Instead we read about the temples in our guidebook and online. We wanted to focus more on exploring and admiring the temples.

 

Day 1: Grand Circuit (Preach Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, & Sunset at Pre Rup) $23

The first thing we did with our driver is buy our tickets to the temple complex. We chose to buy the three day pass in order to have more time to explore. With a three day pass we were able to visit the temples three times over the course of the next ten days. 

Prices:

One-Day Pass- $37

Three-Day Pass (good for 10 days)-$62

Seven-Day Pass (good for 30 days)- $72 

We decided that we wanted to watch the sunrise on the second day because we wanted to buy our tickets on the first day and have a feel to it all on the first day. We are glad we did that because we were ready for the sunrise day and knew what to expect.

On our first day we left our hotel around 1 o’clock and stayed for sunset. This was enough time to explore the five temples and then watch the sunset. Our favorite ones from this set was Preach Khan, Ta Som, and East Mebon. Pre Rup was a great temple to watch the sunset from because we were able climb up the stairs to the top of the temple and watch the sunset from up high. We came an hour earlier, got a great spot, and had enough time to explore the temple itself. The temple complex closes after sunset and guards usher everyone out.

It was very hot all three days and we drank a lot of water. We were also glad we brought our sun glasses, hats, and wore light clothes that didn’t soak up too much sweat.

 

Day 2: Small Tour (Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei) $18

Sunrise at Angkor

We woke up around 4:30AM and started driving out to Angkor Wat at 5AM. It was still dark but slowly the sky was lightening up. We quickly made our way to the sunrise point and realized we weren’t the only brave ones! The best spot to view the sunrise from and get good pictures of the temple reflection is by the pond right in front of the temple. It’s also the most crowded time and place of the entire Angkor Temple complex.

The sunrise was unbelievably beautiful. As the rays lifted up over the ruin of an ancient empire we were struck by how history is so fickle. These buildings were started being built around the same time as Westminster Abbey. After the Khmer empire rose and fell they were lost to the jungle. Years later, once again people admire their beauty. It’s different from what we saw at Westminster but still a marvel to look at. We were reminded of how we as people are here today and gone tomorrow, and who knows if our work will last? All we can do is seek to do good, be loving, and live courageously.

After watching the sunrise we took about an hour to walk around the temple itself. There was still some morning cool air and it felt good to just walk and sit amongst the temples. We didn’t eat breakfast before going out and we didn’t pack anything with us either so we asked our tuk tuk driver to drive us to a good cafe. We were surprised at how many food stands and cafes there were. The best thing would have been to ask our hotel to pack a breakfast, but it was easy to get food at a local cafe. 

Other temples – Petit Circuit

Some of our favorites that day were Bayon & Ta Prohm where “Tomb Raider” was filmed. The Bayon Temples had a lot to them and were very unique. You could probably spend a few hours exploring them. Ta Prohm had many trees that were growing on the walls of the temple and on top of some structures. It was a very fun temple to explore. We felt like we were on a James Bond adventure looking for treasure.

When our driver took us to the last temple we were so exhausted that we walked out looked at it and went back into tuk tuk eagerly awaiting to get back to our hotel and take a shower and nap! It felt as if time was going by so slow that day. We were feeling tired from waking up early and took naps in the tuk tuk in between seeing all the other temples. If you have time we would recommend having a rest day in between each day of exploration.

 

Day 3: Banteay Srei & Landmine Museum $25

We took a one day break from seeing temples and explored the city instead. We visited Artisans Angkor workshop and silk farm. It was very interesting to learn about the organization and see the traditional craft making. The organization provides educational training, medical care and jobs for men and women in their local village. A lot of these women and men have some sort of disablitliy that makes it hard for them to go out and look for a normal job.

By the last day we were overwhelmed at how many temples we saw already and decided that we just wanted to see the Banteay Srei Temples (they are a little bit further than the rest) and afterwards we visited the Landmine Museum which was very fascinating and inspiring!

 

Landmine museum

Aki Ra, an ex-Khmer soldier who once buried landmines is now working to free Cambodia of land mines. Many landmines were buried during the 20 years of civil war following the fall of Khmer Rouge. Aki Ra has cleared thousands of them. There are still 4-6 million landmines left in Cambodia. The country has a goal to be landmine free by 2025. He also started a relief center for children who have been affected by land mines.

They take in children who have lost arms or legs due to a landmine. There has been massive work done removing landmines over the years. There are less and less children who have lost limbs to landmines and the school now takes in disabled and needy children. The museum had an audio tour guide and was very informative and moving. We really enjoyed learning about what is being done to rebuild the country and make a safe place for people to live and thrive.

The drive along the countryside was beautiful. It was actually one of favorite days in Siem Reap. We saw a man climbing a palm tree to collect palm fruit. People swinging on the hammocks under their houses trying to hide from the sun. A young child riding on a motorbike by himself. A family getting ready to eat and the mother cooking over an open fire. These and many other moments were great reminders that life is beautiful even though most of it is spent in the mundane.

 

Favorite Temples

If you just have one day to explore these are our favorite ones!

Angkor Wat, Bayon & Ta Prohm

Preach Khan, Ta Som, and East Mebon

Watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat or watch the sunset at Pre Rup

 

Tips for Exploring

• It gets very HOT, make sure to bring lots of water and wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothing
• Dress modestly, women should have shoulders and knees covered when going into the temples
• If you want to escape the crowds you can ask your driver to do the tour the opposite way
• Go early in the morning so its not as hot
• If you are doing the three day pass, take a break between the days so you can see the next set of temples with fresh energy
• Hire a tour guide if you want to learn more about the temples or read up on the temples before you go
• Tuk Tuks should cost around $2-3 getting around town. If you don’t want to haggle or try to explain the directions use Grab. It’s a lot like UBER easy to use and cheaper! 

 

Best Place to Stay

Templation by Maads

It’s in a perfect location, close to the temples and the city. Most of the living spaces have their own private pool. It’s a place of serenity. A great place to come back to after a day of exploring!

For more amazing stays check out Booking.com or Agoda!

 

Best Places to Eat at

Our favorite street to go eat at was Pub Street. You can find any type of restaurant you want there. During the night they have a night market going on and everything is within walking distance.

Cafes & Restuarants

Sister Srey Cafe (great for vegetarians, breakfast and lunch, works on helping and supporting Khmer students)

New Leaf Book Cafe (coffee shop and a great place to have breakfast, lunch or dinner)

Chamkar (the most delicious vegetarian place!)

The Hive (delicious sandwiches and coffee)

Bakery

The Blue Pumpkin (well known amongst the expat community, French & Asian baked products, ice cream and sandwiches)

Blossom (non-profit social enterprise with cafes, coffee, smoothies and baked goods)

Coffee Shops

Common Grounds

Brown Coffee

Missing Socks Laundry Cafe

 

Things to Do

Visit the Landmine Museum – $5 entry and audioguide included.

Artisans Angkor Workshop – Explore the workshop, ask the artisans about their craft, watch them work, or try for yourself. You can take a $50 3-hour course in woodworking, stone craft, or painting.

Artisans Angkor – Tour the Silk Farm for FREE

Explore the countryside by bike or tuk tuk

Eat on Pub Street or get a Khmer massage which is like a less intense Thai massage

Night Market – buy yourself some cheap shirts or get the perfect souvenir gift for Mom.

 

We hope that our experience has inspired you to visit Angkor Wat and Cambodia! It’s a beautiful place with the most kind people we met. Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions or let us know about your own experience in Cambodia!

-Katie & Alex