Exploring the Temples of Angkor Wat in Two Days

One of the main attractions of Cambodia is the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap and for good reason. There are just acres and acres of forest land with ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples dating back to the 9th century constructed out of blocks of stones that weigh tons and each temple is unique in style and craftsmanship. The site was the center of the Khmer Empire for centuries and is a reflection of cultural significance for the Khmer people. If you are in SE Asia and are considering visiting Cambodia, I highly suggest you put aside a few days for Siem Reap to explore Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples.

Purchasing Tickets to Enter Angkor Archaeological Park

You can buy different levels of tickets or passes to enter the archaeological site based on how many days you plan to visit. Personally, I think 2 days is enough to see all of the temples and you can even get away with one, but if you are a history buff with interest in early Buddhism and Hindusim architecture, then you can spend days there. A one day entrance fee is $20, 2-3 days in $40 or a 7 day pass for $70. If you do decide to get the 3 or 7 day pass, you have 7 days until the pass expires.

When you purchase the pass, you’ll receive a slip with your photo on it as well as a map of all of the temples. They take your photo when you’re purchasing it so that you cannot sell, giveaway or share your pass with anyone else. There are guards at various entrances to the temples so you have to have it on you when going into one every single day.

How to See All of the Temples

The temples are about 6 km away from the city center, not far at all! You have a couple of options of getting there, one with tuk-tuk or you can get there by bike which I found to be the most adventurous, but also tiring. I tried out both methods, but another option is by hired car, though I don’t have experience with that.

When you first arrive in Siem Reap, you will likely be transported to your hotel or hostel by tuk tuk and the driver will not charge you for taking you to the hotel in exchange for hiring him for transport to Angkor Wat. This should cost about ~$5 per person, but if you’re going alone you may be charged $15 USD. Keep in mind that the tuk-tuk driver is blocking the entire day for you as a customer, so don’t be a no-show for the sake of getting a free ride to your hotel, but make sure to negotiate and finalize a price before heading to the temples.

The driver takes you to all of the temples within a certain route, which is the best way to get around because some of them are set far apart from others. You also have the option of seeing Angkor Wat at sunrise so if you plan on going one day with a tuk-tuk and another by bike, I suggest taking the tuk-tuk on the morning you want to see the sunrise since you’re going to have to be there by 5:30 am. I’m not going to lie, there are a lot of tourists there at any time of the day, but if you get there early, go directly to the other temples and you will definitely have them to yourself a for at least a few hours and it is absolutely peaceful and you can explore without the distraction of big tour groups.

I completely recommend riding a bike out to the temples at least once if you can withstand the heat.  You can rent a cruiser all day for a $1. Just make sure to get a bike lock when you rent it so you can secure it while you’re off exploring and also check to see that your brakes work!

You can find a lot of information online about each of the temples, so if you have an iPad or tablet you could save information on it and bring it with you to use as reference or guide. Though even better, there are guides you can hire on site for $25 per day and they are very knowledgeable about the history of the temples and there are guides who speak English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and I’m sure others as well. I’d say it’s worth it considering most of us (at least in the US) did not learn about the temples in Cambodia while in school, so it’s completely new information.

Because the archaeological site is so massive, you can break up the trip in two days, “small tour” vs. “large tour” based on the routes on the map. We mixed it up a bit since we had thoroughly explored Angkor Wat during our first day there and there were specific temples we wanted to see.

Things to Keep in Mind When Visiting the Temples

When you’re visiting the temples, there are a couple things to remember. Being a religious site, it’s important to respect it. One thing that is asked of visitors is to dress appropriately so no short-shorts, mini dresses or revealing tops and that goes for visiting any temple throughout the region. They may ask you to not enter the site if you are dressed inappropriately, so one way to get away with the dress code is by wrapping a sarong around your waist like a long skirt or by using one as a shawl.

If there is a service going on, do not take photos without permission. The monks probably will not mind, but you need to ask first. And if you do take a photo of a monk, it’s proper to give them an offering. I did not know this and I was a little embarrassed, but at the same time taken off guard when a young boy who is a monk’s apprentice came up to me while I was taking photos of the temples and asked if I’d like him to pose for me. I said sure, and afterwards he asked me for a dollar. I was embarrassed because I didn’t have any cash on me, but I just didn’t know that he was expecting anything. Just something to keep in mind.

If you are going to be there at sunrise, most hotels will have breakfast ready for you if you let them know you are going to the temples early in the morning. That is if you already get breakfast at your accommodation. With that said, make sure to bring enough water and snacks or a sandwich to eat later because the food there is marked up quite significantly. I’m talking about $5 cookies, not okay.

Beware of the monkeys. Yes, they’re cute and adorable and it’s exciting to see them, but they will come up to you and steal your food. I’m serious. We were accosted by a monkey who bee-lined towards us the second we bought a batch of bananas and was absolutely relentless in taking it from us and shamelessy ate it in front of us! HMMP! We figured it was better to let it go than to risk getting bitten or scratched by it.

 

Five temples within Angkor Wat I don’t think you should miss….

 

Angkor Wat

Bayon

Baphuon

Terrace of the Leper King

Ta Prohm

 

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