KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The site
The name Angkor Wat is the all-encompassing term used around the world so some clarification on what that exactly means is necessary.
Angkor Archeological Park is the 400km2/155sq mile complex a 15 minute drive from Siem Reap. The temple and forest complex makes up the UNESCO World Heritage site, with the temple Angkor Wat being the main attraction. Wat means Buddhist temple in Thailand/Cambodia/Laos and Angkor Wat is the huge temple on the site of what used to be the city of Angkor (Angkor means city). Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer empire, a Hindu-Buddhist empire that was the predecessor to modern-day Cambodia. Angkor Wat is the ruins of said city and is currently the largest religious monument in the world at 1.62 km2 and 0.63 miles2.
Access
There are no hotels/lodgings in the Archeological Park so you should book a hotel/hostel etc. in the nearby Siem Reap.
All non-Cambodian citizens need to pay for a visitor pass in order to access the complex. This visitor pass gives you access to the whole park and to all the temples.
Ticket: The ticket is a personalized pass with your picture on it and thus can only be used by you. The picture is taken on the spot when you purchase your ticket. Make sure to always have your ticket on you when you vist the park as it will be checked upon entry and occasionally throughout your visit.
Price: A 1-day ticket is $37 (in USD - the main currency used in Cambodia) with a 3-day ticket at $62 and a 7-day ticket for $72 per person. Children under 12 years old go in for free (upon presentation of a passport).
The entrance ticket can be paid in cash (US Dollars, Cambodian Riel, Thai Bath, Euro) or by credit card (Discover, Visa, Mastercard, Union Pay, JCB, Diners Club) (as of 2017).
Ticket Office: Tickets can not be purchased in the Archeological Park. They must be purchased from the Ticket Office at Street 60, Krong Siem Reap between Siem Reap and the Park. The Ticket Office is open from 4:30am-5:30pm.
In Advance: It is possible to buy a ticket online through Green Era Travel on Tripadvisor at https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g297390-d13857364-Angkor_Wat_Admission_Ticket-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html
These tickets are at a higher price with 1-Day tickets at $59, 3-Day at $90, and 7-Day at $103. These higher prices are for the advance tickets and delivery to your hotel at around 6pm the night before yourvisit. It does not include transportation nor a guide.
Hours: A ticket for a particular day (stamped on the pass) is valid from 5pm the previous day until 5pm that day (to allow for sunrise). 3-day tickets are valid for 7 days after purchase and 7-day tickets are valid for a month after purchase.
You can enter Angkor Archeological Park from 5am-5:30pm. Phnom Bakheng right next to Angkor Wat is open till 7pm and are great places to see the sunset. If you have a day pass, check out the sunset the day before, get some sleep and get up early the next morning with ticket in hand to see the sunrise and explore the temples.
Clothing: Make sure to have your shoulders and knees covered when visiting the temples. Also, it can get pretty hot so make sure to wear loose clothing, a hat, good walking shoes and bring sunscreen, water, etc.
Avoid Scams: Angkor Wat is a very popular tourist site and while the general structure is very well set up, there is plenty of opportunity for scams. Make sure to buy your ticket from the official ticket office (the Tripadvisor company buys your tickets at the Ticket Office for you and previous customers have been able to get into the park). There will be plenty of tuk tuk/taxi drivers offering tours but it is recommended to have your hotel find someone for you to avoid being scammed. Also take care when visiting the complex with people trying to sell you things, charging you extra money to climb Angkor Wat, etc.
Tours: Your hotel/hostel can help you find someone to take you around Angkor Wat. Generally, there is the morning "Grand Tour" where you visit: Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, and Bantaey Kdei. This tour is around 6 hours and leaves at 4:30am to see the sunrise. A private Tour is ~$15 (for the whole group, no tour guide) + $3 for sunrise. To be a part of the group tour (sunrise) is around $6 pp, $12 for tour guide. The "Small Tour" is Prea Khan, Neak Pean, Ta som, East Mebon, and Pre rup which generally leaves at 12:30 and you can see the sunset at Pre Rup. There are also trips to Banteay Srei and the Land Mine museum, with another to Beng mealea.
Booked Tour: Angkor is a huge tourist attraction and, therefore, there is a lot of tourist infrastructure in place. Siem Reap is mostly a city for lodging/food for Angkor visitors and there isn’t public transportation to get you to and around the complex. For that reason, each hotel/hostel will be able to organize a visit for you (alone or with a guide). If you do decide to do a pre-arranged tour, make sure to check which temples are being visited and how long it will take.
THE VISIT
Sunrise: It's definitely an early start to the day but definitely worth it. Sunrise is generally from 5-6:30 so try to get to Angkor by 5am at the latest (especially if you need to buy tickets). Getting there early also means you can get a spot in front of the water so see the temple reflected on the water.
Angkor Wat: The main attraction - the rectangular huge temple site in the middle of the park. It’s an important part of the country’s history (it is on the flag of Cambodia) and with tourism making up about 20% of its GDP, it is clearly very important to Cambodia today.
While it is definitely very popular and there are always huge crowds of people, it is immense with lots of inner courtyards and hiiden areas that you can explore and escape to.
You can climb to the third and top level of the temple at the middle. I would recommend going there first as the lines can get very long later in the day.
Angkor Thom: This was the last capital city of the Khmer empire until the Ayutthaya people sacked the city and the remaining Khmers went to Phnom Penh (the current capital of Cambodia). At the center of the 9km2/3.5mile2 ruins is the Bayon temple, known for its facades with large faces.
Ta Keo
Built by Jayavarman V when he came to power in 975AD, this temple is probably the first Khmer temple to be built out of sandstone.
Ta Prohm
This temple was built around 1186AD and is one of the most popular temples in Angkor. The current name means "ancestor Brahma" but when it was first built it was called Rajavihara, meaning "monastery of the king". It was built as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university by King Jayavarman VII.
Today, people know it as the "Tomb Raider" temple as it was the site for the 2003 "Lara Croft - Tomb Raider" movie starring Angelina Jolie. She often comes back to Cambodia, adopted one of her children from there, and she was given Cambodian citizenship in 2005 in in recognition of her environmental and conservation work in the country.
The facades are similar to the Bayon temple but it’s more secluded and has a lot of hidden courtyards. What really sets it apart is the large trees with roots growing in and over the temple. The roots are so high up and large that you can stand in them and they are all over the walls, making the temple feel like a part pf the forest.
Banteay Kdei
This smaller temple was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII around the end of the 12th century. It's pretty similar to the previous temples and involves a short walk straight through the complex. It has fallen into disrepair and is currently undergoing construction.
Check out my travel diary (6 August) to see what my experience in Angkor Wat was like and what I did in my 96 hours in Cambodia (5-9 August).
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