Angkor is a region of northern Cambodia that served as the capital of the ancient Khmer empire, which existed from about the 9th to the 14th century. During this time, several important cities were constructed throughout the area, with the actual site of the capital city moving several times. Today there remain ruins of over 1,000 different temples and buildings throughout the expansive region.
Team Barbier at Angkor's most famous temple - Angkor Wat
Getting Around
Since our hotel in Siem Reap included a tuk-tuk driver throughout our stay, we were able to spread our visits of the ancient Angkor sites over our three days there. Angkor is located about a 15-20 minute tuk-tuk ride north of Siem Reap. Angkor itself comprises a huge area, all of which is considered a national park. Within this area are countless temples and ancient cities to explore. We purchased a 3-day pass which gave us unlimited access to all the temples for 3 full days. Our driver helped us plan out a route each day and would drop us off at each site, wait for us and then drive us to the next site. We decided to put all of the ancient sites we saw into this post, the length of which should give you some idea as to how large an area this is - and we only scratched the surface.
Since our hotel in Siem Reap included a tuk-tuk driver throughout our stay, we were able to spread our visits of the ancient Angkor sites over our three days there. Angkor is located about a 15-20 minute tuk-tuk ride north of Siem Reap. Angkor itself comprises a huge area, all of which is considered a national park. Within this area are countless temples and ancient cities to explore. We purchased a 3-day pass which gave us unlimited access to all the temples for 3 full days. Our driver helped us plan out a route each day and would drop us off at each site, wait for us and then drive us to the next site. We decided to put all of the ancient sites we saw into this post, the length of which should give you some idea as to how large an area this is - and we only scratched the surface.
Angkor was amazing, but we began to suffer from temple fatigue after our second day of temple visits. If you only want to dedicate one day to temples in Angkor, check out the itinerary at the end of this post. In addition to temples, we had other great experiences in Siem Reap that we'd highly recommend - for example, floating villages and the land mine museum - which we'll feature in the next couple of posts.
Guide or Self-Guided Tour
You can hire an official local guide to accompany you on your tour of the sites, which could be very helpful, depending on the guide. We saw some guides in the temple that spoke very poor english or spanish, while others sounded like great storytellers (we were a little jealous we didn't have one of those guides). We didn't hire a guide as we wanted to move at a pretty rapid pace. Instead, we bought a guidebook, a variety of which can be purchased from local people outside any of the major Angkor sites.
Attire
There is a dress code that mainly applies to women when entering certain parts of the temples. Legs must be covered (pants, long skirt or capris are fine), as well as shoulders. A scarf draped over the shoulder does not always pass! Always carry around a high-collared short-sleeved shirt. On the first day, I wore cargo pants, sneakers, a tank top and brought a short-sleeved shirt. I was incredibly hot and uncomfortable. That same day I purchased a long skirt at the night market, which I wore with sandals the following days and this was much more bearable. I still cringed when I had to put on my short-sleeved shirt in the heat and humidity!
Temples
Here are some of the notable sites we visited over the next few days:
Angkor Thom
The largest complex within Angkor, Angkor Thom is one of the newest cities at Angkor and one of the largest of all Khmer cities (Khmer is the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia). Angkor Thom translates to Great City and it was built in the 12th century and remained in use until the 1600's.
Guide or Self-Guided Tour
You can hire an official local guide to accompany you on your tour of the sites, which could be very helpful, depending on the guide. We saw some guides in the temple that spoke very poor english or spanish, while others sounded like great storytellers (we were a little jealous we didn't have one of those guides). We didn't hire a guide as we wanted to move at a pretty rapid pace. Instead, we bought a guidebook, a variety of which can be purchased from local people outside any of the major Angkor sites.
Attire
There is a dress code that mainly applies to women when entering certain parts of the temples. Legs must be covered (pants, long skirt or capris are fine), as well as shoulders. A scarf draped over the shoulder does not always pass! Always carry around a high-collared short-sleeved shirt. On the first day, I wore cargo pants, sneakers, a tank top and brought a short-sleeved shirt. I was incredibly hot and uncomfortable. That same day I purchased a long skirt at the night market, which I wore with sandals the following days and this was much more bearable. I still cringed when I had to put on my short-sleeved shirt in the heat and humidity!
Temples
Here are some of the notable sites we visited over the next few days:
Angkor Thom
The largest complex within Angkor, Angkor Thom is one of the newest cities at Angkor and one of the largest of all Khmer cities (Khmer is the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia). Angkor Thom translates to Great City and it was built in the 12th century and remained in use until the 1600's.
Bridge approaching the South Gate of Angkor Thom
One of the statues lining the bridge. The South Gate has the most well-preserved statues, while the statues on the other bridges have been eroded or looted over the years.
They are selectively restoring certain aspects of the Angkor sites so that visitors can see what they would have looked like in ancient times.
The first site you arrive at after entering the South Gate is the Bayon, the main temple of Angkor Thom.
Two of 216 faces on the Bayon. Many scholars beleive it's teh face of the temple's creator - the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII. Others think the faces belong to the bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara. They could be one and the same, as Jayavarman thought of himself as a god-king, identifying himself with Buddha and the bodhisattva.
 Inside the Bayon are endless corridors and caves to explore. This temple was huge. |  Every so often you turn a corner and come across an active shrine. |
Chris gets a good luck bracelet
The walls are covered with carvings, picturing stories, historical events and scenes from daily life.
Heading north, next you come to the Baphuon, another large temple within the complex. When it was originally built, it was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. In the late 15th century it was converted into a Buddhist temple.
View from the top
 We found a BC Superfan inside the Baphuon! |  Most of these sites involve really steep climbs. |
This is the Royal Palace, which remained in use until the 1500's. Interestingly, its scale pales in comparison to the temples.
The 'elephant terrace'
Inside the Terrace of the Leper King - the walls of the channels running through the terrace are covered with these intricate carvings.
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Cruising around ancient Angkor - heading on to our next stop!
Ta Phrom (aka the Tomb Raider temple)
We next headed over to Ta Phrom. While this was a famous temple in the old days, today it is arguably even more famous for being the site of filming many of the scenes in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. This site is interesting because it is only partially restored, so visitors can see how the jungle overtakes these ancient ruins. There are many areas where huge invasive trees are growing right out of the ruins, forcing the heavy stones apart over time. The two primary trees seen here are the silk-cotton tree and the strangler fig.
Ta Phrom
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One example of a silk cotton tree tearing apart the temple.
The silk cotton tree's roots are massive!
Trees like this with the clusters of thin trunks are strangler figs.
Something tells me this roof's days are numbered.
Angkor Wat - Sunrise, Sunset
We finished our first day of temple-hopping by visiting Ankgor Wat for sunset. Angkor Wat is the largest of all the Khmer temples, and today remains the largest religious monument in the world. It was built during the 1100's. The temple complex sits on a large area of land in the southern part of the Angkor area, closest to Siem Reap, and is surrounded by a huge moat. The best times to visit Angkor Wat are at sunrise and sunset, in order to see the temple in the most beautiful light. After visiting at sunset on our first day, we got up early to see sunrise on our third day in Siem Reap.
We finished our first day of temple-hopping by visiting Ankgor Wat for sunset. Angkor Wat is the largest of all the Khmer temples, and today remains the largest religious monument in the world. It was built during the 1100's. The temple complex sits on a large area of land in the southern part of the Angkor area, closest to Siem Reap, and is surrounded by a huge moat. The best times to visit Angkor Wat are at sunrise and sunset, in order to see the temple in the most beautiful light. After visiting at sunset on our first day, we got up early to see sunrise on our third day in Siem Reap.
Crossing the moat toward the temple complex
A splash of color!
Resting along the colonnade after a long, hot day of templing.
Angkor Wat's core has five elaborately-carved spires. It's best to visit just before sunset to climb to the top (but beware you can't enter after 5pm).
View from the top immediately before we got kicked out at closing time
Heading out for the day
Two days later, we were up with the sun to see Angkor Wat in a different light.
We showed up at the crack of dawn.
So did loads of other people.
But it was worth it!
This monkey got up for the show too.
Phnom Bakheng - Sunset
This is one of the oldest temples at Angkor, dedicated in the year 907 and served as the temple of the earliest Angkor capital city. It sits on, and was built out of, a large hill which today overlooks Angkor Wat. It is known as the best place to see sunset. We went here for sunset on our last day in Siem Reap. While the views were beautiful, the temple was absolutely mobbed with people, taking away from the experience. We actually left before the sun set because it was so crowded. On our way down the hill, we noticed some great viewing platforms along the path, which were better places to see the sunset and what we'd recommend doing!
This is one of the oldest temples at Angkor, dedicated in the year 907 and served as the temple of the earliest Angkor capital city. It sits on, and was built out of, a large hill which today overlooks Angkor Wat. It is known as the best place to see sunset. We went here for sunset on our last day in Siem Reap. While the views were beautiful, the temple was absolutely mobbed with people, taking away from the experience. We actually left before the sun set because it was so crowded. On our way down the hill, we noticed some great viewing platforms along the path, which were better places to see the sunset and what we'd recommend doing!
Sun setting from Phnom Bakheng
Monks viewing the sunset
The crowd
There was a better view of the sunset from the less-crowded viewing platform below the temple
Preah Khan
This was one of the last temples we visited and ended up being one of our favorites. We visited on our final day at Angkor after seeing the sunrise at Angkor Wat, so were still early enough to avoid seeing lots of other visitors. This temple was built in the late 12th century and reminded us a lot of Ta Phrom (the Tomb Raider temple) in that much of it has not been reclaimed and is still overrun by trees and vegetation. In addition to being a temple, it is thought that Preah Khan was also a Buddhist university, with over 1,000 teachers.
This was one of the last temples we visited and ended up being one of our favorites. We visited on our final day at Angkor after seeing the sunrise at Angkor Wat, so were still early enough to avoid seeing lots of other visitors. This temple was built in the late 12th century and reminded us a lot of Ta Phrom (the Tomb Raider temple) in that much of it has not been reclaimed and is still overrun by trees and vegetation. In addition to being a temple, it is thought that Preah Khan was also a Buddhist university, with over 1,000 teachers.
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Pre Rup
Another of the older temples at Angkor (mid-900's), this was a very pretty temple that afforded great views after climbing to the top.
Another of the older temples at Angkor (mid-900's), this was a very pretty temple that afforded great views after climbing to the top.
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Banteay Srei
This site is a bit farther from Siem Reap - about 45 minutes by tuk-tuk from most of the other sites at Angkor. Built in the late 900's, this temple is known as the Citadel of Women or the Citadel of Beauty. It was not a royal temple, but was built by Brahmin priests. It is notable for its very compact size and the intricacy of many of the stone carvings. One additional benefit of visiting this temple is that you'll pass by the hugely interesting Cambodian Land Mine Museum, which we'd highly recommend. We'll talk about this museum in the next post.
This site is a bit farther from Siem Reap - about 45 minutes by tuk-tuk from most of the other sites at Angkor. Built in the late 900's, this temple is known as the Citadel of Women or the Citadel of Beauty. It was not a royal temple, but was built by Brahmin priests. It is notable for its very compact size and the intricacy of many of the stone carvings. One additional benefit of visiting this temple is that you'll pass by the hugely interesting Cambodian Land Mine Museum, which we'd highly recommend. We'll talk about this museum in the next post.
Banteay Samre
This one is also located a bit farther away, but closer than Bantreay Srei (although both are in the same direction so can be visited together).
This one is also located a bit farther away, but closer than Bantreay Srei (although both are in the same direction so can be visited together).
Contemplating my next move
Our Recommended Itinerary for One Day in Angkor
It is possible to see many of the major Angkor sites in just one day, though it will be a very full day. Here's our suggested itinerary that will let you see all the highlights at their best:
1. Sunrise at Angkor Wat. Be sure to leave early enough to get your tickets and make it to the temple while it's still dark. Stay outside the main part of the temple to watch sunrise, but save the inside for later. Once the sun is up, head out.
2. Ta Phrom and Preah Khan - These will get very crowded later in the day (Ta Phrom in particular), so try to beat the crowds to experience the most serene atmosphere.
3. Back to Angkor Thom - it will be crowded, but is fairly spread out so it won't feel too crowded. Make your way through 4-5 main sites in the complex.
4. Depending on what time it is, check out Pre Rup. You will want to allow enough time to be back at Angkor Wat by 4pm, so skip this one if you need to.
5. Back to Angkor Wat at 4pm to see the interior, climb to the top, and take pictures in the beautiful light of sunset. Unfortunately they'll kick you out at 5:30 before the sun actually sets, but it's still worth it!
It is possible to see many of the major Angkor sites in just one day, though it will be a very full day. Here's our suggested itinerary that will let you see all the highlights at their best:
1. Sunrise at Angkor Wat. Be sure to leave early enough to get your tickets and make it to the temple while it's still dark. Stay outside the main part of the temple to watch sunrise, but save the inside for later. Once the sun is up, head out.
2. Ta Phrom and Preah Khan - These will get very crowded later in the day (Ta Phrom in particular), so try to beat the crowds to experience the most serene atmosphere.
3. Back to Angkor Thom - it will be crowded, but is fairly spread out so it won't feel too crowded. Make your way through 4-5 main sites in the complex.
4. Depending on what time it is, check out Pre Rup. You will want to allow enough time to be back at Angkor Wat by 4pm, so skip this one if you need to.
5. Back to Angkor Wat at 4pm to see the interior, climb to the top, and take pictures in the beautiful light of sunset. Unfortunately they'll kick you out at 5:30 before the sun actually sets, but it's still worth it!
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