Angkor Temples - Recomended Tour - Cambodia Travel Information

Angkor?s temples were built between 9th to 14th centuries AD by the Khmer people, which was one of the most dominant cultures in the area. The first king in the Angkor dynasty became a king in 802 AD.

UNESCO declared Angkor Temples in 1992 as a World Heritage Site.

Getting to Angkor Temples

The closest city to Angkor is Siem Reap and it is situated about 10 km southern to Angkor Wat temple. A paved road passes between Siem Reap and Angkor, and a station that checks the entrance tickets to the park.

Visiting the Angkor Temples

The archeological park of Angkor includes 70 ruined temples at an area of 200 sq km. the main temples are centered at the area?s center on a ground of 60 sq km. the area is netted with roads and trails convenient for a ride, thus it is possible to easily move from one place to another by motorbike.

Route

The below track is for 3 days. Be aware that this track includes only the sites that I see as ?must sites?!

Day I

Walk early morning (before sunrise) towards Angkor direction. Purchase a ticket ($40) at the park?s entrance. A passport photo is required for the ticket, but it is possible to be photographed on the spot.

It is recommended to start the visit at Angkor area watching the sunrise in Angkor Wat temple. Almost all tourists enter the temple from the main entrance, the western. However Angkor Wat has also a back entrance, an eastern. There are 2 advantages in this entrance: the first entrance to the temple is done quietly, with no flock of tourists around. In addition this entrance enables the visitor to see at the beginning only the temple?s main tower between the trees, and slowly as walking towards the temple, it appears to the viewer with its full glory. The sunrise lightens the temple in beautiful reddish light.

It is recommended to devote at least half a day to Angkor temple ? there is certainly enough to see.

At noon continue to Ta Prome temple. It seems logical to go first to Bayon temple, yet we will return there for sunset.

Banteay Kedi temple is situated near Ta Prome temple. This big temple is worth a visit, but if there is no time to visit it at the first day, it can be postponed to another day.

After the tour at Ta Prome temple, we will continue to the city surrounded by walls? Angkor Thom. At the city?s central there are various temples, and will leave the most important among them to the end. A small place that you should not miss in Angkor Thom is the Terrace of the Leper King.

About 2 hours before sunset, it is recommended to go to Bayon temple to tour there before and during sunset. At the end of the day, return to the hotel in Siem Reap.

The cost of a motorbike with a driver for this day is $6.

Day II

In this day you can wake a little bit later (but not too much!)

We will start the second day with a ride to Banteay Seri temple. This temple is situated about 30 km from Siem Reap, but is worth the drive. This temple contains the most impressive wall paintings in the area.

On the way back we will continue to Banteay Samre temple- a small temple but with character.

The next temple is Ta Som. The impressive place in this temple is the opposite gate to the one you will be entering from. To get there you need to cross the temple and walk in a trail that starts from the other side. Over there, there is a gate that is captured by a picturesque tree.

Next temple is Preah Khan. This temple is huge. Usually you will be drooped at one gate and picked up at another gate. However, in my opinion the most beautiful parts in the temple are actually the two other gates! In one of them (the eastern) there are few trees that slowly removes the temple?s walls and in the second one (the southern) the temple is boarded with a jungle, which gives a sense of a lost temple.

For sunset we will return to Angkor Wat. In General the sunset is more colorful then the sunrise and it colors the temple in red. Thus, if you saw the sunrise it is worthwhile seeing also the sunset.

By the way, many will offer you to climb on a hill that observes Angkor to watch sunset- a complete waste of time!!! Try and enjoy?

After sunset we will return to Siem Reap.

The cost of a motorbike with a driver for this day is $8-$10 (the track is longer).

Day III

Also in this day it is possible to wake a bit later. This day will be dedicated for a short visit at Roluos Group temples area. These temples are not especially impressive, but they worth a visit.

We will dedicate the rest of the third day to return to the most beautiful temples (in your opinion) where you visited already. One of the nicest things in Angkor is that every time you get to a place which you have already been to, you will always find something new in it.

The cost of a motorbike with a driver for this day is about $6.

Tips

After he traveled in Angkor, Doron Helis sent us the following offer:

It is possible to rent a jeep with a driver to get to Beng Melea temple, a temple which the jungle took over and it is really amazing (even more then Ta Prome temple) and to Kbal Speam which is a waterfall that flows on rocks where beautiful relief were quarried. On the way back you can visit at Bantey Srei temple. Why jeep? Because the road is a difficult path (I really felt like in Paris-Dakar rally), but because of that you can be in places alone, without the crowd, in one of the most amazing places I have ever seen.

The cost of the jeep with a driver is about $40 a day. You can always find people that will be willing to share this expense with you.

Another option is to rent a bicycle for the last day to return and visit the places alone with no one around (for the cost of $1).