It’s safe to say that a trip to Cambodia would not be complete without a visit to the Temples of Angkor. Housing the largest religious monument in the world and grounds encompassing 402 acres, its grand scale and incredible architecture holds so much history and culture.
The temples of Angkor were built between 800AD to 1300AD. Many Khmer kings built the temples that now lie just over three miles from the surrounding city of Siem Reap. The most famous temple, Angkor Wat, was built by Suryavarman II (King of the Khmer Empire from 1113 AD to 1145-1150 AD) in the early 12th century and was constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. It was meant to function as his state temple and mausoleum when he eventually died. Angkor also served as the capital of the Khmer empire and a strategic military post. In the 14th or 15th century, the Cambodian people transformed Angkor Wat into a Buddhist temple, which continues to the present day. The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia and can be found on their national flag.
Bob and I decided to get the three-day pass so that we were able to dedicate a day to seeing the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Two of his friends (Bryce and Bennett) joined us in Siem Reap, so with our Angkor tickets in hand, we spent the next full day touring a few of the many temples. We hired a tuk-tuk for the day that drove us around to different temples, which only cost us $18 total. The grounds of Angkor are too big to go by foot, so tuk-tuk, private car or even bicycles are all great options to get around.
Driving up to the Angkor Wat temple was incredible. There is a huge moat surrounding it and the sandstone architecture really is like nothing you have ever seen before. We strolled around for about an hour or so and then hopped back in our tuk-tuk and stopped for lunch. Typical Khmer cuisine consisted of curries, rice, meats and veggies.
After lunch we drove to our next temple, Ta Prohm. This temple is most famously known for being the filming site for the movie, Tomb Raider. The structures appear to be swallowed in tree roots, giving off a completely untouched look.
Next up was the temple of Ta Keo. Our journey to the top of the temple required us to climb on our hands and knees as the steps were incredibly steep. As we were approaching mid-day, the heat was really beating down on us and we were all sweating through everything we were wearing. Knowing that everyone else felt the same way, we continued on without caring.
Next up we saw the temple Bayon, located at the center of Angkor Thom. This temple is known for its 216 stone faces of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, with one facing pointing toward each cardinal direction.
After walking around most of the day we were pretty exhausted, so we decided to walk down and around one other temple and call it a day.
We didn’t end up seeing any other temples until our final day in Siem Reap. We had heard that the morning of Thursday, 9/22 was supposed to be one of the best sunrises at Angkor Wat during the year due to the position of the sun, so we were so excited to have coincidentally travelled here during that time.
Around 4:45am we woke up and grabbed a tuk-tuk to take us to Angkor Wat. At 5:15am we walked through the entrance of the temple and decided to head down to one of the ponds to get a nice reflection in the water. The sunrise wasn’t until 5:54am, so we waited and waited in hope of seeing the first signs of sun and color. Well, that didn’t exactly happen. The sky was too cloudy, which didn’t allow for any sunshine to creep though. My photos consist of many different shades of blue as I counted down to the time of sunrise, but it was still incredible to be at the temple at such and early hour.
Bob’s friends were headed back to Thailand later that morning, so the two of us decided to explore some more temples within the grounds of Angkor that we hadn’t seen on the first day. After a quick trip back to the hotel for breakfast, we headed to our first temple, Preah Khan.
Preah Khan functioned as a Buddhist university. Similar to Ta Phrom, many trees can be seen growing around the ruins.
The others temples we visited were Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rop and a second final stop at Ta Phrom.
It was incredible exploring the temples of Angkor and wandering around the grounds. I’m glad I did the three-day pass, which allowed us to not have to cram everything in to one day. If you’re planning on taking your own trip to Angkor, take a look at some of my tips below to help you prepare!
- Costs: 1 Day Pass: $20, 3 Day Pass: $40, 7 Day Pass: $60 (The nice thing about the multi-day tickets is that you don’t have to go in consecutive days!)
- Dress Code: Knees and shoulders must be covered when entering the temples to respect the sanctity of the temples and Cambodian culture. Women are allowed to wear dresses or skirts that hit at or below the knee and just a shawl or scarf to hide their shoulders. It gets REALLY hot, so dress strategically!
- Transportation: Hire a tuk-tuk driver or private car for the day as it’s impossible to actually walk the grounds of Angkor- and don’t forget to bargain!! If you’re feeling sporty, hop on a bicycle and go at your own pace.
- Children inside Angkor: As hard as it will be, do not give money to children trying to sell you trinkets and souvenirs inside Angkor. Unfortunately they have been put to work by their parents to try and make money, but this exposes them to predators. If you would like to donate money to help, there are a few charities in Siem Reap that work with street children.
- Tour Guides: If you’d like to have a tour guide take you around the temples, the best option would be to arrange an official guide with your hotel or hostel. Many people in guide uniforms stand outside the temples pretending to be guides but end up not being able to speak English well enough and can’t properly educate you on the history.
- Bring LOTS of Water: You will be walking all day long for multiple days. Stay hydrated! This makes the experience a lot more pleasant.
- Sunrise: If you plan on seeing the sunrise, which you should!!, get there around 5am so you have time to scope out a good spot before it gets too crowded.
Check out more photos in my Temples of Angkor album here!