Wow! Surely Angkor Wat is a real wonder of the world as far as we are concerned. This magical temple complex in Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world, and you can tell. No matter how long you take your time for Angkor Wat: you will never be able to see and explore all the temples. You will have a good time exploring the most beautiful temples during 2 days in Angkor Wat. In this article, we will take you to Angkor Wat and provide you with all the practical tips.
Content of this blog:
What is Angkor Wat?
Angkor Wat literally means temple city. The largest temple (Angkor) lies as the central hub in the city. Around Angkor you will find more than 1,000 temples spread over 400km². Angkor itself was built between 1113 and 1145. So it’s been around for almost a thousand years! The entire temple complex is completely built in the ancient Khmer style.
Angkor Wat visits
From Siem Reap, you can easily visit Angkor Wat. A drive to the entrance takes only 15 minutes from the city. You can visit Angkor Wat in three ways:
- With an organized tour
- By tuktuk (and possibly arrange your own guide to go with it)
- By mountain bike
We chose to go with an organized tour of Getyourguide on the first day. We were with a pleasant group and a guide who could tell a tremendous amount. As a result, you immediately learn a lot about the history of Angkor Wat, the history of Cambodia and how everything came about. We found this really interesting and therefore can only recommend it.
The tours start early in the morning. Around 04:15 you will be picked up at your hotel. In fifteen minutes you drive to the entrance where you can buy entrance tickets on the spot. It is also possible to buy tickets in advance online. The price is the same. For a one-day pass you pay $37 and for a three-day pass you pay $62.
After you pass through the entrance, drive straight to Angkor Wat, the largest and most central temple. This is a good place to sit for the sunrise. If you are lucky, around 05:30 you will see the color of the sky change to purple, then to red, orange and yellow. We saw a beautiful sunrise both times (in February) and found this really an addition to the Angkor Wat tour.
After sunrise, you will enter the Angkor Wat temple with the guide. Here he tells all about the history of this immense complex, how it was built and the stories that have circulated here for years. At 08:00 it is time for breakfast and you will be taken to a nice breakfast spot. After breakfast, you will visit the jungle temple and the temple in the old city. At 11:30 it becomes too hot to walk outside and you return to your hotel. Here you can catch up on your sleep by the pool.
If you take a tuk-tuk yourself, you are of course free to decide which temples you do and do not want to go to. The tuktuk drivers know the fun routes and can take you to all the temples you want to see. The downside, however, is that they often cannot tell much about the temples. As a result, you get nothing from the history and that is (we thought) exactly what is interesting. Therefore, we really liked our choice and recommend it to you as well:
Go out on day 1 with the organized tour and guide. To him you can also ask many questions. We can definitely recommend this $15 tour.
On day 2, head out on your own by tuktuk (or mountain bike if you’re up for that). You can now largely determine your own route and take longer to take pictures.
Mountain biking to Angkor Wat
In Siem Reap, mountain bikes are rented everywhere so you can go to Angkor Wat by yourself. This is a super fun way to explore the temples of course. Just keep in mind that, after 10:00 am, it is really very hot in the temple complex and you get very little cooling while cycling. Also, the distances between temples are very long so you are often biking for at least 20 minutes to the next temple. On top of that, you also have to cycle 6 kilometers back and forth from Siem Reap to Angkor Wat.
It is fun to explore the temples by mountain bike but be sure to leave early (around 05:00) and not stay at Angkor Wat until the hottest part of the day.
How should I dress in Angkor wat?
Angkor Wat is, of course, sacred territory. You must cover your knees and shoulders here, both as a man and a woman. With men, though, it is often made easier if they are wearing pants that extend just above the knee. With women, this is not accepted. Furthermore, it is advisable to actually put on a t-shirt as well. If you drape a scarf around your shoulders, some guards do not consider this sufficient and then you are not allowed to enter a temple.
Always behave respectfully toward people and faith. Talk to each other in a calm manner and do not take pictures of guards.
Conclusion Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is a bizarrely large temple complex, which is a true wonder of the world. You really shouldn’t skip Angkor Wat during your trip in Cambodia. Be sure to spend at least one day with a guide to learn more about the history. This is a real addition during your visit to Angkor Wat. If you are still looking for a good tuktuk driver we recommend Kimsanh. An extremely sweet man who, like many others, had a difficult time during corona time. His phone number is +855 923 147 86. He charges a very low price so, if you are satisfied, give him a small tip :). He charged $20 for 8 hours of tuktuk driving including picking us up at 05:00. We gave him $30 and this was greatly appreciated.
