Cambodia was my first ever international trip, and I had huge excitement to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site, Angkor Wat Temple (being a history fan and someone who LOVES reading travel blogs, I could not wait to finally set my eyes on the beautiful architecture of the temple). The trip did not just satisfy my love for history, it is also still the most magnificent sight of architecture I have ever laid my eyes on. Angkor Wat is totally worth it if anyone is having second thoughts!
Uncovering the Ancient Wonders of Angkor Wat
We spent total of 4 days in Siem Reap. Our first stop was Angkor National Museum – I strongly recommended everyone who visits Siem Reap to go to this museum first before exploring the magnificent temples at Angkor. The museum is one of its kind and provided complete history and background of the ancient Khmer civilization and DEFINITELY helped us to relate and understand the carvings, statues and architectures of the Angkor temples when we visited the next day. Our tuk-tuk cost us $2 each way (to-and-fro hotel).
How to Prepare for Your Angkor Wat Day Trip
Our trip was in mid-August, the weather was manageable, but it did rain on the day we went to Angkor Wat (we waited out in the temple itself). It was also very humid day, so you might want to stock up on water, cap/hats, sunscreens, extremely good walking shoes and clothes that covers your shoulders and knees (they were pretty strict about the clothes – you need to get scarves outside to enter the temples).
Making the Most of Your Time
Our day started from the hotel at 8am, we took a tuk-tuk from our hotel itself (paid $25 for two pax), they had a one-day package that includes several temples. They did provide option to change the selections, but it was our first time there hence we followed the package as it is. We get one driver, and he explained the temples we will be visiting – the package did not include any guided tour inside the temple. He just dropped us and picked us up from each of the temples. The first stop was the ticketing counter (Angkor Park Pass Ticket Counters) where you can choose to get a 1-day pass; 3-day pass; or 7-day pass. We went with 1 day, since we had other places, we wanted to cover in Siem Reap however after completing the day trip, I strongly recommend getting at least the 3-day pass. The temples are huge and there are far apart from each other. You might want to break it to few days instead of visiting them all in one day. It was extremely tiring, and we were not able to cover all the temples or spend longer time in one temple according to our flexibility.
Exploring the Hidden Treasures of Angkor Wat on a Day Trip – Best temples for One Day Itinerary
Angkor Wat was the first temple we covered, we spent close to three hours here, and yet it wasn’t enough! We had to skip climbing up to the top because the queue was long, and we had other temples to visit. I did not manage to get even one clear shot without anyone – it was that crowded. The interior had carvings and stories of its own – you can choose to get a guide on site too, they were many of them waiting right at the entrance offering their services. Those ancient architecture, long walkway with so plenty of historic flashes, broken statues – it is definitely something everyone need to experience at least once in their lifetime.
We headed to the Bayon temple next, temple with towers and pillars covered with faces. It was equally beautiful, with sunlight shinning through the temple deity.
The tuk tuk driver stopped at a local food stall in between the temples for an hour break lunch. They were not many choices of food during the temple visits as the temples are far from another, I strongly suggest packing food – the food at the stalls were expensive too.
We headed to Ta Prohm after lunch – the famous Tomb Raider filming location. I recommend spending longer time here, it was spectacular. Our final stop was Phnom Bakheng Hill temple. We wanted to catch the sunset as this was the popular spot. The temple required a short hike up, and only 300 pax are allowed in the temple at one time. We had to arrive almost two hour earlier and queue in to get in the temple. Each of us was given a pass, and when 300 pax reached, we had to wait until someone leaves to get in the temple. Be sure to check the weather, we did not have the chance to see the sunset as it rained few hours earlier. I was already planning to make another trip to Angkor Wat just to watch the sunset. We were dropped off at the hotel around 7pm and that concludes our day trip to Angkor Wat.
PS: If there are any bookworm or history fans like me, I recommend getting this book, I did and loved it!
