A Guide to the Angkor Wat Temples in Cambodia — TheLensLady

5 min readJul 12, 2020

Angkor Wat temples are one of Cambodia’s most spectacular archeological sites and the surrounding Khmer Temples. A million tourists visit the ancient remnants of a large empire in Siem Reap.

The Angkor Archeological Park was designated a UNESCO World heritage in 1992. New ruins are frequently discovered. In 2007, a team of archaeologists realized that Angkor was one of the world’s largest pre-industrial cities, spread over a distance of at least 390 miles.

It is up to you how you enjoy Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia. The main site, which is easiest to access, is a tourist marvel. But in the surrounding jungle, scores of unrestored temple ruins are waiting.

Angkor Wat is the biggest religious monument in the world. It appears in the middle of the Cambodian flag.

Entrance Passes for Angkor Wat Temples

Entrance passes are offered for one day, three days, and seven days. Regardless of your route, you will certainly not be able to explore the area in a single day; consider buying a 3-day pass at least. A pass for three days costs less than two one-day passes.

In 2017, the entry fee to Angkor rose sharply; the one-day pass price almost doubled. Unfortunately, despite Angkor wat is in the Cambodian flag, not all ticket sales revenue is going to aid the infrastructure of Cambodia. A private company (Sokimex) manages the site and maintains a chunk of its revenue.

Understand What You’re Seeing

Yes, taking pictures of Angkor’s many ancient ruins and reliefs is going to keep you busy for some time, but if you understand what you see, you have a much more enlightening experience.

Known guides can be hired for about US$ 20 a day, but be careful about the unauthorized rogue freelance guides. If you hire a driver who does not act as a guide, you can always confirm when you leave the temple were to meet him. Hundreds of guides in similar looks waiting for you to find the one you have hired can be tricky after leaving the temple labyrinth!

If you prefer to go alone, take one of the many maps or booklets explaining every site. The informative book Ancient Angkor is worthwhile; your experience will be enhanced by history and insight. Wait for your purchase of the book near Angkor Wat; the airport sells overpriced copies.

Avoiding Scams at Angkor Wat Temples

Unfortunately, Angkor Wat is rife with scams, as do many major tourist magnets. Be careful that someone approaches you inside the temples, especially if there are not many visitors in the vicinity.

Off-service police officers sometimes approach temples tourists in uniform. They may offer information about a specific temple, or just ask for a bribe. Do everything you can to avoid interactions with them.

The official tuk-tuk and motorbike taxi drivers must wear colored jackets. Avoid transport from any driver who doesn’t wear an official jacket.

Once you buy an entrance pass, you don’t have to pay any extra admission fees. Don’t believe that anyone at the temple entrances will ask you for extra money or climb the stairs to the top levels.

Do not permit monks or anyone else to give you an incense stick, bracelet, or gift -after your interaction, they will request a donation.

Bicycle or motorcycle rental are good ways to move around Siem Reap and between the temples. Lock your bike all the time; robbers can be a problem. Unlike Thailand, in Cambodia, you drive to the right.

While buying books, postage cards and bracelets from the many persistent children who hawk them appears to be a way of helping them, it does perpetuate the bad industry (forced to sell by profitable people) and is not sustainable.

What to Wear While Visiting Angkor

Bear in mind that Cambodia’s Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious monument- respectful in the temples. The number of visitors who have seen the prayer recall that the complex is more than just a tourist attraction. Dress modestly.

When exploring Angkor Wat, Cambodians usually follow a dress code of covering knees and shoulders. Do not wear skimpy clothing or shirts with Hindu or Buddhist religious subjects such as Ganesh, Buddha, etc. When you see how many monks roam the temples, you will be glad you dressed conservatively.

While flip-flops are South-East Asian footwear of choice, many stairs at the top of temples are steep and dangerous. Trails can get slippery — take good shoes if you scramble. A hat is useful to keep the sun off, but it should be removed in some areas to show respect.

Must-See Angkor Wat Temples

While it is not easy to choose from thousands of temples in Angkor in Cambodia, some are considered more spectacular than others.

The most popular temples are as follows:

Angkor Wat (main site)
Angkor Thom
Preah Khan
Banteay Srei
Bayon
Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider temple)
Bakong

Once you have enjoyed the primary temple sites thoroughly, consider visiting these smaller sites.

The primary Angkor Wat complex is usually an activity circus, especially between December and March during the busy season. But you can have smaller temples that are difficult to reach practically for yourself. These smaller temples offer better photo opportunities; there are fewer tourists and signs that instruct tourists in every frame.

If you are not able enough to rent a scooter and have a map, a good guide/driver will need to be hired to reach some of the secondary temples. Ask him the following questions:

Food and Drink at the Angkor Wat Temples

We didn’t know before we visited how to plan our day around our meals, but we don’t have to worry about that. At Angkor, tasty food and drink are available outside the entrance and exit to most of the larger temples.

These are pretty basic open food stalls with tables and chairs in a kitchen with mainly rice and noodles. They also sell canned and bottled beverages and also welcome fresh smoothies, juices, and coconuts.

There are also several restaurants in the park, where dishes typically begin at $5. If you feel the heat, there are also few with a slightly higher price for aircon.

In the quieter wet season, we visited and most of the food stalls around the temples offered some dollars off the price listed.

Dishes usually come for about $5 to $6, but we have a few for about $4. Water for a large bottle was usually $1.

A cheaper alternative is to bring snacks and drinks there are many shops that are cheaper than in the park.

Getting to the Temples

Angkor is situated in Cambodia only 20 minutes north of Siem Reap. Between Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, there are many options.

The best time to go to Angkor Wat is from November to April during the dry season. In the monsoon, heavy rain makes ruins scratch outside a soggy experience.

The busiest months are usually December, January, and February at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. March and April are hot and wet unbearably.

Originally published at https://thelenslady.com on July 12, 2020.