An Essential Guide to Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

As a gateway to the ruins of Angkor, Siem Reap needs no introduction. Cambodia’s no. 1 tourist destination is a vibrant town that still manages to preserve much of its culture and traditions. If you’re planning a visit to check out the remains of the Khmer Empire, this essential guide is for you.

Let us start by saying that we arrived in Cambodia shortly after experiencing Myanmar and its most popular destination, Bagan (famous for its numerous temples and pagodas). Angkor was a very different experience for us.

Our Experience

When you think Angkor, you probably picture a beautiful serene sunrise over the massive towers of Angkor Wat with the hint of ancient civilisation and the smell of incense lingering in the air. Unfortunately, the reality of it is way less poetic.

Angkor Archeological Park is a UNESCO world heritage site that stretches over 400 km² and contains the remains of multiple capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th century. Together with Myanmar’s Bagan and Indonesia’s Borobudur, Angkor is one of the great archeological sites of Southeast Asia. It’s definitely a must-see if you’re in the region.

The downside being that it’s REALLY popular. According to the Tourism Ministry of Cambodia, Angkor Wat alone receives more than 1 million tourists per year. This can take away from your experience even during the low season (April to October).

Since we were a bit templed out, having previously spent 3 months in Southeast Asia, we focused on the main attractions. We also decided against hiring a local tour guide (a popular choice in Angkor) in favor of exploring on our own and getting lost among the jungle of ruins. Well, kind of… We did, however, managed to find a few not-so-hidden gems. Our favorite spots were: Angkor Wat (from the back!), Banteay Kdei, South Gate to Angkor Thom and Preah Khan Temple.

Logistics

Getting There

The easiest way to get to Siem Reap is by plane and that’s exactly what we did. Siem Reap International Airport (REP) is decently connected with major cities in the region. Another popular and more budget-friendly option — if you have 8.5h to spare — would be taking a bus from Bangkok.

As always, 12Go.Asia will help you figure out the most optimal route.

Upon Arrival

Visa

You will need a visa to enter the country. You can easily get it online, if you accounted for at least 3 days before your arrival. This will also save you some time at the airport, as the queue for the visa on arrival might get long.

If you’re lazy (like us ?), getting a visa on arrival at the airport is also an easy, but not quick, process. We read online that one should bring a passport photo for your application but some testimonials mentioned it’s not really necessary.We didn’t bring one and everything was smooth. The tourist visa you will get is valid for up to 30 days and it will cost you 30 USD. 

Local SIM Card

You can easily get the local SIM card at the airport. The trick is to go out of the terminal building and look around a little bit. On your right-hand side (nearby Starbucks) you will have a row of booths with all the mobile operators. There are shops front and back so compare all the prices before you make the final decision (unlike us ?‍♀).

Inside Siem Reap

The city is one of the strongholds of Grab so you can get places easily. They also have the option of hailing Tuk Tuks and Remorques (a more traditional and more open version of a Tuk Tuk). Both of these are significantly cheaper than traditional Grab cars, so that’s what we were using to get around town. For a 10-15 minute ride, we paid about 1.5 USD.

Around the Temples

Tickets

If you haven’t secured your tickets online, you will need to make a stop at the ticket office first. The place is crawling with people at 5.30 AM and will give you a first hint of what watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat will be like.

Depending on the length of your stay, your resistance to the killer heat and humidity, and how long you want to play Tomb Raider for, you can get a ticket for 1 day (37 USD), 3 days (62 USD, valid for 10 days from the date of purchase) or 7 days (72 USD, valid for 1 month).

One day passes are the most popular, so make sure you have enough time to get your ticket (there might be a queue, particularly in the high season — December to February) and still make it to Angkor Wat in time for the sunrise.

Getting Around

Even though we saw a few rental places in town, we were told that tourists are not allowed to rent motorbikes. Nevertheless, you have a few other options to cruise around the Angkor temples.

E-Bikes

After Bagan, we were really excited about those. However, as we did our research, it had turned out that it’s a bit of a hustle in Angkor. All the rental places are located in town, so by the time you make it to the temples (about a 25-minute drive), your battery is probably half-empty.

There are a few charging stations scattered around the temples and recharging the bikes is free, in theory at least. We heard stories of people being asked to buy something before they could charge their bikes. Naturally, the recharging process also takes up your precious time. And since being the right places at the right time was crucial for us, we had to decide against it.

Price-wise it’s not a bad option at 12-14 USD for a 24h rental.

Bicycles

Cycling around the temples hidden in the jungle does have a romantic ring to it but with almost 100% humidity and 36°C/97°F+ temperatures, it sounded more like a suicide mission to us. However, it certainly is the cheapest — 2-4 USD per day.

Tuk Tuk/Remorque

That’s what we did. We went with the easiest — but probably not the cheapest option — and hired a Remorque through our hotel. It came with a friendly driver handing us cold towels and water at the end of each stop which literally saved our lives more than once. ?

We paid 30 USD for the big circuit and 27 USD for the small one. Plus, there was a surcharge of 10 USD for the sunrise which we thought was a bit of a stretch, but we had no choice but to agree to it.

Routes

There are fixed routes you can take around the temples — a big circuit and a small one (both usually going clockwise). While those are probably the most optimal routes, everybody seems to be doing the exact same thing and avoiding other tourists is practically impossible.

Must-See Places

Angkor Wat

Obviously. After all, that’s the reason why you go to Siem Reap to begin with.

Originally built as Hindu (dedicated to Vishnu), and then transformed into Buddhist, the temple complex is one of the largest religious monuments in the world. It has become the symbol of Cambodia and appears in the country’s flag. It is also a significant religious center and the best-preserved temple in the Angkor Archeological Park.

Curiously, as the only temple in the complex, Angkor Wat faces West which is what makes it a great spot for sunrise watching.

Preah Khan Temple

This one was definitely one of our favorites. It welcomes you with a long picturesque walkway through the forest that will lead you to a diversified complex. A former center of a substantial organization, with almost 100,000 officials and servants.

The Buddhist temple in the middle is surrounded by satellite Hindu structures creating an interesting mix. On top of that, Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, so you can admire numerous trees growing among or directly out of the ruins. A pretty crazy sight!

Banteay Kdei

Another stop, another temple. Banteay Kdei is supposed to mean “A Citadel of Chambers.” It’s a Buddhist monastic complex but not a very big one so it’s easy to check it out fairly quickly and move on to the next one .

We were there around 7.40 AM so we almost had it all to ourselves. Stay put though. There were two locals wandering around the temple and trying to point us to good picture spots for which then they requested a tip even though we just doing our thing. ?

Ta Prohm Temple

That’s the one from the 2001 Tomb Raider movie with Angelina Jolie. Yes, it is a pretty unique place where the jungle tries to reclaim the man-made structures, but for us, it was far from the nicest. At the time of our visit (end of March 2019), the temple was undergoing some major renovations. While we appreciate the necessity of stopping the structure from falling apart, the ever-present scaffolding and a crane in the middle of the temple did take away from the experience.

Still, you should definitely see it with your own eyes. Just make sure you’re there the second it opens so that you can soak all the mystical atmosphere in before the tour buses arrive.

Other Sights

Here’s a few other places of interest we didn’t manage to get to this time around:

• Tonle Sap Lake – the largest lake in Southeast Asia that changes in size and dimension every wet season. Probably best to visit during the wet season when the floating villages are in full bloom. The lake is connected to the Mekong River by the Tonle Sap River. Both rivers meet in Phnom Penh and a cruise from Siem Reap to the capital certainly sounds like an interesting idea.
• Phnom Kulen – literally Moutain of Lychees, 1.5h drive from Siem Reap, the main attraction is a waterfall at the top of the Kulen Mountain. It’s a sacred site with multiple temples, most important ones being Thousand Lingas at Kbal Spean (stone carvings in the river bed), within the Kulen National Park site, and Preah Ang Thom Pagoda with a giant reclining Buddha.
• Banteay Srei – often called The lady temple, the tiny temple, or the pink temple is a 30-minute drive from the main Angkor complex. Quite different from the other Angkor Temples due to its miniature scale, the pink color of the limestone, and the elaborate decorative carvings of many female deities gracing its walls.

Common Scams

Tuk-Tuk scams, child vendors, fake ticket agents, fake guards, and even fake monks! Angkor has it all. World Nomads has a good article on how not to get scammed at Angkor. Have a close look at it before you set your foot in the ancient Khmer land. We didn’t witness anything like that but better safe than sorry!

Children Selling Trinkets

It happened to us once that a young girl approached us in front of a temple offering souvenirs for 1 USD. She wouldn’t leave even after we told her “no” 5 or 6 times. Driving away was the only thing that made her finally ignore us.

This apparently is really common and the kids can be really persuasive. Don’t buy into it. Getting money from tourists keeps children out of school as they are exploited as a way to provide income.

Milk Scam

We hear this is another popular way of earning on tourists. Children or young women carrying babies will ask you to buy formula for a baby. They will take you to a special shop, pick out the most expensive one, and then give it back to the shop as soon as you’re gone. The profits are then divided between the parties.

In reality, if a mother is actually unable to feed her baby, there are numerous organisations that provide free formula. So don’t fall for this trick.

Food

Mahob Buos was definitely our favorite restaurant in town. It’s a low key joint with a large selection of mouth-watering vegan dishes. For a healthy meal option, try also Sister Srey Cafe or Vibe Cafe. Both places are well-rated, have cute decor and a great menu to choose from.

We also tried Vegetal Wonder as reviews rave about it and it happened to be the closest one to our hotel but that experience was mediocre at best.

Accommodation

We stayed at the Anjali by Syphon boutique hotel. It’s a cute modern oasis and a perfect place to relax after hours of temple hopping. The rooms were spacious, the pool was very refreshing and the staff was quite attentive. They also have a spa on the premises but the price tag effectively scared us away. The only problem — except for a few mishaps that might happen everywhere — was the location (the distance to town is not really easily walkable). That being said, a 10-minute Tuk Tuk ride and you are right in the middle of Siem Reap’s hustle and bustle.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay there and would recommend it.

Summary

While Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor did not end up on the list of our favorite spots, it’s definitely somewhere you should go to at least once in your life.

Having been there in the dry season, we would probably recommend going during or right after the wet season (July to September). Fewer people, lush greenery, and it doesn’t rain all day anyway. 3-4 days would be enough to get a good feel for the area and explore all the major sites.

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See you on the road,