The highlight of any trip to Siem Reap is visiting the famous Angkor Wat temple complex, this sprawling Hindu-Buddhist temple is a must-see on any Cambodia itinerary. Contrary to popular belief, Angkor Wat isn’t just a single temple but a a sprawling temple complex and considered one of the largest religious structures in the world. I finally got to see it on my recent short trip to Cambodia and it is possible to see the Angkor Park highlights even with limited time – here’s how.
I visited Siem Reap in Cambodia at the invitation of Emirates when they launched their inaugural flight from Singapore to Phnom Penh in May 2024.
See the article about spending one day in Angkor Wat that I wrote for The Straits Times Life! I also contribute do this other article about alternative things to do in Siem Reap – note that these are paywalled articles >_<
Looking for a guide to bring you around Cambodia? My tour guide Martine was an excellent guide, knowledgeable, friendly and speaks English pretty well. Contact him on whatsapp +855 969 999 755 to make tour arrangements and tell him I sent you his way!
Is 1 day enough for Angkor Park?
This largely depends on how much you like temples. The 1-day pass is what most people will take to see the highlights, but if you plan to stay longer or want to take your time with the sights to avoid the crowds (there are over 50 temples in the complex), there are also a 3-day pass and a 7-day pass depending on how gungho you are.
Tip: Buy your ticket in the late afternoon about 5pm (the counters close at 530pm). This way you don’t have to rush to buy tickets the next morning if you plan to catch the sunrise, and you are also allowed to use the ticket that evening to catch any sunset spots.
My trip – 1 Day (and 1 free evening): We headed to the ticket counters at 5pm on 3rd May (Fri) to buy our 1-day ticket for 4th May. That same evening on 3rd May, we were allowed to access the Angkor Park to see Phnom Bakheng for the sunset. The following day on 4th May, we saw Angkor Wat and Ta Promh, and would have seen Angkor Thom as well that afternoon but we were exhausted past measure from the heat and opted to skip it.
Angkor Park in 1 day: You could see all 4 spots in a single day if you plan it well – Angkor Wat in the morning, Ta Promh and Angkor THom in the afternoon, and then Phnom Bakheng for sunset but it might be quite a rush and a very, very long day for you.
Where to buy Angkor Park tickets
in Siem Reap
The only legitimate place in Siem Reap to buy tickets to Angkor Archaeological Park is at the Angkor Park Pass Ticket Counters located along Apsara Road, next to the Sokha Siem Reap Resort.
When you buy your pass, the counter staff will take a photo of you and affix it to your pass. Make sure to carry this pass with you everywhere in the Angkor Park area because they can and will check this pass quite stringently both along the roads as well as the park entrances.
My 1-day pass cost US$37. There is a 3-day pass for US$62 (within 10 day period) and a 7-day pass for US$72 (within 30 day period).
To stretch your pass, buy your ticket the day before you use it, but after 5pm. You will be allowed to visit the sunset spots on that evening (that close at 7pm) AND still have full day access to the park the following day.
Angkor Park Pass Ticket Counters [Google maps] Open 5am – 530pm.
Online
You can buy your Angkor park and Koh Ker tickets online at the Angkor Enterprise Website as well if you prefer to get everything done beforehand. It’s quite easy to set up an account on make payment with your credit card. You will need to have a recent photo in jpg on hand to upload as part of the photo ID.
The downside is that I’m not sure you can stretch your pass with an additional evening like I mentioned above (let me know if you’ve tried this!).
Map of Angkor Park highlights
Here’s a handy map of the Angkor highlights that I mention in this article to help you visualise your route.
Angkor Wat – The Cambodian Icon
Angkor Wat is one of those major tourist attractions that is and will be crowded all the time. It is the main reason most people come to Siem Reap in the first place. The stupas of Angkor Wat can be found on Cambodia’s national flag and considered a national symbol. Built in the early 12th century, this temple complex dedicated to Hindu deity Vishnu the preserver is considered to be the world’s largest religious monument spanning over 160 hectares.
Expect to spend at least 2-3 hours walking around and taking in the intricate architecture and carvings that cover the gallery walls of Angkor Wat and exploring the various buildings that make up the temple. HelloAngkor.com was a pretty useful reference in understanding the layout and various areas within Angkor Wat.
Sunrise at Angkor Wat – is it worth waking up for?
One of the bucket list things to do in Cambodia is to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat and get that ‘gram-worthy shot of the sun rising over the stupa of the main temple. Angkor Park only opens at 5am, so you will need to leave your hotel by about 430am if you want to get to the park early enough to grab a good spot.
Interestingly, Angkor Wat is unusual for a temple as its main entrance actually points west towards the sunset instead of towards the east for sunrise and good energy, but it’s still a popular sunrise spot regardless.
The prime spot most people head for is near the West Entrance where the Rainbow Bridge is. There is a reflecting pond in front of the Northern Library with a prime view of the stupas of Angkor Wat.
We managed to grab a great spot right in front of the water, and in no time at all the place behind us was filled up with people! Sunrise that day was at 520am, but the time that the sun will be positioned over the stupa was about an hour later, so be prepared to do a lot of waiting while surrounded by crowds.
There was some cloud cover that day so about 6am++ we decided to give up our spot and walk around instead. Quite honestly, I think there are lots of other pretty spots to get a shot of Angkor Wat from besides the pond, so unless you want that specific postcard shot, I wouldn’t bother.
But regardless of whether you want to catch the sunrise, I recommend visiting Angkor Wat in the morning just because it’s not as hot as the afternoons can get, especially in the summer. We had 38ºC but feel liks 44ºC temperatures when we visited…
Because it was so early, our hotel packed breakfast for us to go, and we headed over to the little eateries in the area to buy a drink from them and use their tables to have our meal.
Outer Northern Library
This small building behind the reflecting pool turned out to be one of my favourite spots to photograph Angkor Wat. It’s a low building behind the reflecting pool and while it’s called a library, it was basically a place used by the Khmer Kings as a dressing room or holding area back in the day.
There are several spots both inside and outside the building that have places to pose with Angkor Wat in the background.
Outer: Galleries with bas reliefs
Religious buildings are usually home to beautiful examples of artisan and craftsmanship, and Angkor Wat is no exception. There are 4 long galleries that form an outer ring around the central towers featuring long stone walls covered in intricate bas reliefs. Each fresco tells different stories from legendary Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata to historic Cambodian events including a procession of Khmer royalty.
There are some small write ups about each story at the ends of the galleries, though having a guide tell you what you’re looking at would make it easier for you to understand what you’re looking at. You can still appreciate the sheer amount of artistry and skill that went into carving out these immense walls though.
Middle: Hall of a thousand gods
Climb up a small flight of stairs to the middle ring where Preah Poan or the Hall of a Thousand Gods/Buddhas is located.
There are many statues here, including a Buddhist shrine of sorts where you can leave offerings at, and there are 4 sunken areas that give this area its cross-shaped form that were apparently sacred ponds.
Throughout Angkor Wat and Cambodia’s temples, you will see a lot of headless statues. One possibility is looting, another is that while the Cambodian culture is an interesting blend of Hinduism and Buddhism, there was a time when they were warring so the heads were removed when the regime changed.
There’s also a particular little chamber in this area, where if you lean against the wall and strike your chest gently, that pounding sound gets super magnified in here. Look closely at the walls and see all the lovely decorations, with hints of red and gold paint – imagine how colourful these rooms must have been back in the day.
Inner: Bakan & Central Shrine
Angkor Wat has upper levels that were mostly for royal access back in the day but are open to the public today. Right in the centre of its compound, a very steep staircase leads you up to the Bakan on the 3rd level – imagine people climbing up the actual slippery stone stairs before they built the proper staircase that we use today, which is still no joke in terms of steepness.
Here in the Bakan, four corridors form a square ring around the central shrine, and you can pop down into sunken exposed roof areas as well. There is a lovely view of Angkor Wat from above and it also feels cooler and more windy.
Also you can snap a close up shot of the central temple spire from up here. I knew it was large, but it never occurred to me how large exactly until I was dwarfed by it up close.
Angkor Wat ប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត [Google maps]. Open 5am – 530pm.
Ta Prohm – Tomb Raider & Tall Trees
A popular stop just 10 mins east of Angkor Wat is Ta Prohm. Ta Promh was built by King Jayavarman VII for his mother back in 1186 but today it is best known as the Tomb Raider temple where the 2001 action flick Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie was filmed.
This video by Miloufromsaigon on Youtube has some clips from the Tomb Raider movie that show Ta Prohm.
Ta Prohm temple is different from Angkor Wat it that it feels way more derelict, largely due to the very large trees that have sprung up between the buildings and broken through the walls with their giant roots, and piles of debris from centuries of neglect left to lie around the area.
You can’t really tell nowadays, but Ta Promh used to be a huge complex that was both a monastery and school. Many Apsara dancers walked these halls, and the main temple had walls absolutely covered with jewels!
Unlike Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm is smaller and not all the buildings can be visited as not everything has been restored. There is a general footpath and direction that most people follow for traffic control, and we spent about 1.5-2 hours here. There aren’t particular ‘sections’ like in Angkor Wat so I’m not doing a full breakdown, but just showing you bits that I thought were interesting.
The mysterious dinosaur
One pretty strange thing to find in Ta Prohm is is an inexplicably Stegosaurus-shaped carving amidst the more traditional animals and Apsaras found in Khmer architecture. It is located near the west entrance and while some say that it might be a boar or something surrounded by foliage, it just really looks like a stegosaurus.
Ta Prohm ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម [Google maps] Open 730am – 530pm.
Phnom Bakheng – Hilltop Sunset spot
Phnom Bakheng is a small hill that’s sandwiched between Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom that’s most famous for sunsets because of its west facing and that its later closing time.
On its peak is a temple built in the late 9th century
If you buy your Angkor park tickets
The paths up Phnom Bakheng
There are several paths that lead you up Phnom Bakheng. It honestly doesn’t take too long to climb though it is an uphill slog for about 15-20 minutes no matter which route you take, but expect it to be quite crowded if you are visiting at sunset and that there is little shade at the peak so bring a hat.
Main pathway – to the right side of the East entrance, this stairway is well paved and overall a well maintained path up the hill that’s not too steep and the most used road by tourists.
Original Stairs – flanked by two guardians at its base, the original stairway up the hill is now blocked off to public, but you can see how it was a crazy steep direct climb up the side of the hill. Extremely steep, very small and uneven steps, definitely not the safest option these days so luckily we don’t have to climb it anymore.
Elephant path – To the left side is a slightly rougher looking dirt path which doesn’t have any stairs and is generally less crowded. This is the path that elephants used to take when carrying people up the hill in the past. Our guide brought us up the hill by this route – we encountered some other tourists but definitely not as many as the main path.
Sunset on Phnom Bakheng – is it worth the crowd?
At the top of Phnom Bakheng, you’ll see the temple and another flight of stairs you have to ascend. Similar to Angkor Wat, the original stone steps are just way too steep and small, so they’ve built a proper staircase above it. It’s still a bit of a ladder climb though.
On the top of the temple, there is a small shrine/tower in the middle, and to the south you can see Angkor Wat in the distance if the weather is nice. The west side is where all the people are gathered and waiting patiently for the sun to go down.
I mean it when I say it gets crowded here. Here’s what it really looks like behind the scenes.
Once the sun sets, people start leaving the temple in droves to ensure they can trek down before it gets too dark.
Phnom Bakheng ប្រាសាទភ្នំបាខែង [Google maps] Open 7am – 7pm
To visit: Angkor Thom
So Angkor Thom was originally on our itinerary, but we were pretty pooped by the time we were done visiting Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm and after lunch, decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel to rest instead. 38ºC weather in high humidity is not fun, folks.
I would have loved to see Bayon Temple at the centre of Angkor Thom, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire before it was relocated to Phnom Penh. The highlights here are the over 200 serene smiling Buddha faces that protrude from the rock surfaces, and the intricately carved Terraces of the Elephants and Leper King.
Where to stay: Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
I stayed at some pretty fancy digs on this trip to Cambodia. In Siem Reap, we spent two lovely nights at the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor. Built in the 1930s, this was always a fancy French colonial style hotel to welcome intrepid European travellers looking to explore Siem Reap in style, and the Raffles Hotel group took over management at the behest of the Cambodian government in the late 1990s.
There is a pool here which is a godsend on warm days, though apparently in this heat those who did take a dip said it was a bit like being in an onsen (lol).
This hotel also has a very old lift that’s over 100 years old but still functioning! It can only fit 5pax in it and it’s probably faster to run up the stairs but it’s useful for transporting your luggage up.
We also popped into the Elephant Bar here and were served with the Siem Reap version of the Singapore Sling – this sling uses Cambodian Herbal Kulen Gin and a bit of Galangal for that local twist.
Naturally the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor isn’t the cheapest option – last I checked, the cheapest room rates start from about US$250 / S$330 per night and up.
Location wise, the hotel is located next to the Angkor National Museum and about 15 mins away by car/tuktuk from Angkor Wat. It’s also a short 5 min ride (or 20 min walk) from the more touristy Pub Street area to the south.
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor [Google Maps] See their website or check them out on booking.com [affiliate link]
Have you visited Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples? Tell me what I should see if I go back in future, or read more about my trips to the surrounding Indochina region:
