Siem Reap Attractions - Angkor Wat Buddhist Temple
I first came to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, when I was traveling around Cambodia and Sri Lanka for 2 months and with very little idea about the area; other than it was supposed to be very interesting and that it is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Buddhist Temple paradise!
This post will be only for the main temple of Angkor Wat as the site is a huge complex of 1.626.000m2 (Oh yes!) where I will be referring to a separate post. The main temple is our first and last stop on a 3 day trip to this historic area.
History
By Cambodia history, where "the builder of Angkor Wat was a king named Suryavarman II. He came to power in his teenage years by killing his great uncle, Dharanindravarman I, while he was riding an elephant. An inscription says that Suryavarman killed the man “as Garuda (a mythical bird) on a mountain ledge would kill a serpent." Read more about the history, this temple manages to win the heart of millions of visitors every year.
Looking back over my notes, photos, videos from those days, I notice the shock and the ecstasy of my first view of the site. I meet with my new friend, named Malini and our Tuk Tuk driver and early in the morning at 5:00 am we arrive at the temple to watch the sunrise as it is the normal time of all the visitors who wish to enjoy it.
Angkor wat sunrise
We are standing on the edge of a big lake of a long dusty pavement opposite the Temple. From here you can admire its breathtaking beauty as the sun starts to rise. Along the riverfront, more than a hundred people with all kind of cameras trying to catch the movement of the golden sun.
The first sunbeams it begins to appear and a magical picture like a postcard begins to reveal its beauty. This view is deeply touching. We sit quietly for a quite some time, among a group of tourists, like us, to admire the scenery.
We leave the main temple area, where we discover the other temples and on the 3rd day late afternoon, hot and humid we arrive back to the temple.
Walking through a big path, and observed the entrance at the end, we enter the “gate” where we climb a few steps to enter in the towers area. Closer to the statues there are mendicants and monks praying.
Temple Visit
After passing through a series of small towers we come into the external area, where we notice a small queue. At least 20 people are here and it’s the queue for the main central tower. Written signage refers to a waiting time of an hour, during pick times, luckily not in our case. The main tower is at about 65 meters high, accessible through uneven, slippery steps.
The temple consists of small enclosure walls and it is surrounded by breathtaking views. I turn to gaze out over the view the edge of the balcony where a group of Japanese cluster around me for the same reason. We spent a good deal of time around the site and grow fond of its beauty, its atmosphere, and the monks. Like many travelers, I was attracted by the serenity of the monks.
On the way down - Siem reap attractions
I keep my eyes on the steps and my legs getting cramped…The steps are too steep and small. A lady starts shouting as she is really scared. We stuck for 5 minutes and I feel my heart cold, as I am not so fond of heights. Once I am down I feel relieved.
With my mind still boggling over those steps, we leave the site and we head for a coconut juice. Outside the main site area, there are many shops with food and drinks.
Continue on foot and we reach to our last stop, a mini lake. We see a photographer exercising his duty with two monks and lots of people posing for photos. Turning around in a beam of sunset, it comes to us that we rarely have seen such a beauty! Our heart starts pounding and we stay speechless. Here you can see the panoramic area of the temple and its reflection on the lake. Sometimes dreams just stand out there, in front of you!
Even after leaving it behind, the picture of the last view kept returning to me like some haunting flash of life. I close my eyes and I feel my presence still there, to that last moment.
Things to consider:
- Visit the main temple during sunrise or sunset. Trust me you will experience one of the best scenes ever and you will have magnificent photos. Besides that, in the middle of the day, it's very hot - during summer - and you will not be able to enjoy the Temples.
- The opening hour is 5:00 am (the upper level though opens only at 7:30) and closes at 5:30 pm.
- Angkor Wat Temple is the largest of all the ones. We spent 2.5 hours in total.
- You will need an Appropriate dressing.
- The price of a single-day ticket to the temple complex during 2016 was $20 but today it is increased to $37, a three-day pass was $40 up to $62 and a seven-day ticket was $60 and has been increased to $72. If you wanna see all the Temples take the three-day pass, which I highly recommend. If you have limited time just buy the single one and visit the Angkor Wat Temples and 1-2 other of main Temples.
- US dollar is the main currency.
- Temples of Angkor have situated at 7km away from the town of Siem Reap.
- It's cheaper to hire a Tuk Tuk driver and buy the tickets than book a whole tour from travel agents. Even cheaper is to hire a bike and tour around but during summer I would not recommend it. Me and my travel friend Malini, which I met there, we hired Mr Keath as Tuk Tuk driver. Excellent service including cold water, very polite, cheerful, he speaks very well English. He bought our tickets to avoid the queue, he proposes places for the nicest photos and acts as Photographer also. 🙂 Highly recommended! You can find his services on his Facebook page here: Keath Sothea - Tuk Tuk Driver (Please note that it's my opinion only and it's not a sponsored post)
- The weather is cooler from November to February but with a huge amount of tourists.
- You can find below a Temple map that I sourced from Canbypublications.com and I changed it a bit, so you have an idea of the area.
- You can have a look at the Temple on the following video. NOTE: Nothings prepares for the real thing. It's even more spectacular of any photo or any video you watch, so put it on your bucket list. 🙂
Do you want to read more about Siem Reap?
You can read my Volunteering experience Here
Happy Journey and I would love to receive your comments or requests you may have. 🙂
Caroline @ The Travelling Sloth
I lost almost all my footage from my travels in South East Asia (esp Angkor Wat) so this is making me reminisce heaps! Also great tips - a lot of people were unaware of appropriate dressing while I was there so glad you mentioned it!
Did you get a bracelet tied on by a monk too? I did back in 2015 and it's still on my wrist (you're not suppose to remove it from memory). 🙂 great post!
penelopi
Thank you Caroline! Unfortunately I did not get a bracelet... I did not know about it. 🙁
meghanramsey1
I love the pictures of the sunrise! Ankor Wat is somewhere I have to visit eventually. Will save this for when I do! 🙂
penelopi
Yeah the reality is even more amazing!! For sure you have to visit! 🙂
nyrdagur
Wow, this place is just stunning. I can't die before visiting Angkor Wat, seriously. Every time I read about it I just got myself more and more fascinated! Thanks for sharing your experience
penelopi
hahahah for sure you can't die!! Put it on your bucket list 🙂
Kristine | The Petite Wanderess
Wow that's huge! The vibrant colors of the monks' robes really stood out against the walls. I'm quite surprised to hear that the entrance fees costs this much though.
Btw I love your slogan! Hungreek, that's really cute! =D
penelopi
Hello Kristine!!!! Thank you for your message!! Hungreek = Hungry Greek hahahaha, as I am always hungry for food and new travels 🙂
Oh yes! the Angkor wat is hugeeeee, its impossible to visit everything even within 3 days, but on the same time it's the ideal place for photography and history.
I checked your website and it's fantastic!! I may need you in the future as I am thinking to redesign my website 🙂
<3 🙂
CreativeTravelGuide (@CTGTravelGuide)
What an incredible place Angkor Wat is! We were really fortunate to visit in low season and my photographer other half spent ages taking those sunrise shots - so by the time we got around to seeing the actual temples it was a bit quieter! Need to get back there asap! 🙂
Alison - Up&AtEm Travel
I enjoyed this photo essay about the main temple of Angkor Wat, and I'm looking forward to seeing your post on the rest of the complex! The "things to consider" section was really helpful, so since it's on my bucket list, I will save for reference. So interesting that USD is the main currency!
penelopi
Hey Alison, thanks for your message. Glad that you like it!
Meg
Excellent photos! The sunrise over Angkor Wat is amazing, what a beautiful experience. Thank you for sharing these.
penelopi
Hello Meg, glad that you liked it!
Bri
Those pictures are so beautiful, I can't even imagine how it looks in real life!! Adding this to my bucket list 🙂
penelopi
Hey Bri, yeah its even more amazing in real life!!!!
Isadora Koller
I had no idea this place was so huge, I thought it was really about Angkor wat only and didn't knew the place was actually a complex of many temples! Angkor wat have been on my wish list for long, seeing the sunrise there sounds like a remarkable experience.
penelopi
Isadora yeah its really huge!!!!!!!
Christina
The only time I was in the area was a month long trip to Thailand - unfortunately I didn't make it to Cambodia. But a lot of travelers I met shared their stories, and despite Angkor Wat being one of the main destinations, everyone agreed it was definitely worth a visit. Your photos prove that right, the one with the reflection and the monk is indeed incredible! I had no idea how big it was though, and that 3 days were a good time for a visit, wow. Looking forward to explore one day 🙂
penelopi
Hey Christina, happy that you enjoyed my article and my photos! Thanks!!
Charmaine
I love how you went for those sunrise photos! That's true dedication! 🙂 Looks like it was well worth it though!
penelopi
Hey Charmaine!! Its was really really worth it!!! 🙂
departureandarrivals
I have been reading a lot about the Angkor buddhist temple but I have your post is one of my favorites 🙂
Genie Patra
this is one of my dream destinations. the sunrise over the temple is so gorgeous
penelopi
Hello Gennie! Thank you for your message! Hope you will visit it soon!
Dory
Hi Pinelopi, I love your photographs. I am curious as to how one would indicate to the monk for a “blessing” braclet? Not sure if smiling broadly and pointing may appear inappropriate. Please advise. Thanks!
Pinelopi Kyriazi
Hey, Dory! Many Thanks!!! Just speak to them they are very friendly. Also you can have "blessing" braclets inside the Temple. If you check my pictures up (a vertical photo) you can see a monk with a donation box in front of him. Besides that, you can buy various braclets, with a donation only, or you can bring your own. 🙂
Happy Travels!!