Visitor's Guide to Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is one of the most famous archaeological sites in South-East Asia drawing in thousands of visitors each day. It spans over 400 acres in Siem Reap and includes remains from the Khmer Empire (9th-15th century). Interestingly it was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu but became a buddhist temple by the end of the 12th century and one of the largest religious sites in the world. 

Although it faced damage from the Khmer rouge regime in the 1970s, you can still view the beautiful temples throughout the area. We visited Siem Reap specifically for this beautiful and religiously significant site. Our recommendation is to do a sunrise tour on one of the days to not only beat huge crowds during mid day but also experience the spectacular view over Angkor Wat.

Entrance to Angkor Wat

We were able to see all of Angkor Wat in one day with our Sunrise tour starting very early. They do have multiple day passes if you would like to explore more of the area and you want extra time. 

• One day pass: $37

• Three day pass: $62

• Seven day pass: $72

The Ticket Office is open from 4:30am- 5:30pm. Most of the temples in the park can be visited from 7:30am – 5:30pm with exception of 

• Angkor Wat and Srah Srang: 5am – 5:30pm

• Phnom Bakheng and Pre Rup: 5am – 7pm

For more information on tickets and hours you can visit https://www.siemreap.net/visit/angkor/practical/hours-admission/

Tours of Angkor Wat

There are several different tour companies that you can go with. But we recommend finding a local Tuk tuk driver who offers a full day tour/sunrise tour of the area. We enjoyed this because it was much more private and we were able to see the area on our own time without a tour guide whistling at us to move along. This might require a bit more searching and we’d recommend doing it in advance to make sure the driver you prefer is available. 

We lucked out and found an amazing driver, Mr. Thy, and were able to contact him through Facebook. TripAdvisor is a great tool to do this on. This same driver was able to take us to the floating villages, as well as the airport when we left the following day! It is an inexpensive way to get a private and more unique tour. 

Our pick up time was at 4:30am. And it only cost us $20 for the sunrise tour.

Here is information on Mr. Thy, our driver, for our stay in Cambodia: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d8871536-Reviews-or10-Mr_Thy_s_Tuk_Tuk_Tours-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html#REVIEWS

We contacted him through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mr-Thy-Driver-Service-700647406711159/