How To Prepare For a Trip to Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is a beautiful place on it’s own, but to really be able to appreciate it one must come with a little more than an intent to look at it. One must come prepared to look at it from a perspective which goes beyond aesthetics, delving into the historical and cultural. Also, one must be aware of the many opportunities to take many amazing photos if one wants to remember their experience as intimately as possible.
Here are a few tips I have based on my experience going to Angkor Wat last May 2016 that will hopefully make your experience a little better!
1. Choose the time of year to visit
Peak Tourist Season – November to February: It’s colder and less prone to rain. A lot of festivals are also happening during this time. If you’re in for a party after your temple tour, this is the time for you. You have to deal with things being more expensive during this time and reservations having to be made weeks in advance. One must be prepared for a hoard of other tourists as well, and photos that will have dozens or even hundreds of other people in it!
Rainy Season – May to October: While it may be dangerous to climb the rocky temple steps, especially those that reach stories high with only steep hand rails, this is known to be the best time to take photos. The greens around the temple are lush and beautiful, and the lakes besides the them are full and photogenic.
Dry Season – November to April: It’s warmer during these months, and it can be physically draining to go around the temples especially the few months before rainy season starts as there are the hottest. It might be difficult to do other enjoyable activities in the heat, but it is safe to climb the temples and stay dry.
My suggestion is that you go around May to June, still off-peak season but early enough in the rainy season for there to be a chance of less rain and for there not to be any dangers climbing the temples. You can still avail of the benefits of off-peak such as cheaper rates for hotels, tuktuks and other services while still enjoying the temples with few people.
2. Plan How Long You’re Planning to Stay
Tickets are only available at the main entrance, situated on the road to Angkor Wat:
1 day pass costs $20, 3 days pass cost $40 (can visit 3 days or times in one week period), 7 days pass costs $60 (can visit 7 days or times in one month period. Free for children under 12 years old, if he is nearly 12 please kindly bring his passport to sure the ticket controller.
Note: Payments are accepted in Cash only. You can pay in the currencies of USD, Cambodian Riel, Thai Baht or Euro. There are ATMS available.
Visiting hours are 5:00AM – 05:30PM. However, only Angkor Wat will be only from 5:00AM – 7:30AM as the other temples open at 7:30AM. The Kbal Spean closes at 3:00PM.
Tickets will definitely checked upon each park entrance and at major temples, and it will have your photo on it so you can’t buy a 3 days pass, use it for a day and give it to someone else the next. They really do check at the photo if it matches the person!
A regular admission ticket is not allowed to visit Phnom Kulen $20, Koh Ker $10 and Beng Mealea $5, because there is a separate entrance fee.
It usually costs extra to get a tuktuk driver to get you there before sunrise, but if it’s a clear day then it’s definitely worth the extra $5 to see it. Take advantage of the short window between after sunrise around 6:30 to 7:00am when the tour groups haven’t arrived yet. Usually, the groups arrive around 7:00am to tour Angkor Wat before heading off to the other temples that open at 7:30am. Right after sunrise, go inside Angkor Wat for some photos without people and head off to the smaller and lesser known temples to get the best shots with few tourists!
I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying you should take the 3 Day pass so you can really see all the temples. However, to be completely honest, I don’t recommend it if you’re not really super into to temples. Figuring out what kind of traveler you are is important before you can select for how long and how much you’re willing to spend for this.
As much as I came with a sense of history, culture and aesthetic appreciation for the place, after a while the temples started looking the same to me. I understand that this might differ for every person, but keep in mind that just because some people are enamored with it, doesn’t mean that you will be. Personally, ruins in general make me sad.
For the young travelers who don’t feel a very strong connection to the ruins and only want to experience the more known ones, the one day pass is enough. We began our time at sunrise and finished at around 3pm, and the heat was intense enough to knock us out for the rest of the day after that!
3. Hire a Tuktuk Driver
There are three ways to go about hiring a tuktuk driver in Siem Reap: getting from the street, asking your hotel, or contacting drivers directly. If you’re not too keen on the cultural experience of riding a tuktuk, renting a car really is the better option. It might bit a bit more expensive (around $5 more per person) but you’ll absolutely thank yourself if it starts to rain hard or when you’re tired from the heat and need air conditioning. It also comes off cheaper if you’re more than two people because instead of renting two tuktuks, you only need to rent one car.
From the street: Tutuk drivers can be seen hustling people for rides across major roads in Siem Reap at any time in the day so it’s not that hard to find one, but if you’re planning to go early it’s best to talk to one in advance. The rates off the streets differ a lot because they’ll charge you as high as they can get you to pay. Unless you’re really desperate, I don’t recommend you do this unless you want to increase the likelihood of you being scammed.
From the hotel: The hotels in the Siem Reap area follow a sort of standard rate when referring tuktuk drivers that they are in partnership with. Usually, they are reliable and at least you know you’re paying for a set rate. If you don’t know any drivers that you can trust, this is your best bet. The usual rate is $20/tuktuk or $30/car for whole day with an added $5 for the sunrise. The tuktuk can only comfortably fit 2 people, so if you’re 3 people it’s more economical to get a car rather than 2 tuktuks.
Contacting them Directly: Review sites like TripAdvisor has a lot of tuktuk drivers that promote their services. Knowing that they care about personal branding, they usually offer services that go and beyond their job description like giving wet towels, free water or serving as a tour guide. They also don’t charge much differently from those who you get from the hotel.
My personal recommendation is Vantha, who we hired during our tour after a recommendation from a friend. He gave great service that I can vouch for! Being a former IT professional and English teacher, he also communicates very well. He was very professional, on time and responsive to his online accounts. He would give us interesting tidbits about each temple before going down, have a wet towel upon return, gave us as much water as we liked, lent us a cellphone to call him with during the tour and was overall great company.
4. What To Wear
Don’t be that dick tourist that doesn’t care about local customs. The locals are very nice about it, but how skimpy tourists dress to temples are a subject among discussion for them. Some temples are still considered to be holy places for other people, so they should be treated as such.
Though generally no one is going to reprimand you for wearing shorts or sleeveless tops, they won’t let you in some places where they still worship. This holds true even if you bring a scarf for your shoulders! Just wear loose fitting pants and tops that cover your shoulders and you’ll be fine.
Wear comfortable shoes! Rubber shoes seem to be too hot on some days, so it’s best to wear open-toed sandals. For women, don’t be that girl who wears heels and falls in between the cracks. There are still ruins and not all of them were restored to full functionality because trees and other plants have grown in between the cracks of the ground.
Wear sunscreen. You will get sunburned if you go during the summer months. There is barely any shade in some areas and you will thank yourself later.
5. Things to Bring
Bring a hat or an umbrella to shield yourself from the heat. I recommend a hat though because you’ll have more mobility and your hands can be free to take photos or climb steep steps.
Insect repellant. Dengue and malaria have been known to be in the area, so during rainy reason you could be at risk when the waters are high and stagnant.
Tissue and wet wipes. To wipe away the sweat from walking, and if you have to use the bathrooms which generally don’t have tissue paper.
Camera and extra memory card. If you’re the type to want to take photos, don’t forget to bring a spare SD card. If you’re a casual photographer, your smartphone can probably take good enough photos!
Water. It’s that not that expensive to buy in the stalls outside the temples, but have a small one to carry while you walk around the temple. You’re going to need it.
5. Physical preparation
Do a lot of cardio. Angkor Wat involves a lot of walking and occassional climbing. Though a lot of the temples have been restored, there will be several instances of steep steps that you may need your hands as well as you feet to climb.
Sleep early. Seriously, you will need your energy as you go around. It’s going to be a lot of walking, shoo-ing away (a lot) of people who will keep trying to sell you things before you enter and leave the temples, and enjoying the ruins.
Go the bathroom before going to the temples. You can find places such as small restaurants between the stretches between temples that have bathrooms but not all of them are clean. Inside the temples there will be no places to go on bathroom breaks.
6. Mental preparation
To truly enjoy a destination, it’s always best to find as much context as one can before arriving. I always make an effort to psyche myself up before a trip to a place like this by reading and watching things about that place.
Read about Angkor Wat‘s significance culturally and historically. I recommend looking at these sources, saving them for your phone or printing some interesting information that you can use while you’re walking around the temples.
Watch documentaries about Angkor Wat. For those who are lazy to read, you can watch one here. I also recommend Kingdom of Cambodia: History of Angkor Wat, which I personally enjoyed watching the night before we went there ourselves. You can also check out the one I added here.
Watch movies set in Angkor Wat. The most popular movie set here was Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. This movie solidified her place as a sexy leading lady in Holywood and shows the famous Ta Phrom temple and the surrounding areas.
You can also watch Indiana Jones’ Temple of Doom, which is significantly older than Tomb Raider but has generally better ratings. There’s an added air of excitement when you look around the temples and begin to recognize the places where the movie was set!
And there you have it! My comprehensive guide to visiting Angkor Wat. I hope you take these to heart and enjoy your visit.
