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I had an extreme case of FOMO during my Siem Reap planning activities.

What if we traveled all the way to Siem Reap and I missed the most photographically impressive temple or the one with the most historical significance?

There are so many different structures located in the 300 sq.km area of the Angkor Archaeological Park that it can be incredibly overwhelming to put your itinerary together. If your time in Siem Reap is limited, you may have to squeeze all the temples you want to see into a single day, which would be a shame.

Angkor is the prime tourist draw, and it may be the only time you visit so don’t rush your visit. Stay in Siem Reap for at least five to seven days and buy a three-day temple pass and spread your tour days out so that you have a break between visits.

We found that our daily limit was around five temples before the majesty and mystery of these impressive structures stopped being of impact and nonchalance replaced our awe. We visited in early November when the weather was 90f and that greatly impacted our attention span. It’s difficult to enjoy sightseeing when you have sweat pouring down your forehead and into your eyes. When that happens, it’s best to come back another day.

Ways to Tour Angkor

There are multiple options for how you tour Angkor’s temples. You can sign up for a guided tour, take a bicycle tour, rent a moped, or hire a tuk-tuk for the day.

For all of Cambodia’s disorganization, one thing they have put some structure around is the temple touring circuits. Depending on which temples are on your “must see” list and how many days you’re visiting for, you can follow one of these predefined circuits, which is what organized tours do.

But if you hire a tuk-tuk for the day, you can work with the driver to create your schedule and provide input on which temples you want to see in which order (taking distance and time constraints into consideration). Your first stop will be at the Angkor ticket office, which is 5km from Siem Reap’s Pub Street. Depending on where your accommodation is location it costs about $15-$20 dollars to hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day.

We opted for a three-day pass and a private tuk-tuk tour for each outing so that we could take in the surroundings on the way there and go at our own pace. We knew one day wouldn’t be enough, but I think I would have been satisfied with a two-day visit.

In all the activities we did during our trip the tuk-tuk rides through the countryside on our way to and from destinations were the most memorable.

Short Circuit in Reverse Order

On day one of our tours, we opted for the short circuit in reverse order.

Most day trippers do the short circuit which starts with Angkor Wat at dawn and follows a clockwise loop. Following this route means that by the time you reach the very popular Ta Prohm is too crowded and too hot to enjoy. We wanted to see Ta Prohm early in the day to avoid the crowds and make our visit a more enjoyable experience, so we did an edited version of the short circuit in reverse order.

As our day progressed, the temples became busier and full of selfie-taking day trippers, so I highly recommend this reverse-order approach.

At first, our tuk-tuk driver wasn’t enthusiastic about veering off the normal way to tour the temples, but we stuck to our guns and he acquiesced and was an enthusiastic host.

Our Angkor Temple Tour

Here’s a summary of the temples we viewed on our first day:

Prasat Kravan and Bat Chum are a couple of small 10th-century temples on this small circuit that we skipped to reduce the number of Temples.

Srah Srang

There’s a landing stage which leads to the reservoir, which was an uneventful start to our temple tour. If you arrive in time for dawn, you can experience the sun reflecting across the water, but we had a later start to our day (7 am), so we missed it. In hindsight, I would have skipped this temple, but it only took us about 10-15 minutes to view, and it’s located directly across from Banteay Kdei.

Banteay Kdei

Banteay Kdei is the warm-up act for Ta Prohm; it’s smaller but similar in style. It’s in the process of restoration to remove the trees and rebuild the collapsed segments and is easy to navigate around.

Ta Prohm

This is the jewel in the crown of the short tour, and the reason we did the short circuit in reverse order. It was used as the backdrop for the Tomb Raider movie and what is endearing is that this temple hasn’t been restored and you can get lost amongst the trees and collapsed walls.

Trees and plants have been left to grow amid the walls and add an atmospheric feel to this temple. Around each corner, is yet another picturesque view of one of the most impressive temples on this circuit, made even more beautiful by the walls streaked in vibrant green and orange hues.

Ta Keo

This five-tiered sandstone pyramid is one of the oldest temples at Angkor, and it’s thought to be the first temple built entirely out of sandstone. There’s minimal decorative elements carved in the stone, but it was still impressive to see after the decorative majesty of Ta Prohm despite being in the throes of renovation.

Taneiy is tucked around the corner and slightly off the beaten track, so we skipped this one.

Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda

You can tour Thommanon in about 15 minutes, but what is memorable is that the carved decorations are in stable condition and provide an accurate sense of how some of the less-preserved sites would have looked in their heyday. Directly across from Thommanon is the similar sized Chau Say Tevoda, which in undergoing extensive restoration.

Angkor Thom

After Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda, you arrive the entrance to the gates of Angkor Thom.

By this point, we’d had our fill of temples and decided to leave a tour of Angkor Thom for another day. The tuk-tuk driver took us speedily through Angkor Thom so that we could reach the end of the circuit and make our way back to Siem Reap.

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Additional Information about your Temple Visit

Temple Dress Code

Temples are religious building, and although many of them look like a deserted run down buildings you still need to observe cultural dress code:

• Appropriate attire when visiting temples in Angkor Wat is long pants (covering the knee) and shirts that cover shoulders. Skirts, small shorts, tank tops, and other items of revealing clothing are not allowed within temple grounds.

What is the Siem Reap Temple opening time?

The archaeological park of Angkor is technically open from 5 am to 6 pm, but this is to allow people to arrive in time for the temples that offer sunrise views. Most of the temples don’t open until 7:30 am.

How much does a Siem Reap Temple pass cost?

• A one day pass is US$37.
• A three-day pass costs US$62 and is valid for ten days from the date of issue.
• A seven-day pass costs US$72 and is valid for one month from the date of issue.
• Each pass features a headshot photo that they’ll take at the counter when you buy your pass.

A Brief History of Angkor

Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century (113-5BC) and took an estimated 30 years to construct. The complete temple area was known only as Angkor (which is situated on the plain of present-day Siem Reap province north of the Great Lake of Tonle Sap), and it served as the seat of the Khmer Empire until the 15th century. Each king built at least one giant temple during his ruling, which led to a total size of 200km2.

Brief History source: http://www.cookiesound.com/2012/01/why-angkor-wat-in-cambodia-is-such-a-magical-place-part-1/

Official Angkor Website: http://www.angkorenterprise.gov.kh

Flashpacking through Cambodia

Flashpacking through Cambodia: For Baby Boomers on a Budget is my latest Roving Jay travel guide full of travel tips, advice, and sample itineraries for flash packers who want the back packing experience without foregoing some of life’s creature comforts – like a comfortable bed, a hot shower, free wi-fi, and somewhere to plug your electric toothbrush in.

I spent almost three months backpacking around Cambodia in 2017/2018 to research this travel guide, and I share insights and first hand knowledge of tourist traps and off-the-beaten-path discoveries. We ate street food, drank 50c beers, and travelled by train, bus, minivan and tuktuk to identify the best ways to get from A to B.

If you’d like to receive a free Review Copy ahead of the general public release, please click here.

Here’s my Cambodia posts on this blog:

• Cambodia Visa and Arrival at Siem Reap Airport
• Cambodia: How to Avoid the Crowds at Angkor Wat
• Filling up your scooter in Cambodia
• The Best Tasting Street Food in Siem Reap
• Angkor Wat at Dawn: Is it worth it?
• Come face to face with Angkor Thom’s Bayon
• Good vs. Evil at Angkor Thom’s Impressive Southern Gate
• The Baphuon Temple and the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom
• Visiting Siem Reap’s War Museum
• Where to Stay in Siem Reap
• Visiting Siem Reap’s Markets
• Give your taste buds a disco at Siem Reap Night Market
• Responsible Tourism at Joe to Go in Siem Reap
• What to See and Do in Siem Reap
• Which Siem Reap Floating Village should you visit?
• Memorable Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang
• Libations and Bric-a-Brac tempt our purse strings in Battambang
• Vegetable Amok at About the World Restaurant in Battambang
• Cooking Classes at Nary’s Kitchen Battambang
• Pomme Bar, Restaurant and Hostel, at the Core of the new Battambang
• An educational trip around Battambang’s Central Market
• Sightseeing and things to do in Battambang Cambodia
• Bayon VIP Bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh Cambodia
• Exploring Phnom Penh’s 172nd Street in the dark
• The challenge of wandering Phnom Penh’s streets
• A visit to Phnom Penh’s Central Market
• Exploring Phnom Penh’s Markets
• Phnom Penh Photo Diary
• Tops sights to see in Phnom Penh
• Touring S-21 Security Prison (Tuol Sleng Museum Phnom Penh)
• A reflective visit to The Killing Fields
• Taking a train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
• The majesty of Otres Beach sunsets
• Our Workaway Gig at Otres Beach Market Cambodia
• Working Away to make Cambodian Bagels
• Cambodia Pastry Wars: The Battle of the Quiche
• Our Cambodia workaway gig renovating a market stall
• Unwind on Cambodia’s Koh Ta Kiev Island
• Cambodian Beach Massage and Grilled Seafood
• Building Community during our Cambodian Workaway
• Gecko Village in Kampot Cambodia – a Photo Essay
• Christmas Eve in Kampot
• more coming