Part of the Angkor Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, is Cambodia’s most popular tourist attraction. The site attracts around 2.6 million tourists each year and is home to 91 ancient temples built between the 9th and 13th centuries. Angkor Wat is only one temple within the incredibly large historical site of Angkor. You can buy a 7 day pass to explore it all. That’s how large Angkor really is. However, most people mainly visit to see the most popular sites which of course includes Angkor Wat (fun fact Angkor Wat is home to the longest continuous stone carvings in the world).

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How to Visit Angkor Wat

There are several ways to explore Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples:

1. Guided Tour: Book a professional tour that includes transportation and a knowledgeable guide.
2. Private Tuk-Tuk Driver: Hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you to specific sites at your own pace.
3. Tuk-Tuk + Tour Guide: For a more immersive experience, hire both a tuk-tuk driver and a guide for a personalised tour.

So is it worth visiting Angkor Wat? Absolutely, yes. It’s pretty harsh that Angkor Wat doesn’t make it into the actual 7 wonders of the world list. We had a pretty rough time in Cambodia having spent most of the time we were there with what we’re pretty convinced was a horrible strain of COVID. This really was such an uplifting way to end our time there and a well needed 10/10 day. How you do it though, will depend on how you like to explore and your budget. 

Our hotel offered both the tuk tuk plus tuk tuk and guide options and the tuk tuk driver that picked us up from the bus station when we arrived in Siem Reap also offered to take us. We wanted the most cost effective option whilst also seeing more than just Angkor Wat. Crucially because we weren’t all too clued up on any of the history surrounding Angkor we also decided that having a guide would make the trip a whole lot more worthwhile. The GetYourGuide tour was the most cost effective way of having a guide and having all transport included too. We also quite liked the idea of potentially meeting other people on the tour too and the group size was perfect.

The tour we went for was the sunset tour, where you go to Angkor in the later morning and spend the whole afternoon and early evening there. A lot of people tend to opt for the sunrise tour. However, there were a couple of reasons as to why we opted not to. Firstly the early morning usually wouldn’t put us off, however, having only just got over a night bus which dropped us off at 5am in the morning and still recovering from COVID which wiped us out for the majority of our time in Cambodia, a 4am start really felt like a bad decision. Secondly, we were in Cambodia during their winter (we went in mid December), which whilst it’s nothing like the UK winter, it does mean that cloud and rain was more common. This meant that our chances of a beautiful sunrise were slimmer and made the thought of having to get up so early especially even more unappealing. 

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What’s Included in the GetYourGuide Tour?

• Hotel Pickup: A minivan picked us up around 9 AM.
• English-Speaking Tour Guide: Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about Angkor’s history and culture.
• Transport Between Temples: All rides within the Angkor site are included.
• Bottled Water: Provided throughout 

What’s Not Included?

• Angkor Pass: A 1-day entry ticket costs $37. It’s best to purchase online in advance, but you can also buy it at the ticket office.
• Lunch: The tour stops at a restaurant, but meals are at your own expense.

Temples Included in the Tour

The tour not only visits Angkor Wat but you also visit a few other temples throughout the day too. You get to visit:

• Angkor Thom & Bayon Temple (this is where the game “Temple Run” is inspired by). There are lots of things to see within the Angkor Thom site including some incredibly naughty monkeys. We also saw some gibbons on our walk around the temples. 
• Ta Prohm Temple (where Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was filmed)
• Pre Rup Temple (the oldest of all of the temples you visit on this tour and is where you go for sunset)

The best thing about seeing Angkor Wat on this tour is that our tour guide knew all the best spots at all the best times to avoid the crowds and get the best pictures. For example when we first arrived at Angkor Wat, we started at the back of the temple because our guide said that it would be less busy and because of the positioning of the sun at that time of day we would have better pictures if we were to do the front of the temple a bit later on. Our guide was also super knowledgeable and we learnt so much about the history and the religion behind the temples. 

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This tour was the perfect way of seeing the best of what Angkor has to offer. You get plenty of time at each temple to explore and take in your surroundings. Plus there’s something incredibly special about watching the sun go down whilst at the top of an ancient temple.

If you’re visiting Cambodia, Angkor Wat is a destination you simply can’t miss!

Enjoy your Travels!

Em x

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