• Introduction
• Getting to the Temples
• Itineraries and Recommendations
• Glossary
• The Temples

Itineraries and Recommendations

Half-Day Tour

Entry costs $20. Enter via the South Gate of Angkor Thom. See The Bayon as a priority. If you have time to spare visit The Terraces. Ta Prohm is easily included in a half-day tour. Leave time to view Angkor Wat. The northern reflecting pool and the famous bas-relief carvings are not to be missed.

One-Day Tour

Entry costs $20. Enter via  the  South Gate  and allow time for The Bayon and The Terraces. Have lunch near The Bayon. Ta Prohm is a good place to begin your afternoon. The jungle has swallowed its sprawling cloisters and it is a major attraction. Use your remaining time to visit Angkor Wat. You will also be saving the best until last. It requires time to view this vast temple and the reflecting pools, bas-reliefs and pristine Apsara carvings should be on your itinerary. Guides recommend seeing the sunset at Phnom Bakheng. However, the hill is getting very crowded at sunset and you may find Angkor Wat more rewarding.

Two and Three Day Tour
2 and 3-Day Passes both cost $40.

Day 1: Angkor Thom, starting at the South Gate. Use the morning to view The Bayon, Terraces and Phimeanakas. Take lunch near The Bayon. See The Baphuon and Angkor Wat in the afternoon. Watch the sunset from Phnom Bakheng.

Day 2: Sunrise at Angkor Wat then Kbal Spean, Banteay Srey and Banteay Samre.
Banteay Srey should not be missed. Entry to Kbal Spean costs extra. Use the return trip to see East Meybon, Thomannon and Ta Keo.
Alternatively, use the afternoon to visit the Roluos Group.

Day 3: northeast of Angkor Thom visit Preah Khan, Neak Pean and Ta Som. In the afternoon see Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm and Thomannon (if you missed it on Day 2).Ta Prohm should be on any itinerary. Leave time to explore it fully. Use the end of your trip to watch the sunset at Angkor Wat.

Four Days - 1 Week
Tickets cost $60.

A 1-week ticket provides all the time you need. We would suggest extending the 3-day itinerary to include the Roluos Group early in your trip. It provides a benchmark from which to assess the development of the temples.

Alternatively you might consider compiling an itinerary that gave you a purely chronological tour of the temples:

Starting with the Roluos Group proceed to visit The Bakong and Phnom Bakeng, both built very early in the period. Add Preah Rup, Banteay Srey, Ta Keo and Phimeanakas to a one-day tour. Use one day to view the temples built under Suryavarman II at the apex of the Khmer Empire: Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda and Angkor Wat.

With enough time on your hands try ‘Going Further Afield’  (see below) and visit another of Suryavarman II’s temples at Beng Melea. End your week with an itinerary that examines the temples built under Jayavarman VII, the last and most prolific Angkorian builder: Angkor Thom, Bayon, Neak Pean, Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, The Bayon, Ta Som and The Terraces. There are several temples within a day’s ride of Siem Reap.

Priority Temples and Other Recommendations

If you only have limited time in which to visit the Angkor complex, try to see the following temples as a priority:

+ Angkor Wat:

- Northern Reflecting Pool
- Bas Reliefs
- The Sanctuary

+ Angkor Thom:

South Gate
Bayon
Elephant and
Leper King Terraces

+ Ta Prohm
- Banteay Srey

These sites are generally considered to be the premier tourist attractions in Cambodia.

Recommendations

Visitors with a 3-Day Pass to the Angkor Wat World Heritage Site should have time to visit all the ‘Must See’ temples and most of the following recommendations.  The temples are listed in near-chronological order to help place them in their historical context.

+ The Roluos Group:

- Phnom Bakong
- Preah Ko
- Lolei

+ Phnom Bakheng
+ Phnom Krom
+ Prasat Kravan
+ Prasat Pre Rup
+ Phimeanakas
+ Prasat Ta Keo
+ Royal Pond
+ Sra Srang
+ Prasat Baphuon
+ Thommanon
+ Preah Khan
+ Neak Pean
+ Banteay Samre

Further information about these temples can be found in the remainder of this Guide.

Going Further Afield

There are several notable ancient sites that are not within the Angkor World Heritage Site.  Entry details for these sites are given below.  Further information is contained in the remainder of this Guide.

Phnom Kulen National Park

Located approximately 50km north-east of Siem Reap and containing:

-  The Phnom Kulen Waterfall
-  The River of 1000 Lingas
-  Wat Prey An Thom

Entry costs $20 for foreigners [not including transport] and the ticket can only be used to view the National Park.  It is not valid for the other Angkorian temples.

Kbal Spean

Located off the road north of Banteay Srey, approximately 40km north of Siem Reap.
Contains a small waterfall and numerous carvings and lingas in the bed of the river.
Entry is included on the tickets to Angkor Wat.  Allow at least half a day to visit the site and perhaps use the remaining time to visit Banteay Srey.

Beng Melea

Located approximately 60km east of Siem Reap [journey time 1-2 hours].
Beng Melea is similar in nature to Ta Prohm but receives fewer visitors on account of its remote location.  It was built around the same time as Angkor Wat.
One-off entry now costs an excessive $25 [not including transport].  However, a 1-day [$20] or 3-day [$40] pass to Angkor Wat allows you entry to Beng Melea if you pay an additional $5 road tax at a checkpoint en route.  Add a further $10 if you extend the trip to include Koh Ker [see below].

Koh Ker

Located approximately 130km north-east of Siem Reap.
The ancient capital of Jayavarman IV is the most remote site that it is possible to visit on a day-trip from Siem Reap.
Tickets to Koh Ker now cost $10 [not including transport].

Sambor Prei Kuk

The ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk are situated approximately 30km from the town of Kompong Thom.  Arrange transport from Kompong Thom.
The site is believed to have been established by Isanavarman I and was a principal city of Tchenla, one of the independent states that existed before Cambodia was unified by Jayavarman II.
Entry is free but a ‘voluntary donation’ system is in operation.

Banteay Chmar

Banteay Chmar is located about 70km north of the town of Sisophon, west of Siem Reap, and is best approached from there or from Battambang.  It was one of the capitals of Jayavarman II and was later rebuilt during the reign of king Jayavarnman VII.
Entry is free but a ‘voluntary donation’ system is in operation.