Angkor Wat is world-famous, and everyone who comes to Siem Reap will surely visit Angkor Wat. It is basically the main reason and at times, the sole reason, why people want to head to Siem Reap. We can understand such feelings as well, having seen the beauty of it all. Having said that, we don’t think we need to introduce this majestic beauty. Rather, we think we can help explain our experience when we first visited this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Perhaps, it can be useful for first-time visitors to Angkor Wat.
Most hotels would be able to arrange a tour for visitors to visit Angkor Wat. You can easily discuss this with your hotel concierge when you first touch down in Siem Reap. Most of the time, they will suggest visiting first thing in the morning, so that you can catch the sunrise, which is amazing. If so, it is strongly advisable to purchase the tickets in the late afternoon the day before you wish to visit. This is so that you can head down to Angkor Wat straight from your hotel the next morning, rather than going to the ticket counter to purchase the tickets, which would probably have a long queue. We did it around 4.30pm, and duly got them after a quick 5-minute queue.
Be careful not to purchase them too early in the day, as the ticket is valid for one day, and getting them too early may result in the tickets being valid for that very day, rather than the next day! Do note as well, that the ticket is good for the entire Angkor Archaeological Park, rather than just Angkor Wat.
The next morning, you would generally need to leave your hotel by 5am, to give yourself ample time to catch the sunrise. Most hotels would pack the breakfast for you to take to Angkor Wat, so make sure you inform your hotel the day before. Some hotels offer either a tour in a tuk-tuk or in an air-conditioned van. The choice is really yours. For us, we chose the tuk-tuk, as we felt it would provide a more authentic experience, rather than getting off an air-conditioned van each time to visit a temple. It is also an added benefit that a tuk-tuk is cheaper! The enjoyable surprise we got the next morning is that the cool morning breeze, which provided a sort of welcome to that day’s activities. It was also quite cool travelling in an entourage, as multiple tuk-tuks from all over Siem Reap headed in one direction towards Angkor Wat. It was as if we are all coming together for a mission.
Once you have reached the steps of that majestic structure, take note that it would still be very dark. Hence, take note to walk carefully as you enter the structure. We noticed that you would do no wrong in simply following the crowd, as all of us are headed only to one place that morning.
When we arrived at the “holding area”, there was some daylight already. Not surprisingly, there was already a crowd over there, waiting patiently for the sunrise, just to capture that perfect shot. Do not worry though, as there are numerous vantage points for you to take a picture. Just take note to enjoy the moment as well, rather than continuously snapping away. Before you know it, the sun would be up!
After you have completed the early morning’s activities, it’s time to enter Angkor Wat proper. In the structure are many, and we mean many, decorations. Carved onto the walls are scenes of different battles based on Hinduism. We honestly do not know much about these, just that they look plain marvellous. All four sides of Angkor Wat are filled with these decorations and we wonder at the sight of them all.
One of the key benefits of arriving early is to be able to climb up the main tower of Angkor Wat quickly. This is because it is extremely popular (for obvious reasons) and a queue quickly forms up, which can take up to an hour on busy days! The sight is certainly beautiful, and you become amazed at this structure rather quickly.
One of the key benefits of arriving early is to be able to climb up the main tower of Angkor Wat quickly. This is because it is extremely popular (for obvious reasons) and a queue quickly forms up, which can take up to an hour on busy days! The sight is certainly beautiful, and you become amazed at this structure rather quickly.
It can take a long time exploring the sights of Angkor Wat. While we arrived at the structure before 6am, we only left the place around 10am. Note that we would then continue our journey visiting other temples. Hence, make sure you drink lots of water! They have booths selling such essentials outside the temples. Take note! Of course, no visit to Angkor Wat is complete without having a picture taken with it. There will be someone offering to take an instant photo for you at an affordable price. It is also quite big, A4 in size. After which, they can also help you take pictures using your camera (at no charge). It’s really quite affordable, and you are helping a local earn some money. We feel this is a good aspect of tourism for Siem Reap and Cambodia as a whole. Go do it, since you get a nice photo at the end of it all. It will probably be a picture you will keep for years!
