10 Tips For Visiting Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia
If you’re reading this, your trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia is already booked. With all the nonsense out of the way, it’s finally time to research and make sure you have all the tips for visting Angkor Wat.
This will not be filled with your traditional “go to Ta Prohm temple” type tips…but there are a few tips regarding the clothing rules and sunrise.
I had the same exact excitement you feel right now, and I still have the same excitement even talking about being there. So here are my Angkor Wat tips.
Dress Appropriately
This will be a very long day full of walking and climbing so make sure you wear the proper footwear. Many of the steps and walkways will be uneven so make sure your shoes have the proper tread. It’s going to be hot if you go in the summer, so wear lightweight, breathable clothing. For me it was simple…pants, a light t-shirt, a small bag, sunglasses, and adidas ultraboost.
Keep in mind this is still a religious site, so your knees and shoulders should be covered. Follow the Angkor Wat dress code, you don’t want to be disrespectful. If you’re coming to Cambodia from Thailand, you already know the drill.
Here’s a picture of one of the temples you will be CLIMBING, it is no joke. It is directly up.
Assess The Sunrise
Almost every guide you see online will tell you to beat the crowds and go early at 5am. How are you beating the crowd if everyone tries beating the crowd at once? In my experience, you don’t NEED to do that. Most people are going FOR the sunrise, not to “beat the crowd”. So if you want to see the iconic Angkor Wat sunrise, here you go. If you don’t, you’ll have a perfectly fine day. Don’t put too much stress on this.
This ancient city was once the size of modern day Paris…you will have no problem spreading out during the day if you are getting sick of the crowds.
It wouldn’t be an Angkor Wat tip guide without talking about the sunrise.
Trust Your Guide
The Tuktuk drivers/guides know this place like the back of their hand. They KNOW what you want to see. And they know where their “colleagues” are taking their clients. If you want to see the “Tomb Raider Temple” Ta Prohm and leave at 10am, tell them. If you want to see a temple that is going to be empty so you have it to yourself, tell them.
Or do what I did and just trust them blindly and see where you end up. My post about my favorite guide will be out soon.
If you didn’t know…yes, book a guide in advance, or at least be in contact with one on Whatsapp. You’ll need one for the Cambodia War Museum too.
Bring A Cooler
For this, I’m not sure if I had a unique guide or not, but he had an entirely full cooler of cold water and beer that lasted our entire day. I HIGHLY recommend doing this, especially in the summer. We would bring water into the temple, and then have a beer on the way to the next.
This is possibly a Shut Up and Book It exclusive, because I have not seen anybody else say to do this.
Visit Off Grid Temples
This is not some type of hipster comment. The well known temples are INCREDIBLE and you need to see as many as you can, but you also need to visit some “sleepers”. Your guide will help with this.
It’s not just a saying though, some of them are literally “off the beaten path” aka you are walking through the jungle (where the tuktuk cannot drive) and you end up at a crazy temple. Explore the random paths. You will really enjoy this part, it feels like you are in a movie.
Be Careful With Your Camera
When you get to the “main” Angkor Wat complex you will see the field packed with people. When I went there was a marathon going on, there were weddings, there were family outings, etc. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy your pictures and have some fun in most of these spots.
BUT…there are some spots you need to put your camera down. Some of these steps and temples are very high up and tight so you ACTUALLY need to be careful or you are going to be hurt. Do your posing on ground level, not 200m in the sky. (The same could go for alcohol intake)
Look at this picture, you could easily fall and get very hurt.
Climb To The Top
Going into my visit to Angkor Wat, I personally had no idea that you could climb and go inside the temples. That being said, they are MASSIVE and it blew me away. Some even have 3 different levels and you could climb them on the tiny stairs and ledges.
GO ALL THE WAY UP YOU WONT REGRET IT
Bring Cash - USD or KHR
You will come across tons of markets and little food stands. There will be little kids selling magnets and small items to support their family, help them out if you can. Cambodia was very special to me so I hope you get that same experience.
I’m not talking about the normal tourist attraction type touts you WILL see. You will know what I mean when you are there.
Avoid Wildlife
I’m not sure how people feel about monkeys, but they kind of freak me out in a way. You’re going to see monkeys, lizards, probably some snakes, and more.
Highly recommend not giving them food or trying to touch them, I could see that going badly.
Beware of Restoration
Some of the dates are unknown, but many of these Angkor Wat temples are 900+ years. You MIGHT see some restoration. It will not ruin your experience, but it’s possible there could be a little scaffolding on an iconic sight you have been waiting to see. Don’t be bummed out about your pictures in the present because you won’t care in the future.
Don’t expect this to happen, it probably won’t. But IF it does, just accept it.
Those are my 10 tips for when you are traveling to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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