Cambodia in a Week – Day 2
The photo of a big, widespread Hindu temple in front of a lake full of blooming lotus flowers that you have surely seen at some point of your life is Cambodia’s major attraction – called Angkor Wat. Though it is controversial if it is a Hindu or a Buddhist temple. Witnessing sunrise at that temple is a must-do if you are in Siem Reap. You can always extend your stay and explore more of the Angkor temples by taking the 3-day pass. Also you can do a day tour from Siem Reap to enjoy boating at Tonle Sap Lake and see the floating and stilted fishing villages, which is a relaxing experience. But we were short of days, so we made the best of the day in Siem Reap before taking overnight bus to Phnom Penh.
Highlights of the Day
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat
- Bayon Temple
- Ta Keo Temple
- Banteay Srei
- Ta Prohm
- Late Lunch at Chamkar (Vegan-friendly Restaurant)
- Angkor Night Market
- Bus to Phnom Penh
Sunrise at Angkor Wat
The 1-day pass we bought yesterday evening would be of full use today!
We woke up really early, checked out at 4 AM, and kept our luggage at the reception, which was absolutely safe – just make sure you carry your valuables. We managed to have some early morning breakfast, before getting into Ban’s tuktuk, and then headed straight to Angkor Wat.
There are mixed reviews of the sunrise scene at Angkor Wat – few say it is totally worth, few say it is overrated. I do not care, there is no chance of missing sunrise from the Angkor complex – and it was 100% worth, in all sense!
Angkor Wat is an object of pride for Cambodia – its depiction also appears on the national flag of the country.
After the amazing experience of sunrise, we flowed inside the temple along with the crowd to explore the inside of the majestic looking UNESCO World Heritage site of Cambodia. This temple houses hundreds of images of Lord Buddha and also important scenes from Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata on its inner wall.
After spending good amount of time at Angkor Wat and exploring it to our heart’s content, we walked out of the temple compound to the parking area. It took us sometime to find Ban as there were so many tuktuks already waiting, but finally found him. Next stop was Angkor Thom.
Bayon, Angkor Thom
Bayon is the most important temple of the city. It is the temple of the mysterious stone face towers, which is situated right at the center of Angkor Thom.
Within 2 km of distance from Angkor Wat, the capital city of Khmer empire built at the end of 12th century is situated, called Angkor Thom. It is a square city surrounded by high walls with five impressive gates, one on center of each wall – North Gate, West Gate, South Gate, and Gate of the Dead – plus one extra – Victory Gate. Four roads from four gates of Angkor Thom directly lead to the temple.
Ta Keo – The Mountain Temple
Just a little outside the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, there is a massive mountain temple which was left unfinished at the start of the 11th century – no reasons known yet.
There were few eateries near the temple complex. Ban already had his lunch while we were back from visiting Ta Keo. We preferred to explore other temples before eating. We enjoyed fresh coconut water. It was such a relief on a sunny day. Next stop is almost 40 km away.
Banteay Srei – The Lost Civilization
It took an hour to reach Banteay Srei – the name means “city of women” and also “auspicious city“. It is a well-preserved 10th-century temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva, which is believed to contain intricate and finest carvings of Angkor.
It was around 2 PM when we left Banteay Srei and Ban took us straight to our final temple destination – Ta Prohm – 25 km away from Banteay Srei and closer to Angkor Thom.
Ta Prohm – The Tomb Raider Temple
The temple is known for its massive trees and roots growing out of its walls.
If you have watched Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – the movie starring Angelina Jolie – or if you have played Tomb Raider games – a series of very popular action-adventure games – then you can totally feel the adrenaline rush when you visit Ta Prohm. The movie was shot on major parts of Ta Prohm and few parts of Angkor Wat, and many people refer to this temple as the “Tomb Raider” temple. I am a huge fan of Lara Croft games as I used to play it a lot – I totally got excited visiting Ta Prohm. It is my favorite temple complex in Angkor.
There are two impressive gates leading to Ta Prohm at two different ends – you must talk to your tuk tuk driver and make sure at which gate he would be waiting to pick you up after you visit the temple. We got confused and had to walk a long way back to the gate where Ban was waiting.
There are small souvenir shops outside the temple complex and I loved the magnets one shop was selling – picked three of them in 50 cents. Our bodies got coconut water alert as well as it was too sunny – make sure you drink plenty of water while you are onto templiflying all day.
Late Lunch at Chamkar
After visiting so many Angkor temples back to back, I and Sayantika were dead hungry, and Ban took us to Chamkar Vegetarian Restaurant at Old Market area. Location was a little difficult to find as the restaurant is situated between streets 8 and 9, but if you ask anyone there, they can lead you to the place. Food was delicious and economical – everything was vegan except a dish that contains cheese.
Angkor Night Market
Ban dropped us at the hostel and he promised to come at 10.30 PM to drop us at the bus station. We literally got templified after such a long day of exploring Angkor temples. We relaxed for an hour or so on the comfortable bean bags at the lobby. Later, we decided to explore the Angkor Night Market, which is just 100 m away from the hostel.
Overnight Bus to Phnom Penh
Apart from three day buses, there are three night buses from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, but we chose the one at 11.30 PM as it has full sleeper beds – other night buses have semi-sleeper beds.
We had booked night bus ticket from Giant Ibis bus company online from their website. The bus was supposed to depart Siem Reap at 11.30 PM and reach Phnom Penh the next morning at around 6 AM. I would any day suggest you to use this bus company only – it was such a comfortable ride.
Giant Ibis is a reputed bus company in Siem Reap. They offer pick-up services from partnered hotels and guesthouses, though the night buses do not have a pick-up service irrespective of where you are staying. The night bus has an onboard toilet. They would provide you a water bottle, cold towel, blanket, and pillow. The bus company is known for its safety, maintenance, and reliability.
Ban dropped us at Giant Ibis office which is within a km distance from our hostel. The bus has comfortable double beds. We wish to have a good sleep!
NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN USD)
Let us have a look at the expenses of Day 2 in Cambodia – Siem Reap.
- Angkor Archaeological Park tour: 20
- Siem Reap to Phnom Penh: 20
- Food: 10
- Miscellaneous: 7
Total expense (roughly): 57 USD
For an overall idea of itinerary and expense of the trip, whether for solo or couple or group of any number of people, feel free to contact me on Contact Us page. You can also have a look at Cambodia in a Week – Itinerary and Expenses.
If you are planning for a much-organized, tastefully-curated, stress-free yet exciting vacation, consider booking your holidays at Travel Love Repeat. It is going to be a treat for sure!
I feel like I’m the only one who’s not yet been to Angkor Wat! Love your sunset photos, and those temples, just incredible.
You must visit them soon! They are way beyond beautiful ?
What a brilliant idea to capture the sunrise at Angkor Wat, it is gorgeous. I also love the pictures of Banteay Srei, I haven’t heard of it but it is lovely! Cambodia is on my wishlist, probably I will visit next year.
Oh yes Medha, you can anytime contact me for anything related to your Cambodia trip. Would be happy to reply ?
Wow, so beautiful. It looks like a scene from The Jungle Book or Tomb Raider.
Tomb Raider it is. You are right!
Such a comprehensive exploration of these temples. Thank you for sharing your descriptions and tips. I really enjoyed the photos!
Thank you so much. You can also check other blogs on Cambodia and other countries. You would like them too.
Looks like such a busy day! I the temples look amazing. When I get to go to Cambodia myself, hopefully the prices will be similar. Thanks for sharing!
The entrance fee has been changed recently. Let me know when you plan to visit ???
Wonderful places! I would love to visit them all. Hopefully one day !
Sure Monika
A great article! I really hope to get there one day. It’s so interesting and beautiful. How much did it cost for the tuk-tuk with Ban?
Only 40$ for us.
Great post!! I visited Ayutthaya in Thailand and itching to visit Ankor Wat. In most of my travels, i always try to capture the sunrise where possible. Something about that golden hour ?
True, the golden hours are amazing.
Angkor Wat has always intrigued me. The contrast between ancient human structures and nature entwining itself throughout it… it’s just beautiful. Thanks for a really detailed article with all of the info we need.
Glad to know that you found it useful.
This really looks amazing! The architecture is so old and looks so filled with history! I also really loved all the photos you used within this post. Looks like you had an amazing time!
I had a great time.
Angkor Wat is definitely on my list, so this was a very helpful post! I think you’re right about the sunrise being worth it; your photos you got early in the morning are amazing! I’ve never heard of Ta Prohm until now, but I think that one might end up being my favorite when I go. It really is so photogenic, and the famous tree would be amazing to see in person!
Ta Prohm is my favorite among all, maybe coz I have always been a Tomb Raider fan.
Your photos of the sunrise on Angkor Wat are pretty good, I’m sure it’s worth getting up early… Is it possible to visit Angkor Wat in a day though? Did you get the feeling you saw the main things?
Yes, possible, but for covering all the ruins in the area, keep three days in hand.
This is a really great guide, we absolutely loved exploring the temples but there are so many so its hard to know which ones to see if you are on a short visit. We also loved the food in Siem Reap too!
Glad to know that!
I can’t believe the Angkor Wat temple complex stretches over 500 acres of land! So much to see here. I wonder why Banteay Srei is called the city of women?
The temple’s modern name, Banteay Srei – citadel of the women, or citadel of beauty – is probably related to the intricacy of the carvings found on the walls and the tiny dimensions of the buildings themselves that represents female structures.
I loved visiting Angkor Wat, I though capturing the sunrise was too mainstream so skipped that and went in for sunset light and it turned out to be great. Of all, my favorite was the Bayon temple and have most beautiful pictures from there.
I still would say sunrise is something that’s just unmissable!
What an epic experience! You’ve captured so much here from the sunrise to the (very necessary I imagine) foot massage at the end of the day. I loved how the colour of the sunrise changed so rapidly, and you made me smile when you mentioned the cameras whirring at every nuanced change. The picture with very little colour is really stunning; I’ve not seen Angkor Wat like that before.
You would love it there.
A great list of 5 must see temples with all tips and description. Sunrise at Angkorwat is world famous and it is great you have visited it and captured it with different light shades. Lunch at Chamkar would be my choice and good to know that we get vegan friendly stuff here. Thanks for sharing wonderful guide.
I am glad that you liked it.