Visiting Angkor
Home Access to Angkor Monuments & Photos Destinations Key Knowledge Features Practicalities Hotels & Guesthouses
Suggested itineraries

Timing
Take your time! Start early; Angkor is not a place to have comfortable holidays. Early morning is generally the best time, start at 7 am, or even sooner.The locals take a noon break from 11 am to 2 pm, for good reasons, it will be hot!

Take care of yourself
Visiting Angkor can be strenuous. Don't try to take on too much. Have rests, and drink plenty of water; you need 2‐3 litres of water per day. Take enough water with you. In Angkor water is often of low quality and overpriced. Ask your driver for toilets.

Dress and Equipment
Wear light and airy clothes. To show respect in the temples, shoulders and knees should be covered. Have headgear and an umbrella. Shoes should be comfortable and secure. At the end of the rainy seasons ways can be under water, so have trekking sandals if possible. If you are sensible, have sun protection cream and mosquito spray.
Transportation
Angkor Wat, the nearest temple, is more than 5 km north of Siem Reap.
Various means of transport are available from bicycles to air conditioned vehicles.

These are usual rates for one day in Angkor. You have to pay more for visiting distant sites.
  • Taxis with A/C:
    - Camry car (3-4 seats) $ 20    -25
    - Van (12-15 seats) $ 25    -30
  • Khmer "tuk-tuk", $ 12-15
    The so called tuk-tuks are very popular. But they are not what you may know from Thailand: the trailer is without breaks. Don't drive fast!
  • Motorbike taxis, “moto doup”, $ 8-10
  • Electric bicycles, $ 4
  • Bicycles, $ 1.5-4
Entrance Ticket
Tickets for the Angkor Archaeological Park are only available at the main entrance, located on the road to Angkor Wat. Tickets are not available at any other station. Before you start your visit to the temples of Roluos (Bakong), you must get a ticket at the main entrance. They will take a photo of you.
Entrance fees
  • 1 day $ 20.00
  • 3 consecutive days
    or any 3 days in a week $ 40.00
  • 7 consecutive days
    or any 7 days within 30 days $ 60.00.
Children under 12 years are free.
Begging
People begging in Angkor are not poor at all!
Inside the East Mebon temple I watched some happy children, mostly girls, begging or trying to sell trinkets. They received three dollars. When the tourists had gone, they rendered the money to a police officer.
"Think twice before buying anything from children on the street, beaches or at temples and refrain from giving money to begging children or parents with infants. It keeps them on the street and places them at at risk. If you really want to help ... find and support services that help these children have a better future." (ChildSafe network)
Comment: The infants carried by women are often hired whilst the women's own children are well kept at home.

Visitors directions

  • Do not purchase ancient artefacts, including glass and stone beads, pottery, stone tools and metal objects.
  • Dispose of your rubbish appropriately and keep heritage sites clean.
  • Respect the temples: they are religious monuments and world heritage treasures.Tradition demands to take off your heat in front a Buddha or Vishnu statue and near a stupa.
  • Statues, reliefs or stupas are never touched.
  • Candle light dining or visiting commercial performances inside a temple's enclosure show a complete lack of respect.
  • Conserve water in Siem Reap as the water level is dropping which may make the monuments unstable.
  • Try to use environment friendly transport: such as bicycles, electric bikes or horse‐drawn carts in the park.

Courtesy of Heritage Watch, modified. Updated 31.12.2011.

edv Top