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Angkor Wat with Angkor Temples
A Magical Expat Travel Adventure
Angkor Wat one of the Angkor Temples is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia and this expat adventure traveler found it to be a magical place. A great place to visit from South Korea if you have 5 days which includes travel. The Angkor Temples along with Angkor Wat are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are so much history from 10th to the 15th century with the temples construction from different stones from a dozen Khmer cities. These temples have been built, rebuilt and now some reduced to just rubble.
Cambodia is a lush, vivid green, humid country which has seen some hardships but have wonderful temples to share with the world.
There are many temples in Angkor which is located in Siem Reap. On one of my latest expat adventure travels to Cambodia, I visited a few temples that everyone should attempt to see and feel the awe when looking at these amazing sites. Wear your walking shoes, grab a hat and a bottle of water and start your adventure. Lets check out these Angkor Temples.
Angkor Wat
The crown jewel of the Khmer architecture, site built in the 12 century. Angkor Wat is the largest, most religious and best preserved temple. Protected by a massive moat with the entrance on walkway that crosses the moat and see the only temple that faces west. Walk through the halls and see the scenes depicted on the bass reliefs that stretch for 800m.
Good time to arrive at the temple is right before sunrise. Go over the moat and down the walkway towards the temple and set up on the left side before the pond and see the sunrise behind Angkor Wat. Feel the stillness in the air before sunrise and image what it would be like during that time in history. As the sun rises, hear the birds singing and feel the mystery, as the temple comes to light. It is just a magnificent site to see.
Angkor Thom
Located in Angkor inspired by Buddhism whose impressive site is the huge four faced Buddha. Surrounded by walls and five gates built in the 12th century. Enter by the south gate and visit the Terrace of the Leper Kings and the Terrace of the Elephants a place for public ceremonies.
Bayon
Bayon a mysterious temple mountain is located in the center of Angkor Thom. Notice the artistic creativity and see the 54 towers that show the smiling stone carved faces.
Banteay Srei
A small 10th century Hindu Temple dedicated to Shiva located about 20km from Angkor. See the magnificent carvings of Vishnu and Shiva. Notice the pink sandstone and the beautiful carvings.
Ta Prohm
Built in 1186 and served the empires administrative center for the 102 hospitals. Europeans found this temple in the 19th century and today still looks as it did when it was found. Huge trees growing up through the temple provide a breathtaking view. The massive roots ruined many passageways and courtyards but it’s amazing to see how the jungle has taken over. My favorite temple to see, plus was in the movie “Tomb Raider” starring Angelina Jolie.
Tips for Angkor Temples
- Transportation in Angkor will need to be arranged before hand to get around to the temples. There are motorcycle taxis, bicycles for rent, and tuk tuk’s. The area is well organized with good roads to travel.
- Passes: Enter by buying 1, 3, or 7 day passes. A passport photo is needed for 3-7 day passes which they take right there for free.
- Hours: Sites are open from Sunrise to Sunset and the main temples can all be seen within 3 days.
Etcetera
This 1Adventure Traveler enjoyed Angkor Wat and the other Angkor Temples so much that I look forward to my return. Make sure to stop by for more travel tips and to see more of Angkor Thom.
If your visit takes you to Hanoi Vietnam make sure to stop by the Hanoi Ethnology Museum to learn more about the culture.
To see more UNESCO World Heritage Sites please visit my collaboration article with other professional Travel Bloggers:
15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
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What a great post, and fabulous photos. Would love to use every single minute of a seven day pass there! It seems like there is so much to explore and take in, that might not even be enough time!
Thanks Rob + Ann,
The Angkor Temples are so amazing to see and I agree 7 days may not be enough time to explore. I still want to return and see more of the other temples. At least you now have a guide on the temples to see the first few days 🙂
Happy Travels 🙂
Angkor Wat is SO high on my bucket list. I read so many posts and see so many pictures about it and I want to go sooooo baddd! Definitely inspired by this 🙂
Thanks WayfairingSarah,
I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see Angkor Wat. For me it was magical, hard to explain but you will understand when you go. I will be excited to read your article after you go. Make sure to pin this for later use 🙂
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
This is great! I have heard so much about the temples in Angkor Wat and every time a spark in me is lit, wanting to go there to check it out myself. I think a 3 day pass would be appropriate to see the everything I want to see. What do you think?
Thanks Kreete.
Angkor Wat is amazing! Yes, I think a 3 day pass is enough time to see the temples that I mentioned but what was even more helpful was the guide. He was a local guide that provided so much information that made it exciting. Hope you get to visit there soon 🙂
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
We really need to go visit Cambodia! I love seeing ancient sites like these and imagining what life was like back then. I also like the fact that it all screams “Tomb Raider” to me lol
Hi ThriftyTrails,
Doesn’t it scream “Tomb Raider” lol. 😄 That is really why I wanted to visit there first years ago, then I realized what wonderful ancient sites and history here.
Mysterious Bayon,Banteay Srei and Ta Prohm look so beautiful and yet intimidating. The sculptures and architecture provides us an open window into the 10th and 15th century. Worth visiting and worth protecting.
Hi Sandy,
I agree the Angkor Temples are so beautiful and worth protecting. Hope you have had a chance to visit.
Happy Travels 🙂
We have yet to visit Cambodia (we keep migrating back to Thailand!) and we must visit here in the future. It appears such a magical place. Thanks for sharing. #feetdotravel
Thanks Paul and Carole,
I too have enjoyed my visits to Thailand but Cambodia is only a quick flight away 🙂 Once you see the Angkor Temples you will be amazed. Hope you get a chance to see this magical place.
Happy Travels 🙂
The Angkor Temples were on my bucket list for some time and they didn’t disappoint when I finally made it there. I would return again and again. The history and the amazing work behind all of them fascinates me. Very cool!
Thanks Shona,
Like you I can visit the Angkor Temples over and over again. So much history and the site is just amazing 😊
Angkor Wat – such a magical place and somewhere that I think everybody should visit at some point of their lives. I have fond memories of very early starts, heading to the complex and witnessing an incredible sunrise at Angkor Wat. Thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories!
Thanks Alexei,
Yes, you have an awesome morning sunrise shot over Angkor Wat 🙂 I am so jealous since my 3 mornings there were cloudy. lol. I do agree everyone should one day take a trip there and see this magical place.
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
Oh i really would like to visit Angkor wat!!!
Hi Umberta,
Angkor Wat is so amazing if you every get a chance to visit. It is very magical knowing that people were here hundreds of years before. When one stands there among the ruins, the wind blows through the trees and listen to magical sounds.
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
I’m impressed you learnt the names of each temple and room. When I visited I only learnt that Tomb Raider 2 was filmed there! Great photography too.
I’ve never been to Cambodia or Asia but it sounds like such a magical place and the temples look amazing. Thanks for sharing – Hope to go one day!
Thanks Sina,
The Angkor Temples are a wonderful place to visit if you get a chance. Its very magical and worth the trip. I found the early mornings tend to have less people and hopefully catch the sun over Angkor Wat.
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
We have Angkor Wat in our sights for August just the weather that is slightly putting us off. Looks absolutely stunning and we really cannot wait to go! #followmefriday
Hi Tracy,
Hope you make it to the Angkor Temples this August. A good rain jacket worked for us and for my camera in between uses I placed a shower cap on it to keep it dry. Hard to hold an umbrella and take photos. It is amazing and try and see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. See my tips on what to take. Enjoy your trip.
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
Love the tips, and the history behind each temple! Definitely saving this for future trip planning; Angkor is high on the wish list!
Thanks Laura,
Hope you get a chance to visit the Angkor Temples. It was a magical experience for me even though I have done a lot of traveling but this place made me pause and really take in the sites, sounds, smells and culture. Looking forward to your article after you get a chance to visit 🙂
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
Amazing place to visit. We are just preparing our Angkor post and cannot decide which pictures to add as we did soooo many. We did 3 days of temples and we still didn’t finished all of them. Great post, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Oana,
It is amazing plus I know how you feel with so many photos and not sure which ones to use. With so many photos taken then they need to be edited 😊
This place has been on my bucket list for sooo long! I think this should be the year where I’m visiting it! Thanks for sharing
Thanks Midori,
I hope you get a chance to see the Angkor Temples soon. They are magnificent. What worked for us was going on the Viking River Cruise that took us to Cambodia and Vietnam which used local guides for each city. Our local guide for the Angkor Temples was one who was captured as a boy and had to work in the fields and lived in a Banyan Tree. The history provided was amazing. Looking forward to your article when you visit.
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
Well we did our trip to Angkor last November Stephanie, and it was just as you said it would be – MAGICAL, so interesting and we loved the fact we felt like explorers. What amazed us was that you could just wander around and walk all over this ancient site, that was very cool and special. If this was in Britain, just like Stonehenge we wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near it!
Hi Garth
I am so happy you had a wonderful magical time at the Angkor Temples. It was amazing to walk around see the carvings on the wall and walk the halls where others have walked years before. I hope they are able to keep it open to the public.
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
We’re going in 8 weeks time, and reading about your experience and beautiful photos of the temples has made me even more excited! I feel like I know this place having read so much, will be interesting to see if I find it as magical as you did, I’m guessing I will!
Hi Garth,
I hope you experience the magic as I did. I know you love to take pictures, an early sunrise over the temples is a must possibly with a tripod. Just amazing, walking and seeing the drawings on the wall, the monks sitting giving blessings, then the wind blows and it takes you back to another time. Enjoy your time there and I looking forward to hearing about your experience. 🙂
Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
I loved my time at Angkor Wat and it remains one of the highlights of my travels through South East Asia. So many incredible temples to see! Angkor Wat at sunrise is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen and is a an absolute must-do!
Hi Alexei,
Yes Angkor Wat at sunrise is amazing and is a must for people to see. So glad I had a flashlight, early wake up call and a tuk tuk waiting to take me to the temple. Since I can cross this off my bucket list I now want to see Machu Picchu. 🙂
Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
It does seem magical and mysterious, almost surreal. I think this would be so cool to explore. Are you able to hike around the area? Just a beautiful place for sure! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Lisa,
Angkor Wat is the huge grouping of temples. There is so much walking and exploring. One gets to walk down the halls, up stairs over boulders and just image about the people who have walked this path so long ago. Such a beautiful place. No mountains that I know of to hike but there is lots of exploring. My suggestion is to go for sunrise, less people and have a guide which will give you so much history. Hope you get a chance to experience Angkor Wat. 🙂
Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
The Angkor Wat complex really is a true wonder of the world. It’s such an awe-inspiring place and so staggeringly large. Like you, I’d happily return to see more of it. Sadly I didn’t make it to Banteay Srei, so that’d be one spot I’d love to visit. Ah, memories.
Hi David,
Angkor Wat is truly an amazing wonder of the world. It still is back on my bucket list to re-visit but I would love to ride around on a bike this time and visit the temples. Also would like to try another sunrise at the temples this time maybe not during the beginning of the raining season. I hope someday you get a chance to visit Banteay Srei. 🙂
Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
The craftsmanship and architecture is amazing! I can’t imagine how cool it would feel to see these temples – I love how they are surrounded by trees! I’ve heard of Angor Wat, but wasn’t aware there were so many other impressive temples! This is just so cool!!
Thanks Jenn…
Angor Wat is just amazing and is the group of all these temples. There are so many to see and what is neat is the restoration that is happening on some of these temples. I enjoyed trying to see the sunrise through the clouds but liked the quietness along with less people. Just knowing that some of these halls were roamed by elephants. So much history among the jungle that wants to reclaim it back. I hope someday you get a chance to experience seeing Angkor Wat. Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
Fantastic post! I intend to visit Cambodia next year so read this with much interest. I have heard that the best time to see it is before sunrise so it’s lovely you also had a chance to experience it, I will definitely be checking out Ta Prohm as well. Thank you for sharing this information.
Thanks Angie,
Angkor Wat is a must if you visit Cambodia. Yes, hope you get the sunrise, I had clouds but it was still so magical. An early wake up call, flashlight (torch), camera, and a tuk tuk scheduled to pick you up. Plus with the early sunrise visit means less people, better lite for pictures and just amazing things to see. Looking forward to hearing about your visit next year to Cambodia. 🙂
Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
Hi Phil and Garth
I am so happy The Angkor Temples are part of the collaboration post “15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites you should Visit“. All from Professional Travel Bloggers which I’m happy to be apart of.
Happy Travels, Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)