Exploring the temples of Angkor

One day itinerary for Angkor’s best temples

There is no doubt that the region of Angkor around Siem Reap is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. For more than 500 years it was the centre of the Khmer empire and still today it is the spiritual heart of Cambodia.

That the national flag has the main temple Angkor Wat in its design speaks volumes.

The whole area stretches out over 400 square kilometres around Siem Reap and has more than a thousand temples (in various states of disrepair). It’s impossible to see everything in a short visit – but in a moment I’ll give you my guide for how to make the most of limited time.

Jump down to my one day itinerary for exploring Angkor’s temples…

My general thoughts

Preservation and restoration have become a priority at Angkor and it was only in 2004 that the site was removed from the ‘in danger’ section of UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

But, as with many sites of this notoriety, the threat to its conservation is now coming from booming tourist numbers. There are now more than two million visitors to the Angkor site each year.

I remember coming here in my younger backpacking days – maybe seven or eight years ago – and the tourist hub of Siem Reap, which services Angkor, was a sleepy little town.

Angelina Jolie had just finished filming Tomb Raider and the bar she occasionally went to was the most exciting (and probably only decent) place to go in the evenings.

Finding a good guesthouse for the night wasn’t the problem – finding any guesthouse was the challenge. But along the main roads into town you could see construction of hotels every few hundred metres.

The boom was about to hit.

The biggest difference I notice on this visit, though, is at the temples. What were once undiscovered treasures have become standard stops on the tour bus circle.

I remember previously going to some of the bigger sites and scrambling up steep ancient staircases to explore isolated nooks or empty crannies.

Now those staircases are closed off and people queue to be allowed into the busiest parts – especially at the best temples.

This is not a bad thing in itself, though. There needs to be a management plan in place to protect these ancient wonders.

They should be shared with the world but done in a sustainable way that doesn’t damage the buildings that hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people spent centuries to build with such an astounding mix of grandeur and tiny intricate details.

Visiting Angkor’s temples

If you only have one day to explore the Angkor site, there is a pretty standard list of temples you should see. They’re the most famous for a reason and are not worth missing. Any extra days you have can be used to explore some more outlying options.

A great way to see all of the best temples is with one of the local tour guides. They know where to go and they’ve got a wealth of information.

If you’re interested, there are a few great options here that I would recommend:

If you’re still keen to explore by yourself, don’t worry. If you can get hold of some transportation, then just follow the map I’ve put together below and you’ll be able to see the highlights. I’ve also put together a bit of background information about each of the stops for you.

Here are Angkor’s best temples on a one day itinerary:

Temple 1: Angkor Wat

The biggest and most spectacular of all the temples at Angkor. It’s also said to be the largest religious monument in the world.

Angkor Way has a moat and an outer wall that stretches for 3.6 kilometres. Within the walls there is a large area of empty space with a long path to the main temple.

Along the sides of the temple are detailed bas reliefs mainly showing epic Hindu stories. You can climb to the top of the central towers and look out over the whole site from there.

Temple 2: The Bayon

The Bayon is best known for the massive stone faces carved into the sides of its towers. Although it’s unclear exactly how many there once were, it’s estimated there were about 200 of these faces.

Although not nearly as large as Angkor Wat, this temple is much more condensed and you’ll need to walk through some dark and tight passages to see it all.

At time it feels like you might get lost on the lower levels before you find stairs to the top.

Temple 3: The Baphuon

There’s no so much the need for exploring at The Baphuon as there is the need for climbing. It’s a tall temple with steep staircases on each side (although you can’t access them all).

The Baphuon has been the subject of many years of restoration work but is now in a fairly good condition.

From the top you get a great view over the ancient city of Angkor Thom, of which The Baphuon is a part.

Temple 4: Phimeanakas

Phimeanakas is quite close to The Baphuon and is also a part of Angkor Thom. It’s not as large as The Baphuon but has a similar design.

And once again there’s a steep staircase to climb if you want to go to the top. This is a temple that can be enjoyed from the ground, though.

It was built at the end of the 10^th century and would once have had a tall tower at the top.

Temple 5: Thommanon

This is a small temple that you can see in about ten minutes or so.

The most important features are not the overall design but the carved decorations. They are in a relatively good condition and give you a sense of how things would have looked at some of the less-preserved sites.

Temple 6: Chau Say Tevoda

Right across the road from Thommanon is Chau Say Tevoda. It is a similar size and has a similar design.

A lot of restoration work has gone into improving Chau Say Tevoda and it’s easy to access and doesn’t take too long to see.

It’s best to consider both these temples together, to understand their position in the ancient city.

Temple 7: Ta Keo

This is one of the oldest temples at Angkor and is believed to be the first built entirely of sandstone. It’s a five-tiered pyramid with steep staircases on each side.

There are no decorations, which makes it seem slightly large than it is. It would once have had a large moat around it but that no longer exists.

Temple 8: Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is one of the most popular temples for tourists in the Angkor region because of the atmosphere created by the trees and plants which have been left to grow in it.

Unlike many of the other large sites, which have been restored, this has been largely left to show the effects of time.

It was used as a set for the Tomb Raider movie and that’s only increased its popularity. There’s no climbing involved but it’s easy to get lost amongst the trees and piles of rubble.

Temple 9: Banteay Kdei

Banteay Kdei has a similar design to Ta Prohm but is smaller and is being restored to remove most of the trees and rebuild the collapsed parts of the structure.

It’s easy to walk through and not lose your way – you can pretty much just go in a straight line. It gives a good sense of how these single story but complex temples were laid out.

I hope you find this useful. I know it can all seem a bit overwhelming at first but it’s quite easy to explore Angkor in just one day using this itinerary.

Of course, you will get more out of it if you use a professional guide and I have some recommendations here:

I would also suggest spending some extra days seeing some of the other temples like Beng Mealea, if you have time.

>> See my story about Beng Mealea <<

Despite the issues with overcrowding that you’ll find these days, this is one of the most impressive collection of archaeological sites in the world and you should make the best of it while you’re here. Enjoy!

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more info click here. You can see all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve visited here.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CAMBODIA?

See my Cambodia Travel Guide

To help you plan your Cambodia travel:

• Is Cambodia safe for travellers?
• The perfect one day itinerary for Angkor from Siem Reap
• How to have the ultimate jungle temple experience
• The World Heritage Site that two countries are fighting over!
• The best things to see around Battambang
• What to expect at Phnom Penh’s Killing Fields
• The gruesome side of ‘Genocide Tourism’ in Cambodia
• Escape from it all on Rabbit Island
• Staying in a local village with a community ecotourism project
• Where you can eat tarantula (urgh!)

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of Cambodia, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Cambodia.

You could consider:

• Cambodia Experience (9 days)
• Essential Vietnam & Cambodia (17 days
• National Geographic Journey: Discover Southeast Asia (18 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.