Angkor Wat: UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Angus Rees
- Oct 13, 2017
- 3 min read
Angkor covers roughly 1,000 square kilometres of forested area and includes hundreds of temples that comprised the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 15th centuries. Today, the temples are an important source of revenue for Cambodia's growing tourism industry, bringing in more than 5 million tourists a year. The entrance fee for the entire park is $37 for a day pass and we managed to find a full day guided tour for $10 a person. Below you will read about our remarkable experience exploring some of the highlights Angkor had to offer.
Angkor Wat
After being picked up from our hostel at 8:30 we made our way to the park ticketing centre to pay for our day passes. (Note: If you buy a ticket after 5pm the day before your tour you are also allowed to go in for sunset on that day as well as the whole next day) A short drive later you arrive at the entrance to Angkor Wat. The scale of the temple cannot be grasped until you first set your eyes upon it. It is huge. After being told a little about the history of the temple you are brought to the outer walls and examine some of the art and the meaning behind it. The level of detail put into the temple's construction and artwork is nothing short of incredible. The whole experience truly takes your breath away.
Once you finish the tour of Angkor Wat you will stop for a short breather near the mote and have some refreshments, there are a few vendors selling the usual touristy wares. After this the bus will head to a place for lunch with a very expensive menu, but by then you are starving and craving the AC as it is so humid in the Cambodian jungle. The next two temples, Angkor Thom Complex and Bayon, seem less impressive after being inside and on top of Angkor Wat but they are still interesting to walk around and explore.
The walk through the thick jungle to the famous temple of Ta Phrohm really makes you feel like you are on the set of Tomb Raider, which is where the 2001 movie was filmed. The most distinctive feature of this temple is the trees growing out of it and holding the original temple in place (there has been little to no reconstruction done on this temple as it is such a complicated task, meaning that it is mostly still the original temple).
The last stop on the tour is Bakheng Hill to watch the sun set over the national park. There are elephants you can ride to the top of the hill, though we were pleased to see that no-one was doing this. (Here's a link with information you should read before considering a ride on one of these lovely animals). The sunset itself could not compare to the African sunsets in Madagascar and the clouds really limited visibility. We were dropped off around 8pm exhausted after a wonderful day of cultural enlightenment.
What to bring? Trousers / knee length skirt and top that covers shoulders Sunscreen / raincoat depending on season, you'll be outside all day Camera (duh!) Light clothing as it is pretty humid
Mosquito Spray Hat
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