Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor Plan
Basically the only reason people come to Siem Reap (and for some Cambodia in general) is to visit Angkor Wat – the World’s Largest Single Religious Monument – and the surrounding temples, over 1,000 of them! And wat a sight they are 
The temples of Angkor are almost an antithesis to the sights of Phnom Penh, displaying the amazing ancient history, architecture and culture of Cambodia, opposed to the more recent, turbulent, darker past of S-21 and the Killing Fields.
We stayed at Siem Reap Hostel, which boasts the Hostel World award for best hostel in Cambodia (what, best of 3?! 
) but it really is a nice hostel. Almost too good in fact, and I couldn’t help but think it could be put to better use in another town. With a swimming pool, pool table, projector, reading room, organised nights etc its great. The trouble is that everyone here is so occupied with the temples, they are too F’d to make use of it all, or are in town drinking, so even though the place was booked out some nights there just wasn’t much going on. You can also book Tuk Tuk drivers and guides to the temples here which is great.
We, however, ended up organising our own Tuk Tuk Driver, which can be very hit and miss, but this guy came referred so why not? On average you will pay about $15 USD for the day to the near by temples (I don’t think I mentioned yet, that USD is pretty much Cambodia’s currency. It’s wat comes out of the ATM, and most prices are listed in USD, with Cambodian Riels used for anything smaller than $1), or $20-30 for further out temples and depends on the number of people in for the ride.
You then need to buy a temple pass, which is $20 per day, $45 for 3 days, , or $60 for a week! You can get either a 3-day consecutive pass, or a 3-day any-day pass to use within a week – We couldn’t work out what the difference was and why you would buy the consecutive pass so just bout the any-day-three-day in case we wanted a break one day!
You have to buy your pass before you get to the temples, so make sure you stop there first on day 1. It’s a printed photo ID (so don’t try and borrow someone else’s), and they check at the entrances to most of the temples so keep it with you at all times!
There are various itineraries for the temples, and common paths like the Big and Little Loops. If you really want to try and do it in one day, then start with Angkor Wat for sunrise, and spend the full day around the big and little loops and you should be able to see most of the central temples.
The best bet is to read up on them from all the available guides and pick which ones you want to see and how much time you have and negotiate a trip with your driver. Try out your driver for the first day and if you don’t like them get another for the next! Make sure you take down their name, mobile phone number, and driver ID number!!
My suggested itinerary:
Day 01: Beng Mealea and the Rolous Group
Day 02: Phnom Kulen waterfall and the Tomb Raider lake (which I unfortunately missed for some stupid reason!!), Bantey Srei and Kbal Spean (low priority, read future post!) on the way back.
Day 03: Start at Angkor Wat for sunrise and combine the big and little loops for a last mega day that encompasses all the central temples – Angkor Tom, Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants, Ta Prohm (location for Tomb Raider) – and skip any that don’t seem interesting.
Got more time?? Split the big loop and small loop into 2 days, go back to Angkor Wat for sunset, and try some of the more adventurous, less visited sights!
Tags: angkor, angkor wat, bantey srei, bayon, beng mealea, big loop, blogsherpa, cambodia, kbal spean, phnom kulen, roluos group, siem reap, siem reap hostel, small loop, ta prohm, the temples of angkor, tomb raider
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