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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 02 March, 2023
Expert travel writer: Alex Robinson

The stupendous temple city of Angkor Wat is just one of many ancient Khmer ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage listed Archaeological Park, yet it’s the best known, most captivating, and the one most Siem Reap visitors, young and old, come to see.

Whether you tour independently or with a guide, by remork (tuk-tuk) or bicycle, exploring Angkor Wat can be an Indiana Jones-style adventure through the jungle that will leave you sweaty and exhausted, but satisfied.

Price from: £28
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 10+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

While tours are readily available, independent-minded visitors will prefer to visit the ruins on their own. To do so, secure a remork (tuk-tuk) driver for the day to transport you to and from the site. Maps and passes are available at the checkpoint office near the park entrance.

If you want a guide, the top hotels usually provide a driver and vetted guide as part of the package – a better option than seeking out a guide independently.

To claim the best spots for sunrise viewing, ensure you rise by 4.30am to join the 5am procession of remorks, which buzz along the dark road to Angkor Wat. Or savour golden sunsets over Angkor Wat from the back of an elephant after a bumpy 15-minute ride up the steep hill through thick vegetation to the temple of Phnom Bakheng.

If visiting Angkor Wat all day, break for lunch during the hottest part of the day at Angkor Café or Chez Sophea, opposite the ruins.

When to do it

The archaeological park is open all year round, seven days a week, from sunrise to sunset. Visit for sunrise, with everyone else: it’s worth it for the photos. Then stay on; tour groups leave for breakfast, so the site’s yours. The cooler, drier months (November-March) are best.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Full-Day Temples of Angkor Small Group Tour

Full-Day Temples of Angkor Small Group Tour

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The temples of Angkor are truly one of the world's greatest archeological wonders, and this full-day, guided, small group tour is the perfec...

$13 | Rating 4.91 / 5 [635 ratings]

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 Angkor Wat Sunrise small - groups and nearby temples

Angkor Wat Sunrise small - groups and nearby temples

Siem Reap

The temples at Angkor are famous in their own rights, even if the status of Angkor Wat as the world's greatest temple means that it's the fi...

$14 | Rating 4.95 / 5 [831 ratings]

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Small-Group Explore Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour with Guide from Siem Reap

Small-Group Explore Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour with Guide from Siem Reap

Siem Reap

Discover UNESCO World Heritage and Cambodia’s most famous touristic attraction. Embark with this private small group tours (maximum 10 pers...

$19 | Rating 4.98 / 5 [1951 ratings]

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 Angkor Wat Sunrise Small Group Experience

Angkor Wat Sunrise Small Group Experience

Siem Reap

Visit Angkor Wat complexe, the Unesco World Heritage Site, which is one of the most important archaeological site in South-east Asia built b...

$19 | Rating 4.97 / 5 [42 ratings]

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Round-ups that include this experience

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