Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the temples within the walled city of Angkor Thom and the beauty of the Bayon in the
late-afternoon light.
Two Days
A two-day itinerary allows time to include some of the other big hitters around Angkor.
Spend the first day visiting petite Banteay Srei, with its fabulous carvings; stop at Banteay
Samré on the return leg. In the afternoon, visit immense Preah Khan, delicate Preah Neak
Poan and the tree roots of Ta Som, before taking in a sunset at Pre Rup. Spend the second
day following the one-day itinerary to Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom.
Three to Five Days
If you have three to five days to explore Angkor, it's possible to see most of the important
sites. One approach is to see as much as possible on the first day or two and then spend
the final days combining visits to other sites such as the Roluos temples and Banteay
Kdei. Better still is a gradual build-up to the most spectacular monuments. After all, if you
see Angkor Wat on the first day, then a temple like Ta Keo just won't cut it. Another op-
tion is a chronological approach, starting with the earliest Angkorian temples and working
steadily forwards in time to Angkor Thom, taking stock of the evolution of Khmer archi-
tecture and artistry.
It is well worth making the trip to the River of a Thousand Lingas at Kbal Spean for the
chance to stretch your legs amid natural and human-made splendour, or the remote, vast
and overgrown temple of Beng Mealea. Both can be combined with Banteay Srei in one
long day.
One Week
Those with the time to spend a week at Angkor will be richly rewarded. Not only is it pos-
sible to fit all the temples of the region into an itinerary, but a longer stay also allows for
non-temple activities, such as relaxing by a pool, indulging in a spa treatment or shopping
around Siem Reap. Check out the aforementioned itineraries for some ideas on approach,
but relax in the knowledge that you'll see it all. You may also want to throw in some of
the more remote sites such as Koh Ker, Prasat Preah Vihear or Banteay Chhmar.
Tours
Most budget and midrange travellers not on package tours prefer to take in the temples at
their own pace. Plan a dawn-to-dusk itinerary with a long, leisurely lunch to avoid the
