Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples in Siem Reap were high in the list of places that my wife and I wanted to see. Since we had a great time with our old school mates during a trip to Chiang Mai in 2018, I was happy to organise another trip for the same group of friends to Siem Reap.
Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom – one of the more popular temples in Angkor Archaeological Park.
We figured that we would need to a few days to visit the “must-see” and iconic sites within the Angkor Archaeological Park which includes Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan and Banteay Srei. Our temple exploration itinerary would also include “must do" activities like viewing the sun rising behind Angkor Wat and watching the sunsets from Phnom Bakheng and Pre Rup. Anything else in between would be bonuses.
With temples and ruins spread out over a large area, most visitors planned their trips based on a “Small circuit” or “Big circuit” route. We did likewise. The “Small Circuit” or “Small Circle” route would include key sites within Angkor Thom (in local language means Great City) and Angkor Wat (City of Temples), while the twenty-six kilometer “Big Circle” route is an extension on the Small Circle route, focusing on sites spread out further away from Angkor Thom.
Most people would plan to see the temples over 1 to 3 days. To make our trip a leisurely one, we chose to stay in Siem Reap for about a week.
Entry Pass to the Angkor temples
We bought the 3-day temple pass for USD 62 per person that allows us to visit the temples within the Angkor Archaeological Park for up to 3 days (no need to be consecutive days) within 10 days from issue date. These would allow us to do the Small Circle route, Big Circle route, plus a day to cover some of the more distant temples like Banteay Samre and Banteay Srei.
Local transport in Siem Reap
Travel within Siem Reap city area is easily done via cheap and plentiful tuk-tuks. Each tuk-tuk can take up to 4 adults and each journey cost between USD 2 to 3 depending on the distance. It is good practice to always agree on the price with the driver before making the journey.
Tuk-tuks could also be hired for the whole day for tours to the temples. However, instead of tuk-tuks, we hired an air-conditioned van with English speaking driver for 4 of the days to ferry us around Siem Reap. An air-conditioned van that is large enough to carry our group of 8 persons is much preferred over a couple of tuk-tuks. The mode of transport makes a huge difference in the hot and humid Siem Reap weather in March.
On two of the days when we visited the Angkor temples, we also engaged a licensed English speaking guide so we could better appreciate the history and culture of the places we were visiting.
Data Sim
Cambodia has one of the cheapest 4G mobile data services. It made sense to buy local data SIM card for our mobile phones at the airport instead of using expensive roaming services.
Our itinerary in Siem Reap.
Day 1 (18 March 2019)
We arrived at Siem Reap airport at 11.30 AM.
Koulen Hotel provides free airport transfer service and we were received by Miss Chew from Koulen Hotel for our transfer.
We spend the rest of day at leisure, roaming the streets and shops near our hotel and ending with dinner and drinks at the famous Pub Street.
Pub Street in Siem Rep – popular eating and drinking place. Lined with restaurants and bars selling cheap beer and reasonable food.
Day 2 (19 March 2019)
We did the “Small Circle” tour that focuses on visits to the key sites within Angkor Thom in the morning, followed by Angkor Wat in the afternoon and ending with sun set viewing at Phnom Bakheng.
Notable sites within Angkor Thom include Bayon (my favourite), Phimeanakas, Baphuon, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King.
Day 3 (20 March 2019)
This is the day of the Spring Equinox where the sun will rise directly behind Angkor Wat. Hence, this is a good day to wake up early to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat.
We spent the rest of the day touring the more distant temples like Banteay Samre, Banteay Srei and Roluos Group. We also visited the Cambodia Landmine Museum located close to Banteay Srei.
Trip Report: Sunrise at Angkor Wat on day of Spring Equinox.
Trip Report: Banteay Samre, Banteay Srei, Landmine Museum and the Roluos Group.
Day 4 (21 March 2019)
After two days of temple touring, we had a break on this day where we woke up late and had a relaxing time at the hotel. Some of the group did line dancing practice in the spacious living room of our apartment in Koulen Hotel.
We had lunch at Spoons Restaurant. Spoons is no ordinary restaurant. Dining at Spoons is an easy and delicious way to contribute to the personal and educational development of underserved Cambodian young adults.
Besides delicious Cambodia food, we enjoyed the friendly hospitality of the wonderful young staff at Spoons
Spoons restaurant serves as a training facility and multipurpose space for EGBOK(Everything is Going to Be OK) students to gain hands-on experience while providing guests with authentic Cambodian cuisine and hospitality.
Another thing to enjoy while in Siem Reap is the relatively inexpensive massages. We had two hours of full body massage at Samathi Spa, followed by dinner at Pub Street again.
Day 5 (22 March 2019)
Our itinerary for the day includes Ta Prohm (also known as the “Tomb Raider Temple”), Ta Keo, Preah Khan, Sras Srang reservoir, Neak Pean, Ta Som and ending with a visit to Rep Rup at sunset. This is known as the “Big Circle Tour” focusing on sites spread out further away from Angkor Thom.
Additional temples that potentially could be visited along the way include East Mebon and Banteay Kdei ( Citadel of Chambers).
Trip report: Doing the Big Circle Tour of Angkor Temples.
Day 6 (23 March 2019)
A visit to Siem Reap offers an opportunity to visit Tonle Sap, largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and is the second most popular attraction in Siem Reap, after Angkor Wat.
We saw the fascinating local communities and their stilt houses and floating villages at Kampong Khleang in the morning.
On the way back, we visited the jungle temple of Beng Mealea.
We ended the day with a swim and happy hour cocktails at the hotel’s pool and dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
Trip report: Stilt village of Kampong Khleang and floating village on Tonle Sap lake.
Trip report: Exploring the jungle temple of Beng Mealea.
Where we stay in Siem Reap
Koulen Hotel is one of the few “apartment-hotel” in Siem Reap that offers apartment-sized rooms with full hotel services.
We stayed in a 4-bedroom apartment that features 4 bedrooms with double beds and attached bathroom. Each couple in our group enjoyed a private bathroom that comes with a shower, slippers, bathrobe and free toiletries.
The apartment has a fully equipped kitchenette with a microwave oven and a fridge. There is also a large dining table in the living room.
Our apartment is fully air-conditioned and includes a terrace and/or a balcony, flat screen TV and tea/coffee making facilities. In-room dining services are also available but we did not make use of this. Instead, we chose to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant on two of the nights.
With the friendly staff of Koulen Hotel during an afternoon tea session by the pool.
Besides the facilities, Koulen Hotel offers excellent service staff that goes out of the way to please their guests.
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