On our way to Vietnam, we had a chance to stop in Cambodia and decided to spend two days in Siem Reap. We went to see the famous and incredible temples of Angkor Wat, but left with an appreciation of the people and culture of Cambodia. In fact, we both preferred Cambodia to Vietnam! Read on for my recommendations on what to do in Siem Reap.
Siem Reap
Siem Reap is the second largest city in Cambodia and is built around the ruins of a group of ancient temples, Angkor Wat, around the Siem Reap River.
We stayed at the Riversoul Boutique, which was an ideal place to stay. It is located half a block away from the river, where you can spend the evening on the banks with locals. The hotel also has a spa with on-demand, inexpensive, but good massages.
Things to Do in Siem Reap
With our two days in Siem Reap, we spent a day and a half exploring the temples of Angkor Archaeological Park and spent about half a day in the city. If I were to return, I would add seeing the local waterfall and exploring the history museum. You need a ticket to enter the Angkor Archaeological Park, which you can buy at the museum or online.
We found and used a guide who has become a friend, Sambath (Tour Driver Sam). You can get hold of him on Facebook or WhatsApp 855-16-630-204. Sam can help by driving you anywhere, including airport pick-ups. He has a car and a Remorque (Cambodian tuk-tuk).
Angkor Wat temple
Although most Westerners think that Angkor Wat is one building, the name denotes one complex (like a city with many temples). The Angkor Archaeological Park contains around 1,000 temple buildings. We spent half a day just exploring Angkor Wat temple, and barely scratched the surface.
We didn’t have more time for Angkor Wat, but if we did, we would have hired one of the guides to go into the temple with us and explain more of what we saw. You can find them right outside the entrance to Angkor Wat.
To enter all the temples, your shoulders and knees must be covered.
It is a long walk just to get into the buildings of the complex, and you can’t ride or drive into it. A massive moat surrounds the complex, so you cross a long bridge even to enter it.
The view above was taken from the top of the Bakan Sanctuary tower, which you get to by queuing and then going up a long 80-degree staircase.
Inside, you can walk through many temples, made of sandstone and brought in from 30 miles away by the river. It is believed they were built from 1113 and 1150 AD as a mausoleum for King Suryavarman II and a temple for the Hindu god, Vishnu.
King Jayavarman VII then moved the country to Buddhism, and the temples are now used for this religion. They are still very active religious centers, so you will be there among monks and worshippers.
Angkor Wat Park
After the moat, but before you reach the main temples, there is a large park in which you will find families enjoying picnics or a sunny day. The park is also where you will find the monkeys!
If you are a wildlife lover like me, you are going to love this area! We visited when there were many baby monkeys and even monkeys swimming.
I even spent some time after sunrise doing yoga and birdwatching in the park.
Ta Prohm Temple
This temple complex has been the setting for movies such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. It is jam-packed with tourists, but features trees growing on or out of many of its temples.
Bayon TempleÂ
This temple, with over 200 faces smiling from seemingly unending towers, was my favorite to visit. It also has bats!
East and South Gates of Bayon TempleÂ
These gates have elephants, Buddhas, more faces, and amazing views of the Siem Reap River.
The best thing about the last two temples that we visited is that there were many fewer people!
Bakong Temple
My favorite thing about this temple was the peace and the animal statues at its corners. It was a state temple dedicated to Shiva and is shaped like a pyramid.
Jungles surround all of the temples, and the sound of cicadas definitely adds to the experience.
Preah Ko Temple
Khmer King Indravarman I built this temple complex in 879 AD for Shiva and his ancestors. This fact makes it 200 years older than Angkor Wat. The name refers to the bulls guarding the temples.
Downtown Siem Reap
What I didn’t realize before visiting is that there truly is so much more to this area than the temples.
The people of the town gather around the river at night, where things are lit up. It is also a pleasant place to walk during the day.
The Royal Residence
In the center of Siem Reap is the official palace where the royal family stays when they are in town. Although you can’t enter it, the grounds and pagoda are free to tour. There is also an open-air market right next to it.
Right above the market, I noticed some very loud and big birds high in the trees that I couldn’t identify. The next day, I was there with Sam, and he told me they were bats! They are large fruit bats, also known as flying foxes. They were definitely the largest bats I have ever seen.
Overlooking the Royal Residence is one of the swankier hotels in Cambodia, Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor. Although it costs about 5 times what we paid for our hotel, it is still inexpensive by US standards. So, if you want a more upscale place to stay, you can book it here.Â
The Killing Fields
The people of Cambodia have a bloody modern history, when a vicious party, the Khmer Rouge, imprisoned and killed many people all around the country. One of these fields is in the middle of Siem Reap, and we visited the monument and museum, along with Sam, who has a personal family connection to the atrocities.
Massage to End Each Night
After a hot, sweaty day in Cambodia, we enjoyed the low-priced massages the city offers. We took ours at our hotel.
Floating Village Tour
If you, like me, travel to see how differently people in the world live from you, I highly recommend visiting one of the floating villages. The only place I have visited where the climate created such extreme living conditions was my trip to the Arctic in Alaska.
These fishing villages are scattered on the small waterways of Tonle Sap Lake.
The reason that life is so different in the floating villages is that in the dry season, the water level is four times lower than it is in the wet season. In the wet season, people and animals live on the second story of their houses and get around by boat. In the low season, they walk and drive along the dusty roads of the village, have shops on the open ground floors of their houses, and have to walk down to the water.
We found the villagers very welcoming, even inviting us into a wedding that was happening. There was also a functioning Buddhist Temple, which was interesting to tour.
On the experience, we also had lunch on a floating restaurant.
If you don’t end up using Sam, you can book a tour here.
If we had more time, we would have visited the Elephant Forest and taken a bike ride to the temples.
