Temple Trekking - Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat - Our Siem Reap Temple Trek

We hate tourist attractions, but beautiful places attract tourists, and Angkor Wat is a beautiful place; too beautiful to miss just because of the tourists. 

The challenge for us was, can we do a tourist attraction without getting swallowed by the crowds? We learned a number of things about this endeavor. First, hire a guide. We got one with a car, but it's just as easy to get to the Angkor Wat temples without a car; simply flag down a tuk-tuk and you're there. The trick is - and this is where a guide comes in handy - finding the best viewpoints, secret passages and photo opportunities. 

Second, it's hot here. Go early. There is a sunrise Temple tour regimen involves getting up at 5 a.m., but what you find is the morning is cool and if you don't rush back to the hotel by 8 a.m., as your guide may insist, you will have another hour or two of Temple touring before you have to find some shade and cool air. Plus you get to watch a serene sunrise.

There are hundreds of temples in the Angkor Wat area. Once you've seen one, one you've seen them all with some exceptions. The trifecta of Must See, includes the largest one -  Angkor Wat, literally translating into Capital Temple - Thom Wat, the temple around which the actual Khmer capitol city sat, and Phnom Pat, which which is where Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider  (the guides actually call it tomb raider Temple). You should do these in reverse order and save your Angkor Wat trek for the early morning hours.

Afterwards, downtown Siem Reap will remind you of a small Chiang Mai (which also has a large expatriate community) or Berlin's Bohemian district. We did the daylight trek before departing the city, mostly just to say we have done it, but the nightlife of Pub Street, the markets, and the diversity provided by the large expat community make it a more authentic experience.