The World's Largest Community of Temples Angkor Wat Temples

Cambodia's pupil, Southeast Asia's most important religious and architectural structure, the world's largest temple complex with an area of ​​400 square kilometers is magnificent. Angkor Wat ; It is at the top of the list of must-see places for history, culture and nature lovers.  

Angkor Temples, which are more like a work of art than a temple, with their tulip-shaped domes symbolizing Mount Meru, sculptures and stone carvings that adorn every part of the temples from their roofs to their corridors, are a true center of attraction and inspired the national flag of Cambodia.

History of Angkor Temples

Angkor, located in the north of Cambodia, was the capital of the Chimer Kingdom. Angkor Wat, a collection of temples, was built in the 12th century to cover a very large area as a sign of the power of the kingdom. The city of Angkor held the title of being the largest city in the world until the Industrial Revolution, with close to 1 million people living there. Angkor Wat is the world's largest collection of temples.

Although the Angkor Temples were built as a Hindu Temple, it was later converted into a Buddhist Temple. It is known that the building took 30 years and hundreds of people worked on its construction. After the Chimerian capital was moved to Phnom Penh, it was forgotten and buried under the ground for years until it was rediscovered in 1858 by a French naturalist, Henri Mouhut. It was cleaned and resurrected in the 1900s, and its popularity suddenly increased thanks to Hollywood movies. In 1992, together with the city of Angkor Thom, the temple community was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Getting to Angkor Temples

Angkor Temples main entrance is just 5,5 km from Siem Reap city. Siem Reap city, which is the main stopping point for those who come from outside the city or country and want to see the Angkor Temples, is literally a tourist city. There are many accommodation options, many cafes and restaurants where you can find examples of both Cambodian and Western cuisine, plenty of bars and clubs for tourists to enjoy at night.

It is possible to reach the Angkor Wat entrance by renting a tuktuk (a bicycle or motorcycle in the front, a vehicle designed for two people in the back, which you can see in many places in Southeast Asia) from Siem Reap, by renting a taxi or by renting a bicycle.

This is a community of temples and since the temples are spread over a very large area, you definitely need a vehicle to get around inside. If you agree with a tuktuk driver who can guide you, you will both get guidance during the temple tour and solve the transportation issue.

If you say you want to travel by yourself, they already give you a map at the entrance. Cycling may be an option as it is not possible to walk everywhere. However, my humble advice is not to insist on cycling, because Cambodia generally has a hot and humid climate. Don't let the sun shine on your head while you want to visit the temples 🙂 It may be a good solution to come to the area early in the morning and consume plenty of water.

Transportation from Bangkok to Angkor Wat Temples Check out my post too.

Angkor Travel Plan

Before coming to Angkor, I wanted to gather the things you need to consider when planning your trip under one heading.

Entry Ticket to Angkor Temples

For Angkor Wat entrance, you can buy daily, 3-day or 7-day tickets. Since it is not possible to visit such a large area in one day, my suggestion would be to buy a 3-day ticket. While 7 days is a good time to really tour the whole area, 7 days might be a bit too much if you are not interested in history and archeology. Ticket prices for 2018; 1 day 37usd, 3 days 62usd, 7 days 72usd. You can only buy tickets from the ticket office at the entrance.

General Information About Angkor Temples

It would be good to give some background information to understand the Angkor Temple Society.

• The area I refer to as Angkor is a temple and urban community covering 400 square kilometers and more than 150 structures.

• Angkor Wat is the largest and best preserved temple in this temple community. This is the place you see most in Angkor photos, with its towers exceeding 55 meters each, built on the water.

• Angkor Thom, on the other hand, is the largest city in this region, which means big city. The city, which served as the capital of the Chimer Kingdom, is the historical center of the region.

Angkor Temples Map

When planning a trip to Angkor, it is a good idea to have a map at hand. You can decide on the temples you want to see in order from the map and determine your route accordingly.

Map link for example here I am putting. 

Best Time to Come to Angkor

If you are coming to Angkor, the best time in terms of climate is between November and March. This period, which is the dry, cool season, is also the period everyone prefers to see the region. Therefore, you need to accept in advance that it will be very crowded. My tactic in such cases is to go to such places 1 month before/after the high season starts or ends. I don't have much trouble because of the weather, nor do I have to deal with that abnormal crowd.

Early morning hours are the best time to see the region. Since you will want to take pictures of Angkor Wat at sunrise, I suggest you come really early when I say early. So you can see the main temples before the weather gets too hot.

What to Wear at Angkor Temples

It should not be forgotten that most of the places you will visit here are places of worship, so you should also take care that your clothes are not too revealing. Your clothes must cover the shoulders and knees in order to enter the temples.

I definitely recommend you to wear comfortable sneakers as you will be walking between tall temples and buildings and climbing stone temples. While traveling in Siem Reap and Angkor, I saw many tourists with their arms and legs bandaged. I understood why when I started to tour the region. There is a lot of falling while climbing temples or walking between them. So make sure to choose non-slip shoes.

Always bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen with you. It's really not easy to walk around in the sun all day.

Must-See Temples in Angkor

It is useful to make a list of must-sees to visit an area of ​​400 square kilometers. Temple, city, lakes, there are many places waiting to be discovered in this region.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, the largest and best preserved temple that gives its name to the region, attracting more than 2 million people every year, will greet you right at the entrance. Angkor Wat, which used more stones than the Egyptian pyramids in its construction, also draws attention with the stone workmanship in each stone. It is a work of art with its reliefs engraved on the walls, symmetrical engravings, and towers that resemble a lotus flower. Especially if you come across priests wandering inside, the image is complete.

Sunrise is the best time to visit Angkor Wat. Hundreds of people come here every day to photograph this architectural masterpiece at sunrise. The surrounding ditch and the Angkor Wat silhouette reflected in the water are definitely worth seeing.

Angkor Thom and Wat Bayon

The center of this huge archaeological site is the city of Angkor Thom. A magnificent work awaits you with the bridge that you will cross as you enter through the city gate, the statues on the bridge, the walls surrounding the city and the Bayon Temple in the middle.

It is famous for the human faces on the towers of Bayon Temple, located in the middle of the city walls. When I say human faces, I mean huge faces carved into stones. 216 gigantic smiling faces are looking at you and they are all different!

Your Prohm

Here is another one of the most famous Angkor Temples! We know her from the movie Tomb Rider, played by Angelina Jolie. The peculiarity of this temple is that tree roots swallowed the temple. I say it must have been swallowed because the trees grew on the temple so much that the roots surrounded the buildings, and during the restoration, they left the trees that were suitable to be left alone, and wonderful views emerged.

When you complete the three above, you complete the red line called the small tour at Angkor Wat. You can only do this if you have a one-day ticket. Maybe you can complete the day by adding the Banteay Srei Temple to it.

Preah Khan Temple

You reach the Preah Khan Temple by leaving the walls of the city of Angkor and crossing a bridge adorned with wonderful statues as at the entrance. This was the place where entertainments were held in the time of Kimer. There are also pools where you can see how the advanced Chimerian water system works.

Neak Pean Temple

Neak Pean may be the most beautiful temple in terms of the location of Angkor Temples. You can reach the temple, which is surrounded by a lake or a moat, by crossing a long bridge and the view of this bridge and its surroundings is magnificent. This temple and the island on which it is located were used as a hospital in the time of the Cimmerians.

Phnom Bakheng Temple

We met the sunrise at Angkor Wat, but for those who say sunset, here is a great temple. The temple is a temple that requires climbing up, but due to its direction, the magnificent view of Angkor Wat at sunset can be viewed very well from here.

If you complete the above group, this time you complete the blue voyage, which is the grand voyage. It is quite reasonable to do the small tour on the first day and the big tour on the second day.

Bakong, Preah Ko, Lolei Temples and Tonle Sap Lake

Tonle Sap Lake is remembered for its proximity to Sieam Reap and the fame of its houseboats on the lake. Boat tours are organized to see the houses floating on the lake, but I have read so much that the places seen on these boat tours are purely touristic and not real, that I gave up on taking a boat tour. However, seeing the lake, seeing the village life on the way to the lake and stopping by the temples on the way were much more beautiful.

The tuktuk player with whom we made this journey together; Although he wanted to bring it into all touristic attractions, from the crocodile farm to the leather workshop, he could not succeed. We just finished our trip with temples and a stroll by the lake.

Banteay Srei Temple

The Banteay Srei Temple, 37 kilometers from the temple site, is known as the "Women's Temple". The temple, made of red sandstone, is one of the most beautiful temples in this region.

As I mentioned at the beginning, Angkor Temples are spread over a very large area, if you want to see all the temples, you need to spare 1 week.

Make sure to include the Angkor Temples, which have great architectural, religious and artistic significance, in your travel plans!

This article was featured on the cover of Skyroad magazine's September 2018 issue.