I'll be travelling to Angkor in December for 3 days (my first time). I realize the temples will be very crowded at this time of year. I really prefer visiting places like this on my own, and with some degree of solitude.

So I'm wondering if it might be better to hire just a driver - not a driver and guide - because I'm not sure I want someone at my side all day giving me commentary (had an annoying experience like this in Bangkok last year).

I want to see the highlights, of course, but also think I might enjoy visiting some of the less-popular temples.

Or perhaps I could hire a guide for just one of the days... if so, what do you guys think would be the best use of that time?

Has anyone done this without a guide and felt you really missed out, or conversely, felt it wasn't absolutely necessary? (I do have the Dawn Rooney and Lonely Planet Guides to Angkor - I'm definitely not planning to go in complete ignorance!)

I spent a week at the temples and did not use a guide. If you are the sort of person who reads up on things in advance (and the Dawn Rooney book is excellent) you'll be fine without a guide. We hired a car and driver. I, too, wanted solitude at some of the temples. And at some of the so-called minor temples we were the only visitors.

By the way, I responded to your other post by saying you should have at least another day at Angkor (and in LP). I highly recommend it.

John - My husband and I just returned from Cambodia today. We had the exact same concern that you did about using a guide. We very much like to explore destinations on our own. The few times when we have used a guide, we have more often than not been disappointed and felt the guide detracted rather than added to the experience.

However, with the Angkor Wat temples, we were very, very happy that we had a guide. Our guide added enormous benefit to our enjoyment and understanding of the temples. (Of course, we loved our guide, which made a big difference.) We had the Dawn Rooney book and the Rough Guide book, and had done a fair amount of reading about the temples before our trip. I cannot, however, imagine having to read the guide books and look at the temples at the same time. We saw lots of people doing this, but they did not look like they were really enjoying the experience. Personally, I think this would have been a very frustrating exercise. I liked being able to look at what the guide was describing as it was being described, rather than having my head in a book and then looking up for a couple minutes and then back to the book.

Although we were not there during the crowded season, our guide was very good about taking us to temples when they would be least crowded. At Bayon and the "jungle temple" we were almost the only tourists there. He was also great about showing me the best angles at which to photograph the temples.

We used Local Adventures Cambodia. I dealt with Lily in their Phenom Penh office to arrange everything. Our guide in Siem Reap was Thai. He was excellent. The general email address is [email protected]. The website address is www.cambodia.nl.

Would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. Just post again.

i understand exactly what you are saying and feeling...i do not like huge amounts of detail info...i like to absorb a place for what it is...i like some detail but small amounts...i had to tell our guide to "can it" a bit....he understood and tailored things to our liking...

we found that the guides took you just to the perfect place, to the perfect bas relief, etc...no hunting around, no mistakes, no wasting time...for this alone they are worth their money...

i think jam has it right...

Kathie - awhile ago you has an Angkor trip report that I really liked that included an external link to some amazing photos - now I can't find it - could you top that for me?

Thanks for all the advice, I still haven't decided but it's interesting hearing about others' experiences with this.

John, here is the link to the photos www.marlandc.com

I'll have to search for the trip report.

thank you!

Unless your driver is as well versed in when to visit a temple at its least crowded, as our guide Dara was, it won't be the guide who disturbs your solitude but rather busloads of tourists. A good guide will not only be informative, but will enhance your total experience by taking you when crowds are smallest or even nonexistent. I share your reluctance to hire another "English speaking guide" who neither speaks English nor knows as much as you do about the site, and seems to be more interested in taking you to his cousins gem shop than anything else. But Dara and most of the other guides we came across actually knew their subject and how to guide without being intrusive. I'm glad we had him.

JohnH, getting a guide is a good idea because the guide will speak English while the driver probably won't. The guide I had spoke English very well. He managed the driver, telling him where to go, where to drop us off, where to pick us up and when. He took care of all of the logistics. He also was very knowledgeable about the sites.

My impression was that many of the guides at Angkor are well trained and fluent in a foreign language. The driver, OTOH, did not seem so bright (nice guy, just might not have been able to communicate with him very well).

The guides are inexpensive and if you just had him handle the logistics of getting you around I think it would be worth it.

We always enjoy getting a guide. For all of the obvious reasons, but also it sort of becomes like you have a friend in whatever country you happen to be visiting. We still email some of them we have had in the past for years. They can tell you about their family, their life - home, schooling, religion, politics, whatever you care to learn about. Generally they know about good local restaurants - maybe somewhere they go with their own families, that you would never know about or find on you own. For us, that becomes part of our whole vacation experience. Of course we always do quite a bit of reading on the culture of the area, but nothing really beats nice conversations with locals to really find out about a place.