KSC2003

Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Angkor Wat in September.

How many days should I spend in Siem Reap?
Is it possible to find a private tour guide?

thanks,

KS Chan

eurotraveller

We spent 4 nights and 3 full days and that was perfect for us. We spent two full days, with a guide and driver, seeing all the ruins and that was plenty.

On the third day we went to Tonle Sap Lake in the morning, which was amazing! I highly recommend going there and taking a boat out on to the lake.

On the afternoon of the third day we wandered around town and shopped in the central market.

Some people will say they don't like Seam Reap as a twon but I thought it was quite interesting. There are plenty of restaurants and bars and great people watching opportunities.

Let us know if you have additional questions!

Cheers!

Tamara

Craig

The answer is: it depends...

3 days, 3 nights was right for us - if you have tremendous interest in architecture or history, maybe more but no less than 3 full days of touring.

Our guide, Ponheary ([email protected]) met us at the airport first thing in the morning. We did the floating village as well as 5 or 6 temple complexes. The highlight was a visit to a Cambodian school to donate uniforms and supplies. If this is something you are interested in, Ponheary can arrange it - she is a former school teacher and in addition to being an excellent guide, she will share many stories with you about Cambodian life and the effect of the Khmer Rouge on her family in the past couple of decades.

Kathie

Three full days is the generally accepted amount of time it takes to see all of the major temples. If you are really interested in the temples, you'll want more time. We spent a week and saw most (but not all) of the accessible temples in the area. There are dozens. So gauge how long you should stay by your level of interest. Do your research ahead of time - I recommend Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor, which gives lots of background as well as sample itineraries.

Decide whether you want a driver and a guide or just a driver. I perferrred to have just a driver, as I had done lots of background reading and I wanted to expereince some of the temples in solitude. Many prefer to have a guide to tell them the history and the stories in the bas reliefs. At many of the so-called minor temples we were the only visitors. The "major" temples are more visited, as many people choose to just see the major temples.

For photos of Angkor (which may give you some sense on how much time to spend) take a look at www.marlandc.com

It's very easy to set up a driver (and a guide, if you want one) after you arrive. If you want a particular guide, like Ponheary, you'll need to arrange it in advance.

gilawi01

I almost did the same things as eurotraveller. Concurr that going to Tonle Slap is a very interesting, although a very different experience. In case that Ponheary is not available, her broter Dara is recommended too. Like Craig, we went to a school and took some school material for the kids. It was a highlight for us. In our case, two and a half days for visiting the temples was enough.

althom1122

Ditto for me - almost the same itinerary. We had three full days and three nights (late flight on the third day). I could have maybe used one more day, but we did a lot in the time we had - including a school visit and the Tonle Sap boat ride, as well as lots of temples. EVERYTHING we did was worthwhile. The one thing we missed was shopping time in the town - and of course, there are always more temples. But we got a great sampling. I really enjoyed having Dara as our guide.
I noticed a sign at our hotel offering to arrange guides/drivers, same price as we paid, so even if you go without one booked in advance, I'm sure you can find one when you arrive. Would suggest, however, you go with one of the ones recommended here. My trip report (just below this - Karen and Julie...) gives lots of details about our trip and I'm currently in the Siem Reap portion if you're interested.

waynehazle

Ditto for me also.
Minimum 3 days for all temples. + 1 more if you want to do school visit, floating market and see the town of Siem Reap.

I must advertise the guide I used [email protected] or just Thy. He is also a friend of the legendary Ponheary

www.waynehazle.com/seasia/

alr837

It really depends.
Most tourists go to siem reap for 3/4 days and fit in the main sites and then leave.
we spent 11 days in siem reap.
We spent 4 days at the Angkor complex itself,and still missed out loads,
went to the artisans and silk farm, aki ra's landmine museum - soooo worth a visit, and for the kids evening show, trip on tonle sap for the floating villages and flooded forest,
trip to the river of 1000 lingas, phnom kulen, beng mealea, koh ker.

add some shopping time and wandering around, and some chilling in the pool, and we were busy all the time!

hobbes

I've done it twice, once in 4 days/3 nights and once in 2 VERY packed days/1 night. My guide both times was Chhor Eilt, email [email protected]. He's a great guide and a young guy in his 20s so provides great insight into preoccupations of youth - we went out for a drink with him 1 day and it was one of the highlights of our trip. The guide will arrange a driver.

thursdaysd

First time - 3 nights/2 days on a tour - felt too rushed. Second time - 5 nights/4 days with a driver and a good guidebook for the temples (Dawn Rooney, I think, buy it there) was much better. Depends entirely on your appetite for the temples, but you may be surprised by how interesting they are - lots of carving.