Angkor wat tour question
 

So how long minimum would I be able to do Angkor wat in? I have a fairly tight time constraint and i would love to find a way to do a 2 day tour if at all possible, between other tours. Thanks!

You could get around the main attractions in a couple of days for sure. I spent a whole week on it. It's an individual thing, some people just visit for a day. Angor is the remnant of a bygone era when kings rode elephants and commissioned vast works in their own glory and it's easy for me to get swept away by it all.

http://www.travelsinasia.com/Cambodia/Cambodia.htm

most of us suggest 3 full days to do the main temples, but some do it in one day and are satisfied with that....it depends on you expectations for a visit....two full days of touring with a driver and guide would give you an overall understanding and appreciation of the sites, but it really is not long enough

We spent 2 full days in Siem Reap and toured temples for about 1 1/2 days, which was enough for one time. Although I do want to go back and see more, I can't tour temples for days on end and one to two days at a time is my limit. It really depends on how much temple touring you can take at once. I would go nuts if I spent 3 full days looking at temples.

everyone is different. we spent 10 days in the area, and still didn't get templed out.

In 2 days you'll be able to see alot of stuff tho as long as the heat etc doesn't get to you!

The Angkor experts (like Dawn Rooney) suggest that it takes a full three days just to see all the major temples. There are many dozens of accessible temples. I spent a week there and didn't see them all (and didn't get templed out).

It also depends on how much you care to see. I, for one, don't care to see every temple there is, and certainly not in one visit. I tend to go back to places I like and see more on subsequent visits and even then, I don't feel the need to "see it all." But if you're the type who has to see everything, then by all means, spend as much time as possible. Everyone has their own personal limits of what they can take. You need to know yourself.

Hi brandon999,

My family and I visited the temples in Siem Reap last December, 2005. We temple toured for 2 full days. Check out my travel report, "Just back: Terryr's report about Siem Reap, Part III." It will detail the temples that we saw and our schedule along with a bunch of other useful information. Looking back, I would still see the same temples in the same order that we did then. That trip was a real highlight for our family.

A travel guide and driver is essential to get the most value out of your short stay. If you are needing a travel guide, then contact Dara Ly, whom we used, or his sister, Ponheary Ly. In my report, I have an email address for them. They have both been tour guides for ten years plus, are totally professional and reliable, and provide a lot of information and education about the temples that you will see plus everything you should want to know about the Cambodian people, their history, and culture. If you explore this Asian Fodor's site at all, you will see how many references there are to Dara and Ponheary. They are really good and decent people, who exemplify the best in the Cambodian people, and who are also social advocates for children and the poor.

Lastly, should you care to donate to the Cambodian school children and to a worthy cause, as a way of giving back to that city/country, pls take a look at www.theplf.org.

When are you going? Have a great trip!

Terry

4 hours - including taxi time to/from the airport and 2 to 3 hours at the wat.

2 full days is entirely possible and is a reasonable minimum time.

In Feb we are going to Angkor and we have taken out three full days for it. I don't know whether it will work, but we have asked the agency organizing our trip to instruct the guide -to the extent possible- to tour the temples with us in a sort of chronological order, so you can see architectural evolution, etc. Somewhere on this board I picked up this idea and I thought it made sense. Whether it does, I'll tell you after the trip. Maybe some here know the answer already now.

We did 1-1/2 days and found that was fine considering the heat and humidity. Arrived mid-day the first day, visited Pra Thom first day; next day did temples in the morning, some shopping before break for lunch (mid-day heat is brutal). Then back late afternoon for Angkor Wat. Left the following morning.

I believe, ideally, 3-days would have been best, but we just didn't have the time.

As other have mentioned, depends on how many temples you wish to visit, how you deal with the heat and whether you'll be templed out. But if 2-days is what you've got you won't be disappointed. Do it!

cram, we did that to some extent, starting with the Roulous group the morning of our first full day(after a first afternoon stop for a first visit to Angkor Wat). We weren't rigid about the chronological oder, but it gave us some perspective. Let me also recommend that you make two visits to Angkor Wat itself. We saw it the first day and felt overwhelmed by it, but visited it again the last morning, just after sunrise (and had the place almost to ourselves) and felt we understood the layout of the temple at a different level given our visits to other temples. You might want to browse our photos of the temples; www.marlandc.com