We had booked Hanuman Alaya for our 3 night stay in Siem Reap, but then dogster told me of a really cool Hotel Be Angkor, and we're tentatively booked there as well.

My husband and I are both amateur photographers, and we loved the sounds of the photo package. Not only does it include the 1/2 day photo excursion, but also transfers to and from the airport, a 3 day temple pass, and a car/driver for 2 days.

We're able to book the photographer excursion separately if we wanted to do that (saving money by keeping Hanuman Alaya, or just booking the room rate at Be Angkor plus 1/2 day excursion). I don't recall anyone ever saying that a car/driver is necessary for going to the temples, but I didn't want to miss anything. Can one of you verify? I was thinking we could easily take a tuk tuk up whenever we wanted??

Thanks!

"I don't recall anyone ever saying that a car/driver is necessary for going to the temples" - Have you read any trip reports about Angkor? All talk about hiring at least a car and driver and many people hire guides.

You'll need transport to and from and around the temples. They are outside of town and the area they cover is enormous. You could take a tuk tuk around the temples, but it will be hot and dusty and uncomfortable and you wouldn't really want to go to the more distant temples in a tuk tuk. And you do need your own transport. You can't really be dropped off at a temple, then go out and find another tuk tuk or car to take you to another temple.

Do buy a book on Angkor before you go. I recommend Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor. The latest edition is 2006.

I don't know what the "photo excursion" offered is - the photo ops will overwhelm you - no need for someone to tell you where or when to take photos.

By the way, your driver (and guide if you hire one) will want a break in the middle of the day - and so will you. Typically, one tours from sunrise to noon, then back out about 3 until sunset. It gets you out of the worst heat of the day and of course, the light is better for photos early and late.

If you'd like a taste of Angkor, you are welcome to look at our photos at www.marlandc.com

I think that you would be well advised to have not only a car and a driver but a guide as well. One advantage of this, is that you can be dropped off in one place and collected in another saving a lot of walking as you retrace your steps.

Additionally, a good guide will know where you can get the best photos and arrange for you to be there when the light is at its best.

Given the overall cost of the trip, the cost of a guide is really nothing and adds immeasurably to the enjoyment of your visit.

Yes, a car and driver is a really good idea. Don't underestimate how much the heat and humidity will affect you. It really nice to leave the temple and have an AC car there with cold water waiting.

Besides a car and driver, a guide is a good idea because they can give insight as to what you are looking at and take you to the temples at the right time of day to avoid the crowds.

Your time is limited, make the most of it with a car and a good guide.
One of the guides highly recommended here is Ponheary Ly. I've used her twice, once in 2002 and again in 2007. Her brother Dara is also highly recommended and known as an amateur photographer as well. Many people have said he knows the best locations for photography. Were I to go again, I would hire him. You can reach them both at [email protected]

If you want some ideas about which temples you might want to see, and to read more about Ponheary (and Dara), you can check out my website (which also has tons of photos) at http://www.wired2theworld.com. Go to the Bangkok and Cambodia 2007 report.

Thanks everyone.

Last week I sent out a few emails to various guides - I know we do in fact want guides for the temples. And I have it noted from last week's searching that we'll be breaking midday.

But I could've sworn I read a lot about people taking tuk tuks there and back. I did read some trip reports; although since most of our time will be in Thailand and Vietnam, perhaps I focused more on those rather than the Angkor/Cambodia thus far. I guess I'll scratch the tuk tuks and go ahead with the car and driver hire in advance. I'm still waiting to hear back from the guides but expect to have those booked prior to departure. Obviously it would be ideal to have everything booked with one company, so I'll wait and see who comes back to me (if anyone) with availability and go from there.

Thanks again. Very much appreciated.

Ahh, and I wanted to add I also ordered the Rooney Angkor book as well as a couple Nancy Chandler Thailand maps as well. Amazon should be delivering them any day now!

(thank you all for those suggestions and reviews too)

There are occasional reports here of people using tuk tuks to visit the temples, but not often. You're more likely to see such reports at Thorntree. A car and driver costs about $10 per day more than a tuk tuk and driver. For me, it's worth every penny!

hmm perhaps that's where I remember seeing that then. Thanks for the clarification, and the assurance that we most certainly want to have the car/driver arranged!

Tons of people do take tuktuks out to the temples, but for a bit extra, you can hire a car, enjoy the AC, make better use of your time, be safer and not have to eat so much dust. You don't say what time of year you're traveling, but both the rainy season and the dusty season have their downsides for tuktuk travel, especially if you're interested in going further afield.

Save the tuk tuks for tooling around town.

I agree that hiring a guide will greatly enhance your experience. Second the reco to hire Dara Ly if you're a photographer. I bet you'll save some coin doing it that way rather than letting a hotel or agency arrange it for you.

Let us know how it shakes out!

nobody gets the photographer deal.

Let me explain: this photographer is John McDermott.

http://www.asiaphotos.net/

Go look at his work and tell me you aren't impressed.

If you've stayed at Hotel de la Paix its HIS photographs you see in your room, in the corridors.

If you go into town and see those iconic Angkor B/W photos in a gallery - that's John McDermott.

I'd sit at his feet in an instant. You don't need anyone to tell you how to take pictures, sure. Then how come only this man has managed to capture Angkor in this unique way?

I'd be listening and learning, with a big smile on my face.

I'd be staying at hotelbe and doing their package. BUT the bamboo room is a better choice to stay in. Trust me.

Boston, I haven't let you down so far. Stay hotelbe - it's a unique experience. Do that photo package. A rare opportunity and something that nobody in here even knows about, let alone done. Bravo for finding it.

As for tuk-tuks for the temples - I actually prefer that to an A.C car. But I'm a dog. We like to stick out snout out in the breeze.

I had a driver and guide for Angkor Wat @$60/day plus mandatory tips.

My friends hired a Tuk-Tuk for 3 days. I believe they paid $10 a day and the driver dropped them off in one location and picked them up in another. They were very happy and ended up seeing much more than I did.

To be fair though, I was a passive tourist and let the guides decide what to see and do and their hours as well. If I was to go back I would do it differently.

My hubby hemmed and hawed, and yes, McDermott is AMAZING. I've actually been emailing with him on the side. I'd love to spend the afternoon with him; too bad he can't confirm his availability till about 2 weeks before departure though (end of Jan/beg Feb). We're going to stick with the package at Be Angkor. They include meals and car/driver and such. And if John is not avail, I'll use his talent for inspiration.
Bamboo room better you say? Hmmm. It's not an option, from what I understand. But I'll check with Be anyway! Thanks

It's all fine, either way. The alley-way side rooms can get a little noisy that's all - but you get to watch everything from your balcony.

Ah, thanks for the info on the photography package, dogster.

Nywoman, $60 a day for a driver and guide plus mandatory tips?? I've never heard a mandatory tip arrangement in Siem Reap. DId you book this through an agency? $60 a day is a bit high but not outrageous for a driver and guide and car. Your friends that paid $10 for a tuk tuk did not hire a guide, which accounts for more than half of your expense. Also, if they went out to Banteay Srei, they would have paid more, and perhaps more for the Roulos group. So it's an apples and oranges comparison. When I was in Siem Reap, a tuk-tuk was $10-15 per day, a car and driver was $20-25 per day.

I do agree it makes sense to do your homework first, (the Dawn Rooney book) and lay out what you want to see with you driver (and guide) asking for advice on timing, etc. That's what we did back in 2001 and we had a fabulous trip. We visited a number of so-called minor temples where we were the only visitor. Our only disappointment was that we were unable to get to some of the more distant temples because of road conditions.

Let me chime in here, BostonGal - From another thread, I know that you only have two full days in Siem Reap. That will barely be enough time to visit the major temples: Angkor Wat, The Bayan, Ta Prohm, and Bantay Srei (which is out-of-the-way). You'll also want to take time to visit Artisans d'Angkor in town and stop off at one of the places where they make palm sugar along the way to Bantay Srei. You won't have time to visit a school or go to the Vietnamese floating village. You might have time for the tethered baloon ride for a fabulous view of Angkor Wat if you ask your guide to work it into your schedule.

As Kristina noted, from a photography standpoint you can have your driver pick you up before dawn to be at the temples for first morning light. Plus you can go back to your hotel in the middle of the afternoon, avoiding the heat and flat afternoon light, then return to another temple in the later afternoon.

Also, consider going against the crowds. For example at dawn there will be thousands of people on the west side of Angkor Wat to watch the sun rise over the temple. But if you are on the east side you will have the place almost to yourself, and get to have dawn light dramatically striking the ruins (provided a partially clear sky, of course!)

At least that was the case for me on my two visits in 2000 and 2006. In 2006 I stopped into John McDermott's gallery and had the great pleasure of meeting him. His work is outstanding.

We have been to Angkor twice. The first time we used a driver and guide. He was excellent although I have to admit I got a bit bored by teh in-depth explanation of each and every temple but thats just me.

The second time we hired a tuk tuk from the hotel we were staying at , Peace of Angko (who also provide photo tours). If anything, this guy was even better. He took us everywhere we asked and also to a few smaller places he knew that were completely devoid of tourists. However, I guess we were lucky and could have chosen a tuk tuk driver who was useless . A guide is the safer bet.

Also, Nelson provides excellent advice about going against the crowds, particularly on the west -v- side of Angkor. The second time we went (5 years after the first time) we simply could not believe the thousands of people that had arrived for the dawn. It was virtually impossible to get a good position for a shot and we had arrived an hour before dawn.

You can always do a mix of guided and do-it-yourself traveling while there. We did a free-lance trip about 2 years ago. We did 2 days of the guide+driver+car thing and I can agree that the AC of a car is great in the middle of the day. You probably don't want to take a tuk-tuk out to Banteay Srei as the road is really rough (at least it was 2 years ago!).

We did, however, hire a tuk-tuk driver for our last 1/2 day to revisit some of our favorites. We did the sunrise thing at Angkor Wat--wished I would have known about what was said here about going to the east side, but oh well. We also revisited Ta Prohm and Bayon. The magnitude of tourists at Ta Prohm during our first visit nearly ruined it for me, but we really enjoyed our 2nd visit.

Regardless of what you do, you'll likely enjoy it very much. Very interesting area.

i have contacted ponheary about being our guide when we are in siem reap in early march. she has quoted me $60 per day (not including angkor admission costs) & an extra $15 for the day we want to go to Banteay Srey.

we are currently tentatively booked with her. but i am interested in if other people have found guides that they like recently that are less expensive.

one other thing - since the email address is ponheary's, i get the impression that if she is free during the days you are there, she will be your guide. i asked for both her & dara (for variety since we'll be there for 4 days, & also because we are interested in photography), but wrote me back saying that she will be our guide. i'd love any suggestions regarding perhaps a better way to ask if dara would be available for a couple of the days we're there.

I would just ask - Ponheary is a straight-shooter who will try to please. Do mention your interest in photography. I'm actually surprised that she is available. As for price, you get what you pay for. Competitors will not be that much less.