We will be in Siem Reap for three nights in November. I think the first afternoon after we arrive we'll just wander around town and shop. But the two full days we're there I have hired a guide, and wanted some feedback on the temples to see with him.

He's suggesting day 1 in the morning at Angkor, then in the afternoon Angkor Thom. Sounds like we'd hit the highlights there, Baphuon, the Bayon.

For day 2, sunrise at Angkor, then back for breakfast at the hotel. After that, Preah Khan and Neak Pean, followed by a lunch break. In the afternoon, he's suggesting a small temple at Chaosay Tevoda, then Ta Keo and finally Ta Prohm.

How does this sound? I had looked at possibly Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea as interesting spots. Are they doable with my time frame? Should I substitute them for something else above? Or with two days is what he's planned a good itinerary?

I could always look at trying to get to one of the two I mention above that are not in his itinerary without him on the first afternoon we arrive, there would probably be time. Should I think about that?

Any feedback would be great. Thanks as always!

And what about Ta Som? Doable? Critical?

With only two full days, the outer temples (Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea) would be a huge chuck out of your time. Beng Mealea in particular takes more than a half day to get there and back. Banteay Srei is closer, but it would still mean giving up one of your mornings.

Ta Som could be done after Preah Khan and Neak Pean, if you feel up to it. It's a nice little temple, but Preah Khan is still the star for me, so I wouldn't rush through it trying to make time.

Ta Som was our favorite small temple. It's a close-in temple, you certainly can slip it into your itinerary. Banteay Srei is absolutely worth seeing, though I don't know if you can squeeze it in. Beng Mealea is too far away to be doable in your time frame.

You have only two days and it takes three full days just to see the "major" temples. You'll have to leave out many wonderful temples.

Personally, I don't think it takes the whole morning to see Angkor Wat. Go at sunrise the first morning, spend a couple of hours there, then move on to some of the other temples in the area. Your guide is expecting you to spend hours at each temple it sounds like. I love temples, but I didn't need hours at every one. This raises the question of expectations. How much detail do you want about each temple? Certainly one could spend all day at Angkor, hearing all of the stories in the various bas reliefs. Few people want or need that. Not even a temple fanatic like myself. Make sure you let your guide know how much detail you want. If he's talking on endlessly, ask him to stop. He wants you to be happy.

Do you have Dawn Rooney's book? The book can really help you plan your time.

You may also want to consider going to see some temples your first afternoon. Siem Reap is not large nor does it have a lot to see/do/shop for.

skip the sun rise on the hill and go to angkor.. many have reported the sun rise not worth it on the hill or poor weather..

see you in bkk

We just flew back from Cambodia the day before yesterday. We had 6 nights in Siem Reap, so much longer than you, but this is how we scheduled everything...

Day 1 - arrived midday, went to hotel (we were at Sojourn Villas for 4 nights, very nice) & then at 4.30pm went by tuk tuk to get our temple pass - we bought the 3 day non-consecutive & I had planned our schedule to fit with this. From there we went to Angkor Wat - it had just rained, so few people & great for photos! It was meant to be a sunset...but not with this rain!

Day 2 - started at 8am, we had a driver & guide. As we had already seen something of Angkor Wat, we started with Angkor Thom & then went to many of the temples in this area, Bayon, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm & ended with Neak Pean ( a lovely & different temple where they were just working on a new entrance walkway). By the end of this day we had seen loads & were pleased to finish there - but a great day!

Day 3 - Tonle Sap, went with driver, took boat & then went on a smaller boat through the submerged tree area. We have been through stilt house areas before - so this was pleasant enough, but personally I didn't find it so exciting & quite intrusive as people go about their lives.

Day 4 - Roulos Group & Beng Melea. Great day, enjoyed Toulos group temples & scrambled through Beng Melea! We finished with time at Angkor Wat, as we had only seen part of it the first day.

Day 5 - changed hotel as Sojourn full for these last 2 days & stayed at Steung Siem Reap (great location, more basic hotel, but ok). Looked around town etc & went out to Artisans of Angkor silk place with tuk tuk.

Day 6 - Started at 7.30am & went to Banteay Srey - lovely temple! Good to arrive early, its a small temple that gets very crowded. From here we went to Kbal Spean, where there are carvings in rock under & in water (so quite different from any other place). Its a track of 1.5kms to get here - some climbing involved, but we made it & it was great to see. We were back in Siem Reap by 2pm (even after sitting having a drink for quite some time).

It depends how much you want to do in your shorter time, but you could as we did start by looking at Angkor Wat on your first day - maybe 4.30-6.30pm. In the evening you can still see something of the town, the night market, shops etc. If you are willing to have a busy second day, as we did, then you can see a lot of Angkor Thom & surrounding temples & then on day 3 see one of the further away temples.

We bought Dawn Rooneys book as Kathie has suggested many times & that was great, but often once there, we just looked & enjoyed! I believe Amazon is showing a new, updated Dawn Rooney book is coming out. A guide for one day, so we started to get to know what to look for was perfect for us.

Suggest you go to Bayon / Angkor Thom on the first Morning. Baphuon is being rebuily and really, you will not see anything except the re-construction site. While you are in Angkor Thom area, take in HALL OF THE LEPER KINGS and the hidden area..Very interesting, but, it only takes 15-20 minutes or so.

Angkor Wat is better done in the afternoon , as it is lit better by the western sun(hopefully).

If you are going to Angkor Wat for sunrise on the second day, perhaps you consider having breakfast out there, as you will lose too much time going back to town etc.

Preah Khan is a must do, but, Neak Pean isn't that exciting, or, it wasn't for me in July, as all the water was out.

I did like Ta Som..a smaller version of Ta Prohm without the crowds. Ta Prohm is just a mad house, in my opinion. Sure , go and see it, but, its over crowded.

Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon are across from each other, and I think Thommanon is better due to the better carvings there of the Apsara. Ta Keo is a large Temple Montain, and 45 minutes would be enough. Hope that you like very steep steps too.

Banteay Srei is really nice and I have been there 4 times this year. Best viewed late afternoon as, the light is better for photography in the western side (in my opinion)

Really, one day shopping at Siem Reap and two days at the temples is not enough. You can do shopping at night markets as suggested. Make certain that you take in Artisans D Angkor . They have a nice shop in town, that sells silk products, creams and also sandstone and wood carvings.

I have been to Siem Reap on three occasions this year.
Four days (3 @Temple) in March,and I liked it so much, I went back for 7 days in July.
Stil wasn't satisfied, and as I was in Bangkok, decided to have another 5 nights / 4 days in Siem Reap in August.

On that trip, I took in Beng Mealea on the last day. However, its two hours there by Tuk Tuk, and you need 2 to 3 hours at the temple and another 2 hours back. I also dropped into the stone carving workshop in the Roluos group to purchase a few things. That is worth seeing. Not as expensive as Artisans d Angkor and they produce some really impressive product there.

Hope this helps...as they say..stay another day

skip Banta Sreay, too much time. Also, pick one time to see Angkor Wat and fit in another temple. Not enough time to double up.

Banteay Srei..One of the five must sees at Siem Reap, plus the trip out there is interesting to see the country side and little villages.
Banteay Srei has the best intricate carvings of all temples.

Skip the day shopping, do it at night and definitely see Banteay Srei .
Spend a little less time at Angkor Wat. You could also skip Neak Pean

A few photos of differnet Apsaras for you. The pink coloured ones are from Banteay Srei , late afternoon

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=19bcdb24c7

There is no one-itinerary fits all for Angkor. That's why I recommend Dawn Rooney's book - you can do some research and decide for yourself which places are must-see for your short visit to Siem Reap. As you can see, we all have different favorites and different ways of seeing the temples.

I would agree that it makes sense to go to Banteay Srei that first afternoon.

More Angkor photos: www.marlandc.com

Great info. Definitely adding Ta Som to Day 2. I'm now mulling over taking that first afternon for Banteay Srei on our own, that could work out fairly easily. Is 3-4 pm a good time frame to avoid the crowds?

Any last recommendations for smaller temples not too far from where we'll be otherwise? I'm still trying to get a good feel for the layout there. Kathie, I'll try to track down the Dawn Rooney book too, right now I'm using a Moon Spotlight guide, which isn't bad considering the fact that we can only really hit the highlights. I also think my husband is not going to want to spend all morning at one site, hopefully we can play it by ear.

I think we'll add Thommanon as well to day 2. I'll tell our guide to expect that we may play it by ear as well. Thanks all!

seal, just go here and look at this map. look at the two circuits. You'll see the relationshop of one temple to another.

Then, stop this over-scheduling. You can make this up as you go. Unless you have a particular, burning interest in the history, progression, architectural style and want to hear wads of long names, ALL of which you will forget, there is no need to get too anal about the timings.

Remember, this is a huge art gallery too. You could just ignore the history and look at the beauty... or not.

And what's this <i>'hopefully we can play it by ear...?'</i> line.

Of course you can. If your guide can't cope with that, get another one. There are about a million on the street waiting for your call. It's YOUR TRIP. Your money. Your time. <i>You</i> are employing the guide - not the other way around. If he talks too much, tell him to shut up. If you are getting bored in one place, tell him you want to move on. If he's rushing you thru places you want to linger, make him wait.

Here's a bit of Siem Reap street-life.
http://thedogster.wordpress.com/live-from-siem-reap/

Ooops - forgot the map link:
http://siemreaptuktukdriver.com/images/SiemReap-map.jpg

click to make it bigger. Interesting list of tours and prices in there too.

Sealstep

"Great info. Definitely adding Ta Som to Day 2. I'm now mulling over taking that first afternon for Banteay Srei on our own, that could work out fairly easily. Is 3-4 pm a good time frame to avoid the crowds? "


Yes, work on arriving after 3:00PM.. Still busy, but, in my opinion, is the best time to go. It takes 1 hour by Tuk Tuk to get there, and often they charge a little extra because of the distance. Its only a small temple, but, has great carvings, as, as I mentioned, the pink sand stone goes a nice colour in late afternoon light.
If you have a good camera , make certain to take it, and plenty of memory cards ( digital of course)

If you need a referral for a great driver , just ask..

A map to assist you.. http://tinyurl.com/25jbyuy

Dawn Rooneys book is very good. What country are you in at present BTW ?
http://tinyurl.com/2atf58w ( link to Amazon.com )

All the best ..

Once you are there and get your bearings you'll be able to put the whole area in perspective. I can never study maps in advance, but after once around the temple circuit everything fell into place. We used Dawn Rooney's book incessantly!

I'd skip the shopping excursion and head straight out to the temple area upon arrival. This will get you oriented to the layout or the area.

I think it's important to save your last afternoon for a "best-of" revisit. We found our first and second visit to Angor Wat and the Bayon to be completely different. They're quite overwhelming at first. The second time we were able to pay more attention to the carvings and to understand the architectural plan.

We used the same tuktuk driver the whole time but not a guide. Opinions seem to vary on this, but we felt that the information in the Rooney book was enough -- we referred to it before, after and during.

We usually stayed in the temple area all day, taking lunch at one of the tourist restaurants. The drivers generally like to take a long lunch break so if you do this you need to clear it with them first. Since many people head back to town for lunch and siesta the hours between 12-3 are some of the quietest at the temples. Also, after the first or second time the "commute" seemed a bit long.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat was, for us, a non-event; however, we really liked being at the temple immediately following sunrise when it was not very crowded. We stood in line to get up to the upper level when it opened.

In addition to Angkor Wat and the Bayon I would say don't miss Preah Khan and Ta Som.

Baneay Srei only if you can arrange to avoid the crowds. We arrived around 9ish which was way too late. As I recall it was an hour by car so it may be more by tuktuk.

Marmot,

In all my 4 trips to Banteay Srei, it was an hour by Tuk Tuk. I still recommend the afternoon visit. Late afternoon sun gives a nice effect on the Apsara carvings there.

I did visit Banteay Srei in July earlier in the afternoon, and the sun was more overhead. Didn't like it at all.
Avoiding crowds at the temples is just the luck of the draw. Absolutely the worst places for crowds are Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is an overkill now. I entered from the east side, and, found that the sellers there are probably the most persistent of all the sellers. Literally refused to take " NO" for an answer, and I do try to support some. At the western side of Ta Prohm is where all the buses park, and let their loads off. Its like a parking station there.

You will not really have that problem at Banteay Srei, Thomannon and Ta Som.

Interesting replies.

Excellent advice as always. Dogster, I will stop worrying and go with the flow I am reading your blog now - we're staying at Hotel Be Angkor, can't wait!

We'll hire a Tuk Tuk to Banteay Srei the first afternoon, and let our guide know when we want to go/stay, etc, and a few places to hit as highlights. He comes highly recommended by a friend, so I think it will be fine. And I am pretty laid back. You guys are great, appreciate all the feedback.

Tuk tuks - people either love 'em or hate 'em. Do know that it is hot,hot hot in Siem Reap. We appreciated the comfort of an air-conditioned car. Also, in the tuk tuk you are breathing exhaust and dust.

Generally, I think people who are acclimated to the heat do best in tuk tuks. Those of us from cooler climes want/need the AC.

Well I'm delighted you're at Hotel Be. Tell Martin that Mr. Dogster sent you. Just before he runs screaming down the alley, give him my regards. I can tell you must be a person of rare intelligence and style.

Dog's fave is the Bamboo Room. You can sort out anything you want with Mr. Bean. All of life's requirements can be found within a block of [your personal] hotel. If you require directions to the ear-cleaning, just ask. Little fish can be found in the market to nibble at your toes. Manicure.. wan dollah-h-h-h.

Search in here for 'offwego'. You'll find Lori's restaurant list.

Think about Angkor on your first afternoon for sunset. You are all excited about Banteay Srei but, frankly, unless there are NO other tourists it's a long way to go for not very much.
There is also a group of amputees playing loud Cambodian music that manage to destroy any peace there might be. I was prepared to amputate ALL their limbs unless they stopped.

Think about just getting in tuk tuk, bombing out to the temples, sans guide, grab your three day pass and just get your guy to take you around the two circuits [see that map I gave you]. You can stop anytime you feel like it. Get the wind in your hair. Explore. It's about as easy as falling off a log.

You can see the prices on that site. That'll give you a starting point for negotiations. Pick a tuk-tuk man that you like OR get the hotel to get you one. Trust Hotel Be - they won't screw you around.

Let me also say that sunrise and sunset at the bloody rotten tourist place, surrounded by every other tourist in Cambodia, perched on top of a hill to see sweet F.A. does NOT rank highly on the Dogster list of good things to do in Siem Reap.

A savvy tourist would go somewhere else for sunset/rise. A verrrry savvy tourist would go where the tourists aren't. Where might that be? INSIDE Ankor Wat. INSIDE Ta Prom. Where all the tourists aren't - they are all crammed on top of a hill looking at err... well, nothing happening slowly a long way away.

Because the clue to the temples is time on your own. Time to reflect, time to sit and dream. Time to SEE. Time to HEAR. Time to remind yourself that you are actually there. Dogster's fave for solitary wandering is Prea Khanh.

Think about this: grab tuk tuk, drive to Angkor, take a left onto the red circuit. Follow the road and there, for your first glimpse is the famous silhouette. Gasp. Stop for a coffee at the Artisans D'angkor place. [your driver will get free food there] then continue on. This is pretty go-o-o-od you'll be saying to yourself by now.

Wow. Next sight - the Bayon. If there are one million tour buses there, keep moving. IF it looks pretty clear, go in and just wander - 'cos if you can get the Bayon to yourself, that's pretty special. You'll be coming back here tomorrow, so just a glimpse.

Keep going on up the road and cross into the green circuit. Just round the corner is Preh Khanh. Wander aimlessly, lost and alone. That poor sad policeman who needs to sell you his actual police badge to feed his wife and two hundred children is not real.

Continue along the green circuit. You're right up the top now. Continue along to Ta Som. Get out, go look. It's a tiny temple with a really good tree. Ten minutes. Back to the circuit, stopping en route just down the road for cool beverage and gentle 'you wanna buy' from the kids. Continue down the circuit towards Ta Promh.

By now I'm guessing it's late afternoon. The sun is coming down and all the tourists are leaving the sites to congregate in their mass stupidity on top of a hill to see nothing. This leaves Ta Promh to YOU.

Go in. Let the sun go down. Weep and thank Dogster for the great suggestion. When it's dark and you can bear the wonder no longer - head for home.

Now THAT'S a good way to arrive.


Yup, the apsara's are finer there - well, if you can tell the difference on day one, you're a better man/woman than me.