Angkor Wat Full Day Tour

Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and escort you to Angkor Wat at dawn to witness its magic hour during sunrise. If you need help with hotel booking, we’re glad to assist you for an additional fee. The sun usually emerges between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. To secure the best view point, we’ll offer an early wake-up call and arrive at the site 20-30 minutes ahead of the crowd.

As the sun peeks over the horizon line, the sky becomes a blue screen on which the silhouette of the sanctuary’s five iconic towers appears. As the sunlight grows brighter, the vague contour of Angkor Wat gradually turns into a razor-sharp, cinematic image. Shining in the soft morning lights, monks clad in vibrant saffron robes walk barefoot along the stone causeway or chant before the Buddha statues in the galleries. Angkor Wat offers more than stunning sunrise. Walking around the temple counter clockwise, you can also read the stone comic strip depicting Hindu mythologies and people’s daily life during Khmer Empire (9th-15th century), aka Angkor Dynasty. 

Afterward, we’ll return to your hotel for breakfast. Alternatively, you can pack a breakfast box from your hotel so that you can enjoy a picnic admiring the perfect reflection of the Angkor Wat by the lotus pond. 

Then, we’ll head to Angkor Thom, the legendary capital of the Khmer Empire and a living museum showcasing Angkorian architecture. Crossing the historic moat, we’ll make our way to the Bayon Temple at the old city’s heart, which is home to the world-famous “Smile of Khmer.” For a creative photo, you can stand on the upper terrace while your partner captures upward to frame the lintels, wall reliefs and smiling Buddha statues in the same picture. You can also use forced perspective for a fun shot of you “touching noses” with one of the massive stone faces. 

Just a short walk from Bayon lies the pyramid-shaped Baphuon Temple, which is originally built by a Khmer king in the 11th century to worship Shiva. In the late 15th century, as the state religion transformed from Hinduism to Buddhism, craftsmen dismantled stones from the west terrace and pieced them together into a colossal reclining Buddha on the rear wall of the temple, much like assembling giant Lego blocks. However, due to weathering over centuries, the silhouette is subtle today. To outline its contour, just step back and squint; the massive head, arms, and torso of the Buddha will come into focus. 

We’ll then continue to Terrace of the Elephants. 800 years ago, the king sat in a golden pavilion atop the platform, overlooking the square to watch mahouts guide their elephants combat with each other. In this way, the king could select the elephant with the finest strength and agility as his royal mount. Its northern end connects to the Terrace of the Leper King. With a statue of Yama atop, a Hindu deity of death and judge of the underworld, the platform is speculated to be a royal crematorium. 

After having lunch by yourself, we’ll proceed to Ta Prohm Temple, built by the Khmer Empire’s greatest ruler, King Jayavarman VII (1125-1219 BC) in honor of his mother. Beyond the famous sight of giant tree roots swallowing the stone walls, the temple hides a mysterious Echo Tower. If you stand with your back against the wall and thump your chest, the room reverberates with an echo. Interestingly, if you shout or clap, the room stays silent. Locals believe that the king would come here to hear his heartbeat when he missed his mother.

Finally, before dusk, let’s draw a conclusion of your Siem Reap exploration. Make a pilgrimage to Bakheng Temple on a small hill. From here, you can take in the panoramic sunset view of the distant Angkor Wat. You may find elephant ride service at the foot of the hill, but we do not recommend it out of animal protection, and it is usually overcharged. Actually, it only takes 20 minutes climbing to the summit.

As the sun sinks beneath the horizon line, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in the city center.

► If you plan to leave Siem Reap today, please book a flight departing after 21:00 and make advance arrangements for your own transportation to the airport, which takes approximately one hour on the way.