Visiting more Angkor temples in Cambodia

DAY 1 (After lunch)

After lunch, head to Elephant Terrace and Bapoun, which are adjacent to each other in Angkor Thom.

You’ll enjoy the view from the summit at Bapoun, and walking the long Elephant Terrace at the heart of Angkor Thom, which looks out over the Royal Square.

Tip: Bapoun will not allow females in if they are wearing short shorts, so make sure you are modestly dressed.

Bapoun

It doesn’t take long to explore Bapoun and Elephant Terrace, so head to Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm to finish off your day. Banteay Kdei is buried in vegetation and is now in ruins, so a visit can be completed in about 10 to 20 minutes.

Banteay Kdei

Ta Prohm is the location of the iconic tree-swallowing-the-temple shot. You’ll definitely encounter many people trying to replicate that shot. It is also where scenes from Tomb Raider were filmed. Ta Prohm is a temple monastery, and the sight of the trees interlaced with the ruins is definitely awe-inspiring.

It is massive… hard to get a shot of the whole thing

This is where I ended my first day…partly because my camera died also.

DAY 2

I visited the out of town temples on my second day. I went to Preah Ko first, seeing as it is on the way anyway. It is part of the Roulos group, and the view from the top is pretty nice.

View from the top of Preah Ko

I then headed to Kbal Spean; however, if you do not have the energy to hike, I would recommend you head to Beng Melea right away.

Kbal Spean is the “river temple” where images of the gods were carved directly into the river bed along a 150m stretch.

Carvings in the river at Kbal Spean

I felt ill and could not visit Beng Melea, which I regret to this day. I did, however, get to visit Banteay Srei, which is a charmingly delicate and small temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

Banteay Srei

To end my tour, I went up in a tethered helium balloon to get an aerial view of Angkor Wat and the surrounding moat. Pretty spectacular!

Other temples worth checking out if you have the time:
* Bakong
* Ta Keo
* Ta Som
* Koh Ker

FEES

I purchased the 3-day pass, which costs $40 and grants you entry to the site 3 times within 7 days. The 7-day pass is $60 for 7 entries, valid for 30 days.

A one day pass is $20.

Visiting hours are 5am to 6pm for the main site, while Banteay Srei closes at 5pm, and Kbal Spean at 3pm.

Always carry your ticket, as it is checked each time you enter one of the major temples, and there is a significant fine if you are caught in the park without a ticket.

There is a separate fee for Koh Ker and Beng Melea ($10 and $5 respectively).

The ticket for the balloon ride is $15 and it lasts about 10 to 15 minutes.

TUK TUK INFO

I was charged $16 for a day tour of the temples. The tuk tuk driver will drop you off at each temple and wait for you at the gate.

To go to the out of town temples, a driver will charge about $27; however, the further you go, the more you pay, so if you go to Beng Melea, then you’ll probably pay $45 for the whole tour.

This story was brought to you by the lovely Reine Gammoh or @ReineOG on Twitter.

Guest Writer

I traveled to Southeast Asia – to Thailand & Cambodia – for my first ever solo trip. I got to experience many firsts; from my first time riding a tuk tuk and visiting a Buddhist temple, to scuba diving in the Gulf of Thailand and trying amazing street food. I have caught a bad case of the travel bug and can’t wait to see more of the world.