Posts labeled The POSH Guide to Angkor Wat & Siem Reap

The capital of the Khmer kingdom in northwestern Cambodia remains one of the most outstanding legacies of the ancient world. Many have the impression that Angkor Wat is a single temple, when in fact there are more than 40 sites still recognizable to this day. Visitors planning to see the ruins should allow at least three full days to get a good overview. Five days is ideal. See the "Planning Your Trip" page for more advice.

Your base for any visit to the temples will be the modern day town of Siem Reap. It is located just a few miles outside of the temple complex. Most visitors arrive there by air, although road and water transport are also possible. See our page about getting there for more information.

If you plan to spend a lot of time in Siem Reap, then getting a guidebook to the temples from Amazon is a really good idea. The general guides to Cambodia available from Amazon will also contain extensive information about the temples.

While many people visit only the temples at Angkor, bypassing the capital of Phnom Penh is a mistake. While there isn't a lot to see in the city, there are some interesting sights, such as the royal palace and national museum. More importantly, the small capital on the banks of the river from the great lake is a laid back place to rest up and enjoy some good food and good shopping.

Being a Responsible Tourist at Angkor Wat

The temples of Angkor are among the world's most remarkable monuments and archaeological sites. These sites represent an incredible asset that can serve to benefit Cambodia and its people for many generations. While they may have been around for a thousand years, these sites are fragile and must be treated with respect and care. To be a responsible tourist, simply follow these basic guidelines:

• Do not purchase ancient artifacts, including glass and stone beads, pottery, stone tools and metal objects.
• Dispose of your rubbish appropriately and keep heritage sites clean.
• Respect the temples, they are active religeous monuments and world heritage treasures.
• Refrain from touching carvings and bas-reliefs as this damages the stone.
• Conserve water in Siem Reap as the water table is dropping, which may make the monuments unstable.
• Try to use environmentally friendly transport, such as bicycles, electric bikes or horse-drawn carts in the park.
• Help the local economy - purchase Cambodian-made products.
• Patronize businesses that support culture / heritage, look for the Heritage Friendly logo.

Angkor Thom

The Bayon Temple of Angkor Thom in Cambodia. Angkor Thom is a large moated royal city, measuring three kilometers on a side. The complex was actually the last capital of the ancient Khmer kingdom, built by the great King Jayavarman VII around the turn of the 13th century.

Angkor Wat Temple

The eastern fascade of Angkor Wat temple. The "mother of all temples" - Angkor Wat. No photograph can quite capture the immensity of this monument (which may be a tomb as well as a temple.) Some of the apparent grandeur of the complex is due to clever perspective.

Angkor Wat Temples

There are more than 40 accessible sites in the Angkor Wat area. The following selections highlight the most interesting as well as the most commonly visited. If you need help sorting through it all, here's some very rudimentary advice: You must visit the temples of Angkor Wat and the Bayon, or you haven't even been to Angkor.

Getting Around the Angkor Archaeological Park

Many people vastly under-estimate the size and scale of the Angkor site. Firstly, the main archaeological site is five to ten kilometers from Siem Reap town, where you'll be staying. Some important sites are more than 40 kilometers away. There are no taxis or any other public transportation within the park.

Getting to Siem Reap / Angkor Wat

Most people arrive in Siem Reap by air directly from neighboring countries. Siem Reap's small airport is only a few minutes from town. The airport code is REP, see the Asia Airports Guide for more information. Air Asia Air Asia is Malaysia's discount domestic carrier.

Planning Your Trip to Angkor

Assuming the purpose of your visit to Angkor is to do more than tick off another one of those "must see" places, planning your visit can be a bit daunting. There are more than 40 identified sites in the Angkor Archaeological Park alone, plus a dozen or more ancient sites within a few hours' drive from Siem Reap.

Siem Reap Hotels

The Hotel de la Paix, the one-time darling of POSH people, now the Park Hyatt Siem Reap is home to several properties rated among the best hotels in Asia. While Siem Reap has perhaps more than its fair share of pricey POSH places, you can get some rather nice places for rather a lot less.

Siem Reap Town

Beautiful downtown Siem Reap, near the old market. Siem Reap is the town closest to the ruins of Angkor Wat, although it's more than just a place to sleep and catch a plane. The city has developed into one of the more pleasant tourist towns in Cambodia, if not Southeast Asia.

The Roluos Group

Bakong temple from just inside the main gate. Before Angkor Wat was built, before the Khmer capital was was moved to the area around Phnom Bakeng, the center of the kingdom was located around the present-day village of Roluos, about 12 kilometers (7 1/2 miles) from Seam Reap.

Zhou Daguan in Angkor

One of the challenges to understanding Angkor is that there are very few written accounts of the empire at its peak. There are some court records and inscriptions, which help to place things in historical context, but there's very little about the daily life of the city, the court, or the people themselves.