Best Temples to see in Angkor in 1 or 3 days (Cambodia): schedules, prices

Who has not dreamed of visiting those impressive lost temples of Cambodia?

Those temples of a forgotten civilization the Khmer, which the jungle invaded, taking back what was once its own.

When we talk about visiting Cambodia, it is important to clarify several concepts that we often only know when we arrive in the country.

A Siem Reap It is where tourists who want to visit the temples arrive on international flights from many of the surrounding cities and countries.

A very short distance from Siem Reap It is where the famous temples invaded by the jungle are located, which belong to the complex of Angkor temples, which are the main tourist attraction.

This Angkor archaeological complex it's made of more than a thousand temples that extend throughout the interior of the jungle, so forget about seeing them all.

What's more, just to know the most important ones you need a minimum of 2 or 3 days.

As we have mentioned, there are three temples that, due to their majesty, stand out above the rest; make one short or long route These must be! Yes or yes! on your visit.

Curiosities history of the Angkor temples in Cambodia

To position yourself well and be able to understand the history of these temples and what your visit will be like, you have to understand one thing.

Angkor Wat in the largest religious complex ever built, cradle of Khmer Empire that controlled territories from the Bay of Bengal until china sea.

The Angkor temples were abandoned for more than 200 years inside the jungle to avoid being invaded by the Thais, which in the end never happened.

After two centuries of hiding, they were discovered by chance by a French naturalist who was looking for uncatalogued species of butterflies.

It must have been impressive to be the first to find these imposing buildings deep in the jungle!

Cambodia Temple Tours

When visit the temples, a highly recommended option is hire a tour with a guide in Spanish like we did.

It is the best way to discover the many corners of Angkor, since the history of the Khmer civilization It is amazing and worth visiting with the help of someone who knows it well.

The good thing is that there are many options, from a private tour of Angkor but also two day tours o three days through the temples, and also tours that are carried out at dawn or dusk.

Regardless of whether you visit them on a tour or on your own, we are going to detail them for you. Which are the temples that are most worth visiting?.

Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia

The first temple that was found is the one that has subsequently gained much of the fame, Angkor Wat which is the best known in the world.

In fact, this temple in Cambodia was nominated as one of the 7 Modern Wonders of Humanity.

But, as a curiosity, you have to know that Angkor Wat It was the only temple that was not completely abandoned, since a few monks decided to stay in it despite the Thai threat.

It is a huge temple on three levels, with several rooms for prayer and purification, and, without a doubt, it is the most photographed by tourists.

Most visitors visit in the afternoon because the sun rises from the back of the temple and in the morning there is backlight. To take the typical photos it is better to wait for the sun to shine on you, which happens as the day progresses.

But be careful not to rush the time too much if you are going to visit it because the access for visitors closes at 17 p.m.

Also during the rainy season, the months of June, July and August, due to the tremendous heat it always rains in the afternoons in Siem Reap.

It must be said that, in reality, the best time to visit it is very early in the morning, since Angkor Wat It is the most visited tourist attraction in Cambodia and is filled with visitors.

In the early hours, few people get up that early, and this way you can enjoy the visit much more without the crowds.

It is also important to know that if you get up early you will not suffer as much from the tremendous heat in Angkor Wat , which is more intense due to the effect of humidity.

If you want to have panoramic views of this temple there are two options:

The first, and what everyone does, is to go up to the highest floor of one of the temple towers from where you can see the entire complex, but you have to wait for a long line of people (be careful with the Chinese who will try to sneak in). ).

The second is to sign up for a balloon flight in Angkor Wat, which costs about 20 dollars and they elevate you to have the best views of the temple.

Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom

The second recommendation in terms of historical importance is the Bayon Temple,  known as the Temple of Faces.

Historians do not agree on whose faces are represented, and there are different versions on the matter, but it is thought that they could be faces of Buddha or the face of the king who ordered it to be built.

In any case you will be able to see 54 towers with a face on each of its four sides, making a total of 216 faces.

Furthermore, in its lower part there is an impressive bas-relief in which everyday scenes of the life of Cambodians and the wars that its inhabitants lived through are sculpted.

It is one of the most spectacular temples that, as an extra, has several attached temples in its surroundings that are worth visiting.

Ta Prohn the Temple of Roots in Cambodia

For us the most spectacular of all the temples in Cambodia is the Your Prohm, better known as the Temple of the Roots.

This is where you can see more clearly how wild nature took over these temples after 200 years of abandonment in the jungle.

Huge fig trees many meters high grow throughout the temple, whose roots intertwine with the rocks, leaving scenes unique in the world.

In fact, the roots are demolishing some of the buildings, making conservation efforts complicated.

In some cases some of these roots are having to be cut in order to keep the temples standing.

For your visit, it is advisable to go very early to avoid crowds and be able to walk through this temple listening only to the sound of the crickets, birds and monkeys that live in the jungle.

The experience of visiting this temple is an authentic spectacle.

Preah Khan Temple in Angkor

If you are going to travel to Siem Reap and you have more than one day, there are many more very interesting temples to see in Angkor.

The Preah Khan temple was for many years key in Cambodia, as it was the second university in the city after Your Prohm.

In this temple you can also find buildings in which fig trees have grown through it.

The difference is that it is less well preserved and needs much more conservation and reconstruction work.

In any case, it is a spectacular temple that is worth visiting, since it is also very close to Your Prohm.

Neak Pean Snake Temple

Following the Angkor temple route, we find the best known as temple of intertwined serpents.

It is a small temple, with a central lake surrounded by four others, which has snakes carved in stone that cross each other.

What is most striking is the enormous lake that surrounds it.

It is a very recently formed lake, the result of the 2011 floods, which have not drained what is necessary, so they have currently built a bridge to reach the temple.

Banteay Srei Women's Temple

Better known as the temple of the strength of women, It is separated from the rest, so you will need 20 minutes to get there by car. tuk tuk.

This should not be a problem since to get there you travel through many rural areas and you can see how the people of Cambodia live.

It is a small temple full of details sculpted in the stone. It also stands out for the color of the stone that it takes from the surrounding earth.

If you have time, it is very worth visiting because it is wonderfully preserved.

Pre Rup Temple in Angkor

El Pre Rup Temple It is visited in a short time and the most interesting thing is to climb its very vertical stairs to see the panoramic views of the jungle.

It is a small stop that is worth it and is a stop on this route between temples, which is why everyone who visits the temples of Angkor usually visits it.

How to get to the Angkor temples in Siem Reap

For get to the temples from the Siem Reap hotel area there are several options.

We mainly recommend visiting the temples of Angkor by car, because it has the enormous advantage of having air conditioning.

The heat and humidity in the summer months can be really overwhelming.

Visits by car are usually always done when you hire a guided tour. Cambodia is a fairly cheap country, especially if you come from a European country, so it is worth it.

If you don't want to hire a guide to take you by car, you might still be interested in going by tuk tuk, which in practice acts as a local taxi.

The transportation service in tuk tuk It is quite economical.

Depending on the temples you are going to visit, the tuk tuk fare it varies; In the same hotel where you are staying you can notify one of them to come pick you up.

You will have to negotiate the price, but to give you an idea, for $20 they will pick you up at the hotel and take you on the temple route.

They also wait for you at the entrance of each of the temples until you finish visiting it.

If you want to see many temples, they may raise the price a little until it reaches 25 dollars.

Although it may seem very economical to have a person drive you all day for that price, for them it is a lot of money.

Keep in mind that the average salary in Cambodia It is about $ 300.

Visiting times for Cambodian Temples

As for schedules to visit the Angkor temples in Siem Reap, you have to know that they are guided by the availability of sunlight.

So you can enter from 5 in the morning when the sun rises, and it is usually open until 5 in the afternoon, when they close the day with the sunset, one of the best times to take photos.

Remind you that, in our opinion, it is more worth getting up early than rushing through the afternoons because there are fewer people and because it usually rains in the afternoons.

Prices for tickets to visit the Temples of Angkor

The ticket prices They vary depending on the number of days you plan to be seeing temples.

In the area where you buy the tickets, they take a photo of you, and after paying, they give you a card that you must carry with you constantly because they will ask you for it at the different entrances to the complex.

Tickets are not cheap (from $37 one day and $62 two days), but in theory the money is used for the conservation and restoration of the temples; What we do assure you is that you will leave with the feeling that it is very much worth paying for them.