Angkor Wat Travel Forum

Hi,

I'll be on a very fast paced trip in Southeast Asia in December. My plane gets into Kuala Lumpur at 1PM on Dec 26, which means I will have to wait until the next day at 11AM to get into Siem Reap. Is this day a wash? Can I see temples when I get in, or is it too late?

My options for day 2 is to see a full day of temples and spend another night, or see temples until 1PM and head out for a flight to my next destination at 3PM. Of course, I'd like to see the full day of temples, but that would mean I have to fly out at 3PM the *next* day -- almost 3 days in Siem Reap, which cuts into my time in other locations (Luang Prabang, new year's in Bangkok, Chang Mai, Soppong). What would you do?

FYI, I've basically got only 10-11 days on the ground, thanks to a combination of annoying low-fare flight times and a company that won't let me off the leash for too long.

Thanks!

To see the main four temples it takes about 5 hours, this includes being driven around each site by a tuk tuk. Having said that many people that we spoke to saw Angkor Wat at sunrise said it was amazing, we were too lazy for that and set off at 7am finishing at 2pm. December is the best time of year to go weather wise. We paid 12$ for our tuk tuk, whilst other people have said that they were being quoted 25$. Hope this helps.

Are you planning to fly out of Siem Reap as it is more expensive than flying from Phnom Penh. There is a good bus network in Cambodia, but I understand that you are short of time.

Hi,

I also noticed that you are going to Luang Prabang in Laos. As you don't seem to have much time, can I suggest that you leave this for another trip so that you can see more of Laos in one go. Out of the 4 places that I visited in Laos recently, Luang Prabang was my least favourite. Laos deverves more time.

Thanks for the reply! Sounds like 2 half days for Siem Reap is doable, especially if I get up at sunset.

I wanted to go to Luang Prabang for the french colonial mansions and the waterfall with the series of pools to swim in. I had also heard some good things about the general beauty and atmosphere of the town. What didn't you like about it, and what alternatives do you suggest?

Thanks again!

We found that although Luang Prabang is an attractive town, it was a little to preserved and manicured, Vientiane feels a lot more like a Laos french colonial town. As for natural beauty you need to get out of the town to see it (unlike Vang Vieng-3 hours from the capital), which is surrounded by caves,lime stone cliffs and amazing butterflies). The waterfalls are 14km outside of Luang Prabang, we didn't see ourselves as we didn't have time. There were 3 groups of us who traveled up the country and were disappointed when we got to Luang Prabang.

There is only one airline that flies to Chiang Mai from Luang Prabang. Laos airlines, they can be booked up for several days in advance. If you get the chance another time, please see the rest of Laos

I agree that you should put LuangPrabang aside and focus on the rest of SE Asia, as waterfalls and French Colonial buildings are also in places
like Vietnam, Cambodia.
Most trips to the temples at Angkor is done in the morning and late afternoon as it gets hot around noon time tho' Dec temperature is rather moderate. Most tourists head back to their hotel to chill off. There's only a day pass US20 and a 3 days pass US40 and a week pass.
You must get your own driver or a tuk tuk to take you around for US 15-30/day.
The most famous of the Angkor can be seen with a morning and a late afternoon.
I suggest -from 2pm AngkorThom/TaPhrom/Phkar Bakheng (sunset). If you wanna watch sunrise, wake up at 5am. If not, head to AngkorWat (spectacular) and any other you want to see.
It's only 10-15 mins from airport to town. Another 10 mins to Angkor Park if you stay in SiemReap town. All hotels/guesthouses will be able to arrange a transport ready for you when you arrive. Or better still, have the car waiting for you at the airport, leave your luggage in the trunk and proceed to Angkor Park till sunset, then check in to the guesthouse/hotel.
Lots of options for food around old market and even spa (US18-40).

How long is a piece of string? I spent a whole week at Siem Reap. It's worth noting that if you arrive after 4pm they will let you in and your ticket will still be good for the next day.

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

How late can you see the temples? Sounds like you can still get in after 5PM but are you contstrained by daylight or closing hours after that?

Tracy (and anyone else that has info), where do you suggest in Cambodia for french mansions? I'd love to do up Laos right, but I've also got a queue of trips I'd love to do (sigh) and a company keeping me on a short leash. Definitely interested in alternatives to Luang Prabang, though. Any alternatives for multi-teired waterfalls you can swim in?

Yes, the temples grounds do get 'shut down' around 7pm and all tourists are supposed to leave so it's not like you're going to be able to view the monuments at your leisure at night unless there is a special function, ie. as in a New Year's even Cambodia classical dance.

Quite frankly you're travelling from SF all the way to SEA on a 10-11 day trip and visiting BKK, KL, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap, and Sappong? Seems rather insane to me. Half your trip will be in transit and your spending quite a few bucks on flights.

If I were you, I'd dial it down to just 3 destinations for a 10-11 day trip. Do you know that Sappong takes pretty much a full day to reach unless you're flying into Mae Hong Son?

And other than Sappong, all the other places you've listed is far more developed and tourists trammeled than Luang Prabang, which, IMO, is the least developed of your listed destinations [other than Sappong] which also means that it still holds more of an old languid feel of SEA.

I'm sorry that Spacey didnt' enjoy Luang Prabang but to each their own. Luang Prabang is known for it's concentration of temples and colonial architecture but is also a great town just to relax and absorb the atmosphere as opposed to a rushed destination. And the Khuang Si Waterfall is one of the neatest in SEA for hiking and swimming in. Many locals go there on a Sunday for picnic-ing.

Anyways, again, I'd advise against trying to see so many destinations on such a short trip. It's not the quatity of places but the quality of your trip that really counts. I'd suggest flying into Bangkok, spend a couple days there, then going to Angkor for about 3-4 days, and then flying up to Luang Prabang for 3-4 days. The Cambodia trip can be done via budget airlines Thai Air Asia and you could also fly from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang via Lao Airlines or Siem Reap Airways.

Siem Reap doesn't offer much in the ways of colonial architecture but Phnom Penh does.

Regardless, hope you have a great trip.

Hi there
Seem you are on a very rush trip. I have not been to all the other places you mentioned except for Siem Reap and Bangkok.
Would like to share for Siem Reap - I have been there only last year and had a wonderful experience at The Villa Siem Reap.

http://www.thevillasiemreap.com/packages.htm
Check out the super value packages provided - you can take either 2N or 3N, depending on your time. They have 5N package too, but previously I tailor made my own 4N package.

The beauty of this is your trip will be very personalised - you can return to the temple whenever you want - even wake early to catch sunrise, go back to the villa for breakfast and a little nap then be out again. Dedicated drivers inclusive (I strongly recommend you to book Mr Han!) and your itenary is flexible to suit your needs. Includes airport transfers - upon arrival the drivers actually pick us up with cold drinks too, I was happy with the service from the start till when I go home.

They prepare temple packs to save your time to go back to town for lunch. Temple packs include food and drinks kept cold. Most importantly the trip is very personalised and I am happy with the service. Rooms are clean and beautiful with the purple color theme. Staffs are friendly and helpful. I have done price comparison before if I were to book transport and hotel separately it is more pricy and may not even be as personalised as this.

It is true after sunset the temples become very dark - so u might want to opt to stay for 3 days instead of 2 days.

These are not to be missed:
- Sunset at Phnom Bakheng (this is extremely beautiful!)
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat (I went twice during my stay)
- Ta Phrom (where they filmed Lara Croft)
- Bayon (another of my favourite temple)
The rest smaller temples you can skip if you do not have much time.

Hope this helps.