Angkor Wat
Avoiding the Crowds
Is it possible to visit Angkor Wat and avoid the crowds? Yes and no. It depends on what time of year you go along with how you decide to visit the impressive site. I did some research and found a way to avoid the large groups of people. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world which means there will be a lot of other people there with you.
Which Pass to Purchase?
We ended up buying a 3 day pass which cost 40 US dollars. We weren’t entirely sure how long we wanted to spend exploring the area along with the other temples. So we thought 3 days would be enough days to explore the area.
Looking back now though I would’ve spent longer at Siem Reap overall. I would’ve been nice to take a break during the exploration breaking up the week in visiting times.
First of all you should hire a tuk-tuk. If you are crazy then hire a bicycle. Have fun though in the 90+ degrees weather.
The Circuits
There are two circuits that you can do while visiting Angkor Wat. There is the small circuit and the big circuit.
I recommend starting with the big circuit at Angkor Wat.
Starting Time
Make sure you get there at 5:00am since Angkor Wat, Sras Srang, Pre Rup and Bakheng are the only places that open up at 5:00am. Everything else opens up at 7:30am.
There are two pools in front of the temple. The left pool and the right pool.
If you go over to the left pool then you’ll be over there with about 300+ people. It’s crazy really. The right pool is a lot less crowded and you can achieve virtually the image seen below.
That’s where I went.
West Gallery
After I got my shots of the reflection I then waited till they opened up the West Gallery at 6:15am.
I soon realized that it wasn’t really worth waiting to go through the West Gallery entrance along with everyone else. I entered just to the right of the west gallery, bypassing everyone to get into the, cruciform cloister room, second and fourth image shown below.
I’ll continue on where I leave off here in the coming weeks with another post regarding Angkor Wat.
I’m ready to go. Very cool. How long did you spend here. Are people friendly?
Nice, ya should try and come soon. We ended up spending 3 days exploring the area which was just enough time to see everything. Everyone that we have met here in Cambodia has been extremely friendly and excited to get the chance to talk with us. It’s been great fun!