the most INFORMATIC travel guide to SIEM REAP and ANGKOR WAT
Hello everybody, my name is Tripcompany and here is the Southgate of Angkor Thom, Siem Reap Yes, this Angkor has the famous Angkor Wat The magnificent Asian stone temple between tropical rainforest And this video is a general guide to Angkor and its city Siem Reap I will tell you everything you should know before you visit here Its backgrounds, features, pros and cons, sites, how to travel kind of that Yes it is time to discover this ancient city of Cambodia Siem Reap is located in the northwest of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is the second largest city in the country after the capital, Phnom Penh. But modern Siem Reap is not a big city in the grand scheme of things. Its population is only about 250,000 people. Siem Reap state or metropolitan area is also not that impressive Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city also has small downtown but as the center of Chiang Mai province and northern Thailand It has big malls and condominiums But the population? The economy? It doesn’t matter. Siem Reap is the face of Cambodia travel It was, is, and always will be.
Why? Because Angkor Wat is right here. Yes, Siem Reap was once the bright capital of the Khmer Empire that ruled the Indochinese peninsula a thousand years ago. In the moment, Khmer was the most powerful nation in Southeast Asia occupying most of Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam. They built Angkor Wat and its surrounding magnificent temples But the once mighty Khmer Empire fell in the 15th century. and Cambodia's glory days were never to return.
In the west, the kingdoms of Ayutthaya, and Siam flourished. They are now Thailand Siem Reap means "defeat of Siam," the old name for Thailand. It reflects the wartime history of Thailand and Cambodia. And in the east, Vietnam in the north defeated Champa in the south.
They cement their sovereignty over Vietnamese lands. Cambodia was merely a casualty. By the 19th century, France had colonized Cambodia. It was during this time that Angkor Wat became known to the world. After independence, the Killing Fields massacre. Cambodia was in turmoil, and Angkor Wat was not spared.
The destruction has not been targeted at the ruins themselves. but the extensive logging and clearing of the site has caused damage. And Thai cultural thieves have also removed the heads of many of the sculptures and reliefs at Angkor. But the Angkor ruins are still beautiful nonetheless No visitor to the Khmer Empire's most colorful legacy can't help but be awed by this landscape. And Siem Reap, as the closest city to Angkor It is the gateway to the ruins. Siem Reap is a small city of just around 250,000 people.
As for the country's second city, It is the smallest in Southeast Asia, along with Luang Prabang in Laos. However, it's very touristy, so it has everything you need. There's no McDonald's, but there's Burger King and KFC. neither of which are in Luang Prabang. And there are two Starbucks.
One of them is in a mall. It's a little smaller, but it's still a mall. That's not all, there's also a movie theater in town, yeah. So when you arrive in downtown Siem Reap, you're like. "Wow, this city is really small.”
And then you walk around the city and you're like. "Wow, there's this here? Siem Reap is interesting in many ways. Siem Reap still is a very classic city There are several reasons for this First, there was no chance for contemporary buildings in the city. After the Khmer fell, Siem Reap was lost to history for a while. It was inhabited, but it wasn't big and it wasn't mentioned. Then France colonized it.
Angkor Wat became a tourist destination, and French architecture was just being built here. And that was 100 years ago, so now they're classics. Then after Cambodia gained independence, the country itself was genocide, dictatorship, war after war, so there was no time for development. In the '90s, the world started coming back to Angkor Wat. and in order to preserve the cultural heritage, strong development regulations were put in place, including height restrictions.
So Siem Reap, it's a very classic city. Not just the Angkor ruins, but the old European architecture downtown. and even the newer hotels are very much in keeping with the old. I think you'll like the atmosphere.
Angkor Wat is arguably the single most impactful structure in all of Southeast Asia. Vietnam is much weaker in terms of traditional architecture. Thailand has the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Wat Arun, Wat Pho. Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, and many other beautiful temples. But Angkor Wat is more than impressive However, the city of Siem Reap, to be honest. isn't that appealing for a longer stay It's a small city, so there are not so many things to do in town.
Like malls, condos… nothing really Even without that, it's too much of a money pit to enjoy the sites. Like I'll tell you later, Angkor Wat and everything is expensive. Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi.
All have lots of long term travelers and expats But Siem Reap, tourists just see it in a couple days and leave. The first impressive sight of Siem Reap is the Old Market. It's an old-style building that sells all sorts of souvenirs. This is the center of the town because all of the tourist streets and markets are clustered around here.
First of all, right down by the river to the south is the Riverside Market. It's full of stalls, and the atmosphere is not bad. The river water is ochre-colored, but it's not super dirty or smelly or anything. And then on the other side, on the north side, there's a noisy neighborhood called Pub Street with a bunch of pubs and bars.
And aside from the pub street, the whole neighborhood has a traveler's town vibe There are convenience stores, massages, ATMs, or restaurants. It's the only place in Siem Reap where you can just walk around aimlessly. There are a lot of Western travelers here, so there are a lot of great Western restaurants. Italian, Mexican, Greek and more. Of course, it's expensive, but Cambodian restaurants here are always expensive.
and Cambodian dishes in here has low quality than the western’s So I don't think it's bad to eat western food. My personal favorite is Mama's Shop Italian Restaurant just north of Pub Street. The food is really good.
Sabusa boulevard which runs north-south on the west side. is the Main Street of this area There's a Starbucks, a movie theater, KFC, Burger King, some good clothing stores. So if you want to get some air conditioning and do something you can go to Sabusa Boulevard. Affordable accommodation is generally found to the east and west of this central area. East of the Siem Reap River, it's more like organized blocks.
West of Sabusa Blvd., the streets are loose and disorganized. But both are within walking distance of Old Town Pub Street. so it's really a matter of preference. North of the bend in Sabusa Boulevard. It is good hotels and resorts area Park Hyatt is the start of it. Four-and five-star hotels are popping up all over the place.
from the Bensley Collection in Sintamani, designed by famed hotel architect Bill Bensley. to the FCC Angkor in Avani from Thailand. The Raffles Grand Hotel further north, and the Sofitel beyond. But it's not a fun neighborhood to walk around. There are no little stalls or street shops, just big buildings. If you're looking for a luxury hotel stay in Siem Reap.
you're probably going to stay along this area. There's the Royal Independence in the middle of it all, but there's not much else. The Angkor National Museum, just north of the Raffles Hotel, is worth a visit. It's a cool, relaxing way to see the artifacts of the Angkorian ruins The outdoor temples are too hot and they don’t have description The last point in town, at a rather remote intersection, is the Angkor Ruins ticket office. Of course you can buy tickets online.
but otherwise, you have to buy a ticket here and keep it with you. Throughout the Angkor ruins, tickets are checked, but not sold. North of Siem Reap city, the Angkor ruins finally come into view. There are several temples scattered throughout a large jungle area almost as big as the city of Siem Reap.
Angkor Wat is just one temple in the middle of it all. I'm not going to go into much detail here about the historical significance and interiors. I'll leave that for you to enjoy learning at the site Instead, in this video, I'll give you an overview of how it's organized and what each temple is responsible for. Angkor Wat, the face of the Angkor It's the closest temple to the city and the first one along the road. It's all about grandeur here. The reliefs, the intricate carvings, the serenity.
Maybe other temples are better than Angkor Wat but it's only at Angkor Wat that you feel overwhelmed by the scale. It's also the most iconic sunrise spot in Siem Reap. Angkor Wat opens at 5:00 a.m., and the crowds start to build up from then on. The next two most important sites are Angkor Thom in the west and Ta Prohm in the east Angkor Thom is a huge ruin, bigger than Angkor Wat.
Actually Angkor Thom itself is another group of ruins. Thom means big. There are Bayon Temple, Elephant Terrace, and many other highlights inside The keywords for Angkor Thom are elaboration and face. The reliefs and carvings here are more intricate than those in Angkor Wat.
They still amaze tourists today. And the Bayon temple and the gates of Angkor Thom have giant carved faces whose mysterious smiles also fascinate. The keyword to describe Ta Prohm is trees. Large trees have grown all over the old temples, eroding the buildings.
It creates an impressive experience at Ta Prohm That is different from Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. These are the three most iconic triangles of Angkor. And there are many other smaller sites scattered in and around them.
First up, Phnom Bakheng Temple, between Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. This is Angkor's most iconic sunset spot. It's different from the others because it's on a hill. The second is Ta Kaeo Temple on the way from Angkor Thom to Ta Prohm.
It's famous for having big, steep stairs. Yeah, You’ll definitely have to be careful. The third is Pre Rup Temple, east of Ta Prohm. It is made of blocks and another great sunset spot. Similar to Takao, the stairs are steep.
The fourth is the East Mebon, north of Pre Rup Same block architecture and you'll find some elephants. Of course they are sculptures The fifth is Ta Som in the north and its neighboring man-made reservoir, Jayatataka Ta Som is small and less crowded due to its isolated location. And about Jayatataka, there is also a small island in the middle of the reservoir.
You can cross the bridge directly to see it. The last is Preah Khan temple, north of Angkor Thom. Unlike Pre Rup, East Mebon, and Ta Som, which have incomplete elements. this is a more fully constructed temple, with a larger size and a moat. Sometimes it feels eerie because the architecture is wide but not high.
Of these, Pre Rup, Ta Som, East Mebon, and Preah Khan are all part of the the Grand Tour route And the smaller triangle of Angkor Wat, Thom and Ta Prohm is called the Small Circuit. Tonle Sap Lake is a very large lake south of Siem Reap. It covers an area of 2,700 km2, which is 3 and a half times the size of New York. Actually, Tonle is a river and Sap is a lake in Cambodian so if you call it Tonle-Sap Lake, it's redundancy but that's how everyone calls foreign places, so I will call it Tonle Sap Lake. This lake is too big, too wide. and the lakeshore is inaccessible mangroves.
So tourist normally goes with a tour to Kampong Pluck, southeast of Siem Reap. The route is like this First, you stop at a local market along the way. Look around the market with your guide Then you ride a boat and go to the floating village. After the village you'll paddle around in a small boat through the mangroves. Then you go further out to see the big lake, and that's it.
Next up is Phnom Kulen National Park, about 40km northeast of Siem Reap. But before we get there, there are two points of interest Banteay Srei temple and Kbal spean Both of them are required the Angkor ticket Banteay Srei built about 200 years before Angkor Wat. It means "citadel of the women" and its earth-colored architecture is unlike any other. The intricacy of the reliefs is beyond Bayon. Kbal spean is a small valley in the mountains, and it's not easy to get to.
You have to walk about 1.3km from the parking lot. But at the end of it, hidden in the valley, mysterious reliefs in the water welcome visitors. Now it's time to enter the real Phnom Kulen. The entrance fee is $20 per person. That's a bit pricey. The first point you'll encounter is the Amazing cliffs The name is a little hard to remember, so it's usually referred to as just the Amazing Cliffs. The second is the two-tiered Phnom Kulen waterfall.
This is also a waterfall, but there's a lot of people playing in the water nearby. You can bring a swimsuit or buy from there Lastly, Preah Ang Thom temple with the lying Buddha statue Angkor sites are usually more of a ruin than an active temple. But this is an active temple with real monks and Buddhists visiting. Of course, the buildings and carvings are very classic, as you'd expect near Angkor And then south of Phnom Kulen, on the way back to downtown Siem Reap. there's a ruined temple called Beng Mealea. Again, you need an Angkor ticket to enter.
Beng Mealea is a little less grandiose than Ta Prohm. and added a lot of tranquility. Ta Prohm is the main course of Angkor triangle so it is a bit chaotic at times. but here, because of the distance, there are far fewer people. Of all the Angkor sites, this is my favorite.
Finally, the last stop on our long-awaited video tour Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, south of Beng Mealea The original airport was near the city center, but they built a new one farther away. So it's got good facilities, but it's also very far away. Of course, it's not the end of the whole Siem Reap There's the Bakong temple southeast of the city, the War Museum, the Botanical Gardens. But they're very much secondary in terms of accessibility, content and so on.
I think the places I showed you in the video should be enough to get you started. Angkor is a great site of ruins The main Angkor Wat is one of the top 3 Buddhist sites in the world. And it's the most accessible of them all. Myanmar is in the middle of a civil war, so Bagan is hard to get there.
and Borobudur is hard to get to unless you're traveling with Bali. But Cambodia is sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam. so it's easy to connect with either travel powerhouses. It's magnificent, beautiful, poorly preserved. That's what makes it all the more impermanent in time and desire. But Angkor Wat is just the most famous one Other sites in Angkor are just as impressive.
Ta Prohm, Bayon temple, Beng Mealea If they are in another part of the world, in another country. They could be the most important site in their own right. So Angkor is home to such a fantastic collection of ruins. it's one of the best things about traveling to Cambodia. I hope you get to see it with your own eyes at least once in your life. Siem Reap is a city that attracts travelers from all over the world Cambodia's GDP per capita is around $1,800 which is less than half of Vietnam's.
In Thailand, you can find their convenience store everywhere. But in Cambodian small cities or town, you never find it However, Siem Reap is different. First of all, there are air-conditioned supermarkets everywhere in the city. You can easily buy anything you need as a traveler. There are also ATMs for easy money withdrawal.
It's not uncommon to see Korean, Japanese, and Thai ATMs all in one place. Card payments are also pretty universally accepted. Unless except shabby street vendor, of course. Fancier ones usually have a Visa or Mastercard contactless badge. There's also a wide range of accommodation options. You can find everything from hostels, which are great for young people to be noisy.
to mid-range hotels like Ibis Styles. to luxury-style hotel resorts like Park Hyatt As for language, most people who deal with travelers speak English. which means you won't be lost for words. Clearly, this is a town that thrives on international tourism.
Angkor Wat isn't the only thing to see in Siem Reap South of the city is a large lake called Tonle Sap where you'll find floating houses and gorgeous mangrove forests. That's enough for a decent day trip. But there's so much more to Phnom Kulen in the northeast. If the floating village is okay, this place is just as breathtaking. You'd need three days just to see Angkor. plus a couple days for a nice day trip.
And one day to explore the city. You could easily spend a whole week in Siem Reap. The capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, is much bigger than this. but there's not much to see around there. The travel cost in Siem Reap is relatively high As I mentioned before, the economy is less than half of Vietnam's. but the cost is more expensive than Thailand, You can easily spend $10 for 2 dishes and a drink Even the shabbier outdoor stall charge $2 or $3 for a menu.
In the Chiang Mai night market, it's usually only $1.50 for a meal like this. What about accommodation? Five-star hotels are easily over $300 Budget style hotels are similar to Chiang Mai Hostels can easily be found for 7 or 8 USD The same goes for transportation. The airport bus costs $15 round trip, taxis are like $30 one way I've never seen anything this expensive in Southeast Asia. Tours and other entrance fees are also grossly overpriced. Phnom Kulen National Park charges $20 per person. A one-day ticket to Angkor is $37 and three-day pass costs $62.
In fact, if you have to spend a lot of money in a country with a very high income. You’re like ‘Oh, this country has very high prices.’ And that’s all. But in Siem Reap, the labor cost is very low. So I'm a little more dissatisfied.
Siem Reap's city center is very small Roughly speaking, this yellow area is where the main attractions are located. It's about the size of Hyde Park in London. So when you're exploring the city here, you're like, "Is that it?” You can walk down the famous Pub Street for five minutes and that's it. Even if you go to the night market, there's not much there. And the things that are sold are not very unique, they're very typical.
You can find many small pleasures in Chiang Mai or Luang Prabang. But Siem Reap is not like that Siem Reap's latitude is about the same as Bangkok's. which means it's hot and tropical all year round. And the main attractions in Siem Reap are usually outdoors. Didn't you feel this when you were looking at the area description earlier? ‘Wow, that's a lot of sunshine. That looks hot.’ And that's what you're actually going to experience.
Phnom Kulen National Park in the mountains or Tonle Sap Lake, They're better because you're in the mountains or on a boat with a river breeze. The Angkor ruins are, uh... infernal. There's no way there's air conditioning in here, right? And when the sun is shining, it's just painful. Even in the shade, you're sweating after a while. It's just as hot walking around town.
but at least you can take a tuk-tuk to escape the heat. The Angkor ruins are really clueless. The Grand Palace in Bangkok is similarly hot, but it's an intensified version of that. Please take care of your own water and rest if you get tired. Siem Reap has tropical savanna climate as Bangkok. This climate can be categorized into two or three main seasons.
The rainy season in summer and the dry season in winter. And again, the dry season is seperated By extreme dry season which it is little bit cooler and inferno dry season, which is much more intense. First of all, December through February is the extreme dry season, This is considered the peak season for traveling to Siem Reap. Because it is easier to explore the Angkor ruins.
Then there's the March/May inferno season In Thailand, the water festival Songkran opens during this time. But there's no reason to come to Siem Reap without visiting Angkor Wat. so You’d avoid this time of year as much as possible. Late May through September is the rainy season. and it's best to bring an umbrella. It's basically hot, but it gets a little cooler when it rains.
But the floating village is not floating in early rainy season Water is not enough yet So if you are interested at Tonle Sap Lake, June to August is not good too. October and November are the end of the rainy season. The rains have made Tonle Sap Lake very wide. and the floating houses are completely floating.
Waterfalls and valleys like Phnom Kulen and Kbal Spean are even more spectacular. So If you just want to visit the Angkor ruins, the extreme dry season from December to February is the best. But If you want to go to the floating village, valley, and waterfalls, October and November are also good. Siem Reap Angkor Airport, the gateway to Siem Reap Unfortunately, there are not direct flights from other continents so you'll have to make one stopover to get to Siem Reap. Cities in Southeast Asia that have direct flight to Siem Reap are Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital and Bangkok, Thailand Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, also Singapore By land, tourists normally take a minivan from Bangkok, Thailand or Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
They usually takes 6 or 7 hours. However, even if you cross the border from Bangkok, the price is cheap, around $25 so if you want to save money, you can ride this. With budget airlines, they charge the extra cost for your luggage but with these minivans, you don't have to pay for that. Cambodia also requires a visa to enter the country You can get it at the airport or at border control.
or you can apply for an e-visa in advance. It's a bit expensive at $30 each. One of the downsides of traveling to Cambodia When you join a tour, there's not much you need to worry about They'll pick you up from your hotel, drop you off at the end of the day. they'll take care of everything.
So if you want to walk around the city a little bit. and don't want to bother with anything else, you can book a tour. You can do it online or you can ask at your hotel or hostel. The advantage of tours is that the guides are very detailed. Or you could bargain with one of the many tuk-tuk drivers in town to go to Angkor Wat or whatever.
They normally charge $20 for Angkor day trip, which is a bit expensive. But it's still cheaper than a private tour. And you can spend more time taking pictures for yourself so it's really up to you to decide what's important to you Detailed guide or lots of photos You can also rent a motorcycle with an international driver's license. The downside is that you have to drive yourself under the sun, But it is the cheapest way to get around. There are 3 main types of tours that depart from Siem Reap The first and second are Tonle Sap and Phnom Kulen. Both are some distance from the city center so there's a lot of demand from people who want to go there conveniently.
And for Tonle Sap, you have to take a boat. It's not easy to foreign individuals The Tonle Sap tour is again divided into two: morning and afternoon. The route is same, but simplified, afternoon is for sunset The third, Angkor. In terms of time of day, we have sunrise, sunset, and daytime.
There are the small circuit for the most important places And then there's the Grand Tour, which takes in distant places. If you go for just one day, it's always the small circuit. but if you’ll buy a 3-day pass and you're doing multiple days, I'd recommend doing the Grand Tour first.
After you've seen Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm, which are so intense. the smaller places on the Grand Tour will seem boring. Also staff read the QR code in your ticket So you don’t need print your ticket. The captured is okay
Let's recap what you've learnt today A Quick summary of Siem Reap and Angkor Yes, this is it This video is way more longer than my others But it only covers the essentials Honestly there are many downsides in Cambodian travel But Angkor Wat is apparently worth a visit is your whole lifetime This place where I end this video is the old town of Siem Reap Thank you for watching this long video and thank you again
2024-12-01 17:15
