The Best of Cambodia & Laos

Some Guidelines When Visiting Angkor
When you arrive at the temples of Angkor you will soon realize just how many
people visit this place every year. These are some tips on how to keep your
footprint as low as possible.
• Accept the restrictions placed on the temple complex (for example, do not
touch, do not photograph, do not enter).
• Avoid touching—every small touch becomes harmful when repeated by
1,000 people every day.
• Wear appropriate footwear—avoid high heels and studded soles.
• Mind your backpack—you could brush up against the walls and damage
the carvings and bas-reliefs.
• Avoid climbing unnecessarily on the statues and monuments. If you must
take a photo on top of a monument, be selective and choose to climb only
one.
• Shop responsibly—beware of buying objects of unknown origin. Looting
of temples has been a problem.
• Don’t litter—take everything with you.
• Respect peace and silence—allow others to enjoy what you are enjoying
in peace and tranquillity.
sights like Beng Melea or Ko Kur require an additional fee. The temples open at dawn
and you can buy a ticket as early as 5am to get there for sunup. At dusk, around 6pm,
temple attendants start gently nudging visitors out of the park.
It is highly recommended to hire a guide, for at least for 1 day of temple touring. A
guide provides not only the most useful information that will serve as a background for
your further exploration, but makes the logistics of that first day much easier. Contact
any hotel front desk or tour office and they can arrange something for you. The cost of
a guide is $20 per day. Guides are certified and come from the same school and so dispense
nearly the same information, but, of course, some are better than others. Ask
around for recommendations.
Important note: The temple sites listed below are more or less in the usual order you
might visit them on tour. A visit to Angkor is now a noisy romp among large Korean,
Thai, Chinese, and European groups. An average guide will take you along in the heart
of the herd, following the standard temple routine, but a good guide knows how to get
you out of the pack. Insist on it.
The Angkor complex is currently undergoing massive restoration. Most of the temples
noted below are included in the extensive project and as such certain sections are hidden
behind scaffolding or closed off to visitors. While it is disappointing, the restoration is
not so invasive as to warrant canceling your trip here. Work should wrap up sometime
in 2010.
Angkor Wat The symbol of Cambodia, the five spires of the main temple of
Angkor are known the world over. In fact, this is the most resplendent of the Angkor
sites, one certainly not to miss even in the most perfunctory of tours.
113
SIEM REAP 6
SIEM REAP ATTRACTIONS