Taking a Weekend Trip to Angkor Wat
One of the coolest memories I have is running a marathon in Southeast Asia… pretty much on a whim. I (foolishly) came into the run with little training and expected myself to somehow manage in the peak of summer; thankfully, it all went a-okay! While the race was awesome, even more spectacular was the setting it was in: around and throughout the temples in Angkor Wat, a UNESCO world heritage site in Cambodia.
Considered the largest religious structure in the world, Angkor Wat is a behemoth to visit; I definitely consider it a must-do in your lifetime. Located in the northwestern Cambodian town of Siem Reap, it is around a 5 hour drive from the nation’s capital of Phnom Penh. I flew in to Siem Reap on a short flight from Singapore, and had a blast over the 2 days, which I think is the right amount of time to spend in this site. Here’s a breakdown of what I think would make a great trip.
Day One: Visit the 5 Main Temples on the Small Loop of the Park
We are going to see the most prestigious and legendary temples of the park today. Given how large the complex is, there are a few ways you can navigate the park. I suggest going in a group that rents scooters (no prior experience required), as it’s a fun skill to try out and is quite fast; otherwise, tuk-tuks (small autos) are a great option if you can find a driver to take you in for the whole day.
Start out at Bayon Temple, famous for its 54 gigantic carved faces of the Hindu god Brahma. It’s located in the center of Angkor Thom, which is considered to be the last capital of the Khmer Empire, ruling from the 900-1400 A.D. Each of these temples will take around 30-90 minutes to see in its entirety, including time for pictures & exploration.
Go from there to the Elephant Terrace and Baphuon Temple, two distinct but majestic sites pretty close to each other. The Elephant Terrace is a 400-yard long wall of carved elephants that were supposed to adorn the city of Angkor Thom. Baphuon Temple is an incredible now-Buddhist place of worship that I think has my favorite panoramic views of the entire Angkor Wat complex. Biking around all these places is half the fun too!
Before sunset, take some time to go to Phnom Bakheng, one of the oldest temples in the complex that’s made even better by the fact that it rests on top of a hill with an impeccable view of the entire scenery. Lastly, you’re not going to want to miss sunsets in this place, so head to the main Angkor Wat temple for the quintessential pictures of the grandest temple of them all.
Day Two: See other major temples on the Big Loop of the Park
Now that you’ve seen the top-rated tourist destinations in Angkor Wat on your first day, take the pace a bit slower to see some of the hidden gems on the larger loop of the complex. Start at Neak Pean Temple, which is quite literally a temple on top of an island. Seeing the temple reflect on the water’s surface is an incredible, can’t-miss sight. Nearby to Neak Pean is Ta Som Temple. Noted for the intricacy between the trees and temple architecture, it makes for some cool photos of sprawling trees seemingly engulfing the temple whole.
The biggest sight on the outer loop is Preah Khan Temple - a large, flat temple that has been left pretty unrestored compared to some of the temples in the inner loop that attract more tourists; given its large base, definitely take your time walking through this temple and admiring all of the simple architecture and beautiful design that comes together.
Lastly, a great place to relax until sunset is the Pre Rup Temple; it takes a long behemoth of stairs to get to the top of this, but I really enjoyed spending my second night sitting amidst the four small pagodas that make up this large temple and reminiscing on a great (and busy!) weekend trip to Angkor Wat.
Hope you get a chance to go soon & have just as much fun!
