Trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia - The Khmer Kingdom

It was 8 months in advance when I made the plan to visit Siem Reap in mid-April 2016, 3 days 2 nights trip. The flight charges was quite reasonable and also the hotel. I did a lot of internet readings before booking the hotel and Google mapped all the distance of the places that I wanted to visit so it will be easier to plan our agenda. As my husband, Bala is so particular with timing, including meals timing, so it is a must for me to be well prepared. Blogs that I read actually helped me so much to choose the hotel and places to visit. Thanks to bloggers!

We took the early morning flight with all excitement to explore Siem Reap. A day before the flight is when I updated Bala our agenda and he seems to be happy with it. We landed at Siem Reap International Airport approximately after 2 hours which was around 7:30AM and we were quite fast to exit the airport as we did not check-in luggage. We have been backpacking in most of our recent trips and we find it very easy and convenient as save time being at airport waiting for out luggage. As we quickly walked our way out of the airport, we start looking for cab or tuk-tuk but no tuk-tuk seems to be around there. So, we hired the airport cab for $ 7 and requested the driver to send us to our hotel.

The cab driver suggested us to go for our tour instead of going to the hotel since check in time is 2:00PM. We queried him on the entrance tickets and travelling distances while keeping my findings in hand too to re-confirm his statements. I wanted to go to Kbal Spean, my must visit place in the list which I am not going to miss in any cost and which is an hour drive from the ticketing office. Secondly, I was thinking of Phnom Kulen Mountain with waterfalls but it is another hour drive with a complete opposite directions with Kbal Spean. Ticket to Phnom Kulen should be purchased at a different office and it has different charges, so we did not want visiting the place in order to save our time and energy. We did not want to exhaust ourselves on the first day itself.

The driver’s payment was $70 for the one whole day trip with Toyota Harrier. The itinerary was to visit Kbal Spean, Banteay Srei Temple, and Tonle Sap Lake (floating village) inclusive of lunch and dinner places. At the drop of a hat we agreed to the driver and bought the entrance tickets and then precede our drive to Kbal Spean. Here you go with the basic information on the Angkor Temple.

ANGKOR ENTRANCE FEES (Angkor Temples, Banteay Srei, Kbal Spean)

• 1 day pass costs $ 20
•  3 days pass cost $ 40 (can be used for a week period)
• 7 days pass costs $ 60 (can be used for a month period)

Angkor Pass

THE TICKET AND VISITING

• Purchase at Angkor Conservation Counter, their main ticket sales office
• Ticket counters are open daily from 5:00AM until 5:30PM
• Bring along your passport to the ticket purchasing counter
• The fee must be paid in US dollars, Cambodian Riel, Thai Baht or Euro
• Photo and name will be printed on the passes. Photo will be captured with a webcam at the ticket purchasing counter
• Visiting hours at the temples are from 5:00AM until 05:30PM. Kbal Spean closes at 3:00PM.
• Must always carry the tickets. The tickets will be verified / hole punched upon reaching every park entrance and at temples
• Keep a Angkor Map in pocket/bag because the temples path is a bit of confusing especially Angkor Thom
• Purchase a Guide Book so it is easier to visit the temples with a handful knowledge and history about the temples
• Carry wet tissues or hand towels to keep you cool down , the place is hot during April
• Must carry water bottles all the time. Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration
• The weather is too hot, so please wear hat / cap
• Wear proper footwear. Flip-flops not recommended as the place is sandy and have to climb stairs up and down to visit the temples
• Do not wear long skirts which touch the ground. It will be quite a hassle to climb the stairs again. Saw one Chinese girl having hard time going up the stairs at Bayon Temple.
• Sunglass to protect the eyes from the sand dust during travelling on the tuk-tuk

Below are the websites that have very useful information on Siem Reap:-

http://www.angkor-temples.com/index.html

http://www.cambodia-hotels.com/siem-reap/attractions.htm

http://www.tourismcambodia.org/provincial_guide/index.php?view=places&prv=21

 

These are some of information that I could share out of my knowledge. Hope this helps.

Nothing feels better than sharing something we know to others.

~Lenz~