Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Angkor Wat

Flo MBT
Oct 29
4 min read

Updated: Nov 1

Visiting Angkor Wat on Our Own: A Magical Morning on Two Wheels Most people visiting Angkor Wat book a tour with a tuk-tuk or car and driver — but we decided to do things differently. We rented a scooter for the day, giving us total freedom to explore at our own rhythm. It turned out to be the perfect choice! Driving around the Angkor Archaeological Park is surprisingly easy, and being able to come and go as we pleased made the experience feel much more personal and relaxed. This article focuses exclusively on Angkor Wat, but if you’re planning a longer trip, don’t miss our other post on the perfect 3-day itinerary to visit the Angkor temples.

Arriving at Angkor Wat

We spent about 2.5 hours exploring the temple, from 10:00 to 12:30. To our surprise — and delight — it wasn’t crowded at all! We’d seen all the photos and videos showing huge crowds at sunrise, but that morning, it felt calm and peaceful. We entered through the west gate, which is actually the back of the temple. Most people arrive from the east, where you get that famous “wow” view with the reflection pools and the five towers rising symmetrically behind. Coming in from the west meant we didn’t get that instant postcard moment — but it also gave us a quieter, more gradual discovery of the site, which we actually loved.

Hiring a Guide in Angkor Wat

At the entrance, we decided to hire a local guide for $15. It was one of the best decisions we made that day. Angkor Wat is filled with symbolism, stories, and intricate details that are easy to miss if you’re exploring alone. Our guide brought the temple to life, explaining the meaning behind the carvings and the fascinating mix of Hindu and Buddhist elements that define its history. We highly recommend getting a guide, at least for this temple — it adds so much depth to the visit.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

We returned the next morning at 5 a.m., right when the gates opened, to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Even though the sky was cloudy that day and we weren’t the luckiest with the weather, the experience was still magical.

Tickets Angkor Wat

We bought a 3-day pass online (https://www.angkorenterprise.gov.kh/plan ) for $62 per person. This pass gives you access to all the temples around Angkor Wat — and there are plenty! Three days felt like the perfect amount of time: enough to explore without rushing, but not so long that we’d get temple fatigue.

A Little History of Angkor

Wat Angkor Wat is not only Cambodia’s most iconic monument — it’s also the largest religious structure in the world. Built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II, it was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple symbolizes Mount Meru, the mythical home of the gods in Hindu cosmology, with its five towers representing the mountain’s peaks. Over the centuries, as Cambodia gradually embraced Buddhism, Angkor Wat transformed into a Buddhist temple — which it remains today. Despite wars, invasions, and the passage of time, it has been remarkably well preserved and continues to be a powerful symbol of Cambodian identity, even appearing on the national flag.

Battles and the Fall of Angkor

After Suryavarman II’s reign, the Khmer Empire entered a period of decline. In the 15th century, the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Siam (modern-day Thailand) invaded and sacked Angkor. The city was largely abandoned afterward, and the capital was eventually moved south toward Phnom Penh. The name Siem Reap literally means “Defeat of Siam” — a reminder of the centuries-long rivalry between the Khmer and the Thai kingdoms. The name was given later, as a symbolic victory, though in reality the region changed hands multiple times between the two powers. The Red Years and the Vietnam War Fast forward several centuries: during the 1970s, Cambodia was caught in one of the darkest chapters of its history — the Khmer Rouge regime.

While the temples weren’t systematically destroyed, many sculptures and carvings were damaged or stolen during this chaotic period. Some areas around the Angkor complex were mined or hit by artillery, though the main structure of Angkor Wat itself miraculously survived. It wasn’t until the late 20th century, after years of civil war, that restoration and preservation efforts truly began — with help from UNESCO and international teams.

Exploring Angkor Wat on our own scooter was one of the highlights of our trip. The sense of freedom, the calm atmosphere, and the incredible history all came together to make the experience unforgettable. If you’re comfortable driving in Southeast Asia, we can’t recommend it enough — it’s an easy and rewarding way to experience the temples at your own pace. Whether you arrive from the famous east gate at sunrise or sneak in from the quieter west side like we did, Angkor Wat will leave you in awe — not only for its beauty, but for the resilience of Cambodia and its people, who have preserved this masterpiece through centuries of war, loss, and rebirth.

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