25/10/2017
Simply unique, and the soul of Cambodia, Angkor is the largest religious monument in the world, and comparable only by a few selected spots on earth. But Angkor is a popular destination, and it can be very crowded at certain time and certain place.
So here are some of our favourite ones with tips how to enjoy them without crowd:
Angkor Wat (of course!), the grandest temple of all, since it’s so big, you can actually find a few quiet corners where you can sit and read in the afternoon when the heat gets unbearable. So if you are looking for a relaxed afternoon in Angkor Wat, stay away from the main path esp. the west gate which is the main entrance most people; the corridors near east gate and esp. the area near south gate are usually very quiet in the afternoon, as well as the courtyard in the south and east.
Bayon, the temple with 216 giant stone faces, is just amazing. However, it’s relatively small comparing with Angkor Wat, but dense in structure; which means it can be very crowded at times esp. between 10am to 4pm. Visiting in the early morning is recommended, we suggest to even arrive a bit earlier than the gate opening hour.
Ta Prohm & Banteay Kdei & Preah Khan, best known as the temples where trees have been left intertwined with the stonework, much as they were uncovered from the jungle. Ta Prohm is a very popular temple and is full of tour groups most of time of the day. However, you’d want avoid the crowd and noise (esp. with narrow paths and doorways in Ta Prohm, you’ll have to wait in line in order move around) in order to really appreciate the wild beauty. Do come in the early morning, right when the gate is open, when the temple is still quiet and at its most magical moment. Other 2 similar temples to Ta Prohm are the less famous Banteay Kdei & Preah Khan, which also means they are less crowded. We actually find Banteay Kdei & Preah Khan are more interesting as they are in a more original shape (in another word, less restored), which makes it more wild and we managed to crawled into some ruins where there’s nobody around (but you still hear the noise from the crowd). Once again, if you have limited time visiting Angkor, and you have to choose one temple to visit in the early morning (after watching the sunrise in Angkor Wat) to avoid the crowd, choose Ta Prohm. The atmosphere here is just totally different with or without many people.
Also, temples seem less crowded when majority of people go for lunch and hide from the mid-noon heat.
Beng Mealea, 80km east of Siem Reap, this is a temple in the dense jungle and has been left to nature (unlike Ta Phrom where many trees have been removed). You’ll be clambering over ruined walls and through windows to get access to areas where nature is running riot. Lots of trees growing out of walls, and creepers hanging over ruined buildings, and consequently great for some atmospheric photos. Beng Mealea can be taken in as part of a trip to the Roluos Group, or a long day trip with Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean, though this will entail about 5 hours travelling in total on some very rough roads. How to to avoid the crowd? Take the off beaten path and travel far away.
Read full article here: https://olihu.wordpress.com/2017/10/21/amazing-angkor-how-to-avoid-the-crowd-and-travel-into-local-life/
Simply unique, the soul of Cambodia, Angkor is the largest religious monument in the world, and comparable only by a few selected spots on earth. Most of the temples were around 1000 years old; and…
