Temples and Local Life: From Sunrise to Angkor Thom in Siem Reap

A full-day trip from Siem Reap that visits Krong Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, Srah Srang and Banteay Kdei. There are 7 stops altogether, so it fills the day rather than leaving long gaps between two or three highlights. The price covers Professional English-speaking tour guide, Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver and Hotel pickup and drop-off. It does not cover temple entry pass (37$ per person paid b, breakfast and meals and drinks, so budget for those separately. Everything included is listed in full on this page; if something is not on that list, assume it is not in the price. Sunrise at Angkor Wat is watched from the edge of the northern reflecting pool, where the five towers come up black against the sky and then double in the water. The ticket office opens at 04:30 and Angkor Wat lets people in from 05:00, which is why tours leave Siem Reap around 04:30 for a twenty-minute drive; the sky colours before the sun clears the towers, so arriving at first light is already late for the best of it. Dry season from November to March gives the cleanest skies, while the rains bring cloud that can either kill the sunrise or make it. The pool edge fills early, the southern pool is usually quieter, and a guide who knows which side to stand on is the difference between a photograph and a wall of raised phones. The price steps with party size rather than multiplying: 1 traveller is $246, 4 is $312 and 7 is $364. You are quoted the total for your party, not a per-head rate. SOUTHEAST ASIA JOURNEYS runs it. We book with them directly, so the guide who meets you works for the operator rather than for a reseller.