My Itinerary at Siem Reap Cambodia (4 Days 4 Nights)

Posted by on

Best Time to Visit:
All year round, the weather is warm to hot and it is the amount of rainfalls that makes the difference. Siem Reap is driest from November to March especially in the months of December and January. December and January are also the coolest winter months of the year. However, such a comfortable winter climate also means that it is pretty much the peak season with higher rates and crowded streets.


Important Notes:
Proper walking shoes are required as walking and trekking the temples are practically inevitable. One may also need sun cream, mosquito spray, lots of mineral waters and towels. The Temple Pass of Angkor (sold in one, three or seven days) is also important since tickets are checked at almost every temple.


My Itinerary:
Day 1:
Angkor Thom (Elephant Terrace, Phimeanakas, Baphoun and Bayon), Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm

Due to the early flight from Kuala Lumpur, we had to spend the night before near the airport. Upon arrival at Siem Reap Airport in the morning, we met up with our guide before transferred to hotel for check-in. After getting our Temple Pass with photo printed on it, we started to explore the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire. It was a fortified city enclosing residences of priests, officials of the palace and military, as well as buildings for administering the kingdom. These structures were built of wood and have perished but the remaining stone monuments testify that Angkor Thom was indeed a 'Great City' as its name implies.

We entered from fascinating Victory Gate to see the Elephant Terrace and the golden palace, Phimeanakas Temple, with its beautiful royal baths. Then, we moved on to visit Baphoun Temple. Baphuon and Phimeanakas were the former state temples incorporated into the Royal Palace. Finally, a visit to Bayon Temple, Jayavarman's state temple at the centre of the city, with the giant stone faces have become one of the most recognisable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture.

After lunch break at a local restaurant, in the late afternoon, we left for a visit to Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm temples. The sprawling monastic complex is only partially cleared of jungle overgrowth. Intentionally left partially unrestored, massive fig and silk cotton trees grow from towers and corridors. Ta Prohm Temple was founded by the King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university dedicated to his mother. The temple of Ta Prohm is famously known for its feature in the film Tomb Raider.

In the evening, we took a short visit to a local roadside market and had a taste of freshly barbequed beef (and deep fried insects?!). We had our dinner at Neary Khmer Restaurant before heading to the town centre for a walk. Our dessert was a refreshingly nice ice cream at The Blue Pumpkin.

Day 2:
Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Angkor Wat

In early morning at around 5am, we departed to see the well known sunrise at Angkor Wat Temple. It was an unforgettable experience watching the beautiful colours of the sky as background for Angkor Wat in that peaceful morning. It is strongly advisable to reach as early as possible to reserve a good spot for taking photo. After that, we went back to our hotel for breakfast.

Then, we carried on to visit Preah Khan built in the late 12th Century by King Jayavarman VII. It was originally served as a Buddhist monastery and school. Preah Khan is a huge, highly explorative monastic complex full of carvings, passages and photo opportunities. Preah Khan, meaning 'Sacred Sword', was dedicated to Jayavarman VII’s father in harmony with the architecturally similar Ta Phrom, which was dedicated to Jayavarman VII’s mother.

We then ventured through passages made out of wodden planks to reach Neak Pean. Neak Pean, or 'Coiled of Serpents', is a small Buddhist temple located in the middle of a circular island in Preah Khan Baray (reservoir) Jayatakataka constructed by Khmer King in Angkor area.

After our steamboat lunch in a local restaurant, the afternoon visit to Angkor Wat was visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It was built under the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century and known as the largest religious monument ever constructed, measuring a moat of 190m wide and about 6km long. Besides its huge scale and imposing architecture, it has many more interesting bas-reliefs describing Hindu mythology and history.

Since it was still early for dinner, we decided to have a quick walk in Lucky Mall and the town area. Our dinner was buffet style with stage performances and cultural shows of Apsara Dance at Amazon Angkor Restaurant. After dinner, we went to Noon Night Market for some shopping.

Day 3:
Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre, Pre Rup, East Mebon and sunset at Bakeng Mountain

We had a long drive about 38km north of Siem Reap Town to visit the Banteay Srei Temple built in 967AD with pink sandstone. Its small scale is overshadowed by stunningly decorated displays of some of the finest example of classical Khmer art. Banteay Srei also means 'Citadel of Woman'. We dropped by a roadside village and had a taste of freshly made traditional sugar palm and truly experienced the daily life of Khmer.

After that, we headed to Banteay Samre, which is a comparatively flat temple displaying distinctively Angkor Wat architecture and artistry. It was built in the similar period as Angkor Wat. It is highly recommended to enter from the west secret gate. We ended the morning with a visit to Pre Rup Temple and East Mebon Temple nearby. We had our lunch at a local restaurant in town, which also sells wooden furniture and crafts.

In the afternoon, we had a walk around daily markets for shopping before going to the Bakeng Mountain. We had to trek some distances and climbed steep stairs to reach the temple, which was a perfect and popular spot for sunset viewing. Again, arriving early secures a better spot for photo taking.
After dinner, we ended the day with a tower of Angkor Beer at the Pub Street, not forgetting to taste the local duck egg (with premature duckling inside?!).

Day 4:
Tonle Sap Lake, Kampong Phlouk, Killing Field, Artisan Carving School, Pub Street

After breakfast, we took a ride to see Cambodia’s Great Lake, which is the most prominent feature on the map of Cambodia. During the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake is one of the largest fresh water lake in Asia, swelling to around an expansive 12,000 square kilometers. During the dry season, the lake shrinks to as small as around 3,000 square kilometers, draining into Tonle Sap River, which meanders southeast, eventually merging with Mekong River at the 'Chaktomuk' confluence of rivers opposite Phnom Penh. The water flows into Tonle Sap Lake in wet season from Mekong and reverses its direction back into Mekong in dry season.

We took a covered boat ride around Tonle Sap to explore the Kampong Phlouk villages. Kampong Phlouk is a cluster of three villages of stilted houses built within the floodplain of Tonle Sap Lake. Flooded mangrove forest surrounds the areas and is home to a variety of wildlife including macaques. During dry season when the water is low, the buildings in the villages seem to soar atop with their stilts (about 6m) exposed. At this time of the year, many villagers move out onto the lake and build temporary stilts houses. In the wet season when water level rises again, they move back to their permanent houses. We hired the villagers for a paddled boat ride in the flooded mangrove forest, where we had our picnic lunch with 'special' order of deep fried snakes?!

On our way back, we visited a small killing field inside one of the Buddhist monastery to learn more about the Khmer Rough Regime happened in between 1975-1979, which there were more than 2 million people estimated to be killed. Our guide explained that larger-scale killing fields can be found in Phnom Penh. We also visited the Artisan Centre, where poor and disabled people are being trained to be artisans with traditional skills of  silk painting, stone carving and wood carving.

Our last dinner at Siem Reap was a special grill and steamboat served in Khmer style along the Pub Street. They served five types of meat namely chicken, beef, squid, crocodile and snake. Lard was used to grease the grill. Then, the oil would flow down to the soup base. After dinner, we went to the night market for last minute shopping.

Day 5:
As the return flight was in the morning, we arrived early at the airport after our hotel breakfast and check-out. We had to get ready USD25 for the international departure tax to be paid at the airport.


My Photography Adventures:

Comments

Post a Comment