Angkor Wat Cambodia:
A Quick Overview

Angkor Wat Cambodia is located about 8 kilometers from a small Cambodian town called Siem Reap (shown by green arrow in the map).

It is the only site listed under UNESCO's World Heritage list for the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The Angkor Wat temple is the largest religious structure ever built, roughly 1000 years old. It is surrounded by a wide moat that is 190 meters wide, and the total dimension is 1.3 by 1.5 kilometers (moat included).

Angkor Wat Cambodia aerial view

Angkor Wat (The Temple City) is considered the masterpiece of Cambodian ancient architecture. Its imposing size (you can easily lose your way here), its pleasing design (ornamental carvings decoration coexisting peacefully with function), and especially its abundant bas relief carvings that surrounds its four long walls (truly a sight to behold), are just breathtaking.

Okay, so you've already heard about how wonderful Angkor Wat is often enough. But have you heard about Angkor Thom?

Since Angkor Wat is the 'main attraction' of Cambodia , some people usually think that Angkor Wat is all there is to see. But very near Angkor Wat, there's a larger temple complex, called the Angkor Thom (The Large City).

Unlike the Angkor Wat though, instead of housing only one large temple, the Angkor Thom has many 'smaller' temples. The famous Bayon, the Terrace of the Leper King, and Baphuon, are some of them.

The whole area is huge, and when you visit 'Angkor Wat', you'll most likely visit Angkor Thom as well. Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom go together, and when you look at an Angkor Wat map, an Angkor Thom map will always be included.

In fact, in the earlier days of Angkor tourism, there's what they called the Small Circuit, and the Grand Circuit.

The Small Circuit is basically an 'itinerary' of temples to visit, covering only the Angkor Wat and some of Angkor Thom temples.

Similarly, the Grand Circuit covers the Angkor Wat, and most of Angkor Thom.

In the old days, visitors adhered to these guidelines strictly, particularly because they used elephants as transportation. These days, there are numerous transportation options for hopping between the temples, so you can visit them in any order you want to ( and maybe create your own 'circuit' too!).

Angkor Wat History

The oldest Angkorian temple was built in the 9th century, and the latest in 12th century. Angkor Wat, the greatest architectural feat of them all, was built towards the end, at the 1100s.Click here to read more on Angkor Wat history.

After that, the period of massive temple building stopped, and the Cambodian Kingdom started its decline. For a while, Angkor Wat was 'forgotten'.

When the French occupied Cambodia, they re-discovered the massive temples. In 1860s, a French publication of the temple made Angkor Wat an international sensation. After that, preservation work started, mainly by the French.

Sadly, when the civil war broke, the temple fell into severe disrepair and many artifacts were defaced or stolen.

Angkor Wat Cambodia at present

Angkor Wat has been single handedly responsible for the growth of tourism in Siem Reap, and indeed Cambodia. The government is very aware of this fact, as seen by their efforts to make it easier for visitors to visit, and by how much they charge for a temple pass.

For example, recently the government started issuing e-visa, which is very convenient for travelers even with the extra $5 fee.

You'll only need to print the visa on a normal paper, use any printer, and print it either in color or black and white.

Another example is the ticketing booth for Angkor tickets. It is very efficiently run.

It took us about 4 minutes to have our photo taken, paid for the fee, and have the temple pass printed out.
Angkor Wat Cambodia ticket booth

The temple pass price to Angkor is rather steep. $20 for one day, $40 for 3 days, and $60 for one week use. Also, the pass must be used on consecutive days, which can be rather tricky.

Trying to cram in too many temples in a short period of time is not only overwhelming, but also desensitizing. You can only see so many temples before everything starts to look the same, and that is a great shame.

Regardless, with just with a little bit of planning, it is possible to work out a good schedule of  temple viewing.

And when you finally visit Angkor Wat Cambodia, roam the 1000 year old bas relief hallways, and take hundreds of pictures of temples and dancing Apsara figures,  the temple fee and the inconvenient setup will soon be forgotten.

Angkor Wat Cambodia

The Angkor Wat Temple In Cambodia
Have you seen the inside of the Angkor Wat temple? Have you seen the detailed bas relief and decorations that adorn almost every wall? Or the steep staircases, made even more precarious by age?

Angkor Bas Relief? Astonishing!
When I first saw the Angkor Bas relief, I was astounded. Having seen and read only a little about i t, I wasn't prepared for the great sight. And they're not in a little section, but everywhere!

Angkor Wat History - A Brief Overview

Want to know the a little bit of Angkor Wat history? Here is the condensed form of it, including the most important facts about the Kings and the temples.

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