Angkor Wat Without The Crowds
Posted by Dan on September 09, 2009 in Travelsphere
Recently a tweet pointed me to a Times Online article The Worlds 5 Most Overrated Tourist Sites I hardly think any of them are actually overrated, in fact the complaints were less about the sites themselves and more about crowds and money.
Angkor Wat, glaringly omitted from Hillmans new 7 wonders of the world was listed, the complaint being the crowds. “Unfortunately, there’s no escaping the crowds here.” Put simply, Wrong! Absolutely the crowds are abundant but the suggestion they are inescapable is laughable, the thing about Angkor and Angkor Wat itself is its size. The crowds at Angkor unsurprisingly congregate and they do so mainly in 2 or 3 points on the causeway leading to the temple main. Cambodia is hot and at the risk of offending some the walk for package tourists from the moat entrance all the way to the temple is out of the comfort zone of many, take your snaps at those vantages and quickly move along and you’ll soon find the number of tourists is far more tolerable, crowd attrition only increases with the introduction of steps, it’s no guarantee though, especially during high season.
The crowd at Phnom Bakheng
To avoid the tours the peak times at Angkor Wat are 6-7am and 3-5pm. Sunrise and Sunsets don’t save you from the crowds here but there are a few temples that don’t get as crowded as Phnom Bekheng which is a popular vantage point, Pre Rup is a quieter alternative. Many of the tours return to Siem Reap for lunch which means this time is noticeably quieter, but it’s also hotter.
Low season is a great time to visit, with less crowds, beautiful green surrounds and the afternoon rains rolling in providing dramatic backdrops for your photos. It is when I visited and I do recommend it. No I can’t guarantee the weather but its probably not as dreadful as you think.
Within the temple main you are in a whole other world, I rarely was disturbed by others as I walked through the hallways viewing the Bas Reliefs, stopping for water and rests to take in the surrounds more often than not, alone. Generally the interior is a pretty quiet place and the rear half is quite noticeably less frequented.
The libraries are another great vantage that only seems to attract a few visitors, there isn’t much to see inside but they are great for photos of the main temple and monks standing in the doors.
“it is not an architectural miracle… It is in reality the world of the gods springing up from the heart of ancient Cambodia.” Dawn Rooney, “Angkor”
Let’s not forget, Angkor Wat is just one of many temples and one of only three that attract significant crowds, the others being Bayon (for its famous faces) and Ta Phrom (made famous in Tomb Raider), Preah Khan has much the same feel with less visitors. Most package tours which are responsible for so much of the crowds only allow a day or two to see the temples and these are the big three they visit. There are many other temples to see where there are relatively few others exploring and you can get a better taste of Khmer life.
Places like Angkor are famous for a reason, it’s pretty foolish to avoid it because others want to see it too. The article suggest and alternative, Borobudur in Indonesia, I’ve visited both and taking nothing away from Borobudur, I’d choose Angkor first any day. It just so happens that my next article will be about Yogyakarta and the temples around it including Borobudur and Prambanan. You’ll see that Boro’ isn’t the crowd free alternative the article suggests it might be.
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Ah, the Angkor Wat is on my list of places to visit, though after reading this I’m thinking I might opt for one of the other temples, instead.
Even with the mounds of tourists, though, it sounds like a hell of an experience. Is it expensive to visit? That is, do they charge you to enter, or do they have control over travel to the temple? Is it something like the Grand Canyon where they’ll charge you to enter the State Park, but technically aren’t charging you to visit the landmark?
They charge you to enter the park rather than per temple. 1,3 or 5 day tickets which are now flexible so you don’t have to go everyday, so 2 days, a days rest, 3rd day.
Really the worst of the crowds are on the causeway, explore the rest of it and it really isn’t that bad. You have to see it crowded or not, and then explore the others, they are great too.
Wow, awesome post.
It looks so beautiful there. I’ve never been to Asia, but when I go I am planning to go for a few months and travel many countries and visit temples, castles and monuments:)
Thanks for Sharing!
Diggy
Great stuff Dan! I totally agree with Dawn Rooney’s quote in your post. I have to say Angkor Wat really was one of the most stunning, spiritual, otherworldly experiences I’ve had, and I would highly encourage every traveler to visit.
That photo of the crowds at the top of the temple at Phnom Bakheng is scary! But in my experience it wasn’t so horrible. There were crowds, but like you said if you actually spend some time wandering around you’ll easily find yourself all alone enjoying the majestic, towering presence of these ancient ruins. The pass to get into the park is a little expensive (I think it was 30 or 40 dollars) so spend 2-3 days and enjoy. This ancient city is massive, so venture around and see all there is to see, not just the main temple. Go for sunrise and sunset. Most importantly, just do a few minutes of research online and find out when low season is, just like you always should, and you’ll avoid the crowds! Good advice man.
Great post Dan. Saying Angkor is overrated because of the crowds is a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bath water. There are so many other temples spead out that you will have moments when there are no one else around.
Maybe it’s an attempt to send the throngs of tourists somewhere else, lol. I doubt it would work. I’m becoming more and more convinced that low season travel is the best time, have to wait till I get there in the high season later this year to compare.
@Cody I’m guessing that pic is during high season. It did rain the day I visited Angkor, it may have kept a few away but there were still plenty there.
Hey Dan! I’m a cambodian descent or khmer however you want to call it lolz! I just want ot let you guys know that Angkor is in fact the largest pre-industrial city in the world spanning 400 square miles or more! The temples at Angkor are nothing compare to the temples outside of Angkor like Beng Melea the 2nd largest temple a little smaller than Angkor Wat! There’s also Koh Ker temple complex with over 100 temples, Preah vihear temple on the mountain, Prasat Bakan the largest single complex 5 times the size of Angkor wat! There’s Banteay Chmarr, and many many many more.