Cambodia forum

It's highly personal but given your general posts, without trying to sound judgmental, I think that 1 day would suffice for you. You can even add another day if you like it but 3 is probably too much for you.

If you do a one day tour with a tuk tuk you'll get the small loop - which will include some of the larger temples. A 3 day pass will allow you to take your time with it all. You can see sunrise and sunset on different days and not feel like you are cramming it all in. I agree with ryder80 - rent a bicycle from your guest house and peddle around for a couple of days...very cool.
That being said, if you tend to tire of temples after an hour then the one day pass should suffice. I took a 3 day pass last year and was happy I did it. The temples further out have less people and the tuk tuk/bicycle ride is more relaxing with less traffic.

Hey Cranky.

I quite happily spent 3 days there but was quite happy meandering around at a leisurely pace, spending hours photographing each temple at a 1001+ angles!

But for you (as eastwest says... taking into account what we know about you from previous posts!), I would suggest taking the 1-day pass. Find yourself a good tuk-tuk driver the day before, and get him to take you out to the temples the night before. They will let you in at the gate at 5pm the night before for a sunset visit (or possibly 4pm? I forget which but your driver will know). Forget about going to the popular 'sunrise' temples. They will be overcrowded with godzillions of people each clambering over the temple walls to get the 'best spot' to capture that special moment as the sun sets. Only problem is - it's far from special when it's so overcrowded! Instead, go find one of the other ones to explore at the time, or even to jet get your driver to drive you around the general area to give you an 'introductory tour'. It's a massive area!

The next day, haul your carcass out of bed at an ungodly hour... they will let you in the gates well before sunrise. Again, avoid going to the main Angkor Wat complex which will be overrun by busloads (and I do mean busloads) of tourists who are there to catch the sunrise. Instead, head on to the Bayon (temple of faces) - this is a fantastic temple to be at with the early morning light (photographically speaking. Then move on to Ta Phrom, the elephant and Leper Terraces, etc before heading back to Angkor Wat. By then, the main crowds will have disappeared and you will have a much more leisurely experience.

My personal favourite was Preah Khan - another expansive one that is overrun by jungle, but isn't one visited by a majority of visitors. When I was there, I would have been lucky to come across 10 people there!

You could probably cover off those main ones by midday quite easily...... then get your driver to take you out of the main Angkor area and up to Banteay Srei/ It's about an hour away by memory. It's another popular one, but worth seeing as it's probably the prettiest temple of the lot. On the drive back, get your driver to stop off at the Landmine museum - worth a quick stop.

It's also worthwhile visiting the Army Museum. I can't remember where it is exactly now and whether you would want to stop there on the way to Banteay Srei temple or if it's not that general area, leave it til another day. it's essentially a graveyard for army tanks, personnel carriers, etc. Pay for a guided tour to hear some interesting stories. I'm a girl, and normally have limited interest in gun 'n' things, even I found this place full of boys toys quite fascinating.

Enjoy! It'll be a full day, but you'll get your moneys worth.

Ah well.... you didn't say a bicycle was part of the plan!

I rock it 3 days lazily. Check the temples and whatever in the mornings. Lounge in the pool and recover with beer in the afternoon.

But no dancing!

good to know... I want to do this tour when I am there. I only have 4 days in Cambodia and 2 will be spent in Siem Rep, 1 traveling back to PP with 24 hours or so before my flight. I am guessing a 1 day pass but 3 day might be better.

No salsa scene in Siem Reap. Sorry hombre. Got to go to PP for that.