Exploring Angkor Wat in Cambodia

Date: August 2015
Location: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Accommodation recommendation: Natural Angkor Villa (Overflow Guesthouse), Siem Reap
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World's largest religious building, Angkor Wat, is an amazing architectural place with breath holding views and stunning little details. This place is so big most people go by tuk tuk and are there for several days to explore the sight. At the entrance you'll get your personalized ticket with your ID-picture printed on it. At literally every temple somebody will check your ticket.

By being such a huge tourist attraction you can't expect to be alone around the temples. Going early morning for sunrise was a great idea to explore some temples before the big groups came in. Especially the groups wearing the same T-shirts and guides walking around with signs on a stick made it feel more like a theme park than a holy place.

Do's:

Watch the sun rise behind the Angkor Wat temple, but bring lots of mosquito repellent;
Explore as much as possible before the crowd comes in, around 10:00 AM;
Bring comfortable clothes and good shoes, you'll have to climb now and then;
Try to get rid of all the vendors (even children) in a polite way, it won't be easy.

Don'ts:

Forget sunscreen, heads/caps, umbrella's, etc.- it will get very hot;
Destroy the temples by trying to take the best pictures, stay on the paths as much as possible;
Expect to make wide angle shots without construction, temporary supporting blocks or tourists in it;
Leave without eating some Khmer food (Amok or Lok Lak for example) at the lake, in front of the Angkor Wat temple.