Getting up at 5am for sunrise at Angkor Wat is an absolute must do while in Siem Reap. If you are lucky enough to get a morning with just the right amount of cloud cover the sky transforms at 5:45 from inky navy blue to crimson, pink and red as the sun begins to climb over the horizon.
You first approach the central temple area down a long walkway just as the sky is beginning to lighten.
Standing in front of the lotus pond the sawtooth outline of the five main towers are silhouetted against a brightening pink and blue morning sky.
Later in the afternoon with the the sun high in the sky you can then clearly see the restoration scaffolding and green covers that take away from the majesty.
The Details:
- The most popular place to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat is in front of the left side lotus pond. Just follow all of the other people, there will be hundreds.
- Regarding the crowds, if you thought that sunrise would be a peaceful, maybe even a spiritual experience, you will be sadly disappointed. Depending on the day you will likely be jockeying for photos with hundreds of other tourists. The short video below gives you a sense of the background chatter and noise you can expect. Just know what you can expect and enjoy it despite the crowds.
- Finally, our best day touring Angkor Wat was the day we decided to split our touring into two segments. We went out at 5am for sunrise and toured temples until about 10:30am. We then retreated from the heat to our hotel for a nap and lunch. Our tuk-tuk came back to get us at 3:00pm and we stayed out until sunset, which was about 6:15. The heat during the day is oppressive at around 100 degrees, so a 3-4 hour mid-day break and nap is a great way to split up the day. We highly recommend it.
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Amazing pictures. This is definitely an example of photos being the ideal medium. Was the video taken with your Flip?
Keith – It was taken with our Olympus point and shoot. We did not have the Flip with us that morning.