This publish was published in January 2013.
A much more updated version of this short article can be discovered here: Siem Reap travel Guide
Siem Reap was out of the way. Cambodia was really not part of my original backpacking route. I would be flying in with Bangkok, as well as from there I aimed to head northwest to Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, crossing over to Laos as well as then turning east to Vietnam. however the phone call of Angkor was so loud as well as powerful, I just had to ruin my plan as well as take the bus for eight hours to the opposite direction.
WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?
Siem Reap – Gateway to Angkor
Finding a location to stay in Siem Reap
Exchanging Currencies
Building a Siem Reap Itinerary
Places to see in Siem Reap
Additional Tips
Budget
More suggestions on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:
Siem Reap – Gateway to Angkor
In native Khmer language, Siem Reap implies “defeat of Siam,” one more name for Thailand. The name was stated to be bestowed upon the city by King Ang Chan, after a marvelous success over its neighboring kingdom. Thailand as well as Cambodia have a long history of conflict.
Angkor Wat in Siem Reap
Siem Reap utilized to be a little village up until an expedition into the surrounding forest began in 1901. It was likewise the year the Angkor was rediscovered, therefore altering the fate of the peaceful town. Siem Reap gained around the world interest as the gateway to the archaeological heaven. because then, the city has delighted in fast development. Accommodations from budget plan hostels to high-end hotels as well as restaurants from walkway eateries to vibrant dance clubs mushroomed along the streets of the city, lodging, feeding, as well as entertaining tourists, who are excited to lay eyes on the ancient structures.
Finding a location to stay in Siem Reap
Check hotel rates Here
Unless top season, searching for affordable accommodations in Siem Reap is easy. There are just as well numerous of them. My go-to site for accommodations are HostelWorld.com for hostels as well as AirAsiaGo.com. I have tried them as well as they have never failed me. However, for this trip, I had to count on Bebs, a college good friend who chose to choose me to Siem Reap. (He’s now based in Bangkok as well as we believed it would be finest to catch up while traveling together at least to Siem Reap. I would be alone for the rest of the trip, though.)
It was my friend’s fourth time in Siem Reap as well as he extremely suggested Mandalay Inn, a budget plan hotel with spaces that are as low as USD7 for solo as well as USD10 for twin or double. My experience at Mandalay was rather pleasant. The location was clean, the place was excellent, as well as the personnel was practical as well as warm. Here’s my full evaluation of the hotel.
Mandalay Inn, a budget plan hotel
While biking around the city, I discovered that many of the high-end hotels lie along the road going to Angkor from the city proper. however the much more affordable ones are just around the Old Market area. aside from the budget, one more thing to think about when choosing a location to stay is exactly how you plan to spend your time in the city. If you’re the type who likes getting drunk as well as dancing at the club at night (like me), you may want to think about selecting a hotel or hostel near Pub Street. Actually, I extremely suggest this place (around the Pub street area) since there’s so much to do. The Angkor night Market is likewise just around the corner.
Exchanging Currencies
The official currency in Cambodia is the Riel (KHR) although us dollars are commonly accepted in Siem Reap. many of the restaurants I dined at displayed USD instead of KHR although they accept both. Siem Reap was expected to be a affordable destination. While it stays affordable as well as numerous of the attractions, food, as well as accommodations are still affordable, I ended up costs waaaaay as well much since I brought Philippine pesos (PHP). numerous money changers in Siem Reap accept PHP however the rates are terrible, soooo far from the genuine forex rates.
Bottomline, if you’re going to Siem Reap, bring us dollars. (Or just withdraw from your ATM however I’m not sure about the charges.)
Building a Siem Reap Itinerary
Like many tourists going to Siem Reap, my assumption is that the main reason you want to go right here is the Angkor Wat so let’s focus on it first. Angkor Wat is such a humongous site that it will take half a day (if not the whole day expecting you’re into the smallest details) to see all its galleries, libraries, corners, as well as towers. however that’s not the whole picture. It is just the centerpiece of the large UNESCO inscribed Angkor Archaeological Park that holds lots of other temples that are similarly captivating as well as interesting. Thus, the very first concern you ought to ask yourself is: exactly how numerous days do I want to spend checking out Angkor.
As for me, the response was “just one.” As much as I wished to see all the structures at the archaeological part, I likewise wished to experience the other locations around the area such as the Tonle Sap Lake.
Since I did not want to cram my routine as well as just have an easy, much more unwinded time in Siem Reap, my preliminary schedule was extremely simple:
Day 1: Arrival in Siem Reap
Day 2: Siem Reap City trip (am), Pub street as well as Angkor night Market (pm)
Day 3: Angkor Tour
Day 4: Tonle Sap Lake Tour, Leave Siem Reap at midnight
Places to see in Siem Reap
The complying with pictures will lead you to particular comprehensive messages including much more info about the location as well as narrating my personal experiences. feel totally free to search like you’ve never browsed before.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Thom as well as Bayon Temple
Ta Prohm
Thommanon as well as Chau state Tevoda
Tonle Sap Lake
Preah Prom Rath Pagoda
Angkor night Market
Pub Street
Old Market
Angkor national Museum
Additional Tips
That’s a great deal of temples, yes? temple tiredness is not uncommon while checking out Siem Reap so you requirement to speed yourself. right here are some other suggestions that I extremely motivate you to consider.
10 Angkor trip Tips
Biking around Siem Reap
Budget
Update (Feb 2017): expense of Angkor someday Pass is now $37.
Before I break down my overall expenses, right here are the typical costs that I saw during my stay in Siem Reap. note that these are just based on my personal experience (so this listing depends heavily on the establishments I tried):
Angkor entrance fee: USD20/person (one day pass)
Angkor trip by tuktuk (3 temples): USD12
Usual expense of a meal (rice/noodles): USD2
Usual expense of a drink (shake/coke): USD0.75-USD1
Here’s the comprehensive breakdown of my costs during the 4-day trip. because I came from Bangkok, I’m not including the bus fares into as well as out of Siem Reap. Also, exactly how much I spent on booze, medicine, as well as pasalubong is NOT covered by this list.
USD 20 – Mandalay Inn (USD10 per night for 4 nights, split by 2 pax)
USD 20 – Angkor one-day pass
USD 12 – Tuktuk trip of Angkor
USD 3 – suggestion for tuktuk driver
USD 1 – Bike rental
USD 31 – overall meal expenses
USD 8 – Incidentals (bottled water, junk food, etc)
USD 95 – TOTAL
That’s exactly how much I spent in us dollars. however I lost a great deal of money in the conversion. The PHP-USD as well as PHP-KHR rates at many money changers were so far from their genuine value.
Nevertheless, my see to Siem Reap was a gratifying experience, a realization of a life-long dream to see Angkor Wat as well as the other ancient structures in the area!
More suggestions on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Related Posts:
Coron as well as Busuanga: budget plan travel guide
SIEM REAP travel guide with budget plan schedule
SINGAPORE: budget plan travel guide (Updated 2014)
Angkor, Cambodia: 10 suggestions for an pleasurable trip
LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA: budget plan travel guide
SUPERSTAR VIRGO: cruise guide for First-Timers (What to Expect)
SOUTHEAST ASIA BACKPACKING ON A BUDGET: travel guide
BANGKOK TO SIEM REAP by BUS or TRAIN: crossing the Border
Leave a Reply