Best guided Angkor Wat tour | time and energy-efficient way to visit Angkor Wat Cambodia and understand its history (perfect for first-time visitors)
Planning to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia and eager to deepen your understanding of Angkor’s history while looking for a comfortable and easy way to explore the massive Angkor Archaeological Park, especially in the hot weather? Based on my personal experience, this article will recommend the best, well-organised Angkor Wat tour that covers 3 must visit temples in Angkor Archaeological Park and has high rating, positive reviews, and including local lunch & hotel pickup and drop-off, all to ensure you make the most of your experience.
I can confidently say that this Angkor Wat tour exceeded my expectations, and I am genuinely pleased with the overall experience, and would rate it a 8.9 out of 10. Below is my detailed review about it, for you to understand more about what you can expect from it.
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Best Angkor Wat tour detailed review
1.Tour Package
Rating: 9/10
The 10-hour Angkor Wat guided tour we joined includes a visit to 3 of the most famous and must-visit temples in Angkor Archaeological Park, which are Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm Temple, and Bayon Temple (located in Angkor Thom area), plus a famous sunset point, Phnom Bakheng (Hill Temple).
Local lunch, hotel pick-up and drop-off, professional tour guide & driver, comfortable airconed van, bottles of water, and cold towels are also included in the package.
For us, the number of temples included in this package is perfect for our one-day visit to Angkor Archaeological Park, allowing us to grasp its history. All the rest of the services made it a time and energy efficient, pleasant experience.
2.Itinerary
Rating: 9/10
Angkor Wat Temple
After our tour guide and driver picked us up, we firstly went to Angkor Wat Temple, the most important and iconic temple in Cambodia and Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, and it’s shown on Cambodia’s flag.
Ta Prohm Temple
Secondly, we went to Ta Prohm Temple, one of the most famous attractions in Angkor for tourists and photographers.
It is known as “Angkor Wat tree temple” and “Tomb Raider tree temple” as you can see trees growing out of the temples & ruins here and it’s one of the filming locations for the movie Tomb Raider (2001).
Bayon Temple
Finally, we visited the temple located in Angkor Thom, built by king Jayavarman VII- Bayon Temple, a well-known attraction where you can see over 200 famous stone faces.
According to the information presented at the Angkor National Museum, “Angkor Thom is considered a microcosm of the universe. And Bayon Temple stands as the symbolic link between heaven and earth”. It also mentions that “Jayavarman VII is a great king of Khmer Empire, known for his compassion and charity, bringing peace, prosperity and harmony to his people”.
Regarding the stone faces, our tour guide told us that “some believe that these faces are crafted to resemble the face of the Buddha, while others think that these faces are artistically sculpted to capture the look of King Jayavarman VII, and the expressions convey his concern and compassion towards his people”. Raman also told us about the great contributions king Jayavarman VII made to the Khmer Empire and its people. These stories of king Jayavarman VII and incredible carved stone faces made Bayon Temple my favourite place of this Angkor Wat day tour.
The touring duration of the above temples gave us a great amount of time to get to know the temples and I also got to take photos around while listening to our tour guide’s introductions and histories of temples and Cambodia. And each time we moved to other temples, we didn’t need to walk under the hot weather much because the driver always picked us up, so it was time saving and perfect !
At the end of the itinerary, we were supposed to visit one of the most famous sunset spots, Phnom Bakheng (Hill Temple) for sunset and see Angkor Wat from a higher and wider perspective. But it was raining and after a full day of well-learned and amazing visit to Angkor Archaeological Park, we were already tired so we all agreed to skip the sunset tour when our tour guide asked us.
Overall, I was satisfied with the itinerary of this Angkor Wat tour.
3.Tour Guide
I definitely would rate our tour guide Raman a 10/10!
Raman was so passionate, patient, genuine, attentive and professional. He always had a big smile on his face, and tirelessly & professionally introduced each temple, history of Angkor and Cambodia to us. He speaks good,understandable English, and took care of our small group very well. Raman also knows where and how to take great photos at Angkor Wat. We could feel and see that he really loves his job and his country.
I’d say Raman was the best tour guide during my month-long Southeast Asia journey. One interesting thing is that he didn’t ask for tips or mention any word about tips, yet we were delighted to tip him because he truly deserved it!
4.Driver and the Air-conditioned Van
Rating: 9/10
Our driver on this Angkor Wat tour was a safe driver and very sweet! He didn’t need to communicate with us, but he’s always so kind and had a smile on his face when he saw us. He also actively and quickly provided us with cold towels and iced bottles of water when we got into the car from touring temples under the sun to cool us down (I think it is one of the services provided by their tour company).
The van was comfortable, and clean. With the air conditioner functioning well, the journey was smooth and enjoyable, especially exploring in the warmth of the day.
5.Service and Safety
Rating: 9/10
The overall service of this Angkor Wat tour was undoubtedly excellent. There were no safety issues, and the tour started on time, maintaining high quality throughout the entire experience, making it thoroughly satisfying. I believe that’s why people from around the world gave this tour great reviews too!
6.Food
Rating: 7/10
In this tour, a local lunch is included. The Cambodian restaurant we went to offered more than 20 meal options. Each of us got to choose our own preferred meal instead of sharing a table of food with strangers. The food was clean, delicious, and the portions were enough for me.
7.Price and Value
Rating: 9/10
When selecting tours, I don’t mind paying a little more to ensure receiving good-quality services and experiences rather than opting for cheaper prices and not enjoying the tours.
After comparing numerous tour options from various platforms and operators, we chose this 10-hour comfortable Angkor Wat tour that includes lunch. The price is reasonable (actually quite affordable) and aligns well with the value, it even exceeds my expectations. So, I can confidently say it is definitely worth the money.
In conclusion, I would rate the Angkor Wat tour a 8.9 out of 10 for its satisfying itinerary and outstanding services from the tour guide Raman and our driver. I highly recommend choosing this tour if you are going for 1 day visit (I’d say is perfectly enough for me)!
Angkor Archaeological Park/Angkor Wat ticket
When booking a tour for Angkor Archaeological Park, it doesn’t matter where you book from, the entrance ticket is not included in all the packages. You always have to book it separately on the official website. There are ticket options for 1, 2, or 3 days of visit (because the park is huge!), so it’s better to check the availability of both the tour and the ticket on the official site before booking.
In which Cambodian city is Angkor Wat located, and which airport is the closest?
Angkor Wat (Angkor Archaeological Park) is situated in Siem Reap, a stunning city with aesthetic, cultural vibes in the northwest of Cambodia.
The nearest airport for visiting Angkor Wat is Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), the newest airport that opened in 2023 to replace the previous airport Siem Reap International Airport (REP).
For the address of new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI): click here
Please note that compared to REP airport, the new airport SAI is further from the city centre, so it would take approximately 1 hour to reach Angkor Archaeological Park and the city centre instead of 15 mins. If you need to plan anything right after you arrive, don’t forget to count the transportation time too.
Easiest way to go to the city from SAI airport will be ordering a taxi/tuk tuk via the Grab App by yourself or you can arrange a transfer by car with air conditioner in advance here.
Wish you a great time at Angkor Archaeological Park!
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