While Angkor Archaeological Park is full of visually breathtaking temples, Angkor Wat is without doubt the most spectacular one. This photo gallery showcases Angkor Wat in the morning light. I have already offered an important Angkor Wat Photo Tip in a post suggesting the best itinerary for an Angkor Wat tour and this photo gallery will demonstrate with images why morning is NOT the best time to visit and/or photograph Angkor Wat.
One exception to the rule would be to come to Angkor Wat way early in the morning – before the sunrise. Since visiting hours start at 5am, if you are an early bird and can get up and get ready before 5 so you can get to Angkor Wat just before the sun breaks over the horizon, you would be able to capture the silhouettes of Angkor Wat against the colored morning sky without the sun creating strong backlight.
Obviously, you would have to be a truly dedicated photographer to undertake the pre-sunrise mission as it requires an extremely early get-up and once you got the pictures, you will have to move somewhere else as Angkor Wat will not be photogenic for the rest of the morning.
I could never do that which is why I don’t have any photos of Angkor Wat at the sunrise in the gallery. I’m a night owl, I go to bed at 4am. I can work till late, just don’t ask me to get up early. The best I can do it 8am but there better be a something worthwhile waiting there for me. Luckily Angkor Wat is definitely worth it and even though photos from the morning hours don’t do it justice and make it look flad, almost two-dimensional, it is still an architectual and artistic masterpiece with amazing carvings on the walls that can be photographed at any time of the day. Enjoy the gallery – pictures of Angkor taken during afternoon light when the sun illuminates the face, as well as during sun set and rain are in separate galleries:
Photo: Nearly 2000 Apsara Carvings Decorate the Walls of Angkor Wat
Photo: Ancient Statue of Buddha in the Hallways of Angkor Wat
Photo: View of Angkor Wat from a Library Shows Why Photographing Angkor Wat in the Morning is a Bad Idea
Photo: Because of Nearby Wall, Pictures of Central Angkor Wat Temple Are Tough Even With a Wide Angle Lens
Photo: Angkor Wat As Seen Through the Window of the Exterior Wall Courtyard
Photo: Angkor Wat is Surrounded by This Huge Moat
Photo: Central Angkor Wat Temple Towers
Photo: View of Angkor Wat Temple from The Exterior Wall
Photo: Sandstone Causeway Leading to Angkor Wat with No People Messing the View – Still Horrible Morning Light
Photo: Guardian Spirit of Apsara Adorning the Wall of Angkor Wat
Photo: Apsara Dancers Carved on the Interior of the First Level of Angkor Wat Wall
Photo: Carvings of Apsaras also Known as Devatas
Photo: Bas Reliefs Surround Central Angkor Wat – This One Depicts Battle of Kuru
Photo: Bas Relief Depicts the Battle of Kuru Against Armies of Cham Lead by Angkor Wat Founder Suryavarman II
Photo: Angkor Wat Look Awful in Morning Light, But Turn Around and Get Nice Light Facing Objects from the East
Photo: Golden Fabric Clad Statue of Buddha Misses Head and Arms
Photo: Cambodian Woman Prays Before the Depiction of Vishna, Remnant of Hinduism
Photo: Main Causeway to Angkor Wat in Morning Light
Photo: Badly Damaged Carving of an Apsara Dancer
Photo: Line of Damaged Statues of Divinities at Angkor Wat
Photo: Decorated Depiction of Buddha From First Level of Central Angkor Wat
Photo: Angkor Wat in the Morning Lacks Depth
Photo: East Side of Outer Wall with the Elephant Gate
Photo: Eastern Gate to Central Angkor Wat Temple Was Used by the Servants
Photo: Entrance Gate Leading to the Angkor Wat Causeway
Photo: Entrance Hall You Find Yourself In Upon Entering Through Main Door
Photo: Exit Gate at the End of Sandstone Causeway to Angkor Wat
Photo: Morning Light is Great for The Inside of The Exterior Wall, But Not Angkor Wat Central Temple
Photo: Exterior Wall Seen from the Entrance on the Sandstone Causeway
Photo: Exterior Wall Viewed from Angkor Wat Terrace of Honors
Photo: View of One Library from Another Library Across the Sandstone Causeway
Photo: Vast Halls of Central Courtyard
Photo: Inner Side of Wall Surrounding Angkor Wat Temple
Photo: First Level of the Inner Wall
Photo: Inner Side of Exterior Wall
Photo: Empty Space Inside a Library Located Alongisde Main Causeway
Photo: Small Library Inside Main Angkor Wat Complex
Photo: While Face of Angkor Wat Looks Horrible in Morning Light, Looking Back at Exterior Wall Delivers Nicely Illuminated Picture
Photo: Looking Out on the Inner Wall Through Stone Bars Covering the Window
Photo: Main Entrance Door to Angkor Wat on the West Side of Exterior Wall
Photo: Main Gate to Angkor Wat Facing West with Stone Bridge Over the Moat
Photo: Main Statue of Buddha Located on the First Level of Main Angkor Wat Complex While Top Level is Closed for Restorations
Photo: Naga Serpent Takes Sunlight from the East While Face of Exterior Wall Remains Shaded
Photo: North Side of the Exterior Wall Adorned by Apsara Carvings
Photo: No Sitting on Balustrade – a Sign Warns
Photo: View of the Grass Covered Area and the Wall from the Second Level of Angkor Wat Temple
Photo: Angkor Wat Library Built Alongside Main Causeway
Photo: South-East Tower of Angkor Wat Temple
Photo: Statue of Vishnu – Angkor Wat Was Originally Built as Hindu Temple
Photo: Steep Stairs on the Eastern Side of the Angkor Wat Temple
Photo: Steps Leading to the Central Gopura of Angkor Wat Temple
Photo: Carved Stone Bars Protecting Glassless Windows of Angkor Wat
Photo: Stone Lion, Guardian of the Entrance to Angkor Wat
Photo: Hall of the Thousand Buddhas
Photo: Angkor Wat Towering Towards Blue Cambodian Sky
Photo: The Towers of Angkor Wat Temple
Photo: View of Angkor Wat from the East in Morning Hours – The Rear Looks Nice, Face Not Quite
When planning a visit to Angkor Wat and other temples and ruins of the Angkor Archaeological Park it is important to know what the opening hours and best visiting times are. There are additional details that I will share with you, details you won’t find in any guide book but can help you make the most of your visit to Angkor.
Angkor Wat Opening Hours Are:
Daily from 5.00am to 6.00pm
These opening hours apply to the main area of Angkor Archaeological Park and include all main and most popular temples, including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King), Thommanom, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Bantey Kdei, Sras Srang, Prasat Kravan, Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Banteay Samre, Pre Rup, etc.
Photo: Information Panel at the Angkor Ticket Office Contains Opening Times and Entrance Fees Schedule
The opening hours allow you to get to the temples before sunrise and leave after sunset. Because Cambodia is close to the equator, the sun rises at approximately 6.00am and sets at approximately 6.00pm every day. Angkor temples are a little bit off the equator so this time fluctuates slightly, but as a general rule of thumb, you get exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness every day. Visiting hours have been adjusted to accommodate the desire of tourists to catch both sunrise and sunsets over the temples.
Banteay Srey Opening Hours Are:
Daily from 5.00am to 5.00pm
Because Bantey Srey is about one hour by Tuk Tuk from Siem Reap, which is the main tourist hub for vast majority of all visitors to Angkor Archaeological Park, the closing time for Banteay Srey has been adjusted so you can get back to Siem Reap before it gets dark.
Kbal Spean Opening Hours Are:
Daily from 5.00am to 3.00pm
Kbal Spean is considered to be one of the most sacred places by the Khmer people. It is located on the sacred Kulen Hill (Phnom Kulen) and requires 45 minute hike uphill through the forest. Cambodians flock to Phnom Kulen for the Khmer New Year to prey before the statue of huge reclining Buddha and enjoy the swim at the waterfalls. It’s one of the less visited places by foreigners, but one of the most fascinating. Well known to local Khmer population, the unfortunate part about Phnom Kulen is that it will cost you $20 as a foreigner to get there. That fee is way out of proportion to what you would get for paying $20 to get to Angkor Wat area but can be avoided by taking an extra 2 hour hike. Some truly amazing carving in the rock
What Guide Books Don’t Tell You About Visiting Times!
The opening hours are what you SHOULD adhere to as a visitor to Angkor Archaeological Area. If you attempt to enter the area outside of these opening hours, you would be going there while it’s pitch dark outside, but there are no fences to hold you back so you are in fact free to enter.
The opening hours posted above are also the working hours of ticket inspectors on duty who are paid to check that every foreigner who enters the area has a valid ticket. So if you get to the checkpoint outside of the visiting hours, there will be no one asking you to show the ticket, leaving you free to enter at your own will.
That being said, foreigners caught inside any Angkor temple without a valid pass can be fined, whether it’s during opening hours or outside. All of the above simply means that there is virtually nothing to stop you from entering Angkor Archaeological Area after dark (as per opening hours posted earlier).
This also applies to leaving Angkor after opening hours. I spent a lot of time in a Sras Srang village oftentimes leaving late at night during which time if I wanted to, I could wonder into any temple and stay there (temples have been used for centuries as shelters for travelers). I’ve never done that, but it was a possibility. If I was done in a village before 6pm, I’d still have the guards at the checkpoint to give a wave to, but if I left after 6pm, there would be nobody there so even if I were going towards the village (aka towards the temples) I’d be free to enter.
Please note, that I do not encourage anyone to visit Angkor temples illegally and I definitely do not encourage anyone to wonder the forests of Angkor after dark. While this area has been thoroughly demined, there are other danger lurking in the dark than land mines. The above information is simply provided as a fact I know of but nobody else does. But now you all do.
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