Angkor Wat Temples & Tonle Sap Lake Private Day Tour

Please ready from 7:30-8:30am for pick up in an air-conditioned vehicle from your hotel in Siem Reap. We’ll then set off for the Angkor Wat Ticket Office where you’ll pay and get your Angkor Pass (required).

Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometers (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the center of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous guardian spirits adorning its walls.

Then, continue with your guide to the fortified city of Angkor Thom, which covers a sprawling area of 6 square miles (10 km sq). Enter from the monumental South Gate over a picturesque causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga, a deity in the form of a snake.

The Bayon is a richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. A peculiarity of the Bayon is the absence of an enclosing wall. It is, though, protected by the wall surrounding the city of Angkor Thom. The basic plan of the Bayon is a simple one comprising three levels (1-3). The first and second levels are square galleries featuring bas-reliefs. A circular Central Sanctuary dominates the third level. Despite this seemingly simple plan, the arrangement of the Bayon is complex, with a maze of galleries, passages and steps connected in a way that make the levels practically indistinguishable and creates dim lighting, narrow walkways, and low ceilings. The temples decorated with more than 200 smiling faces on its tower.

Lunch break on your own account

After lunch, will drive about 45-minutes to the countryside, upon arrival at the quay, we will board a local boat for a 1.5-hour ride to the Tonle Sap Lake. Along the way to the lake, we will pass through Kompong Phluk. It's a floating village and village on stilts which means 'harbor of the tusks'. Observe firsthand how villagers go about their daily lives in this remote and extraordinary environment. See colorful houses, schools, temples, church and local government offices. Wonder at the sight of the green flooded forest (in rainy season) of the surrounding floodplain.

We will continue the boat ride past the village until we reach the immense water scape of Tonle Sap Lake. Find out from your experienced guide telling you about Cambodia’s most important source of life-giving resources.

Optional (rainy season only): a magical canoe ride into the dense mangrove forest. Just tell your guide if you want to take the short tour at an additional cost.