is it worth it?

No, not visiting at sunrise. The beauty and emotion captured in photos and paintings of Angkor Wat is what drew us to Cambodia. We expected a moment of serenity and stillness watching the sun rise behind the largest religious monument in the world. It was a popular destination, but the crowd at sunrise was much larger than we expected.

We left our hotel at 4:30am on New Year’s Eve and arrived at the temple in about 15 minutes. Visitors were already crowded around the water. We spent the next 90 minutes waiting for sunrise and fighting to hold our spot. People were crawling between legs and standing in the water to get a better view. The sun rose at a painfully slow speed, blocked by clouds and the temple. As Angkor Wat became visible, everyone rushed to the entrance. We had to make a quick decision to wait for the sun to fully rise or attempt to beat the swarm of people approaching the Rainbow Bridge. Frustrated, we decided to return later and weaved our way through the crowd. As expected, it was chaos inside and hard to appreciate being at a place of such religious and culture importance.

We purchased a 3 day Angkor Pass. Passes for 1 or 7 days were also available. It didn’t need to be used 3 consecutive days, so we returned a few days later at 3:00pm. It was a much more peaceful experience and Angkor Wat was beautiful in full light. If you only have one opportunity, we would recommend visiting in the afternoon.

Did you visit Angkor Wat at sunrise, was it worth it?

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December 2023