1 Day Angkor Wat Tour

On this one day Angkor Wat tour, we’ll see all the popular temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park. We’ll start the tour with the majestic Angkor Wat temple. Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II in the early part of the 12th century. This originally Hindu temple was later changed to a Buddhist temple and nowadays attracts millions of visitors each year.

We’ll continue the tour to Angkor Thom, which is an ancient city which used to be the capital city of Khmer Empire. We’ll enter Angkor Thom and go and explore Bayon temple which sits in the centre of the ancient city. Bayon was the official state temple of Jayavarman VII and it was built around the early 13th century. Here you can see the famous faces of Bayon which are said to represent Jayavarman VII.

After Bayon, we’ll explore Baphuon temple. This three-tiered temple mountain was the state temple for Udayadityavarman II and dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu god. The restoration of the temple was completed in 2011 after many decades of interrupted work (Khmer Rouge Regime and subsequent Civil War). The temple is now a popular one for visitors to Angkor.

Next up is Phimeanakas which was built in the 10th century by King Rajendravarman and completed by Suryavarman I. This Hindu temple was the focal point of the capital and it is located inside the walled enclosure of the Royal Palace.

We’ll then head over to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. The Elephant Terrace was used a platform for King Jayavarman VII to view his returning armies. Most of the platform has long disappeared and only the walls which contain intricate carvings of elephants remain. The Terrace of the Leper King was also built by King Jayavarman VII and the name comes from a statue of the Hindu god of death, Yama. It was named the “Leper King” because when it was found it was consumed in moss and looked like a person with leprosy.

Finally, we’ll visit another popular temple called Ta Prohm. Built in the late 12th century, Ta Prohm was originally called Rajavihara and was built to be used as a university and as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery. Ta Prohm hasn’t been restored, and the jungle is growing through the middle of the structure. The temple has been made safe for visitors, but as it’s been left to the elements, it has a distinctive and unique appearance.