Cambodia Vlog: Sunrise & Sunset at Angkor Wat Phnom Bakheng

An Angkor Wat sunset is a must see! 

Sunset watching is always a fun thing to do, especially when traveling. But at Angkor Wat, watching the sun going down is a very interesting event. Not because the sun looks prettier from there, but because there are so many people gathering for it. Where do these people gather? At a temple called Phnom Bakheng (a short distance from the Angkor temple), and this place has been famous for a while now as the spot for sunset watching. Some people think Phnom Bakheng is overrated and too crowded, while others think it’s only so-so. But I found Phnom Bakheng to be a great place for an Angkor Wat sunset!

We have a lot of footage from our first full day in Siem Reap - November 9, 2014 - so we decided to split it up into two videos. This first video feature sunrise at Angkor Wat and sunset at Phnom Bakheng.

We arrived in Siem Reap the night of November 8, 2014. We applied for visas on arrival, which cost USD $30 each. It was a very quick, easy process. Be sure to bring one passport photo to submit as part of your visa application! If you forget to bring one, we heard you can have one taken at the airport for $2.50. By the way, we used US dollars throughout our entire trip. Be sure to take lots of bills in smaller denominations! We woke up at 4:00 am the next day and took a tuk tuk from our guesthouse to buy our 3-day Angkor Wat passes then on to the entrance of the main Angkor Wat temple. A 3-day pass cost $40. The great thing about the pass is its flexibility. It's valid for seven days, and you can choose which three days during that seven-day period you'd like to use your pass. We watched the sun rise from the south side of the temple. We didn't realize until after the sunrise that most tourists were crowded on the north side. We had a stunning sunrise view from the south side, so we don't think it's necessary or desirable to crowd in on the north side. The sunset at Phnom Bakheng was beautiful. But if you're averse to big crowds, then you may want to give the sunset here a skip.