Wednesday, 30 August 2017

4 Days Siem Reap Itinerary In Less Than USD160



 Angkor Wat.

 Temple.

 Tuk-tuk.

 Tomb Raider.

 Tree growing out of the temple ruins.



I bet these are what come across your mind when Cambodia is mentioned. Despite Phnom Penh being its capital city, Siem Reap remains the major tourist destination in Cambodia. In fact, Angkor Wat has become the symbol of Cambodia that it appears its national flag, like how Canada has got maple on hers.

Flip through travel magazines and articles and I’m sure you’ve seen Siem Reap hogging a spot on the list of cheapest place to travel to. But is it?

With the depreciation of ringgit against US Dollar in recent years, a place where everything is quoted in US Dollar is no longer “cheap”. Nonetheless, Cambodia is still in South East Asia, and therefore, it’s still pretty much affordable. Well, at least for now.

Here’s how you can do Siem Reap in 4 days for less than USD160 (excluding flight ticket):

Day  1(link)

Take the morning flight to Siem Reap and check into a hotel or backpacker hostel. Arriving early on Day 1 allows more time for you to do the following:
  • Transport and tour arrangement. You will need to arrange your transport from Siem Reap to Angkor Archaeological Park, and also within the temple complex itself. The place is huge and it is rather impossible to cover everything on foot. Most people hired a tuk-tuk, but in recent years, e-bike has become increasingly popular, especially among solo backpackers.
  • Angkor Pass. The Apsara Office where you will be getting your ticket is about 45minutes away from Siem Reap city, which you will pass by on the way to Angkor Archaeological Park the next day. Otherwise, you can get the ticket one day earlier, for an extra sunset after 5pm admission to the Park.
  • Explore the city. Old Market, Pub Street, The Alley, Angkor Night Market, Art Center Night Market, Wat Preah Prom Rath, Wat Preah Enkosei and Wat Kesararam.

Optional:
1. Free sunset. If you buy your ticket in the evening after 5pm, your ticket will be valid for the next day. On the same evening, you can also watch the sunset for free, earning you an extra sunset opportunity. If you were to enter before 5pm, the ticket will be activated, wasting one day off your ticket validity, so do take note!
2. Tonle Sap and floating village. If three days is more than enough for you to watch sunset, you may want to utilise your afternoon by visiting Tonle Sap and the floating village. Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia, and is the second most-visited place in Siem Reap, after Angkor Archaeological Park. The two closest village are Kompong Phlouk and Kompong Khleang, with the latter being less touristy. However, do note that this attraction is a hit or miss among travellers. There are people who were awed by the beauty of the place, but others had criticised it for being a tourist scam.

Ps: I did not visit Tonle Sap, and hence be prepared to spend over US$160 if you do decide on that

Day 2 (link)

Wake up early the next day, to make it for sunrise at Angkor Wat. However, after sunrise, I reckon that you leave Angkor Wat and proceed to the next temple. Reason? Most visitors would make their way to the temple, and you wouldn’t want to squirm your way into the crowd. Leave Angkor Wat for the end of the day.

Do the Small Circuit tour in a clock-wise direction, starting from Bayon, then proceed to Thommanon and Chau Say Thevoda, Ta Keo, Ta Phrom, Banteay Kdei and Sras Shrang, Prasat Kravan and completing the circuit with Angkor Wat.

End the day with sunset at Angkor Wat, with the temple basking in golden sunlight. Alternatively, if you had seen Angkor Wat sunset on Day 1, you can go to a different location (Phnom Bakheng, Pre Rup, Sras Shrang). Otherwise, you may forget about the sunset and fully utilise your time to explore Angkor Wat in depth.

Day 3 (link)

If you are a sucker for sunrise, or still be able to wake up before dawn, head off for sunrise at another location – i.e. Phnom Bakheng which is conveniently along the circuit. After sunrise, continue your day with the Grand Circuit tour (also in a clock-wise direction), starting with the rest of Angkor Thom (Baphuon, Elephant Terrace, Terrace of Leper King, Royal Palace and Phimeanakas), then Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup.

Since the last temple would be Pre Rup, you can planned your time to have it end close to sunset, as Pre Rup is another famous location for sunset. Alternatively, if you end your Pre Rup temple rather early (in my case, around 3pm), you may consider heading to Phnom Bakheng for its famed sunset. Only 300 visitors are allowed access at any one time to preserve the temple from potential damage, so going early (reaching as early as 4pm) ensures that you could get a spot.

If sunset is not your thing, you can opt to visit other farther temple which is not located along both circuits – i.e. Banteay Samrei, Bakhong, Phnom Kulen, or simple go back to the hotel for some rest.

Day 4 (link)

Having done the small circuit and grand circuit, you are left with another day of your 3-days Angkor Pass. The third day is to venture a little farther. Depending on the distance, your mode of transport and the time you spent at each temple, you may be able to cover minimum of two temples up to a maximum of 4-5 temples. I’ve only covered Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea, simply because I’ve only have enough cash on hand for the tuk-tuk ride covering these two places.

Depending on the time of your flight home, you may want add Koh Ker into the list, since it’s on the same road to Beng Mealea. However, do note that Beng Mealea and Koh Ker is not included in the Angkor Pass, and a separate fee is imposed - $5 for Beng Mealea, US$10 for Koh Ker. You will also need to bargain with the tuk-tuk driver beforehand, coming to an agreement, as any last-minute change may not work in your favour. You will also need to factor in the travelling time to make sure you won’t miss your flight.

Otherwise, if you have not been to Tonle Sap on your first day, you can fit this into your itinerary (forgoing Koh Ker of course).

Ps: I did not visit Tonle Sap and Koh Ker, and hence be prepared to spend over US$160 if you do decide on these

Note: You have probably realised that I am suggesting a 4-day itinerary, despite having done my own trip in 5days. Well, technically speaking, my return flight was in a morning flight, so there were no activities for that day. If you can get a late afternoon or evening flight out of Siem Reap, it would be more perfect, as 4 days is more than enough, in my opinion.

Night activities

My sample itinerary above does not include any night activities, but if you are keen, these are some interesting (but not cheap) shows you may want to catch:

1. Phare, The Cambodian Circus Show
2. Apsara Theatre
3. Bamboo Stage
Ps: Inclusion of the above-mentioned shows will exceed the suggested budget of US$160

Tuk-tuk or e-bike?

Both are excellent mode of transportation in Siem Reap. Tuk-tuk works best for group of 2-4 people since you can split the costs, whereas e-bike makes more economical sense for solo backpackers. Green e-bike rent their bikes for US$10 per 24 hours, whereas a tuk-tuk ride for a day to Angkor Archaeological Park may costs around US$12-20, with additional US$5 for sunrise or sunset (means additional US$10 for both).

However, e-bike is only feasible for Angkor Archaeological Park, since there is no charging point out of the Small Circuit and Grand Circuit. You will need a car or tuk-tuk to visit farther temples, i.e. Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea. I paid US$37 for the ride to these two temples, which was arranged through the hotel.

Accommodation

There are plenty of backpacker hostel and budget hotels in town. Like other South East Asia countries, you can probably just walk in during non-peak period, to find the best deal in town. If you are not comfortable walking in to find the best deal in town, and would like to secure place in advance, look out for promo deals on Agoda.com, Hotels.com, and Booking.com. I booked four nights at Oasis Capsule Hostel for US$7 per night, for a 4-bed mixed dorm.

Airport transfer

If you book a tuk tuk or a bike ride to the city from the airport, it will cost you US$6 (as at Dec 2016). Some hotel (like mine) offer to book on your behalf for a cheap price. I received an email from my hotel that I can book through them for only US$4, or US$6 for midnight or early morning ride. Therefore, it might be wiser to check with your hotel, if they could arrange airport transfer for you.

Besides, some tuk tuk driver from the airport will offer you their package for small circuit and grand circuit. Some of them can get pretty persistent, and doesn’t take rejection so well (like in my case).

Angkor Pass

The following are prices for the admission ticket (which still applies to me, at the time of my visit):

1-day pass US$20
3-days pass US$40
7-days pass US$60

However, w.e.f. 1st February 2017, the entrance tickets had increased in price. The new price is now:

1-day pass US$37
3-days pass US$62
7-days pass US$72

The multi day tickets do no need to be used in consecutive days. For example, the 3-days ticket is valid for any 3 days within a week, the 7-days ticket for any 7 days within a month.
Tip: Buy your ticket in the evening after 5pm. From this time, onwards your ticket will be valid for the next day. On the same evening, you can also watch the sunset at Angkor Park for free.

Meals in Siem Reap

Despite being a South East Asia country, the food in Siem Reap is not cheap. A simple meal in Siem Reap town will costs you at least you US$2-3. A meal in Angkor Park on the other hand, might costs as much as US$7. Instead of dining there, I bought snacks from convenient store and brought along during my tour. Yes, I’m such a cheapskate!

Cost breakdown

Accommodation: US$28 (4 nights)
Entrance ticket: US$45 (3-days pass + Beng Mealea)
E-bike: US$20 (2 days)
Tuk-tuk: US$37 (to Beng Mealea and Banteay Srei)
Airport transfer: US$12
Meal: US$18
Total: US$160

Even if you were to factor in the increase in the entrance ticket, you would still be able to do Angkor Wat in US$180. Not bad, considering how expensive this city is in comparison to other SEA travel destination. I’m glad that I was able to do this trip before the price hike.

Epilogue

Traveling within South East Asia has always been wallet-friendly. However, the depreciation of Malaysian Ringgit against US Dollar, and the price adjustment of the temple pass made Siem Reap less affordable than before, since everything in Cambodia is priced in USD. Nonetheless, it is still possible to stretch your budget and minimise your spending by doing extensive home work. Besides that, traveling in a group of 2-4 persons is also cheaper than doing it solo. Good luck, planning your next trip to Siem Reap!



Read more about my Siem Reap trip:

Tags:
Catherine

A travel enthusiast with passion for hiking, outdoor adventure, photography and writing.

Related Articles

2 comments:

Powered by Blogger.