Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the reason most people come to Siem Reap, and it rarely disappoints. King Suryavarman II built it in the first half of the 12th century as his state temple and eventual mausoleum, dedicating it to the Hindu god Vishnu. Within a century or so it had become a Buddhist temple, and it is the only major monument at Angkor that has remained an active religious centre since it was founded. Its silhouette appears on the Cambodian national flag.

The scale is hard to take in from the ground. The site covers 162.6 hectares and is ringed by a moat 190 metres wide, crossed on the west side by a long causeway. Unusually for a Khmer temple, Angkor Wat faces west. Beyond the outer wall, three raised galleries climb towards a central cluster of five towers, a design that represents Mount Meru, the home of the gods, with the central tower rising 65 metres above the ground.

Leave plenty of time for the outer gallery, which holds around 1,000 square metres of bas-reliefs. The east side shows the Churning of the Sea of Milk, with gods and demons pulling on a giant serpent, while the west side depicts battles from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The south gallery shows a royal procession of Suryavarman II alongside scenes of heavens and hells. Throughout the temple you will also find more than 1,700 carved devatas, female divinities with elaborate headdresses and jewellery.

The official Angkor Enterprise website lists Angkor Wat as open from 5am to 5:30pm, and many visitors arrive in darkness to watch the sun rise behind the towers. Expect crowds at dawn; the bas-relief galleries are often quieter later in the morning. You need an Angkor Pass, sold as one-day, three-day and seven-day tickets through the official website and app. Allow at least half a day, carry water, wear a hat and comfortable shoes, and dress respectfully, since this is still an active Buddhist site.

Most visitors combine Angkor Wat with Angkor Thom and the Bayon, a short drive to the north, and with Ta Prohm to the north-east. A tuk-tuk with a driver for the day is the usual way to get around the park, and a guide helps to decode the carvings. Phnom Bakheng, about 1.5 kilometres to the north-west, offers a view back over the temple in the late afternoon.