Angkor Wat sunrise & sunset tour: All temples in one day

See Angkor Wat at dawn and dusk, with all the major temples between

A full-day private tour of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom starting before sunrise in Siem Reap, with an English-speaking guide, hotel pickup and drop-off. You watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, explore Ta Prohm with its massive tree roots, walk through Bayon's 49 towers, and climb Phnom Bakheng for sunset over the temple complex.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each9 stops

1. Angkor Wat3h
2. Banteay Kdei45m
3. Angkor Thom10m
4. Bayon1h
5. Baphuon30m
6. Royal Enclosure20m
7. Terrace of the Elephants10m
8. Terrace of the Leper King10m
9. Phnom Bakheng2h

Angkor Wat sunrise, temples tour, sunset

• Meet guide and buy temple pass
• Watch sunrise at Angkor Wat
• Return to hotel for breakfast
• Visit Angkor Wat temple again
• Explore Ta Prohm temple
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Visit Banteay Kdei monastery
• Visit Ta Nei temple
• Stop at Victory gate, Angkor Thom
• Visit Bayon temple
• Visit Baphoun temple and Reclining Buddha
• Visit Phimeanakas and Royal Enclosure
• See Terrace of the Elephants
• See Terrace of the Leper King
• Visit quiet Buddhist temple behind Royal Palace
• Climb Phnom Bakheng for sunset view

The experience

Eleven to twelve hours on the ground means you fit both sunrise and sunset into a single day without rushing the middle. The guide meets you at 4:45am at your hotel, drives you to buy the temple pass, and takes you to Angkor Wat before dawn. After sunrise you return for breakfast, then start the main tour through the temples. The air-conditioned vehicle and driver stay with you the whole day, and cool towels are provided along the way.

The route covers the major sites in sequence. Ta Prohm, where the film Tomb Raider was shot, has massive tree roots that have grown over the temple structure. Banteay Kdei is a sprawling 12th-century Buddhist monastery, quieter than the main sites. Ta Nei sits in the jungle with minimal restoration. You stop at the Victory Gate on the east side of Angkor Thom, then move through Bayon with its 49 towers and 196 carved faces, Baphoun (a Hindu temple from the 11th century with a 16th-century Reclining Buddha), the Terrace of the Elephants, and the Terrace of the Leper King. Phimeanakas, a 10th-century pyramid temple, sits inside the old Royal Palace grounds. Around midday, between 12pm and 1pm, you stop for lunch at a local restaurant for roughly 45 minutes to an hour.

The final climb is Phnom Bakheng, where you wait for sunset over the temple complex. Because visitor numbers at the peak are limited, if it's busy the guide takes you up earlier so you can spend longer watching the light change. The sunset viewing and climb take around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. The guide then returns you to your hotel.

What’s included

• Licensed English-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• driver for the full day.
• parking fees and road tolls.
• cool water and wet towels throughout the tour.

Information

Lasts 11h–12h, runs every day at 04:45 and 05:00, from US$ 89 per person, with a live guide in English, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 04:45 and 05:00Another time? ›

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglishOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Book up to8h before

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Happy Angkor Tour

Is this one for you?The 11-to-12-hour span is what fits sunrise, all the major temples, lunch and sunset into one day without skipping the smaller sites like Ta Nei or rushing through Angkor Thom's courtyards.

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Top questions

What time does the tour start and when does it end?

Hotel pickup is at 4:45am to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. The full day runs 11 to 12 hours, with the guide returning you to your hotel after sunset at Phnom Bakheng, typically in the early evening.

Is Ta Prohm really the temple from the Tomb Raider movie?

Yes. Ta Prohm is the temple where the film was shot, and it is famous for the gigantic tree roots that have grown over and through the structure, creating a dramatic effect you see on the tour.

What is Bayon temple and why does it have so many faces?

Bayon sits in the center of Angkor Thom and has 49 towers, each with four faces carved into them, for a total of 196 faces of the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara. The faces are one of the most recognizable features of the Angkor complex.

Will there be time for lunch, and what does it cost?

Yes, lunch is built into the schedule between 12pm and 1pm at a local restaurant near the temples, taking 45 minutes to an hour. Meals cost around $5 per person depending on what you order from the menu.

Why does the guide take you up Phnom Bakheng early if it's crowded?

Phnom Bakheng has a limit on how many visitors can be at the peak at once. If the site is busy, the guide brings you up earlier so you can spend 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours waiting and watching the light change over the temples as sunset approaches, rather than arriving just in time.