We will start this day with a pick up from your hotel in the morning. Meet your guide and board your vehicle. Then, head off to explore the temples of Angkor National Park, a World Heritage site and the world’s largest religious monument. Pay the entrance fee on your own account at the ticket office where we will stop for you to buy one and make your way with the guide to the first stop at Angkor Wat to visit the largest and most impressive of all Angkor temples, considered among one of the 7th Wonders of the World.
Angkor Wat was built between 1113-1150 AD. and dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation. It's the best preserved of all the temples. Its layout and its scale are simply breathtaking, the wall surrounding the enclosure measures 1,000 by 800 meters and the moat, said to represent the oceans of the world is 200 meters wide. Angkor Wat is an architectural allegory of the mythical Mount Meru in the center of the world (Himalaya). This amazing temple homes the longest continuous bas relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls.
We also explore the Angkor Thom complex. Its vast walls, some 6m wide, 8m high and 13km in length contain many monuments. Inside the walls the king, his relatives and officials, military officers and priests took residence, the rest of the people lived outside of the great enclosure, between the two artificial lakes. Our visit will begin with the South Gate, a beautiful introduction to Angkor Thom with well-restored statues of Asuras (demons) and gods lining the bridge. Inside the complex, we will first visit the Bayon with 200 endless smiling faces. We will continue to the Elephant Terrace, which owes its name to its outstanding depiction of these animals and the Terrace of Leper King, which presents a magnificent sculpture, popularly known as the leper king. Then we continue the tour to Ta Phrom, a monastery built by the king Jayavarman VII.
Ta Phrom has been controversially left to the destructive power of the jungle by French archaeologists to demonstrate the awesome power of nature. It has been largely consumed by the jungle and as you will climb through the dilapidated stone structures you will see many giant trees growing out of the top of the temple itself. At every turn, you will expect to see Indiana Jones or Lara Croft step out from behind a fallen pillar around you!
This tour concludes with a return transfer to your hotel or any requested drop off point within the city center.
