TOUR 005 – FULL DAY TOUR – TEMPLE HUNTER

TOUR 005 – FULL DAY TOUR – TEMPLE HUNTER

0800 Arrive Angkor Thom

0950 Short stop at Chau Say Tevoda & Thomanon

1015 Stop at base of Ta Keo

1030 Ta Prohm

1130 Exit Ta Prohm

1145 Lunch at Batchum

1300 Sra Srang Lookout

1330 Banteay Kdei

1430 Leave Banteay kdei

1500 Enter back gate of Angkor Wat

1700 Depart Angkor Wat

Tour Inclusions: Based on a standard sedan car with air-conditioning, including English-speaking guide and driver, entrance fees, 2 bottles of chilled water and cold towels (morning and afternoon).

SIEM REAP 005-FULL DAY TOUR – TEMPLE HUNTER

An in – depth study of the temple of Angkor.

Transfer by private vehicle to the Angkor complex. Start the day with a visit to Angkor Thom, not a temple, but the entire walled city of 9 sq kms which served as the ancient royal Capital of the Khmer Empire from approx. 1181. With a population 1 million it was far bigger than city in Europe at the time. The centre piece is the Bayon temple growned with  216 giant, enigmatic, smiling faces. Continue walking along the Terraces of the Elephants and Leper king.

Leaving the Angkor Thom complex, you pause at the tween temple of Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon. A short distance further on stop the base of Ta Keo, That would leave been tallest temple in Angkor, but it was never competed. Continue to Ta Prohm, this beautiful temple, built in 1186 as a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of  Jayavarman VII, is of Angkor’s jewels and is overgrown with fig trees, giving a haunting yet exotic atmosphere. One of the largest temple sites in Angkor, it took almost 80,000 people to maintain the temple.

Lunch on the shores  of Sra Srang, a former Royal bathing pool of the Khmer Kings.

Drive or walk the short distance to a lookout point out the shores of Sra Srang, before crossing the road to visit Banteay Kdei built between the 12^th and 13^th centuries in the reign of Jayavarman VII.

The ruined condition of the temple (due to poor construction and inferior sandstone) in no way detracts from the grandeur of this walled temple.

Your day’s exploration continues as you enter the rear gate of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wt (early 12^th centuries) is surrounded by a 190 metre wide moat 1.5km by 1.3 km and is claimed to be the largest religious building in the world. You will be amazed by the sheer size of the temple, which took 30 years to construct & sued the labours of 300,000 workers. Angkor Wat was built as the earthly representation of the universe with its central tower symbolizing Mt Meru which, Hindus believe, is a the centre of the universe. Return to hotel late afternoon.