Treks and travels

Treks and travels


Sunrise at Angkor wat

Posted: 17 Oct 2016 07:52 AM PDT

Sunrise at Angkor wat is one of the most beautiful scene. As the sun rise behind the great temple of Angkor wat, the sky is littered with beautiful colour formation. For photography, the best location is in front of the pond overlooking the temple. It provides the perfect place for clear reflection.


You need to be prepared for crowds during sunrise. The numbers cross thousand and it is important to strategise beforehand if you want to take a nice photo. Some points to note are:
  • Visit Angkor wat on previous day to identify the spot you want to stand to take the photograph. Searching for the place amidst the crowd in the morning will not yield good results.
  • Be at the temple gate when it opens at 5AM. Sunrise happens at around 6 and if you are not taking photograph, it is ok to be just on time. But for taking photograph it is important to come early and claim the spot you want!!
  • Bring a tripod as you will taking photos in low light conditions.
  • Bring a torch as it is dark. It will take about 5-10 mins to reach the temple from parking lot.
  • While you have reached early and claimed a nice spot, people do try to squeeze in or come inside your frame. Gently let them know that they are obstructing you!!
  • Angkor wat temple is about 7 km from Siem Reap and it will take about 15-20 mins on tuk tuk to reach. Plan accordingly.
  • Weather can play spoilsport. Have a buffer day to mitigate bad weather conditions.