Dec
01
2011
Mar
31
2012
Dec
01
2012
Mar
31
2013
Dec
01
2013
Mar
31
2014
Sunset at Phnom Bakheng
Published by Kristin Cowles, Editor-in-Chief
Country: Cambodia 
The Experience
A sunset is one thing, but a sunset that falls over an ancient city from your perch a top some ruins is another. Just down the road and up a hill from the famed Angkor Wat, is Phnom Bakheng, widely regarded as the best place to view the sunset or rise within the Angkor region. After a long and dusty day of temple trekking the 20 minute climb will seem quite exhaustive, and you might even contemplate the value of the effort, but it is well worth it. For those that can't quite fathom the extra effort after a long day there are other modes of transport available, more specifically the ever popular elephant. The cost is a little steep $20 US for a ride up and $15 US down, but for some, myself included, the value was apparent as soon as I stepped off the tuk tuk.
Depending on when you visit the sun sets around 6ish or so, but the prime seats to view the show start going around 3pm. From where the elephants and trekking route end, you will be greeted by a steep set of temple stairs, which will again test your will in the hot and temperate sun. Upon reaching the top of Phnom Bakheng, to your right you will find the Angkor Wat temple view and opposite to the left the Cambodian countryside. These two corners are the prime viewing spaces. Don't be fooled into claiming the further back seats, as the space in front of your will soon be encroached on by other tourists. The farthest forward seats are the most prized. Patience is soon rewarded as the glow of the sun paints the surrounding countryside in warm orange and pinks hues. As you bask in the glow, you can hardly place the time. Surrounded by temples and watching the rays paint these ancient civilizations, you become one with a time from centuries long before. The colours are the most spectacular and vibrant tones that you can imagine, of which no picture does justice.
Depending on when you visit the sun sets around 6ish or so, but the prime seats to view the show start going around 3pm. From where the elephants and trekking route end, you will be greeted by a steep set of temple stairs, which will again test your will in the hot and temperate sun. Upon reaching the top of Phnom Bakheng, to your right you will find the Angkor Wat temple view and opposite to the left the Cambodian countryside. These two corners are the prime viewing spaces. Don't be fooled into claiming the further back seats, as the space in front of your will soon be encroached on by other tourists. The farthest forward seats are the most prized. Patience is soon rewarded as the glow of the sun paints the surrounding countryside in warm orange and pinks hues. As you bask in the glow, you can hardly place the time. Surrounded by temples and watching the rays paint these ancient civilizations, you become one with a time from centuries long before. The colours are the most spectacular and vibrant tones that you can imagine, of which no picture does justice.
When to Go to Phnom Bakheng
For the best weather anytime between December to March is your best bet to visit Phnom Bakheng. The heat is more bearable and the showers have stopped. Keep in mind though that this is high season for tourists so the temple traffic will be influxed.
Odds n' Ends
Many people higher guides for their visit to Angkor, but we found was that the best guide is readily available online, free of charge called the Angkor Guide by Maurice Glaize, who is responsible for much of the excavation of Angkor and surrounding area. Our guide offered little to no insight on temples sadly.
Want a Guide?
- Project Cambodia - G.A.P Adventures.com
- Enjoy the French-inspired architecture while strolling through the streets of Phnom Penh, explore the magnificent temple of Angkor Wat and relax on the white sandy beaches of Sihanoukville.
Places to Stay Nearby
Search over 900,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants. Book via Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline and the websites of popular hotel chains.
La villa Mona is a 10rooms guest house in quiet area surround by a nice garden with flower and tree, Each room are nicely decorated ... 1 miles away
$125008 KHR+
Our hotel enjoys a strategic location in the Town of Siem Reap, within walking distance to all shopping, entertainment, financial and business centers. We are ... 2 miles away
$83339 KHR+
+ 23 others. Show all.
More Experiences Nearby
- Trek the Ruins of Angkor Wat
- Time ceases to move at Angkor Wat as you step out of modern civilization into an early 12th-century temple complex in the central Cambodian jungle. In fact, the jungle is actually growing in the Angkor Wat Temples—literally! Tree roots and branches are growing through, on top and inside the temples, making for a scene of culture and nature intertwined. It's hard to explain a place that demands such attention based on its sheer size, and sustains your interest in a gripping search over the layers of detailed stone carvings. The Angkor Wat complex encompass over a hundred stone temples in ...1 miles away.
While You're There - Tours and Trips Nearby
Located near the small town of Siem Reap, the Angkor temple complex is comprised of countless ceremonial structures built between the 9th and 13th centuries ...3.99 miles away via Siem Reap.
$141+
Located near the small town of Siem Reap, the Angkor temple complex is comprised of countless ceremonial structures built between the 9th and 13th centuries ...3.99 miles away via Siem Reap.
$141+
Books and DVDs
- Cambodia Travel Guide - Lonely Planet.com
- Angkor Wat is just the beginning. If you want to dig deeper into the real Cambodia, this guide is your key. Unlock the mysteries of the sacred temples, share the Mekong with endangered dolphins, and eat with pythons and cobras by your side.
- Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009: 850 Trends, Destinations, Journeys & Experiences for the Year Ahead
- Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips (Hardcover)
- No one knows the world like National Geographic—and in this lavish volume, we reveal our picks for the world's most fabulous journeys, along with helpful information for readers who want to try them out.
Elsewhere on the Web
- Phnom Bakheng - WorldsMonumentFund.org
- Phnom Bakheng is one of the oldest temples in the city of Angkor. It was built between the late 9th and early 10th centuries, during the reign of King Yasovarman, who assembled his new capital city of Yasodharapura (later incorporated into Angkor) around it.
- Phnom Bakheng - The Angkor Guide.com
- Thirteen hundred metres north of the western axial entrance to Angkor Wat and 400 metres south of the southern gate of Angkor Thom, to the west of the road, one can see a wide track in the forest ascending a natural hill of 60 metres in height.
- The temple complex of Angkor Phnom Bakeng (Bakheng) - Cambodian Online.net
- The rulers of Angkor constructed many temple mountains, but Phnom Bakeng is all natural stone. The temple on the summit was built in the late 9th or early 10th century by Jacawarman I (or Yasovarman I). At the top of the hillock are 5 successive rows of 12 sanctuaries each.
- Travel Report Cambodia - Voyages.gc.ca
- TRAVEL WARNINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
- Angkor Guide - TheAngkorGuide.com
- Here's a translation of Maurice Glaize's popular and definitive 1944 guide to the Angkor Monuments for free. Read it online or download the fully illustrated text.
Media References
- Why Is Everybody Going to Cambodia? - NY Times.com (newspaper)
- JUST after Christmas in 1859, the French explorer Henri Mouhot left Bangkok to explore the uncharted regions of Indochina. It took him a year of hacking through brush and fending off leopards, leeches and wild elephants before he arrived at Angkor Wat, the jungle-smothered complex of temples deep inside the kingdom of Cambodia.
- ON THE VERGE; The Overwhelming of Angkor - New York Times.com (newspaper)
- One of the great regrets of my life,'' said a foreign envoy to Cambodia, ''is that I will never again have the experience of a first impression of Angkor Wat.''
- FRUGAL TRAVELER; Cambodia's City of Temples Is a Timeless Survivor - New York Times.com (newspaper)
- WELCOME to the New Millennium -- Peace, Culture and Tourism,'' read the brochure in my hand, a cheery guide to the celebrations planned in Angkor Wat for the year 2000. The taxi was hot and had come to a halt in the middle of the street.
Travel Insurance. Simple & Flexible.
Language Guides
French 
,
Lao
,
Mandarin
,
Vietnamese
are some of the languages spoken in Cambodia. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!
Discussion
Experienced this and have something to share? Experienced something like this somewhere else? Looking for advise or travel companions? Use this space to leave your mark. Our writers and editors are more than happy to help answer your questions.
People with experience
People who wish to experience
Recent Tweets
Listed below are the most recent comments made on Twitter for "phnom bakheng":
