Specialist touring company ABOUTAsia Travel guides travellers away from the tourist crowds. So we asked founder Andy Booth to share the lesser-known treasures of the Angkor...
1. What's the first piece of advice you'd give to anyone visiting Angkor?
Use a first-class tour guide from a specialist touring company based in Siem Reap. The research that goes into planning your customised itinerary around the temples and beyond is all-important. The itinerary should be focused on crowd avoidance, be carefully sequenced for the best light for photography, and include some lesser-visited temples.
2. Is a guidebook vital?
The less time you have in Angkor, the more valuable a good guidebook is. However, many of the best experiences are not included in them. For example, the Angkor Archaeological Park runs to 200sqkm and has hundreds of sites, but only a handful make it into the guides.
3. Angkor Wat is the most famous, but which is your favourite temple?
As a keen photographer I especially like the interplay of giant strangler fig and kapok tree roots with the limestone blocks of the temples Beng Mealea and Ta Prohm. My favourite smaller temple is the rarely visited Banteay Thom, out in the rice paddies to the north of Angkor Thom.
4. How can you miss the crowds?
Drag yourself out of bed earlier than most! Aside from being cooler in the early morning, some popular temple sites are only quiet early on. Allow yourself an extra day or two, slow down and enjoy the slower pace of the lesser-visited temples and countryside beyond. And avoid the honey pot sites such as Phnom Bakheng at sunset and use a good local guide to bring you to some far more beautiful and peaceful places to reflect on the day, maybe with a G&T in hand…
5. When is the best time of year to visit Angkor?
Hotel prices are lower during the wetter southeast monsoon, from May to October; crowds are lighter and the country is more interesting visually without the dust of the dry season. April and May are pretty warm but the temperature and humidity drop steadily towards November. Excellent months to travel are June through October.
6. Where is the best place to stay nearby?
This depends on your budget. Luxury hotels are not expensive compared to some destinations: Hotel de la Paix, Amansara, Sofitel and la Residence d'Angkor are preferred. Smaller properties we like are Samar, with just 8 individually designed rooms, and the new Shinta Mani with 39 rooms. Tara Hotel offers great value 4-star accommodation in a larger hotel format, and the city abounds with guesthouses from around $25 down to $5 per night.
7. Any other clever bits of advice?
Plan your days around early starts, leisurely siestas and a second outing mid-afternoon through to sunset. The locals rise early and get most of their work done in the relative cool of the morning. A break from around 11am until 2pm or 3pm allows time for a refreshing swim, massage, lunch and even a nap through the hottest part of the day.
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