This is my guide on how to get the best Angkor Wat sunrise based on multiple trips to the temples of Angkor Wat and many early morning sunrises.
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Angkor Wat Sunrise Guide
Capturing that quintessential shot of Angkor Wat at sunrise will take some effort. Looking for the best place for the sunrise in Angkor Wat? Here is my guide & tips to the best spot to stand and photograph Angkor Wat at sunrise.
Best Tuk Tuk Guide in Siem Reap
We have used Sok for all our trips to Angkor Wat and for our time in Siem Reap. He is always on time, has cold water in the cooler, speaks perfect English, and can type/read English, too. He is super popular. You can book him via Facebook here. Send him a friend request and message him there.
Angkor Wat Sunrise Important & FAQ
What time do the gates open for Sunrise at Angkor Wat? 5:00 am
Can I buy tickets to Angkor Wat at Sunrise? Yes, as of 2017, the ticket windows are open at 5:00 am. However, in order to get a good spot and see the sunrise, you should buy your Angkor Wat for sunrise if you purchased your tickets the day before or earlier.
What time does the ticket booth open for Angkor Wat? 5:00 am – 5:30 pm
*When looking for the best price and biggest selection of hotels check prices on Booking.com, we’ve found they are the best option and have a great cancelation policy.*
Tips for Sunrise at Angkor Wat
- Get to the temples early – This is by far the most important step, especially if you are traveling during high season. The gates to the temple open at 5 am, and you need to be there as they let the first people in. An early start ensures you a good spot to watch and take pictures from. Suggest leaving your Siem Reap hotel at 4:45 am or earlier.
- Wear Clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. Please respect the culture.
- Buy Your tickets the day before for the sunrise. Besides being able to enter the gates right away you also get admission to the temples for sunset the day before.
Best Place for Sunrise in Angkor Wat
The Quintessential photo of Angkor Wat at sunrise is from the reflection ponds in front of the main temple. This is a great spot to get that sunrise shot of Angkor Wat, but there are also many other great spots for sunrise inside the ancient city of Angkor. Here are some of my favorite sunrise spots.
Sunrise at Reflection Ponds of Angkor Wat
The best place for sunrise in Angkor Wat, in my opinion, is on the left side of the walkway, all the way to the left, while still on the water edge facing the temple spires. Walk in past the guard at the main walkway and through the first entrance into the walled main complex.
From there, stay on the path until you approach the pond on the left side and head down a convent set of stairs toward the pond.
Sunrise Main Reflection Pond Tips:
- Find a spot with limited lily pads, this is some thing I never thought of and in some shots, you can barely see the reflection through the weeds in the water.
- Make sure to stand as absolutely close to the waters edge so nobody moves in front of you, look for patches of ground where people could try and get in front of you especially at the corner of the pond this can happen here.
- Another annoying one is people have begun to throw some stones to stand on into the pond so they can jump in front of everyone and avoid those spots.
Angkor Hill – Phnom Bakheng Sunrise Spot
The second most popular spot inside the Angkor Wat complex is Angkor Hill. Compared to the reflection ponds, this place is almost empty. high on the hill on top of the Phnom Bakheng temple, you’ll get a nice view of the main temples of Angkor with the sun coming up behind it.
This viewpoint gives you a much different perspective of Angkor Wat, which is surrounded by trees and the early morning haze. This temple is also popular for sunset, where the temple is front-lit.
Scope it out the day before
Buy tickets late in the day, the day before you plan to head to the sunset; this allows you access to the temples for sunset that day. Take the opportunity to look at the temple and plan where to stand.
During my last visit, the pond on the right side was very low, barely filled with water, and would not give the reflection you are after. But this is the reason for scoping it out: it’s very dark that early in the morning, so you need to know where you are going so people don’t get there first! Also, have a backup plan if, for some reason, you get there late and ‘your’ spot is gone.
Plan a few days to catch a good sunrise
Most sunrises are pretty good in Siem Reap, but not all are super colorful. Give yourself a few days to catch a great one.
Angkor Wat Sunrise Photography Tips
Most people come to Angkor Wat for sunrise to get a picture of the beautiful temples with the swirling colors of the dawn. However, most people leave with grainy or blurry photos of a wonder of the world. Here is our guide on how to take photos to be proud of and that you could actually print of Angkor Wat at sunrise.
Bring a Tripod for Sunrise
You will not be able to hold your camera for some of the most interesting and colorful shots. During the early light, you will need to have your camera set to an exposure length that requires a tripod. I have a mefoto travel tripod, which is sturdy but folds up small, so it’s not a hassle to carry around the rest of the day at the temples.
Use Long Exposure Techniques
I find the easiest way to take long exposure photos when you are first starting out is to use the “A” or Aperture Priority Mode if your camera has one (most DSLRs will).
- Set your camera on the tripod
- Se the Aperture to a medium aperture like 7.1 or 8, or a wider setting like F3.5 or lower in the very early morning.
- Use As low of an ISO setting as possible ISO100 is best, but you may need to raise it for the camera to focus. The higher the ISO the more noise or graininess your photo will have.
- Be sure to switch off any lens stabilizers (“VR” or “OS”) switches are usually on the lenses
- Set the focus point
- Take the photo – The camera will adjust the settings for shutter speed.
- Review the photo and make any corrections a needed
If you haven’t used the “A” – Aperture Priority mode you should play with it before standing in front of the temple.
Set your focus on a high contrast area
When it’s very dark out some cameras have trouble focusing, so if your photos look out of focus, then move your focus point to an area of the shot where there is high contrast.
The best is something dark and something bright, like the edges of the temple spires. Most cameras use contrast to find focus, so help them out use high contrast areas.
Use a remote or built-in camera timer
Just because you are on a tripod, it doesn’t mean you are out of the woods… You still need to minimize shaking when you are pressing the button to shoot. This is done a few ways. The cheapest is to learn to use your timer function, giving the camera a few seconds to settle after you press the button.
Another way is to use a remote shutter, either a plugin or wireless remote can actually snap the picture so you don’t have to touch and shake the camera. This is important in low light and long exposure situations because that camera is actually taking the picture for, in some cases, several seconds, and any movement in the camera will cause blurring in your shot.
Stand your ground
Sunrise at Angkor Wat is hugely popular, and there can be lots of crowds in the morning. Some visitors try to push their way to the front for a photo, and some people can be very rude and disrespectful. Don’t be one of those people, and don’t let those people ruin your shot or your morning.
It’s not the people who come to Angkor Wat at 5:00 am, it’s the people who come in late you have to worry about. If one guy has climbed in front of you and your shot, call them out – if they are in your shot they are probably in other peoples too.
Use Lightroom or a photo editor
Make your photos come to life, or fix an issue you may have had while taking photos at sunrise with a tool like Lightroom on your computer. Even a perfect shot can be enhanced using a photo editor. This will take your Angkor Wat Sunrise photos to the next level.
Don’t worry if your shots don’t look like they belong on a postcard when you are done because the ones on the postcards probably didn’t either. Using the techniques above will land you some shots to be proud of, but there is no postcard in Siem Reap that hasn’t been photo-shopped at least a little bit. If you want to take your photos to the next level, try putting them through some post-processing.
If you have been to Angkor Wat and want to share your best shot, put a link in the comments to a Flickr account (or similar).
Best Places to Stay near Angkor Wat
Most tourists visiting Angkor Wat for sunrise choose to stay in Siem Reap. We have stayed in some amazing places for less than $30 per night. It’s easy to find a great place to stay in Siem Reap.
As long as you don’t stay too far outside the city there isn’t much difference in locations as it relates to getting there for sunrise, just make sure your driver knows what time you want to arrive at the gates of Angkor Wat for sunrise.
Tuk Tuk Driver for Sunrise at Angkor Wat
Looking for the best tuk-tuk driver in Siem Reap? Look no further. Sok is the man for the job. We have recommended Sok to hundreds of visitors to Angkor Wat, and he’ll take good care of you and make sure you make it to the Sunrise on time.
This is the biggest issue with Drivers in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. They can be late or just not show up for sunrise. If you only have a few short days in Angkor Wat, don’t miss your chance to see the sunrise because of a driver. Learn more about the best tuk tuk driver in Siem Reap here.
There’s nothing that really compares to watching the sunrise of the temples of Angkor Wat. This is a truly special place in the world, and the very best time to see it is during sunrise.
Kyle
Wednesday 5th of December 2018
Thanks for the recommendation on Sok. Sok was amazing. He was punctual, easy to get a hold of, responsive, reasonably priced and even told us expected costs at other places or with other drivers as to not get ripped off. His Tuk Tuk was clean and he offered water throughout the day as well as cold towels. Could not have asked for a better experience and I would recommend him to anyone visiting Siem Reap. 5 stars.
Michael Housewright
Sunday 25th of November 2018
What was the focal length of your sunrise shot from above the main temple? I just want to make sure I carry enough glass for this trip
Adam
Monday 4th of February 2019
It was with a 200mm on a crop-frame camera, so 300mm FF equivalent, plus the picture is further cropped - it's a little way in the distance. Have fun in Siem Reap!
Tonkin
Tuesday 7th of November 2017
Angkor Wat is the magnificent ruins of Khmer rouge, but I just can spend 1 day to visit the temples. Initially, I'm quite excited about the sculpture on stone slabs., Then on the second day, I'm so bored with visiting these temples.
Adam
Tuesday 7th of November 2017
Actually the temples of Angkor Wat date back more than 1,000 years before the Khmer Rouge which was the group in the 1970's responsible for the mass genocide of millions of Cambodians. While the temples of Angkor Wat may not interest everyone equally, we do still recommend visiting the temples for 3 days, especially if you plan to wake up early and see sunrise Angkor Wat. IF you make another visit to Angkor Wat and Siem Reap maybe try getting into the history a bit more, you may enjoy more of the temples, if not the sunrise is worth the trip!
John
Sunday 8th of October 2017
It was a great Tip for travelers to Angkor wat sunrise
Juan Manuel
Monday 17th of August 2015
Did you get there on your own? Or there are bus services that early? I'll keep searching, but your input would be good. Also, you pick the two days entrance then, or with one day you were done to walk around the big and small temples. Thanks!