Small-Group Explore Angkor Wat Tour with Guide from Siem Reap (6-7h)

Wonderful tour with Mr. Chet as our guide, who was very knowledgeable about the area; we first went to Angkor Thom (Bayon Temple, the Elephant Terrace), and went to Ta Prohm before lunch. We then spent two hours at Angkor Wat in the afternoon. I learned a lot!! We had 7 on our tour—loved every minute. We went to a great place for lunch where entree items ranged from $6-$8 USD-delicious fish amok!! Highly recommend. Our tour guide, Mr. Chet was great.

Had a tour of the temples today with Mr San, and it was really good. He was very knowledgeable with all the temples history. He was very helpful in all ways. Especially with taking the best photos from certain angles. Mr San is a really good tour guide making the whole tour very enjoyable.

San gave us a wonderful tour of Angkor Wat and Bayon Temple. Very knowledgeable and has thoroughly researched his subject. Has an interesting work and personal history which he was happy to share even though it had some painful memories for him. He is very helpful and accommodating and is also a great photographer!

Had a wonderful time exploring the temples with our guide San. He was very knowledgeable! We learned a lot about the history of the places and how they were built. He also gave us a lot of information about Cambodia's modern history, as he lived through the time of the Khmer Rouge. Would definitely recommend!

We did the sunrise tour and really enjoyed it. We were picking up at our hotel, taken to but an entrance ticket and taken to the temple for sunrise. We were then taken back to our hotel for a short break and picked up again and joined by others doing the day tour. We did have to then go back to the ticket office and wait for the others to buy their tickets. We got to see three temples, and our guide San did a really good job of telling us about the temples, their history, purpose, and sharing with us the best spots to take pictures, how to avoid the crowds, and other tips he has learnt over the years along the way.

Our tour guide was Choub and he was very impressive in the information he provided. He gave considerable amounts of information about each of the three temples we visited. We had plenty of time to view everything and take photos. Choub would also be able to take photos of us which, having looked at them, are all excellent. I would strongly recommend that you take this tour as it provides so much more than just walking around on your own. You never felt rushed and will come away with memories that will last a lifetime.

Our day with Chet was a great experience. He’s very knowledgable and friendly. He gave the history of each temple and explained a lot of the background information very well. He was also super helpful taking great pictures and advising on where we should visit next. We were extremely happy with this tour and highly recommend Chet for this amazing experience.

First I'll discuss the particulars of our tour guide Chet, then some generalities about the tour itself. I found Chet to be very personable and energetic, and open to questions after explaining some of the more interesting features and contextual history of any given site that we toured. His wealth of information made the tour far more engaging than if we had just walked into the various sites with no background information. We were fortunate to have a small tour group of 7, and I felt he was very even-handed in apportioning his attention to each sub-group (2 couples, and 1 adult daughter touring with her parents). Although beyond the control of any tour guide, I think we also lucked out in getting a group that was well traveled, articulate, and mindful of a mixed international group dynamic. Chet was also very accommodating in being our de facto photographer upon our request and in locations based on his recommendations. I even learned from him that you can use the panoramic view vertically as well horizontally, great for covering those tall banyon trees and temple spires in their entirety! Now, I'm always skeptical of reviews that give only glowing commentary without providing critical constructive feedback, so here's mine. I felt sometimes Chet spoke a little too fast at times, but perhaps this was an inevitable function of trying to stay on schedule while providing as much information as possible. To his credit, he would repeat or further clarify information if there was something someone in the group missed or didn't quite understand the 1st time. For that reason, I don't feel the need to dock a whole star just for that minor quibble. Now for the generalities. The tour was comprehensive and I felt like I learned a lot while still taking the time for photo ops, although don't expect to be able to wander off on your own very much given the number of set locations that this particular tour package must cover. I was worried about the prescribed restaurant that was included for the tour lunch, because I sometimes find those packaged experiences to be a bit if a side hustle based more on a kickback or cronyism than actual consideration of quality, but in this case I was happy to find the food was quite tasty--their fish amok was cooked to a delicate texture; their lemongrass chicken was good but maybe a bit to spicy for more sensitive painters; papaya salad was a bit of a disappointment--too much chicken in proportion to the papaya, and for my tastes, the papaya was cut too thinly making the texture a little too limp. Finally, to take on a tour like this, make sure you have decent endurance and are able to handle yourself well in hot, humid weather. There's a lot of walking involved, often in uneven surfaces, between the shuttle van conveniently taking you to each of the key sites. Thankfully, they do supply plenty of complimentary bottled water. I don't recommend this particular tour for families with toddlers or people with sensitive temperaments. But otherwise, it's well worth it if you've got the pluck and verve! But you will be tired and in desperate need if a shower by the end of it! :)

Our tour guide Chet was very friendly and informative. I learned a lot about Cambodian history and the practice of Cambodian Buddhism today, which was very interesting. Also, all the photos he took for us came out great. If my friends want to check out Siem Reap in the future, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him!