Siem Reap 5 Day Itinerary

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Five days is our 4-day itinerary with an ethical Tonle Sap village added, rather than squeezed into an already-full day. Less time, the 3-day itinerary drops the far temples entirely. More time, the 7-day itinerary works in Koh Ker and Phnom Kulen as well.

Book these before you go

  • The Angkor Pass , 3-day version, $62, only from Angkor Enterprise, plus separate Beng Mealea (~$10) and Tonle Sap boat tickets.
  • A car or tuk-tuk driver for the temple and Beng Mealea days, ~$20-25 a day.
  • A reputable Tonle Sap operator to Kampong Khleang or Kampong Phluk, not a Chong Khneas package sold on arrival.

Day 1: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm

Angkor Wat at sunrise, the moat and reflecting pools worth the early start; the Bakan’s upper level enforces a strict dress code, real sleeves and knee coverage. Angkor Thom next, the Bayon’s 216 faces, the South Gate, the Terrace of the Elephants, then Ta Prohm’s tree-choked ruins. A tuk-tuk for the day runs $20-25.

Day 2: Banteay Srei and the Grand Circuit

Banteay Srei, about 37km out and still on the standard pass, holds the finest carving anywhere at Angkor, in pink sandstone. The Grand Circuit back toward town covers Preah Khan and Neak Pean. Phnom Bakheng caps at 300 summit visitors for sunset, arrive by around 4pm, or use the quieter Pre Rup instead.

Day 3: the town, with dignity

Angkor National Museum for context, then the Cambodia Landmine Museum, founded by Aki Ra, a former child soldier forced to lay mines who now clears them, and the APOPO Visitor Center’s landmine-sniffing “HeroRATs.” Both frame Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge history with real weight. Evening: Phare, The Cambodian Circus, staffed by graduates of an NGO arts school for at-risk youth. Marum or Cuisine Wat Damnak (verify it’s still open) for dinner.

Day 4: Beng Mealea, a separate ticket

Beng Mealea’s roughly $10 ticket isn’t covered by the Angkor Pass, and the drive is about 65km, 1-1.5 hours each way. It’s a genuinely jungle-swallowed ruin, unrestored, with far fewer visitors than the main circuit. Back in town, Artisans Angkor’s free workshop tours cover traditional Khmer silk weaving and stone carving if there’s time before dinner.

Day 5: Tonle Sap, done ethically

Kampong Khleang or Kampong Phluk are the better picks over Chong Khneas, which is more scam-worn: fake-orphanage donation asks, inflated boat detours, and crocodile-farm add-ons are all documented there, and naming them ahead of time is the easiest way to decline them politely. The lake itself changes dramatically by season, swollen and full in the wet months, stilts over mud in the dry ones, so ask your operator what you’ll actually see. A last evening on Pub Street or the calmer Old Market before departure.

Is 5 days enough for Siem Reap?

Five days covers the core temples, a meaningful town day, one far temple, and an ethical Tonle Sap village at a genuinely comfortable pace. Add Koh Ker or Phnom Kulen and you’re into our 7-day itinerary territory instead.