2 Days Angkor Wat Sunrise and Sunset Private Tour

Angkor’s temples are best seen with time to look closely, and this private two-day tour gives you that time across the major sights of the Big and Small Circles. You get the famous Angkor Wat sunrise and a sunset at Phnom Bakheng, with an English-speaking guide and a vehicle waiting between temple stops.

I like two things in particular: the private format, which keeps the day with your own group, and the mix of headline temples and quieter stops such as Ta Nei. The route also reaches Banteay Srei, known for its detailed stone carving, rather than staying only around the central temples.

The main consideration is the extra cost of admission. The tour is $134 per person, but the required three-day Angkor Pass is another $62, and meals are not included. The days also cover a lot of ground, so expect early starts and plenty of walking.

What to know before you book

• Two days, two golden-hour stops: See Angkor Wat at sunrise and Phnom Bakheng at sunset.
• A private tour: Only your group participates, with hotel pickup and drop-off in Siem Reap.
• An English-speaking guide: A guide named Tann is associated with the tour, but his availability for your dates is not guaranteed.
• The pass costs extra: Budget $62 per person for the three-day Angkor Pass, in addition to the tour price.
• Meals are on you: Breakfast, lunch and drinks are not included. Ask your hotel for a breakfast pack if your room includes breakfast.
• Dress for temple visits: Cover your shoulders and knees. A scarf alone does not meet the stated dress requirement.

Two days to see Angkor at a human pace

The value of this tour lies in how it spreads Angkor’s major sights across two days. You visit the central complex, including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon and Ta Prohm, then head to temples farther out, including Banteay Srei. The route is still ambitious, but you are not trying to cram every stop into one long day.

A private vehicle matters here. The temples sit across a broad archaeological site, and the tour includes air-conditioned transport between them. You can focus on the places themselves instead of arranging each transfer, while your guide helps make sense of what you are seeing.

The tour is sold for about $134 per person. Add the $62 three-day Angkor Pass and your known cost becomes $196 per person, before food, drinks and tips. That is a meaningful extra expense, but it buys two days of transport, a professional English-speaking guide, hotel pickup and drop-off, and a planned route through many of the area’s major temples. You are paying for a guided day with the logistics handled, not for an all-inclusive package.

The schedule gives each place a set amount of time, from 15 minutes at the South Gate to two hours at Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei. Those blocks help you understand the pace: this is a sightseeing tour with several stops, not a slow, open-ended visit at every temple. Your group is private, but the route itself is full.

Day one: Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm

Angkor Wat gets two hours, making it the longest stop on the first day. This vast religious complex was originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, and its scale is the main point: even a couple of hours gives you only a first look. The tour pairs this visit with sunrise on one of the two days, so you get a chance to see the temple in early light. The exact order of the sunrise and sunset experiences is not specified, so confirm the timing when you arrange your day.

Admission is not included at any temple. You can buy the Angkor Pass on the day of the tour, just before sunrise, and payment by Visa is accepted. The three-day pass is $62 per person, so it is worth adding that cost to your budget before you book.

Next comes Angkor Thom’s South Gate, a brief 15-minute stop. Angkor Thom was the Khmer Empire’s last and longest-lasting capital, established in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. The gate visit is short, so treat it as an introduction to the city rather than a full exploration.

Bayon, at the centre of Angkor Thom, gets an hour. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as a state temple under Jayavarman VII, it offers a different feel from Angkor Wat. The tour’s time here gives you more room to examine its richly decorated stonework than at the gate, though you may still want to be selective about what you spend time on.

Ta Prohm also gets an hour. Built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, it is often known by its modern name, while its original name was Rajavihara. It brings a change of pace after the central temples. Ta Nei, another temple from Jayavarman VII’s reign, gets 40 minutes. Dedicated to the Buddha and set near the northwest corner of the East Baray, it adds a smaller-scale stop to the day’s better-known names.

The Terrace of the Elephants is a 15-minute visit and has no separate admission charge listed. It sits within Angkor Thom, the great city. With just a quarter of an hour here, you can take in the terrace as a short stop rather than expect an extended visit.

Day two: Banteay Srei and the outer temples

Banteay Srei is the morning’s first stop and receives two hours. This 10th-century temple is dedicated to Shiva and lies within the Angkor area. Its place in the itinerary is useful: after the large central monuments, you get time at a temple known for its fine carving. It also takes you beyond the central cluster, which helps explain why the tour uses a vehicle rather than relying on walking between sites.

Preah Khan follows, with an hour to explore. Built in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII in honor of his father, it lies northeast of Angkor Thom and west of the Jayatataka reservoir. The site gives you another look at the king’s building program, but the schedule keeps the visit focused rather than allowing an unlimited wander.

Neak Pean is allotted 30 minutes. It is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in the Jayatataka Baray, a reservoir associated with Preah Khan. That setting makes it quite different from the larger temple complexes. The short stop is enough to include it in the route, though it is not a place where the tour allows a long visit.

Ta Som gets 35 minutes. This small temple was built at the end of the 12th century for Jayavarman VII and is located northeast of Angkor Thom, east of Neak Pean. Its inclusion adds another compact temple to the day, rather than repeating only the largest sites.

Eastern Mebon receives 40 minutes. Built in the 10th century during King Rajendravarman’s reign, it once stood on an artificial island in the now-dry East Baray. That change in the water landscape is a useful reminder that the setting around these monuments has shifted over time.

The day ends at Phnom Bakheng, with an hour for the sunset visit. The Hindu and Buddhist temple mountain was built in the late 9th century during the reign of King Yasovarman and dedicated to Shiva. The sunset stop is one of the tour’s most appealing features, but it is also a popular kind of moment to plan around. If you want to know exactly how the timing works, ask the operator before booking.

The private format and the guide

Only your group participates, which means you are not joining strangers in a shared tour vehicle. That can make a long day easier to manage: you can travel with your own companions and have a guide focused on your group. The tour includes an English-speaking professional guide, an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, and free pickup and drop-off at city hotels.

A guide named Tann is associated with this tour. The available information does not guarantee that he will be assigned to your dates, so ask the operator if you have a particular reason for requesting him. The important practical point is that the tour includes a guide, while the specific person may depend on availability.

Private does not mean that every temple visit is unscheduled or leisurely. The route has planned stop lengths, and several visits are under an hour. If you prefer to spend a long time at one temple or skip several stops, ask whether the route can be adjusted before you book. The tour description promises sightseeing as specified, but does not spell out how much customization is possible.

Price, meals and practical details

At $134 per person, the tour price covers the guide and vehicle, not temple admission. With the $62 three-day pass added, the basic known cost is $196 per person. Breakfast, lunch and drinks are also excluded, and tipping the guide and driver is recommended. Travel insurance is not included.

If your hotel room comes with breakfast, request a breakfast pack and eat it after sunrise at Angkor Wat. That is a practical way to avoid starting the day without food, since breakfast is not part of the tour. Bottled water is included, but other drinks are not.

Dress respectfully, with shoulders and knees covered. A real dress scarf is not accepted as a substitute for the required clothing. Drones are not allowed at the temples unless permission is obtained from APSARA, so do not plan to fly one as part of your visit.

Confirmation is received at booking, and the experience is described as suitable for most people. The tour is often booked well in advance, with an average lead time of 53 days, so leaving arrangements until the last minute may limit your options. Free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the start time; changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted.

Is this two-day Angkor tour right for you?

Book this tour if you want to cover many of Angkor’s major temples over two days without arranging your own transport, and if the sunrise and Bakheng sunset are important parts of the visit. The private format, English-speaking guide and hotel transfers make the logistics straightforward, while the route balances famous stops with smaller temples.

Think twice if you want a slow visit with long, unstructured time at each site, or if you are counting on the $134 price to include admission and meals. Add the pass, food and tips to your budget. If that total works for you, this is a practical way to see a wide range of Angkor in two organized days.

FAQ

Is the Angkor Pass included in the tour price?

No. The tour price is $134 per person. The three-day Angkor Pass costs an additional $62 per person.

How long is the tour?

It lasts approximately two days.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates.

Does the tour include hotel pickup?

Yes. Free pickup and drop-off at city hotels are included.

Is a guide included?

Yes. The tour includes a professional English-speaking guide.

Are meals included?

No. Breakfast, lunch and drinks are not included. Bottled water is included.

What should I wear at the temples?

Wear respectful clothing that covers your shoulders and knees. A dress scarf alone is not allowed as a substitute.

Can I fly a drone at the temples?

No. Drones are not allowed unless you obtain permission from APSARA.