Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour, Private, with an English Guide
A private dawn start at Angkor Wat, then Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei across one 8-hour day from Siem Reap.
Updated 27 October 2026
In shortThis is a private Angkor Wat sunrise tour of 8 hours with an English tour guide, private transportation and an air-conditioned vehicle, starting with hotel pickup in Siem Reap. The day gives Angkor Wat 180 min at first light, then the Bayon and central Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei. It suits travellers who want the dawn hour at their own pace instead of inside a group, and prices start from $60.
8 htour length
from $60per booking
★ 5.03,558 reviews
What the Angkor Wat sunrise tour covers
Eight hours, from $60, with private transportation, an English tour guide, an air-conditioned vehicle, cold water and a cold towel. The time is split as the operator sets it: 180 min at Angkor Wat, 120 min at the Bayon and central Angkor Thom, 120 min at Ta Prohm and 60 min at Banteay Kdei.
The order of the day is decided by the opening hours. The park admits visitors from 5:00 AM and Angkor Wat itself is open 5:00 AM to 5:30 PM for sunrise (Srah Srang and Phnom Bakheng also admit visitors from 5:00 AM), while the Bayon, the Baphuon and Ta Prohm only open at 7:30 AM. So you take Angkor Wat at first light and move into Angkor Thom once its temples are open.
Sunrise moves through the year, which is why the pickup time does too. The sun comes up around 05:39 at the June solstice, about 06:08 at the March equinox, about 06:22 at the December solstice and latest in mid-January, around 06:31. Angkor Wat sits about 6 km north of central Siem Reap, roughly 12 minutes by road, so the drive is short and the early alarm is the real cost of the morning.
Entrance tickets are not included, and neither are meals. The Angkor pass is a compulsory separate fee, and a pass can also be obtained through a tour guide, one of the five official channels alongside the website, the app, a kiosk and a staffed counter. Dress for a working religious site: revealing clothing is banned in sacred places under the visitor code of conduct, and you can be refused admission if your clothing is too revealing. The park has been smoke-free since 2012, and tripods, sharp-tipped umbrellas and high heels are discouraged inside the temples.
Private sunrise at Angkor Wat, 8 hours
Hotel pickup in Siem Reap, an English tour guide, private air-conditioned transport, cold water and a cold towel, then four temples in one morning and early afternoon.
Angkor Wat180 min First light over the towers, then the causeway, the galleries and the bas-reliefs once the sun is up. Three hours is enough to walk the enclosure properly. Access to the upper Bakan level opens later than the temple, at about 6:40 AM, by the wooden stairway on the eastern side, in groups of 100 at a time for 15 to 30 minutes, with modest dress required.
Bayon Temple120 min Central Angkor Thom, starting with the Bayon and its 37 surviving towers (of an original 54) carrying more than 200 faces of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, built by Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century. From there the Baphuon, the Terrace of Elephants, which served for public ceremonies and the king's grand audiences, the Terrace of the Leper King and the royal palace enclosure of Phimeanakas.
Ta Prohm120 min Ta Prohm, about 3 km north-east of Angkor Wat, left largely in the condition in which it was found, with fig roots across the galleries and the jungle still close in. Two hours allows the full circuit through the courtyards rather than the queue at the famous tree.
Banteay Kdei60 min Banteay Kdei in the afternoon, built by Jayavarman VII from the late 12th into the early 13th century. A sprawling monastic complex, largely unrestored, in much the same style as Ta Prohm and usually far quieter.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Private transportation
Cold towel and cold water
English tour guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Not included
All entrance ticket fees, including the Angkor pass
Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Meeting point and pickup
Pickup and drop-off at your hotel in Siem Reap are included in the tour price. Give the hotel name and address when you book.
The vehicle, the driver and the English tour guide are private for the whole 8 hours, so the pace through each temple is yours.
Pickup is early enough to be at Angkor Wat near the 5:00 AM opening; the exact time is confirmed by the operator for your date.
Ages: child 2-11, adult 12+.
Other Angkor Wat sunrise tours compared
Four other dawn departures cover the same hour in different shapes. The guided tour at $23 and the tuk tuk option at $25 are the cheapest ways into the morning, the small-group tour at $39 keeps the day to 6-7 hours, and the $65 full day stretches to 8-9 hours by adding Banteay Srei, which sits about 25 km north-east of the main group.
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Angkor Wat Sunrise Private Tour with Guide from Siem Reap (this page)
