ANGKOR WAT
Avoid: Going at the crack of dawn Instead: Visit between 7am and 11am
It’s not just the cicadas and roosters that make a racket as the sun rises over Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. It’s the droves clamouring for that Instagram-perfect image of the temple’s lotus-bud towers. But remain patient. Many tourists soon return for breakfast at their hotels in Siem Reap, the nearest town, providing the perfect opportunity to explore Angkor Archaeological Park. The site, which includes Angkor Wat and hundreds of other temples, sprawls through the muggy tropical jungles of northern Cambodia. “From 7am to 11am, temperatures are relatively low and the soft morning light is ideal for capturing the temples’ ornate carvings on camera,” says Kelly Willis, Cambodia general manager at Grasshopper Adventures (grasshopper adventures.com), which offers a guided bike ride of the park’s forested back trails as part of its Angkor Sunrise Discovery. Pedalling through rice paddies and rustic hamlets, you’ll stop at iconic structures (including the tree-strangled Ta Prohm temple that starred in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) and evocative ruins that few visitors know about. The tour ends with lunch by Srah Srang reservoir, where Angkor royals once bathed. “My favourite time of the year to cycle the temples is July/August,” says Willis. “During that time, it’s very green and beautiful in Angkor. It can be wet sometimes but [it’s usually only] short and sharp rain during the morning and daytime. There are far fewer people, which makes for a nicer experience at the temples without the crowds.”