Family Trip Tips: Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, Cambodia with Kids

The kids explore Ta Prohm - The Tomb Raider temple

Siem Reap, Cambodia is #9 on TripAdvisor's 2014 Travelers' Choice Destinations in the World. Planning our trip was easy since so many expat families in Penang visit there that I could pick up a ton of suggestions while hanging out at the school playground. Knowing that many friends had successful family trips to Angkor Wat and surrounding attractions appeased any worries I had about taking the kids to such an exotic location in a developing country. In case if you don't have a cadre of travelers to Cambodia available to you, here are their ideas.

Visiting Temples

Exploring the ruins of religious temples are the main draw for visiting Siem Reap. You can find details on them at tons of other websites and guidebooks, so I'll focus on the family tips. My teen recommends you take your kids to Angkor Wat first while they are still excited about visiting temples. (Learn from my mistake. We visited Angkor Wat last, and my son says he was bored by that point of seeing another temple even though it was supposed to be the best one. In his words, "Mom took us to see an impressive, large, ancient, temple ruin filled with exquisite stone carvings... and then, she took us to see five more.")

Despite finally arriving at Angkor Wat, all my girl's attention is on a clam shell she found.

Beng Mealea is my kids' favorite temple to explore by far. It got rave reviews from other families, too. This temple has a real Indiana Jones feel to it because it has not been restored. Parts of the temple are still standing but are interspersed with piles of fallen stone blocks, and a web of tree roots are intertwined throughout the structure. The best part is climbing all over it. We ducked through the maze of corridors, scrambled over the heaps of blocks and swung from tree branches. It was like a giant, ancient playground. If you have little ones in your group that are not agile or you are carrying a baby, wooden walkways also go throughout the complex for an easier route. Located 90 minutes outside of Siem Reap, I highly recommend hiring an air-conditioned car ($US70/day for a van) for this excursion.

Swinging on tree roots in a collapsed corridor.
Beng Mealea felt like a 900-year old playground to my kids.

Other popular ruins to explore with kids are the South Gate of Angkor Thom (the one with the statues), Bayon Temple (the one with the serene faces), Baphuon (the world's largest jigsaw puzzle), Ta Prohm (the one from Tomb Raider) and Banteay Srei (the one with the best carvings).

Other tips for visiting temples:

• Heat and humidity killed off a lot of youthful enthusiasm. Get an early start, wear hats, keep everyone hydrated, and drape a wet, wrung-out scarf or bandanna around the neck to stay cool. (If we had made a home movie, it would be called Angkor Temples and the Search for Shade.)
• The temples are not stroller-friendly, so don't bother bringing one. If you leave yours in the tuk-tuk, make sure you get back into the same tuk-tuk.
• If you accidentally lose your stroller by getting in the wrong tuk-tuk, ask your hotel to direct you to one of the 2 stores in Siem Reap that sells them.
• One option for families with young children is to only visit a few temples with everyone. Then, parents take turns spending a few hours at the hotel with the children napping or swimming while the other goes out to touring.
• Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, and Ta Prohm are 10-15 minutes from Siem Reap's city centre, and are ideal for the parent-swap plan above. They are easily reached on a tuk-tuk, although we hired a car (US$50/day for a van) because we love air-conditioning and the chilled water they kept for us. 
• Children under 12 years old do not pay admission. Bring a copy of your child's passport if you think their age will be questioned. At a few temples, we had to show my tall, 11-year-old son's passport since he did not have a paid ticket. 
• Access to the top level of Angkor Wat is only permitted for people with paid tickets. Children under 12 years old may not go up. Once your place in line reaches the bottom of the stairs, it only takes 15 minutes. Leave your kids with your hired guide if you feel comfortable or take turns with the other parent.
• Banteay Srei is about 40 minutes from Siem Reap and costs US$60/day for a van. The Landmine Museum and Banteay Srei Butterfly Centre are along the way.
• Wear mosquito spray to avoid getting dengue or malaria (not a big enough risk to take meds).
• In case if you are worried about land mines, thousands of visitors have gone through the popular complexes, so it is not a problem.

The Villages on Stilts above Tonle Sap Lake

Visit Tonle Sap lake on a VIP tour with Hidden Cambodia. According to my friend, "This freshwater marvel expands and contracts annually based on the seasons; during wet season, water levels rise to within a meter of the house floors but recede greatly during dry season. Our tour guide led us to his own village of Kampong Khleang (even pointing out the house he grew up in and bringing gifts to his mother) and led us on a boat ride down the canal leading to the lake. Along the way, we saw many local fishermen, stopped to witness the fish smoking process, and had lunch in a stilted house. We were also blessed to visit a local school and hand out supplies, though we weren't prepared for the number of children there were. We donated water filters (purchased from the tour company) to some very poor families."

You can also visit Tonle Sap lake on your own or with a private guide for a few hours paired with a visit to Beng Melea or Banteay Srei. Doing it this way got mixed reviews from my friends as there seems to be "right" and "wrong" villages to visit based on how crowded they were with tourists. One friend enjoyed the boat traffic jam because villagers liked her cute kids and let them take shortcuts through their homes. Another friend with a baby and young child cut their boat excursion short as the kids lost interest quickly, didn't want to sit down in the boat, and were overwhelmed by the loud motor and smell of gasoline.

See Budget Travel Talk's post about Tonle Sap Lake's fishing village on stilts for beautiful photos to tempt you.

Other Activities

Quad Adventure Cambodia lets you explore the countryside on quad bikes. My friends enjoyed seeing villages, rice paddies, and water buffaloes while following their guide for a couple hours. Kids ride on the back of a parent or instructor's bike. 

Do volunteer work and experience the hardships of local life through a "Day in the Life" tour with Beyond Unique Escapes in partnership with Husk Cambodia. Y.O.L.O.! Mom on the Go... assisted a family in weaving together bamboo and palm leaves to patch their leaking roof after riding there in an ox-cart. Afterwards, they cooked lunch with another family, walked through the village, and helped out with a community sewing project of handicrafts that would later be sold. The family from Four Over the Edge assisted a woman in harvesting her rice by hand, and it gave them an incredible appreciation of how difficult it is to toil in the fields.

Watch artisans practice their craft at Artisans d'Angkor. This organization promotes the revival of the traditional handicrafts that the Khmer Rouge tried to eliminate in their effort to stamp out Cambodian culture. They train people from rural villages in various traditional Khmer arts like silkscreening, painting, metalwork, and carving wood and stone. These artisans then return to their villages to teach others how to produce handicrafts that can be sold. Walk through each room to observe them working and then purchase souvenirs from the gift shop. The gift shop is of limited interest to children other than food and a very small selection of wooden puzzles.

Artisans d'Angkor

Discover how silk is made at the Angkor Silk Farm, located 20 minutes from Siem Reap. Learn about the process from cultivating mulberry bushes that feed the silkworms to cocoon unwinding, thread preparation, and silk weaving.

Swim in the hotel pool. This was a favorite way for multiple families to cool off and have a bit of relaxation during their vacation.

Hotels

Siem Reap has a booming tourism industry and has family-friendly hotels across all price points from luxury resorts to budget hostels. If you're worried about accommodations being too rustic, have no fear. Each of the hotels below were personally recommended to me by multiple families.

Sokha Angkor was one of those fantastic, "I can only afford this luxury because I'm in Cambodia" type of resorts. We booked 2 adjoining rooms for our family and required an extra bed for the 3rd kid. The salt-water pool cooled us off in the afternoons, and the cheap foot massages in the lobby were a great way to recover after hours climbing around ruins. Full-service spa is also on-site. A huge breakfast buffet with made-to-order egg and noodle stations is included in your stay.
Ranked 4.5 stars on Expedia; US$98 per room for early June 2014

Salt water pool at the Sokha Angkor Resort

Chateau d'Angkor La Residence has large 2-bedroom suites with a seating area that was perfect for large families. The washing machine and kitchen were convenient ammenities, and the children enjoyed the pool. Includes breakfast.
Ranked 3.5 stars on Expedia; $93 for a 2-bedroom suite in early June 2014

Tanei Guesthouse is a budget-friendly option with a good location recommended by round-the-world traveling friends. The Family Room sleeps 4 people, and children under 12 years old stay free with existing bedding. Extra beds are US$5 nightly. Includes breakfast and hotel transfers. A pool and bicycles are available.
Ranked 2 stars on Agoda; US$46-54 per night for Family room 

Where to Eat

Are you worried about what your kids will eat in Siem Reap? Most restaurants had something for everyone by offering both dishes familiar to Western kids as well as traditional Cambodian dishes (similar to Thai food but not as spicy). Make sure you try Amok, a delicious coconut curry with fish chunks. Stay hydrated with bottled water or fresh coconut juice, although sodas (you cannot escape from the reach of Coca-Cola) and Angkor Beer are other choices.

Jungle Junction is one of the most family-friendly restaurants I have been to in the world. We ate there with a few other families, and the combined total of 8 kids entertained themselves leaving the adults to visit in peace over a loooong dinner. When was the last time that happened to you at a restaurant? The trampoline, outdoor playscape, inflatable bounce house, indoor playscape with slides and ball pit, billiard table, and movie/karaoke room kept the kids occupied for hours. The food was fine and included Western dishes like burgers, salads, and ribs as well as Asian and Khmer cuisine. They also serve liquor. Your kids may ask to go there every day.
Open 8AM-11PM; Located on Makara Street/High School Road, 300 meters past University of Southeast Asia/Mekong University and Angkor High School.

Blue Pumpkin is a delightful little patisserie and cafe. The kids had sandwiches and pasta. I dined on Grilled Eggplant with Minced Pork while sipping Mexican Coffee. The Amok Ravioli sounded like an intriguing East-meets-West fusion dish. Save room for dessert and ice cream! We enjoyed the lounge-like Cool Room (air-conditioned) upstairs and the free Wi-Fi at the Hospital Street location. Comfy daybeds lined one side of the room, and I'm sure that we would have never awoken my teen if we had snagged a table next to them. In addition to their full cafes in central Siem Reap, they also have outlets at Artisans d'Angkor, at the Angkor Cafe opposite the west entrance of Angkor Wat, and the airport.
Open for breakfast until late at night. Hours vary by location.

Rumduol Angkor across from the northern side of Srah Srang (Srang Reservoir) near Ta Prohm served up excellent Khmer and Western food. You can sit on the covered deck overlooking Srah Srang or in the air-conditioned VIP room. Go amok (coconut curry fish stew) when you order. It's really tasty here.

Amok - One of Cambodia's famous dishes

Independent Travel

Most of my friends book their own flights into Siem Reap and their own hotel rooms. Hiring a guide (US$25-35 per day) was easy by setting it up via email prior to arrival. Those with a professional license or certificate from the Tourism Ministry have been trained in providing you with an abundance of information in your native language. I found hiring a guide to be a good way of injecting money into this impoverished nation as well as allowing me to keep one eye on the kids and one eye on the ruins instead of trying to read about it from a book. Plus, they know good vantage points for photography. Ours met us at the airport and provided translation throughout our visit.

We hired Lach Baley (lachbaley2011 at gmail.com) who speaks both English and Spanish. 

Other recommended guides are Thy Khieu (thyangkor at yahoo.com) and Ing (chandarkh at yahoo.com)

Guides can also arrange a driver with air-conditioned car (US$50-70 per day depending on distance) to take you around touring. Numerous cheap tuk-tuks are available for transportation at hotels, tourist areas, restaurants, and the airport. Tuk-tuks can comfortably seat 4 people, but you can squeeze in more if your kids don't attempt to push out a sibling. Conventional taxis are not available.

Please be sure to tip your guide and driver as they do not keep 100% of the money earned.

Tuk-tuk taxi - The cheap way to travel

Toilets

I give thumbs up to the toilets in Siem Reap, probably because I stayed firmly in the tourist zone. Clean, Western-style toilets were available at the temples and restaurants. The floors were dry (unlike Malaysia), and toilet paper was available in the stall (once again, unlike Malaysia).

How Long to Visit

Most people stay in Siem Reap for at least 3-4 days. A visit to Cambodia is often paired with a trip to Hanoi and Hoi An, Vietnam in order to round out a week. Hopping over to Bangkok is another option.

Arrival and Departure

The Siem Reap Airport is conveniently located only 15 minutes from the city center. You need at least 6 months validity on your passport. Bring along US$20 and a passport photo to get a Tourist Visa on Arrival, although citizens from many ASEAN countries are exempt. Save time but spend an extra $5 by doing it online at the Kingdom of Cambodia's E-visa website. Processing time is 3 days. Departure tax from the airport is US$25 for international flights and US$6 for flights to Phomh Penh.

Air Asia is the fastest and cheapest flight from Malaysia to Siem Reap. The 2-hour flight leaves from Kuala Lumpur's LCCT at 6:50AM, so you may need to travel to KL the previous night. I recommend Tune Hotel or Concorde Inn by the KL airport for your overnight stay.

Currency

Although the Cambodian Riel is the official currency, the American dollar is what's primarily used. It was so strange seeing prices marked in US$ throughout our trip. Change less than US$1 is typically given in Riel notes. Numerous ATMs are available and dispense American money. Try to bring small bills up to $20 if possible as larger notes may be difficult for them to break.  

Taking the kids to Angkor Wat and Siem Reap is an excellent and easy family adventure. Are you dreaming of going?

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