The breathtaking tourist spot most visitors to Asia completely miss

I love the adventure of travel. No matter how near or far, the prospect of discovering something new is always exciting.

But today is something particularly special.  I'm going to visit an ancient wonder comparable to the Pyramids of Giza.

Except instead of being a world-famous icon, most people in the Western world, including me, only became aware of it in the 1990s.

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It's an early start. Like many ancient wonders, sunrise is the best time to visit if you want to experience the day coming to life and capture the best images for yourself (or your Instagram followers). So, up at 4am, to be there by 5am, and secure a good spot for sunrise around 5.45am. 

Departure point for the adventure is the very pleasant city of Siem Reap in Cambodia - about a 20 minute drive by bus, taxi or tuk tuk from our destination. A wide tree-lined boulevard leads us out of town before the vegetation gets lusher and thicker as we approach. 

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Finally, we reach the western entrance, and from there it's on foot across a stone bridge over the massive moat (1.5km x 1.3km) surrounding the complex. We've arrived.

This is Angkor Wat.

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The history of Angkor Wat

Unlike the pyramids, which have been on display for all to see for over 3,000 years, Angkor Wat was literally shrouded in secrecy for half its existence.

The world's largest religious structure was built in the early 12th century as a Hindu and later Buddhist temple, then was pretty much abandoned in the early 15th century.

In 1586 a Portuguese explorer came across it and gushed about the discovery in his diary: It is of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. 

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Over the next 300 years, the jungle largely reclaimed the temple and its existence was only really known to a small community that lived nearby. Then in 1860 a French naturalist, Henri Mouhot, who was exploring the Mekong, was taken to the temple by his local guides. 

He described it as grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome,

It was still another century before any significant restoration was completed and finally in 1992 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1993 it was still so little known that less than 8,000 people visited over the entire year.

Now it attracts around 3,000 a day and many of them will get up early like us for sunrise. 

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Numbers vary from a few hundred to over a thousand at this time of the morning. There was probably about 300 or so on the August day I was there, and it didn't feel at all crowded.

Everyone is trying to get a position in front of the reflection pool on the left hand side as you face the temple.

This is the spot to get the best shot of the silhouette of the five lotus bud towers reflected in the pond as the sun rises. 

It's worth the early start just for the anticipation alone, waiting for the sun to sneak up and reveal this wonder. If the left pool is too crowded, the pool on the right will give you a different angle that still won't disappoint.

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Getting around

Now it's time to explore the temple itself. Although it's spread over 162 hectares Angkor Wat is not as intimidating as it sounds to explore. The temple is made up of a series of hallways, courtyards and galleries spread over three levels. 

Every available inch of wall space is taken up with carvings and reliefs from the temple's earliest Hindu incarnation through to its transition as a Buddhist place of worship.

The third level is the tallest, central tower of the complex and requires climbing a wooden staircase to reach the top. It's worth the climb, though, to get an aerial view 65 metres above the ground. 

I don't really have the literary chops to do the place justice so maybe take a moment and look at the pictures on this page to get a better sense of it.

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One thing I would recommend, whether you are a religious or spiritual person or not, is to get a blessing from a monk inside the temple. The blessing is for good luck and safe travels and is completed with the tying of a red bracelet on your wrist as a sign of good fortune and positive energy. It definitely beats a tea towel or a fridge magnet.

When you've seen Angkor Wat, you're not done. What you know as Angkor Wat is just one monument in a complex of temples. The Big Three, as they are sometimes known, are completed by Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm.

Angkor Thom is an ancient walled city, way bigger than Angkor Wat, at nine square kilometres.

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The main attraction here is the Bayon Temple, famous for its giant, enigmatic carved faces.

But if I could only go to one more after Angkor Wat I'd go to Ta Prohm. It looks like a temple out of an Indiana Jones movie and actually was featured in the Hollywood blockbuster, Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie.

It hasn't been fully cleared of jungle growth so you have to compete with twisted vines and giant tree roots to access the main sights. If you want to experience a temple in the jungle this is the one. 

Where to base yourself

As mentioned earlier, Siem Reap is the closest city to Angkor Wat, and that turns out to be a real bonus. This is a lively, affordable, easy to get around city with a great vibe.

Accommodation is very reasonable, even the five star hotels, and the restaurants have cheap, and tasty food. And if you love a market this place will keep you busy day and night.

The giant Siem Reap Central Market caters to locals for meat, fruit and veg and to tourists for clothing, luggage and souvenirs. On top of that there are five night markets. The pick of them is probably the Angkor Night Market with shopping and street food and perhaps best of all its location next to Pub Street which needs no further explanation.

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Getting there and the best time to go

Siem Reap has an international airport, and you can fly from Singapore, for example, in just over two hours.

I came by river cruise with Scenic along the Mekong. There are also buses and flights from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

There's never really a bad time to go but seasonally, the best time is the cooler months from November to February. 

Dos and Don'ts

DO buy your tickets online. There is a ticket office about four kilometres out of town that is open from 5am. You may get held up in a queue here and you don't want to miss the sunrise.

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DO buy a multi-day, multi-temple ticket. The seven day pass is a bit over the top so I would recommend the three day pass for about $100. You can probably do it in two days but the passes are one, three or seven days.

DO dress appropriately. Angkor Wat and the other temples are highly revered religious monuments. Wear skirts or shorts that cover your knees. Light cotton pants are probably your best bet and cover your shoulders and upper arms. This applies to men and women.

Maybe bring a shawl or scarf just to be sure. You don't want to be turned away from the "Eighth Wonder of the World." So, DON'T wear singlets, tank tops or short shorts.

DO have a great time. DON'T forget to take lots of photos and DO appreciate the privilege of seeing up close one of the world's true architectural marvels.

John travelled to Cambodia as a guest of Scenic. 

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