As the colors slowly change their hue, reflected in the mirror still pool that surrounds the five towers of Angkor Wat and the birds sing to their roosting companions, an extraordinary calm envelops you. Sunset over the celebrated temples of Angkor is a breathtaking experience.

The vast area, and tranquillity that is the Angkor Temples are best appreciate over the course of three days, giving you time to absorb their grandeur letting your imagination carry you back in time.

The many temples are the sacred remains of what was once a much larger administrative and religious centre, built between the 9th and 13th centuries to eulogize a succession of Khmer kings. Most of Angkor was abandoned in the 15th century allowing the temples to be shrouded by the jungle. Continuing efforts are being made to clear the jungle vegetation, which threatens to destroy these unique monuments.

The sandstone temple Angkor Wat, with its perfect symmetry and exquisite bas-reliefs, is unusual in facing west unlike all the other temples here which face east.

Eight miles of defensive walls protect Angkor Thom’s interior, only opening to the world at ornately crafted gates. The best of which is the southern gate, approached via a causeway, flanked by stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story - the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. With three days in Siem Reap, it’s possible to tour some of the lesser known temples, among which, Ta Prohm and Preah Khan are of note.