Problem
From mid-September 2017 the price for entry to Ankor Wat (and other temples - all on the same pass) will increase. The price goes up for a three day pass for two people from the current £66 to £96. How could you economise?
It cost us £66 for a three day pass for two people. Now it would cost £96. Plus the cost of your driver for three days. (Plus accommodation, lunch food and drink, flights, dinner and dance show or theatre in the evening. Plus flights.)
A lot of people will now get up at dawn and try to cram several temples into one day. Exhausting. So they will spend less on hotels.
Free For Locals
Our driver stayed outside, guarding his tuk-tuk. He told us that he did not have to pay to enter the temple. I thought at the time it was because he was a driver, escorting visitors. However, it turns out that locals do not have to pay to visit the temples.
I was shocked by the high prices which we had to pay in a country where everything else is so cheap, before I heard that prices are due to rise even higher. My understanding is that the temple ticketing is run by Chinese business investors. I suspect they are doing a good and efficient job. I was certainly impressed with the clothing on sale, which I was told was organised by the Chinese and possibly made in China.
Later in the year I went hiking in Romania, where the newer roads have been financed by EU money. However, Romanian hiking trails had great sign boards on local animals and plants, but no toilets!
So, to reduce costs in visiting Cambodian temples, go now. Or budget carefully for this large expense. You will notice that all the tours say 'entrance to the temples costs extra'. Now you know that it's not a little extra but a lot extra. Or cram in more temples in a day.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several posts on Cambodia and Ankor Wat and Romania. Please bookmark and share your favourite posts.
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