Angkor Wat is one of the most impressive sites in the world, and was immediately a highlight of my southeast Asia trip. The temples are breathtaking! While you need to visit them in Cambodia to appreciate it, below is a photo tour of the experience.
I’ll start with some sunrise photos, because that’s what it’s famous for and I love them! I’ll show you the geography, then sprinkle in a little history, with photos throughout the post.
Angkor Wat at sunrise. This brilliant photo is from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff at Stuck in Customs
Where is Angkor Wat?
Angkor Wat is located in Siem Reap, in Cambodia. Along with Angkor Thom, the Bayon temples, and Ta Prohm, Angkor might be the best two-day trip you can take in all of Asia.
History
Angkor Wat was built by the vanished Khmer empire. It was constructed during the reign of King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113 to at least 1145.
Did you know?
Angkor is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siem Reap literally translates to ‘defeat of Siam,’ which is today’s Thailand. It’s a conflict that goes back centuries, between the Siamese and Khmer people.
This is Angkor’s only temple with tombs, despite the “Tomb Raider” movie being shot at nearby Ta Prohm, where there’s no tombs.
The Library at Angkor Wat. Photo from one of my favorite travel photographers, Trey Ratcliff
“Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.”
Aspara dancers everywhere!
There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in Angkor Wat.
There are more than 1,860 carved Apsara dancers in the walls.
Did you know?
I found this interesting – “Angkor Wat” translates to “The city that is a temple.” It’s true, it’s both a city and temple at the same time.
“The city that is a temple.”
Stories in the Walls – a closer look
The temple walls tell stories of war heroes and battles from their troubled pastBuddhist monk explores the walls. Many tourists forget the religious significanceThe Battle of Kurukshetra is depicted in this impressive bas-relief.
How long did it take to build?
They say Angkor Wat took 30 years to build, which seems like a long time, until you see all the rich detail on nearly every wall. Nearly every wall has details you can miss!
Nearly every wall has details you can miss!
Why was Angkor Wat built?
Scholars say the temples were built for funerary purposes, since its bas-reliefs are meant to be viewed anti-clockwise, a direction that was associated with death in the Khmer empire.
From Hindu to Buddhist?
This stone sculpture depicts the 8 arms of Vishnu, the powerful Hindu god, but with the head of Buddha. When Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple, the head of Vishnu was replaced with the head of Buddha.
Count the arms…VERY powerful!
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deitya youthful monk learns to read the futureRaided. They stole the heads!“Angkor Wat” translates to The city that is a templeCambodian wedding photo shoot. I saw wedding photo shoots both times I visited, so perhaps it’s a popular spot for wedding photos.under repair when we went – the green tarps typically aren’t there
“Library”. While its true purpose remains unknown, scholars say it most likely functioned broadly as a religious shrine, rather than strictly as repositories of manuscriptsdevatas at the entrance
guarding the complex wallsThe walls at the entrance are 8 meters high and 3 km long, and flanked by a moat.The “swimming pool” – looks good for being 1000 yrs old!Cruciform gallery separating the courtyardslook closely at everything – from a distance this looked like a pile of rockscloseup of one of the towers
My favorite in the Angkor Wat complex?
Finally, if you’re going to Siem Reap, you’ll definitely also want to check out both the Bayon temples / Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm (post coming soon). Those are my favorites!
Travelers consistently say that Bocas del Toro Panama is among their favorite parts of Central America, especially for backpackers and travelers. Bocas is an archipelago (group of islands) with beautiful beaches, wildlife, adventure, and great backpacker vibe. It also has good food, and a great party scene that attracts backpackers from around the world.
Most people have only heard of Bocas del Toro Panama from the TV series Survivor (17 countries filmed there) – it’s a real place and worth a visit. While many people visiting Panama only get to Panama City, Bocas is a hidden gem.
5 days of Island Hopping in Bocas
Every day we chose an activity or an island to go to – then hopped in a boat to go check it out.
31 photo tour of Bocas del Toro Panama
Here’s a 31-photo tour, with some highlights from our five days of island hopping in Bocas del Toro Panama:
Playa La Estrella – Starfish Beach
While it doesn’t get nearly as much acclaim as the other beaches, Playa La Estrella has easily the most beautiful water next to their nearly private beaches. The name literally translates to Starfish Beach, and you can see why – they’re everywhere!
Starfish everywhere! – Playa La Estrella, Bocas del Toro Panama
Playa La Estrella, the most beautiful beach in Bocas
Have you ever seen this many starfish?
Tip: please do NOT touch the starfish or take them out of water – it actually kills them.
“Star Beach – please don’t touch the stars!”The water at Playa Estrella is as clear as any Caribbean beachWith water up my neck, you can still see the starfish – and my feet. It was THAT clear.
Sunsets in Bocas del Toro Panama:
this was actually part of our hostel, Pukalani Hostel
The views are amazing all over the Bocas del Toro archipelago – it’s even more beautiful after the sun goes down.
Photo from ecocircuitospanamaRoundhouse kick! This was our afternoon workout.
Red Frog Beach on Isla Bastimentos
Red Frog Beach is the most famous of the Bocas del Toro beaches. It includes the combination of hiking and rare Red Frogs in the forests right near the beach. I liked this beach, but found La Estrella to be more of my idea of relaxation.
Red Frogs are fascinating but tiny – most were an inch long (about the size of my pinky finger)
Lots of people were learning to surf at Red Frog Beach. You can see the lush green forest jet out on the right.Jumping pic on Red Frog Beach! I take jumping photos in nearly every country I visitTiny Red Frog from Red Frog Beach – they’re all this small
Dolphins in Bocas del Toro Panama!
There’s dolphins all around the archipelago. You can book a dolphin tour, but we saw lots of dolphins just on our various boat trips to snorkeling while island hopping in Bocas Panama.
Nearly every meal comes with a beautiful view. We couldn’t get enough of the seafood, which was super fresh, being a busy archipelago. Most of the restaurants are on Isla Colon, but a few others are just a short boat ride away. Dress at most restaurants, even the fancier restaurants, are “beach town casual” (as we call it).
Most of the restaurants have seating either overlooking the water or on a deckThe seafood was delicious – one of the benefits of being on islands. This was fresh tuna, caught that morning. Yum!Tasty dinner at Barracuda, which ironically is an italian restaurant with few seafood options. Still it was delicious!Meals are right on the water. Yes! Dress is beach town casual, even at the nicer places.While there’s plenty of inexpensive backpacker options, there’s plenty of of delicious moderately priced seafood. That top photo is a “surf-n-turf” – lobster tail and steak. The bottom included a mix of seafood (calamari, shrimp) in marinara sauce.Hmm…do I want “Chicken in a Hole” or Porridge? Like many countries that don’t natively speak english, there’s a few curious english descriptions. Another example is directly below…Begging for a caption – see sign above us. “Killin me man sauce”The waterfront is this colorful. Loved it!
Surfing in Bocas too!
There’s a bunch of spots for surfing, and each surf company seemed to have their secret spots, depending on what level you are, and what time of day we’re going out. We were complete novices (I learned how to surf in Bali but apparently you don’t become an expert of going just once). There’s apparently really good surfing in Bocas, as the one of the top surfers in Panama is actually from Bocas del Toro.
We snapped this photo after we got back from a morning of surfing. There’s no waves in the photo but there were plenty when we were out on the water.
Tip: Our surf lessons were at a secluded area right off the beach. Do NOT leave anything of any value on the beach. Don’t leave your wallet, phone or camera – it will disappear. While Bocas is generally very safe, it’s not the richest of areas, so leaving anything by the beach is just begging them to walk with your stuff. Bring your rented board and that’s it – we were warned that even t-shirts get disappear. Bocas isn’t dangerous, but your belongings are valuable to others.
Time to find some waves! There’s plenty of places to surf while island hopping in Bocas del Toro Panama. Unfortunately this was not one of them (just a posed photo after our morning of surfing).
Snorkeling & kayaking around the islands
Take a boat trip to go snorkeling – ours was relaxing and came with a delicious lunch. Rent a kayak and enjoy the waters.
The Bocas archipelago has 9 main islands, 52 cays, and thousands of islets with coral reefs and mangroves. Kayaks and boats aren’t the only ways to get around –
Transportation in Bocas
Isla Colon is the main island where the vast majority of restaurants and bars are located. There’s guys on the docks just waiting for your business – it was never difficult to find someone to take us on boat to the other islands. We also took taxis, bikes, kayaks, and more.
The taxi actually drives onto the beach – there’s no road for them to drive on. I assumed I’d have a long walk to the get home. Surprising!
Check out the quality the bicycles before you rent them. We rented bikes for just $5 for the day – as it turns out they were appropriately priced. My didn’t even have handles and had a slow leaking flat.
Getting to Bocas – your only option might be a quick flight on a prop plane from Air Panama from Panama City.
Pukalani Hostel
We stayed at the oceanfront Pukalani Hostel, located right on the water and even includes a pool! It’s located away from the craziness (and noise) of Bocas Town, but close enough to take a quick cheap taxi to and from the party. It was perfect for us, although it’s a bit far from the action.
Pukalani has a swimming pool, pool table, punching bag, BBQ, and decent free WiFi. The family that runs it are super friendly and welcoming. They have a kitchen too – the food was adequate for when you can’t make it into town.
Pukalani “hostel” – photo taken from outside my room. Can you believe this is a hostel?
Location: It’s a short taxi ride, and while it’s walkable during the day, after dark there’s no street lights so you might consider the taxi. At times you might wish you were closer to the restaurants and bars staying in Bocas town, but this location gives you a chance to recharge and actually sleep when some bars are still raging. And did I mention it’s right on the water with a pool?!? It was our home base while island hopping in Bocas del Toro Panama.
A dose of reality –
Keep in mind that it rains quite a bit in Bocas; I was lucky to have a dry week, but I’ve heard that’s not typical. Also, not all beaches are as beautiful as Playa Estrella. We were a little disappointed with the quality of the beaches until we stumbled upon Star Beach. The best part of Bocas was the backpacker community.
Bocas del Toro Panama nighlife!
The best part of Bocas may be the Bocas nightlife, where travelers from around the world all go out and meet each other over a few libations. Check out my post on Bocas after dark.
Many devatas grace the walls. Devata is another word for deva, the Hindu term for deity
