A follow up from our Siem Reap blog announcing the town has closed for a possible lockdown, with hardly any tourists in the region this has left Angkor Wat totally deserted and making for an incredibly rare and perfect opportunity for photos. Yes we got an empty Angkor Wat!
Since the 26th of February, 2020 to help combat the huge drop in tourism due to COVID-19, the local authorities have decided to add free extensions to the admission tickets for Angkor Wat.
1 day pass is now available for 2 days for $37
3 days pass is now available for 5 days for $62
7 days pass is now available for 10 days for $72
Angkor Wat which sees a little over 2.6 million tourists a year, roughly over 7000 tourists a day and generated a $116 million in revenue in 2018 but saw a decrease to $99 million for 2019.
Here’s what YPT guides Rowan & Nic experienced over the weekend, what should have been the busiest time to visit the temple grounds.
1. The classic photo of Angkor Wat which usually sees herds of tourists standing in front of the reflective pond taking photos. Not a soul was in sight.
2. Passing under the gate which I remember with my first visit back in 2015 that had a line of tuk-tuks and busses as only one vehicle can pass at a time due to the narrow width of the gate.
3. The main road outside of Angkor Thom
4. An empty corridor located inside Ta Prohm Temple
5. No need to wait for tourists to clear the photo, snapping this was too easy.
6. Overgrown in Ta Prohm Temple
7. Nic not needing to worry about the line of tourists
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