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One local crew, two pickups, zero wasted hours. Journey Cambodia has been running temples since 2016. This combo is the only one on our books that hands you back to your own bed in the middle of the day.
The Angkor Sunrise and Phare Circus Combo with Hotel Break folds the two most loved things to do in Siem Reap into one day. A licensed guide collects you between 4:15 and 4:35 am and gets you inside Angkor Wat before the crowds wake up. Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and Bayon follow, and you are back at your hotel by 1:30 pm. That is when the best part starts. Your room, your shower, your pool and a sit down lunch carry you through the hot hours, and at 8 pm you watch Phare, The Cambodian Circus from a seat you picked ahead of time. The Angkor Sunrise and Phare Circus Combo with Hotel Break starts at US$37 per person before hotel and temple pass, and you can see every line of that price further down.
Book the Angkor Sunrise and Phare Circus Combo with Hotel Break and you skip the seven hour hole that ruins most Siem Reap days. It is a proven pattern for a day, and the Angkor Sunrise and Phare Circus Combo with Hotel Break page below breaks the timing, the costs and the seating down to the last dollar.
4:15 to 4:35 am. Hotel pickup, Siem Reap. Your driver waits at the lobby with the air conditioning already running. There is a cold bottle of water and a cool towel on your seat. The pickup zone takes in the whole central Siem Reap area, from the riverside hotels near the Old Market across to the quieter lanes behind Sivatha Boulevard. Bring a torch or a charged phone, because the first part of the morning is dark.
4:50 am. Ticket checkpoint, Angkor Archaeological Park. Your guide shows your one day pass at the gate and the vehicle rolls into the park before the tour buses stack up. This is the US$37 pass you buy yourself from Angkor Enterprise. Get it online before you fly and you skip the counter queue at dawn.
5:30 am. Angkor Wat, eastern gate. You go in through the east gopura, not the crowded west causeway. Torch on, and your guide leads you along the cloistered galleries past the longest stretch of bas relief carvings anywhere in the world. Nobody speaks much in here. The walls do the talking.
6:00 am. The library pool, Angkor Wat. You stop at the edge of the ancient pool beside the two libraries, north and south of the main axis. The sun comes up behind the five towers and lands flat in the water. This is the photo everyone asks about later. Your guide knows where to stand so the crowd is not in your frame.
6:30 to 8:30 am. Inside Angkor Wat. Two full hours in the temple. Corridors, central chambers and the upper terraces that rushed groups never reach. Your guide reads the walls for you: the Churning of the Ocean of Milk in the east gallery, the army of Suryavarman II marching along the south, the heavens and the hells carved below them. Eight hundred years of Khmer Empire history, decoded out loud.
9:00 am. Breakfast stop outside the park. Sit down at a local restaurant just beyond the temple grounds, or eat the takeaway pack your hotel made for you. Either way, eat something. The next stretch is hot and busy.
9:30 am. Ta Prohm. The jungle temple, and the one people remember longest. Silk cotton trees and strangler figs grow straight through the stone walls. It looks much as the French explorer Henri Mouhot found it in the 1850s. Your guide will point out the doorways used in the Tomb Raider film.
10:30 am. Angkor Thom. Into the last great city of the Khmer Empire. You pass the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants on the way, both carved with processions of elephants and guards. Most minibuses go straight past these. You get out and walk them.
11:00 am. Bayon Temple. More than 200 huge stone faces stare down from the towers, and every single one is different. Historians still argue whether the faces show King Jayavarman VII himself or the Buddha of compassion. Your guide has a view, and you will want to hear it.
11:30 am. Southern Gate of Angkor Thom. The last stop of the temple morning. A causeway flanked by 54 gods on the left and 54 demons on the right, all of them pulling a giant serpent in stone. Most visitors take one photo from the bus window. You walk the whole causeway.
12:30 to 1:30 pm. Back at your hotel, Siem Reap. Your room is made up and waiting. Shower, get dressed, eat lunch at the hotel, then swim or sleep until you feel human again. This is the part that saves the evening.
5:15 pm. Second pickup at your hotel. Freshened up and out the door. Same team, same booking, different mood.
5:30 pm. Phare, The Cambodian Circus, Sok San Road. The gates open an hour and a half before the show. Cambodian street food, drink specials, live pre show music, and the Phare Boutique full of paintings and crafts made by students at the school. Eat dinner here if you like. The Phare Cafe runs from fish amok to beef kroeung.
8:00 pm. The big top at Phare. One hour of theatre, music, dance and contemporary circus arts, telling Cambodian stories both old and new. The performers are students and graduates of Phare Ponleu Selpak, the arts school in Battambang founded in 1994 by nine young men coming home from a refugee camp. Shows rotate, so the act you see may be Khmer Metal, Sokha or another title from the current season.
9:00 pm. Phare grounds. The cast comes out after the show for photos and a chat. Stay ten minutes. It is the part most ticket holders miss because they head straight for the car park.
9:30 pm. Drop off at your hotel, Pub Street or the Old Market. Tell your driver on the night. Some guests go straight to bed. Others keep the evening going along Pub Street and the night market. Both are fine.
Two things worth knowing about this timing. First, the sunrise window moves with the season, so your exact pickup time is confirmed the day before you travel. Second, the run above is the small group version. A private Angkor guide can stretch the temple stops, add Banteay Srei, or swap Ta Prohm for Preah Khan if you say so at booking.
Total day. About 17 hours, from the 4:15 am pickup to the 9:30 pm drop off. Yes, that is a long day. The hotel break in the middle is what makes it work.
Group size for Sunrise Tour. Maximum 15 travelers in the small group version, in an air conditioned minibus. Private is available on request if you want the guide to yourself.
Guide. A licensed English speaking guide for the temple morning, the same person from your hotel door to the Southern Gate of Angkor Thom. Our team also runs tours in German, Spanish, French and Italian, so say the word at booking.
Vehicle. Air conditioned minibus for small groups, private car or minivan for private bookings. Cold water and cool towels come with both, and the reviews mention those towels more than anything else.
Hotel break, 1:30 pm to 5:15 pm. A day use room at your Siem Reap hotel, with shower, air conditioning and pool access. Lunch at the hotel is included. Book the overnight version and the room becomes yours for the night instead.
Circus seats. Phare sells three tiers. Section A is US$38 per adult with reserved seating in the front three rows of the middle section and a refillable water bottle. Section B is US$28 for open seating in the rear three rows of the middle section. Section C is US$18 for open seating in the two side sections, where a few spots have a partly blocked view.
Children at the circus. Ages 5 to 11 pay US$18 in Section A, US$15 in Section B or US$10 in Section C. Under 5 get in free on a lap.
Children at the temples. Under 8 years old are not permitted on the Angkor Wat sunrise tour. That rule comes from the park, not from us.
Angkor temple pass. US$37 for a one day pass, US$62 for three days and US$72 for seven. Paid to Angkor Enterprise, not to Journey Cambodia. Buy it online before you fly and skip the counter queue at 4:50 am.
Package from. US$37 per person for the small group sunrise tour plus a Section C circus ticket, before the hotel break and the temple pass. Private versions start higher.
Booking lead time. 48 hours gets you the best guide choice. From November to March the sunrise slots go first, so book earlier in peak season.
✅ Licensed English speaking guide for the sunrise tour.
✅ Air conditioned minibus with cold water and cool towels all morning.
✅ Hotel pickup and drop off for the temple leg.
✅ Hotel day use room, shower and pool access from 1:30 pm to 5:15 pm.
✅ Lunch at the hotel.
✅ Your Phare, The Cambodian Circus ticket in the section you chose.
✅ Second pickup, circus transfer and return drop off.
✅ All government taxes and service charges.
Pack light, because you are on your feet for hours before the Angkor Sunrise and Phare Circus Combo with Hotel Break gives you a bed.
Leave your airline tickets, passport and the bulk of your cash at the hotel.
Terms & Conditions
Journey Cambodia’s Terms & Conditions
Cancellation Policy
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Good Reads and Helpful Resources
• Secure your temple access with our complete guide: Get Your Angkor Ticket Now
• Stay updated on the latest travel requirements: Cambodia Entry Rules
• Plan your comfort breaks and dining options: Angkor Archaeological Park facilities
• Budget smart for this spectacular jungle temple: Beng Mealea Entrance Fee
• Access pricing for the remote pyramid temple: Koh Ker Temple pass
• Waterfall and temple combo ticket information: Kulen Mountain Ticket
• Complete your digital arrival process before flying: Cambodia e arrival card
$37
The Angkor Sunrise and Phare Circus Combo with Hotel Break is a one day Siem Reap package from Journey Cambodia that joins a guided Angkor Wat sunrise tour with a hotel day use break and an evening seat at Phare, The Cambodian Circus. The temple leg covers Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and Bayon with a licensed guide and an air conditioned minibus. The break gives you a room, a shower, a pool and lunch from 1:30 pm to 5:15 pm. The evening leg includes your circus ticket and both transfers. Prices start at US$37 per person before the US$37 Angkor temple pass and your hotel rate. Journeys run daily, small group up to 15 travellers or private, with pickup between 4:15 and 4:35 am and drop off around 9:30 pm.
$19
