Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Cambodia → Prasat Bayon

Location: Siem Reap Area, Cambodia

Time Required: 1 hour

Red Tape/Notes: An Angkor Pass is required to visit all sites within the Angkor Archaeological Park. Passes are sold in one-day ($37), three-day ($62) and seven-day ($72) blocks that must be used on consecutive days. Passes may be purchased at the main entrance on the road to Angkor Wat.

What’s Nearby?: Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan, Angkor Wat

Bayon was built in the late 12th/early 13th century as the official state temple of King Jayavarman VII, and sits in the center of the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom. Bayon is said to be done in the “baroque” style of Khmer architecture, as opposed to Angkor Wat, which is done in the Khmer “classical” style. The style is Bayon is certainly more ornate than Angkor Wat, featuring a multitude of stone faces, generally smiling or looking serenely pleasant. The entire temple site is somewhat compressed, with the second and third enclosure and the upper terrace crowded together creating a rather maze-like effect. Combined with the fact that everywhere you look are stone faces and intricate carvings, this leads to a rather dizzying and chaotic experience that’s somehow not entirely unpleasant. It has a rather exciting and frenzied feel that provides a nice contrast with the mysterious feeling of Ta Prohm and the majestic feel of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Cambodia → Prasat Bayon