Guide

Temple etiquette and dress

Temple etiquette and dress in Cambodia covers what visitors wear and how they behave at Angkor and at other religious sites. The APSARA National Authority, which manages the Angkor park, has issued the Angkor Visitor Code of Conduct for this.[1][2] This guide gives what these sources said when it was last checked.[1][2]

Worn stone temple steps with four pairs of sandals left in a row, a folded cream shawl and a folded skirt cloth on the rail, a brass water jug and a frangipani branch beside an open carved wooden door
Illustration, as an impression, of stone temple steps with sandals left in a row, a folded shawl and a skirt cloth on the rail.

Dress

UK government travel advice warns that visitors may be turned away from religious sites, Angkor Wat among them, in skirts or shorts above the knee, and that bare shoulders should be covered.[2] Siem Reap.net's summary of the code says the rule applies to men and women alike, and that it is enforced most at the upper level of Angkor Wat.[1]

At the monuments

The code forbids touching carvings, sitting on fragile structures, leaning on temple walls, moving or taking artifacts, and writing graffiti. It asks visitors not to wear backpacks or high heels, carry umbrellas with sharp tips or use tripods inside the temples.[1] Visitors keep out of areas marked off by signs, many of them under restoration, and do not climb on loose stones.[1]

Angkor is a working religious site, so the code asks visitors to speak quietly. Smoking has been banned in the park since 2012, and littering is not allowed.[1] Looting or damaging the monuments, and nudity in a public place, are crimes.[1]

Monks

Visitors may talk with monks. Before taking a photograph of a monk, a visitor asks first and accepts a refusal.[1][2] Women keep a respectful distance from monks, and no visitor touches or hugs a monk or puts an arm around one for a photograph.[1]

Photography and drones

Commercial filming or photography with professional equipment in the Angkor park needs a permit from the APSARA National Authority, and flying a drone needs its written permission in advance.[1] Outside Angkor, UK advice says to ask permission before photographing people, and never to photograph on or near military bases.[2]

See also

References 2
  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Siem Reap.net, Angkor Visitor Code of Conduct (updated October 10, 2026; read October 20, 2026)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Cambodia travel advice: Safety and security (advice updated March 19, 2026; read October 20, 2026)
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This page was last edited on 20 October 2026, at 05:34.