Everyone and their Instagram account queues up at 5am for Angkor Wat sunrise, creating a shoulder-to-shoulder situation that looks more like a concert venue than a spiritual experience. You're competing with 2000+ people for the same reflection shot, and honestly, the photos all look identical anyway.

Pre Rup temple on the Grand Circuit offers better sunrise lighting with 90% fewer selfie sticks. The orange sandstone glows incredible in early morning light, and you can actually move around to frame your shots properly. It's a 15-minute tuk-tuk ride from Angkor Wat, so most tour groups skip it entirely.

If you absolutely must do the Angkor Wat thing, skip the 5am stampede and go around 7:15am instead. The morning light hitting the towers is actually more photogenic than the sunrise silhouette, plus you'll have space to breathe and compose shots without someone's selfie stick in your frame.

Download the Angkor Digital Guide app for offline temple maps — Cell coverage gets spotty in the outer temple areas and you don't want to rely on your tuk-tuk driver's sense of direction when you're trying to catch golden hour at Ta Prohm.