The Morning Light at Ta Prohm: A Walk Among the Trees

A Temple Embraced by the Forest

We set out before sunrise, cycling from Siem Reap town along the quiet road that leads to the Angkor Archaeological Park. The air is cool and damp, carrying the scent of wet earth and frangipani. By the time we reach the west gate of Ta Prohm, the sky has turned pale gold. We are not alone — a handful of other visitors share the moment — but the temple feels vast enough to swallow us all.

Ta Prohm is famous for the strangler figs and silk-cotton trees that have grown over and through its walls for centuries. Their roots, thick as temple columns, snake down carved sandstone and pry apart doorways. The jungle here is not a backdrop; it is an architect. We walk slowly, stepping over fallen laterite blocks and ducking under low lintels. The light shifts constantly, dappling the grey stone with green and amber.

The Roots and the Ruins

The most photographed spot is the eastern courtyard, where a giant tree’s roots cascade over a two-storey wall like a frozen waterfall. We wait our turn, then stand beneath it, craning our necks. The scale is dizzying. Nearby, a smaller tree has wrapped itself around a doorway, leaving just enough space to peek through into a dim, mossy chamber. We hear birdsong and the rustle of leaves, but no traffic, no horns, no generators.

Unlike Angkor Wat or Bayon, Ta Prohm has been left largely unrestored, with fallen stones piled in tidy rows beside the paths. The Conservation d’Angkor has cleared the walkways but left the trees in place, a rare compromise between preservation and the wild. We notice small wooden signs identifying some species: Tetrameles nudiflora, Dipterocarpus alatus. The names feel like poetry.

A Temple of Many Rooms

Ta Prohm was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university. At its peak, it housed over 12,000 people, including monks, students, and servants. Today, we wander through a maze of corridors, courtyards, and collapsed towers. Some rooms are open to the sky, their roofs long gone. Others remain dark and cool, with carvings of devatas and apsaras barely visible in the half-light.

We climb a short, steep stairway to a raised terrace where a single tree grows out of the top of a wall, its roots hanging like a curtain. From here, we can see the jungle stretching to the horizon, interrupted only by the occasional grey peak of another temple. The morning heat is beginning to build, but the shade of the canopy keeps us comfortable.

Getting there

Ta Prohm is inside the Angkor Archaeological Park, about 12 kilometres northeast of Siem Reap town. The easiest way is to hire a tuk-tuk or a bicycle from your guesthouse or hotel. If you cycle, follow the main road past Angkor Wat and take the left turn towards Ta Prohm; the ride takes about 45 minutes. A park pass is required — check locally for current prices and whether you need a multi-day pass. Most visitors come between 7am and 9am, but we recommend arriving at 6am to catch the soft light and fewer crowds. The temple is open from sunrise to sunset.

Good to know

• Wear sturdy shoes; the ground is uneven and some steps are steep and slippery with moss.
• Bring water and insect repellent. There are small stalls near the entrance selling cold drinks and fruit.
• Respect the site: do not climb on the trees or the crumbling walls, and stay on the marked paths.
• If you want quieter corners, walk past the central courtyard towards the back of the temple, where most visitors do not go.Staying in Siem Reap? Bungalow 1955 is nine private apartments around a shared pool, minutes from Angkor — enquire about dates.