Angkor Monkey Temple Tours is a small group of young, professional tour guides, who work together, to share the wonder of the temples, countryside and peoples of the Angkor Wat area.

​

The founder Vuthy Ngouth was born in Battamberg province and moved in 2009 to Siem Reap, where he became a temple boy for the Buddhist monks in Enkosa Pagdoda. Like many from less affluent circumstances temple life uniquely gave him the opportunity to study, including studying Buddhism and English. He was formally ordained as a monk in 2010 and in 2013 was sent to Thailand to deepen his meditation and other monastic practices.

 

After a total of 5 years he left the monkhood as he was offered a scholarship to study a 2 year diploma in the International Hotel and Tourism Management School. After that he did a 6 month internship in the St Regis, Abu Dhabi before returning to Siem Reap. In 2020 he will complete his final year of his 4 year University degree in Hospitality and Tourism Industry Management in Siem Reap, an evening based course.

 

A professionally qualified tour guide, with an Ankor Tour Guide License, he has completed over 200 tours. He is passionate about sharing both his passion for Buddhism and his knowledge of the Angkor temple region with tourists.

​

He works with a select group of young, passionate colleagues of similar backgrounds to share the history and culture of Cambodia with others. All of them are all tour guides by day to self fund their higher education in the evenings. They want to create a better life for themselves and to share the rich cultural heritage of Cambodia. All of them are fun, educated and speak English fluently.

​

Buddhism in Cambodia flourished during the Angkor Kingdom period, particularly during the reign of the Buddhist Khmer king Jayavarman VII. Jayavarman VII ruled from 1181 to 1215 and established Buddhism as the state religion. After the 13th century Theravada Buddhism (one of the oldest Buddhist schools) become one of the religions of Angkor Wat. Until that time the Funan kingdom, which was heavily influenced by India, was predominantly Hindu. The mix of these two religions is evident in the different phases of temple building in and around Siem Reap. Our proessional guides, with their deep understanding of Theravada Buddhism, can give a unique explanation of monastic life as well as the various symbols and stories carved into the many lintels and walls of these ancient temples.

​

"Vuthy was a blast to be with! He speaks perfect English and even though it was raining a good bit of our time, made sure everyone was having fun at the temples and on our backcountry bike ride. He had great answers to all of our questions about Cambodian and Buddhist culture, and even what to do in Siem Riep after our tour was over. Highly recommend, and will be seeing him again next time I’m in Cambodia!" Jacob