Asia - Angkor Temple 3 Day Pass Confusion

There are now (actually, since early April, 2009) two versions of three-day passes for the Angkor sites:

the old three consecutive days pass
three-days-valid-over-a-week pass.


The three consecutive days pass only needs to be punched once at the ticket office.

The seven-day pass has to be returned to the ticket booth to be punched each day it's used.

If you, or your guide, buy the wrong pass, it can't be exchanged. Of course it can't be exchanged. Why would you think it could? I suppose you could get a rocket launcher from the range outside of town and come back with it to reason with the staff.

In July of this year, I asked different staff members about the 3 days within a week (new) version of the pass, and they all denied its existence, despite the fact that local expats had told me it was available. Moral: many of the employees may be clueless, even after months of this puppy being a viable option. If you want this pass and not the traditional 3-consecutive-days pass, be prepared to spend a bit of time at the ticket booths until you find someone who can satisfy you. And be sure you understand how the punching works on it. Hopefully, by 2010, all the staff there will have this sussed out.