Cambodia Travel Guide
The Kingdom of Cambodia’s main claim to fame as far as international tourism goes is, of course, the ancient Khmer capital of Angkor Wat. This well-known UNESCO World Heritage listed temple, most of which was constructed around the 12th century, is the principal drawcard that caused overseas visitor numbers to Cambodia to dramatically increase over the past 20 years.
Since 2001 when scenes in the movie ‘Lara Croft – Tomb Raider’, starring Angelina Joli, were shot at Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm, tourist numbers have risen from around half a million a year to nearly seven million. Combined with the rapid expansion of the outbound mainland Chinese tourism sector, that’s turned Cambodia from a sleepy backwater of Indochina into a country that is crowded with tourists but ill-equipped in terms of infrastructure and services to cope with those numbers.
The iconic sunrise shot of Angkor Wat that most visitors want to capture. Image: © Shane Wongperk
For that reason, many older travellers who have been to Cambodia in the past are leaving the kingdom off their itineraries these days. However, for those who have not been to Cambodia before, it is still worth one visit because Angkor Wat is listed as one of the 7 Wonders of the World, and many travellers include visiting all seven on their bucket lists.
And there is more see in Cambodia than just Angkor. The capital of Phnom Penh with its impressive Royal Palace and adjacent Silver Pagoda attracts many visitors too, and for those who want to spend some time relaxing instead of sightseeing, the islands off the coast near the port city of Sihanoukville have some nice beach resorts at cheaper prices than most other tropical island destinations in Asia.
Siem Reap
As the accommodation base for visits to Angkor, the small city of Siem Reap has grown from a dusty provincial town to the tourism capital of Cambodia. These days it’s a bustling, traffic-clogged city that’s clearly geared to servicing the millions of tourists that pass through on their way to the archaeological zone, with hundreds of hotels, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, massage places and street food outlets.
But it’s more than just a transit point for the temples — it has many attractions of its own including a war museum and landmine museum, where you can learn more about Cambodia’s tragic history, and the interesting APOPO Visitor Centre where you can see how giant African rats are trained to detect landmines.
Restaurants and bars in Siem Reap come alive at dusk. Image: © Wang Sing
There are numerous cultural activities that can be included on a Siem Reap itinerary aside from temple tours. There are 3-4 places in the city where you can see an Apsara classical dance performance — the best and most traditional being at the Divine Sala — and the renowned Phare Circus which features amazing young dancers and acrobats in a vibrant theatrical show that tells Cambodian folk stories.
There are three large night markets in the centre of the city and two on the other side of the river along Achar Sva St including the Made in Cambodia Market where you’ll find higher quality local art and handicrafts. Other less touristy things that you can do in Siem Reap include taking a food tour or Cambodian cookery class, visiting some pagoda cats or joining a jeep safari to explore the countryside around Siem Reap.
Angkor Archeological Park
The UNESCO World Heritage listed Angkor archeological zone comprises over 35,000 hectares and many ancient temples, with Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (which include the Bayon), Preah Khan and Ta Prohm being the ones that are most often visited. The entrance to Angkor Wat is about 5 km north of Siem Reap, so is easy to reach from the city.
You can either book a guided tour through one of the local travel agents, hire a car or tuk-tuk to take you there or hire bicycles and do your own thing. All of the main temples are within a few kilometres of each other, so are not hard to reach, but the days can be hot, so bring plenty of water, and you’ll need to be prepared to climb a lot of stairs if you want to explore some of the temples fully.
The Angkor temples are quite crowded with tourists these days. Image: falco
For older travellers, the best option is to hire an airconditioned car. The driver will take you to each temple, drop you off and be waiting for you when you return to move onto the next one. If you are particularly interested to learn more about history of the temples and want to get the most out of your visit, you can hire a guide as well who will accompany you through the temples and point out many things that you’ll likely miss on your own.
That’s not the cheapest option of course, but it’s the most rewarding. You’ll also need a one or three-day pass to enter the Angkor Archeological Park. Three days is recommended to see all the most interesting temples in the park, and explore them thoroughly, but if ancient temples don’t overly excite you, then one day is sufficient to see the main sights.
Phnom Penh
The capital of Cambodia was once known as the ‘Pearl of Asia’ and one of the loveliest French colonial cities in Southeast Asia, but after being almost destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 at the start of Pol Pot’s three-year-long genocide in which nearly a quarter of the population of the country was murdered – and in many cases tortured as well — it now stands as a legacy of one of the world’s worst crimes against humanity.
Therefore a visit to Phnom Penh would not be complete without spending some time at the Killing Fields and the infamous S21 prison to learn about the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia in the late 70s. It will be a sombre experience but will enable you to fully understand the heartbreaking recent history of the country and appreciate the amazing resilience of the Cambodian people who survived the genocide.
Phnom Penh is growing into a modern city after the ravages of war. Image: Paul Szewczyk
Less gruesome sightseeing options in the capital include the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom, or take a sunset river cruise along the Mekong. The city is well endowed with restaurants, coffee shops and spas catering to international visitors, and there are plenty of cheap eating places and bars around the city for budget travellers.
Phnom Penh doesn’t have much in the way of upmarket shopping but there are plenty of markets where you can buy souvenirs and Cambodian handicrafts. Central Market and the Russian Market are the largest and most well-known, but you can often buy the same things at cheaper prices in some of the smaller markets such as Boeung Keng Kang Market on the southern side of the city centre. For local fruits and produce, the best option is the old market on Preah Ang Eng St.
Sihanoukville
For many years, Sihanoukville was a popular backpacker destination offering some of the cheapest beach accommodation in Southeast Asia, but around 2015 charter flights from mainland China started bringing in tour groups, and now there are over 200 scheduled flights into the city from China every week. The skyline of the city rapidly changed as new hotels and casinos were built to accommodate the influx.
Many of the backpacker bars, cafes, and budget guest houses along Ochheuteal and Otres beaches are still there, but so much of the city now looks like a construction site that it is no longer appealing to many older travellers. However, the city provides a stopping off point for travellers to the offshore islands where you’ll find plenty of opportunities to chill-out on a quiet tropical beach. On the mainland, Independence Beach, not far from the Serendipity Beach Pier ferry station, provides a range of overnight accommodation options away from the busier tourist areas of Sihanoukville.
New hotels under construction along the Sihanoukville shoreline. Image: © Vivid Cafe
There are four offshore islands served by ferry services from Sihanoukville, the most popular being Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem. Both have some excellent beaches that are not overcrowded but Koh Rong, the larger of the two, attracts more backpackers and is known as a ‘party island’.
So if that’s not your scene, you’ll find Koh Rong Samloem the better choice for a laid-back beach holiday. There’s not a lot to do on the island except to relax, swim or snorkel, but you can hire a pedal bike to explore the island, and there’s also a jungle area with hiking trails. It’s mainly budget accommodation on Koh Rong Samloem, but there are several four-star resorts as well that offer excellent value for money.
The pace of life is quieter on Koh Rong Samloem. Image: © Quang Nguyen Vinh
As long as you arrive in Sihanoukville by lunchtime, you’ll be able to skip staying in the city by taking an afternoon ferry across to the islands. Tickets can be booked in advance online or through travel agents in other parts of the city, or you can get them at kiosks near the ferry terminal if you’re travelling on a weekday that’s not in a holiday period.
Kampot
If you are not into beach holidays and prefer to see more of the rural areas of Cambodia, then take a road trip to the river town of Kampot about three hours south of Phnom Penh. Kampot is becoming known as a foodie hub as it has some excellent international restaurants aas well as coffee shops and cafes serving good quality local food.
The town has a good range of accommodation options from 4-star boutique hotels down to riverside bungalows at budget prices. There are also several small but luxury glamping resorts along the river. The nearby Bokor National Park offers wonderful views across the Gulf of Thailand to Phu Quoc in Vietnam, and the opportunity to explore some old temples and abandoned French colonial buildings at cooler temperatures.
Best months to visit Cambodia
Cambodia is hot all year round, and at times oppressively hot. So if you have difficulty coping with the heat it’s best to target the two coolest months — December and January — for a visit. January and February are the driest months while April and May are the hottest months. The heat in those two months can be almost intolerable for some in the interior but is more bearable on the coast and offshore islands where sea breezes help to take the edge off the discomfort.
Towards the end of May when the rainy season usually commences, temperatures start to ease off a little, and the maximums in the following months stay a few degrees cooler than April and May, but the humidity can be much higher.
The wet season extends from June to October with September and October being the wettest months, except in the coastal regions where July and August are the wettest. Most of the rain occurs during the afternoon and evening when thunderstorms build up as part of the southwest monsoon. November is a shoulder month when the rain progressively eases over the course of the month.
Cambodia rarely experiences typhoons but can experience the tail end of tropical storms after typhoons cross Vietnam. These occur mostly towards the end of the wet season and can cause flooding and landslides in some regions.
Currency and exchange rates
The Cambodian currency is called the riel with the symbol KHR being used in banks and at money changers. When the riel was re-introduced in 1980 after the Khmer Rouge abolished the country’s monetary system in 1975, it was valued at four riel to the US dollar. However, as might have been expected in a country recovering from a genocide, the currency rapidly depreciated, and for the past decade has been sitting at around 4,000 riel to the dollar.
In most places frequented by tourists in Cambodia, US dollars are widely accepted, so you won’t need to carry a lot of riel — which is just as well for older travellers because some of the denominations of the notes can be difficult to tell apart because of their similar colour schemes. And the banknotes can be confusing too because most of the denominations have both old and new designs in circulation.
Riel banknotes are issued in 11 different denominations from 50 riels to 100,000 riels. There are also four denominations of coins from 50 riels to 500 riels, but you’ll rarely come across these (although they are still legal tender). You’ll need riels only for small purchases in local shops and markets, and when travelling in rural areas, but when shopping with US dollars, you’ll usually be given change in riels.
The spread between the buy and sell rates in Cambodia is quite small, so you’ll get a fair exchange rate from most money changers as well as in stores that advertise prices in both dollars and riels. As is the case in most of Southeast Asia, you’ll get a better exchange rate from a money changer than from a bank or withdrawing through an ATM, but shop around if you have time for the best quotes.
Header image: Mark Stephens
