Cambodia travel information
The Kingdom of Cambodia is a small country on mainland Southeast Asia. It shares a border with Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, Thailand to the west and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. After a civil war that plunged the country into the darkest of horrors, Cambodia is racing to make up for lost time. The main pillar of its economy is tourism, and Cambodia holds a trump card on this field. With some of the most breathtaking ancient architecture on this part of the planet, Cambodia is seeing a beeline of tourists, totalling 1.7 million in 2006. New tourist infrastructure, from airport terminal to accommodation, is sprouting up in the town of Siem Reap, Cambodia's tourist mecca.
Birds at the Tonle Sap, Cambodia
by Timothy Tye, AsiaExplorers
The travel destinations in Cambodia:
Phnom Penh, the capital
Battambang, the second biggest town in Cambodia
Siem Reap, the gateway to the ruins of Angkor
Sihanoukville, the seaside resort town, also known as Kompong Som
Banlung, northeastern provincial capital in close proximity to waterfalls and national parks
Kep, resort town
Kratie, river town for tours of the Mekong, to view endangered river dolphins
When to visit Cambodia
The best time to visit is between December and February, when the weather is dry and not too hot. It gets hotter by March, climaxing in April, when the mercury soars
past 40°C.
Travel warning
Never stray off the beaten path in Cambodia. The threat of landmines is still very real, and many unfortunate people - usually farmers - have lost limbs and lives for putting their foot at the wrong place.
What to wear in Cambodia
Lightweight clothing is preferred any time of the year. Cambodia rarely gets cold enough to require heavy clothing.
Getting into Cambodia
The two international airports are in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
Cambodia Entry Requirements
All visitors except nationals of Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Laos require a visa. A tourist visa costs US$25 and are avilable at the airport upon arrival.
Where to stay in Cambodia
Click on the name of the towns listed below to view hostels and budget accommodation available for booking there.
User Feedback on Accommodation
We compile the accommodation listing above with the good faith that it will be useful to you. If you have used any of the accommodation listed above, please write to us with your feedback, whether you enjoyed your stay there or not, and we will share it with others. Your feedback will benefit others when they choose their accommodation. We will not de-list any of the accommodation just because of a negative feedback from anybody, but will let you decide for yourself based on the feedback you read. User feedback is listed in http://www.earthdocumentary.com/hostel_feedback.htm
Getting around in Cambodia
There are regular flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, the two main travel destinations. Within the city, the most common form of transport are the cyclos (tricycles), motodops (motorcycle taxis) and tuk tuk.
North Gopura of Angkor Thom, Cambodia
by Timothy Tye, AsiaExplorers
Where to go in Cambodia
In Phnom Penh:
Visit the Royal Palace, with its Silver Pagoda
Visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, followed by the Cheoung Ek Killing Field Memorial, to grasp the horror of the civil war
Visit Wat Phnom, the temple that gives its name to Phnom Penh
Make a trip to Oudong, a former capital close to Phnom Penh
In Siem Reap:
Spend a few days exploring the temples of Angkor. There are over three dozen to choose from, and the number visited depends on the amount of time on your hands and your interest.
Take a lake cruise on the Tonle Sap
Make a trip out of Siem Reap to visit Kbal Spean, to view ancient carvings on the riverbed.
Climb Phnom Krom for a panoramic view of Tonle Sap and rural Cambodia
Other sights
Relax on the beach at Sihanoukville
Visit the hill tribes at Rattanakiri province
Sightseeing Tours of Cambodia
The following are local tours that are available for you to book:
PHNOM PENH Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
SIEM REAP Sightseeing Tours Events & Attractions from Viator
Money matters in Cambodia
The currency used in Cambodia is called the Riel (KHR, symbol CR). Banknotes come in denominations of CR100, CR200, CR500, CR1000, CR2,000, CR5,000, CR10,000, CR20,000, CR50,000 and CR100,000. Coins are not used. Banking hours are 8:00am to 3:00pm Mondays to Fridays, with some banks opened on Saturdays until 12:00 noon.
This article is researched and written by Timothy Tye. The content is available under GNU Free Documentation License. Wikipedia is cited as one of the sources. Photographs appearing on this website are governed by licenses as captioned below them and can only be used under terms of the specific licensing terms. Copyrighted photographs may not be reused unless you first obtain permission from the owner. Photographs without licensing terms captioned are owned by the author. Click here for licensing terms of the author's photographs. EarthDocumentary disclaim responsible for the use of information on this website. The author is a Christian. Click here if you are interested to know more about his Christian beliefs. To contact EarthDocumentary, use the following email address:
