The Kingdom of Cambodia can finally welcome visitors with open arms! After about 25 years behind closed doors, Cambodia is now a safe, stable country at peace and as such is an excellent destination for tourists. Kampuchea, as it is known by local Khmers, is a country in transition. Though it sees an increasing number of visitors every year and changes rapidly to accommodate them, it is still unspoiled by regional standards.Visiting Cambodia today not only means being able to see places that have been virtually untouched by the outside world for decades but also helping the people of this embattled country come out from under years of war and strife to rebuild their lives and renew their communities. In Cambodia you can go temple trekking, bird watching, river cruising, beach bathing or dirt biking and, of course, you can always just stroll about, eat and shop.
Below is a useful - though by no means exhaustive - collection of travel information for visitors to Cambodia, including suggestions on where and when to go to Cambodia, visa requirements, money used, information about Cambodian food and drink as well as a handy Travelers' Dos and Don'ts list. Link to the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap City Guides and pages for more details on those cities and to book your accommodation or, to be more fully informed, use our Useful Links pages to access other sites with more detailed information on Cambodia.
Where to go in Cambodia?
Phnom Penh
As Cambodia's capital city and commercial and political center, Phnom Penh offers the most dramatic display of changes with its boom in restaurants, shops, pubs and nightlife spots as well as hotels and guesthouses to accommodate the increasing number of visitors and expats. Located at the confluence of three waterways, the Tonlé Sap, Tonlé Bassac and mighty Mekong River, Phnom Penh offers visitors a glimpse of a country seized by dramatic changes.In addition to the tourist sites, the city has some of the best shopping and eating establishments available in the country including some run by aid organizations to fund humanitarian projects. Phnom Penh is a great place to take in at leisure so soak in the atmosphere: take a boat tour on the river or stroll along the lovely riverbanks, sample the local cuisine at sidewalk restaurants, bargain for handicrafts at the open markets and observe and appreciate how the local Khmers go about their everyday lives in peace. See our Phnom Penh City Guide for more details.
Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
Whereas Phnom Penh is Cambodia's commercial and political center, Siem Reap is the country's cultural and spiritual heartland - perhaps because the Angkor-era temples are such an important reminder to the Khmers of their once glorious history. The Angkor archeological park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, naturally, the major attraction in Siem Reap.Tours, transportation and multilingual guides are all available to meet the demands of temple-trekking tourists. Everything from 5-star hotels to budget guesthouses have popped up all over Siem Reap to accommodate the increasing number of visitors and restaurants, internet cafés, photo shops, pubs and discos have followed suit. It is second only to Phnom Penh for shopping and dining. As the center of Cambodia's cultural revival, Siem Reap is also perhaps the best place to see a traditional Khmer apsara dance, performed at several hotels and restaurants throughout the town.
Likewise, visitors can visit a silk farm where traditional Khmer textiles are produced and observe the making of shadow puppets, and traditional wood and stone carvings. Visitors can also take boat tours on the Tonlé Sap Lake or go outside of Siem Reap a bit to visit traditional floating fishing villages and a bird sanctuary. See our Siem Reap City Guide for more details.
Battambang
A scenic river trip from Siem Reap will bring you to Cambodia's second largest city and "rice bowl", Battambang - an elegant, provincial, riverside town with French colonial and traditional Cambodian structures. Not far outside of town are old pagodas, Angkorian era ruins, caves, waterfalls, and unspoiled, picturesque countryside.
Sihanoukville
Cut out of the jungle to be a port city in the 1950's, Sihanoukville (sometimes called Kompong Som) today is the country's most popular beach getaway and fairly modern compared to most of Cambodia's towns. Locals and foreigners come from Phnom Penh, particularly on the weekends to the beach town's four, white sand beaches, virtually untouched offshore islands, two 24-hour casinos, budding nightlife and ample selection of restaurants serving a range of international fare as well as fresh seafood. To accommodate the influx, the town offers a lot of cheap and mid-range hotels and guesthouses as well as a new resort complex. When to go to Cambodia?
In terms of weather, Cambodia has four seasons: November to February is the cool/dry season, March to May is the hot/dry season, June to August is the hot/wet season and September to October is the cool/wet season. If you have a choice, the cool and dry season from November to February is probably the best time to visit as the lack of rain makes transit easier (particularly if you are going to provincial sites where roads may be substandard) and the not-too-hot weather is pleasant for sightseeing and hanging about.
The rainy season can make traveling on less than perfect roadways even more difficult and dampen a beach trip in Sihanoukville, however, the rains are predictable - a few hours in the afternoon - and can make temples appear even more beautiful, especially as the ponds around the temples fill up. While still magnificent to behold, visiting the Angkorian temples during the hot dry season can be difficult on the body (particularly midday), foliage is dead, the grounds are parched and ponds are all dried up.
In terms of festivals and holidays to take into account when deciding when is best to visit Cambodia, there are a few to consider. Chaul Chnam is the three day celebration of the Khmer New Year which usually occurs mid-April. The country is lively during this time and passersby are often doused with water and talcum powder, not entirely unpleasant given the seasonal heat. Angkor Wat becomes extremely crowded at this time with many locals coming to pay a visit.
The Bon Om Tuk is the Water Festival that usually occurs in November and turns particularly Phnom Penh but also Siem Reap into large, festive carnivals. There are colorful and exciting boat races held in the waterways, concerts, fireworks, rides, food vendors and people everywhere.
It is an exciting time but avoid it if you are looking for a laid back atmosphere. Also note that during the Chinese and Vietnamese lunar new year that takes place somewhere between late January and mid-February, many shops and businesses may close since many of their owners are ethnic Chinese.
Visas to Cambodia
Philippine and Malaysian citizens can transit in Cambodia for 21 and 30 days respectively without a visa but all other nationalities are required to have a visa upon entering Cambodia. Visas are available upon arrival at both international airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and some land crossings but not all. It is $20 for a 1 month tourist visa and $25 for a business visa which is good for 3 months and can be extended multiple times. You will need a passport that is valid for at least the next 6 months and 1 passport photo.
For overland entries, visas are available upon arrival at the Vietnamese (Bavet and Kaam Samnor) and Thai border crossings (Poipet and Krong Koh Kong) but not the Lao crossings (Koh Chheuteal Thom or Dom Kralor). Note that at the Thai crossings at Poipet and Krong Koh Kong, it is 1000 Baht for a tourist visa and 1500 Baht for a business visa, which is higher than the standard rate elsewhere, and border officials may refuse US dollars.
Beware: do not be scammed by drivers or others who insist you need their help to get a visa, guards claiming there is a fee for a SARS form or immigration police overcharging for the visas. Particularly for the latter two, it is probably more effective to refuse politely, pretend to not understand or ask for a receipt (which they wouldn't be able to produce for false fees) rather than losing your temper or shouting.
Renew your visa through a travel agent or the Department of Immigration on Airport Road (Confederation de Russie) opposite the Phnom Penh International Airport.
Tourist can now apply for the Visa to Cambodia online without going to the nearest embassy. This service is available at USD25 for entering through Phnom Penh and Siem Reap international airport. To get more information, please visit http://www.mfaic.gov.kh
Money in Cambodia
The local currency in Cambodian is called the Riel but for money in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and most of the larger towns, you can almost always use US dollars. It is quite easy to exchange even small bills of USD for Riel in restaurants, shops, markets, hotels and guesthouses, but be sure the USD bills you use and receive in change are fairly clean and free of tears as old bills are often not accepted. Riel are often handy for paying for small things like motor fares.
Other currencies don't receive as favorable an exchange rate and are usually only exchangeable through banks. Thai Baht is as popular as USD in some towns in the west of Cambodia but in particularly remote areas, you may be more limited to the Riel. Except for upper end hotels and restaurants or if you're purchasing airfare and big ticket items, most places do not accept credit cards. Travelers checks are accepted at some hotels and can be exchanged at banks. There are no ATMs in Cambodia for withdrawing cash though cash advances can be made on credit cards for a fee.
Cambodian Food and Drink
Khmer food is said to be similar to Thai and Lao food especially in its abundant use of coriander, mint leaves and lemon grass, but less spicy overall compared to Thai food. More unique to Cambodia, prahoc is a spicy, pungent, fermented fish paste condiment very popular with Cambodians but difficult for most foreigners to tolerate.
Some popular Khmer dishes that are a must for gastronomes are khao phoune, a dish made with fine rice noodles in a coconut-based sauce, and trey aing which is grilled fish, pieces of which are eaten wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and dipped in a fish sauce condiment with peanuts.
Rice is the staple and freshwater fish from the Tonlé Sap lake or river or Mekong River is the most popular source of protein, with chicken, pork and beef being far less common. Tropical fruits are abundant including pineapple, mangoes, durian, jackfruit, mangosteen, rambutan, bananas and coconut.
Popular drinks include soda water with lemon and sugar, coconut juice and an alcohol made of fermented palm sugar. Tukaloks are smoothies made of fruit, sugar and often an egg but you can request less sugar - they can be very sweet - or no egg, if you don't need the extra frothiness. Markets are one of the best and cheapest places to sample authentic Cambodian food, and snacks, desserts, fruit and drinks can often be gotten from individual stalls or walking vendors.
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