I spent around 18 days in Cambodia, this blog will explore my route, top tips and things to do. Cambodia has a variety of landscapes, culture and experiences to explore, from the temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, to the white sand beaches of Koh Rong.
Introduction
Cambodia is popular with backpackers due to being placed between Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It has many ways to access the country whether you fly or via land. I went to Cambodia after Laos, and before Vietnam. Entering and exiting both via mini bus. It is an affordable country to travel, although I found some aspects slightly more expensive than other parts of Southeast Asia.
Why Cambodia?
Cambodia is an affordable part of Asia to travel. Accomodation, local food and tuk tuks are all very reasonably priced; with some hostels costing you less than £5, meals potentially costing you as little as £3 and a tuk tuk can be as cheap as a $1. There is good transport links making it easy to get from one place to the next, although I did find journeys more expensive than Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
Cambodia is full of rich, cultural history, especially the temples in Siem Reap – you’ll be in awe and disbelief. There is so much to see and do and the variety allows you to go from rice fields and lotus farms, to tropical islands with white sand beaches. You can learn about the sad history of the county in Phnom Penh at the Killing Fields and go on treks through beautiful nature.
When To Visit?
One important thing to consider is Cambodia’s weather. Like a lot of Southeast Asia, Cambodia has wet season and dry season which can be one extreme to the next. Wet season typically is from May to October, with it peaking June to September. Humidity can be pretty high due to the increased water in the air and so storms are more likely. Dry season therefore is November to April, and if you want to avoid the rain, I would say this is the best time to visit Cambodia.
When I travelled here, due to my schedule I was in the country in June. I was pretty lucky with the weather in most places although I experienced storms in some, and extremely heavy rain on the islands. When I was on Koh Rong Samloem, it was so heavy all day to the point we had to sit inside and play cards for most of our time there – which isn’t what you want on a tropical islands with a beautiful beach. There was one morning where the weather seemed to clear, so we went on a trek to a lighthouse, however it started chucking it down on our way back and my phone got wet in my bag and broke! RIP my iPhone 11.
You should also look into any festivals in the country to see if they are of any interest or may disrupt travel!
Cambodia Route: My Suggested Itinerary
This is the route I took which a lot of backpackers also similarly follow, or do in reverse. I entered from Laos, but if you enter from Vietnam or fly in, you may start in Phnom Penh rather then Siem Reap.
- Siem Reap: I spent x3 nights here and felt that was the minimum amount I’d want. I could maybe do another night or two but I feel x3 nights is the perfect balance.
- Battambang: we booked x1 night here but ended up leaving after we did the bamboo train as we didn’t realise how long our journey would be to the next place. I personally would skip here if I went back.
- Koh Rong: I spent x3 nights here. There isn’t loads to do here and the island is pretty basic. I felt x3 nights was plenty but if you wanted to spend a few more days in paradise sunbathing then you could. Try to time your stay on the island on a Saturday if you want to go to Nestival.
- Koh Rong Samloem: x3 nights also. As mentioned before, it rained a lot of the time I was here so didn’t get to experience everything the island had to offer, but I still enjoyed myself. Again, if you wanted to stay in Paradise a bit longer then you could.
- Kampot: x2 nights. I enjoyed my time here, but don’t think I would spend too much longer than x2 or x3 nights.
- Phnom Penh: I was meeting up with friends here so spent x4 nights. However, I would have been happy with x3 nights if I wasn’t with friends.
Must-see Things To Do In Cambodia
Siem Reap
Angkor Wat and the Angkor Archaeological Park
This is probably the famous thing to do in Cambodia, and definitely worth it. I was surprised by the price of it ($40), especially coming from Thailand and Laos where tours are much cheaper. However, the historical importance of it and outright amazement of it make it worth it. In a lot of Southeast Asia, tour guides can actually be scams or not worth the money, however, I would highly recommend getting one of the official tour guides at Angkor Wat. We didn’t get one but overheard a few talking to people and they were saying very interesting facts and information – I do feel like we missed out a little bit! I recommend getting up super early and going for sunrise – it also helps to try do a few of the temples before it gets really hot. We were walking around for hours! Don’t just do Angkor Wat – we hired a local tuk tuk driver to take us around lots of the temples. Two personal favourites of mine other than Angkor Wat were the Bayon temple and Ta Prohm.
Not massively well known but a very wholesome and enjoyable activity. I really enjoyed this and loved learning about the important work they do. They grow lotus and use the stem to make a sustainable thread. This is then used in textiles, some of which are available to buy in their gift shop. There are two tours you can do, one where they explain what they do and show you how they do it, and another is a boat trip through their lotus farm. Our very sweet boat driver made us a lotus necklace and bouquet. There are workshops you can do also, and they give you lotus tea and lotus seed biscuits after your tour. The farm provides decent jobs for vulnerable Cambodian women in rural areas and is fair trade.
Pub Street
If you want a bit of a classic Southeast Asian night out that feels like you’re on a tacky strip somewhere, then this is for you!
Battambang
Bamboo Train
The main thing to do here in Battambang is the bamboo train. I personally was very underwhelmed by this and didn’t think it was worth it, however, it is something to experience if you wish to do it! Just be prepared to be approached by local children and people trying to sell you things such as bracelets before, half way and after.
Koh Rong & Koh Rong Samloem
White sand beaches
Some of the most beautiful beaches I visited were here. It’s the perfect place to just relax, sun bathe, swim, drink cocktails and live the island life for a few days. However, be prepared that a lot of the accommodation options here are very basic and there isn’t a huge variety or top quality of restaurants. Our hostel (Onederz) on Koh Rong Samloem was much nicer than where we stayed in Koh Rong, but there is more to do on Koh Rong. Also beware of the sand flies!! They are demons. They bite much more than mosquitos and their bites are so much more itchy – I looked like I had chicken pox by the time I left!
Nestival – Koh Rong
This was a lot of fun! You have to time your trip to make sure you are there over a Saturday to be able to go. It is basically a beach festival run by Nest Hostel, with UV paint, paints and lots of alcohol. You need a team to compete (or you can just be a spectator) in the games.
Kampot
The Pepper Plantation
I surprisingly really enjoyed this. Kampot pepper is famous in the food industry worldwide. While there, you get a in-depth tour of the plantation and learn about the different peppercorns and plants. Afterwards, you will get to taste a variety of peppercorns and spices, among other things. You can then buy items from the gift shop if you wish and sign up for their newsletter to get recipes. Kampot is also famous for its seafood and crab, so make sure you try!
Water Park
Most people go to the Arcadia water park, however, we had heard bad things so we went to River Park. We had so much fun and it was absolutely hilarious. There is a blow up adventure course as well as a huge slide you go down on a rubber ring.
Phnom Penh
Killing Fields & S-21 Prison
A must-do in Phnom Penh is the Killing Fields and S-21 prison. It is a very tough day but so important to learn the sad history of the country, and what people had to overcome. The stories you hear are shocking and will probably stay with you. I was so surprised I hadn’t learnt about this before.
Other
There’s lot of markets you can visit, as well as the museum and pagoda.
Budgeting for Your Trip: How to Travel Cambodia on a Budget
Cambodia is definitely an affordable place to travel, but it can get expensive if you aren’t careful, so here are some of my top tips:
- Eat at local restaurants rather than Western ones. You can get some yummy local food, don’t be scared to eat it, and it is often much cheaper.
- Do your research and look around! Whether it’s restaurants, transport, accomodation, etc.
- Haggle! It is a common practise in Asia, so don’t be scared. You can haggle with tuk tuk drivers, booking transport, markets and souvenirs. Also, if you are booking in a group you can often get better deals.
- Book transport at local transport hubs, shops or where you are staying as you can often haggle the price and get a better deal than online.
- Stay in hostels and guesthouses. We stayed in some really nice hostels for as low as £3 a night.
- Use local transport such as mini buses, sleeper buses and ferries.
- When you book accommodation, look at location and whether it is walking distance from main attractions, restaurants, bars, shops, etc. This will save you the cost of a tuk tuk everytime you want to go somewhere.
Safety Tips
While I felt safe the majority of my time, I did hear horror stories and things to be careful of that sadly are quite common experiences for tourists.
There are a few different scams, one where people will pretend to be tuk tuk drivers and then drive you out to the middle of nowhere and rob you. Another where they will steal your phone and throw it into the bushes – however, it is often a decoy phone so you go chase it and then drive away with your real phone. I recommend that, if your accommodation offers tuk tuk drivers, to book through them, or ask for trusted numbers. You can also use apps like Grab in cities which is much safer!
Be super vigilant with your belongings, especially at night and if you are coming from a night out. Some people I saw had been beaten up pretty bad (they don’t care about gender either), and will steal your belongings. Tuk tuks may also ask to see where you are staying on maps on your phone and then drive off with your phone – so make sure you don’t hand it over, or get a phone strap that is attached to you.
Be vigilant with your drinks! People can often be spiked so always keep an eye on it and sealed bottles are often better.
Sadly, a lot of Cambodian people are struggling and are quite poor, so you will often come across people begging on the streets with their children. It is recommended not to give children money as it teaches parents they are more valuable on the street than in school – but nevertheless it is still hard!
Despite all of this, I found Cambodian people some of the friendliest I encountered on my travels!
Helpful Tips and Info
Cambodia Visa
You can do an e-Visa, however, I did mine on arrival. Make sure you have dollars as this is the currency you need to buy your visa, but make sure you bring extra as they are a little cheeky and make up fees to charge tourists. You can argue against it, but they make keep you for a while until you give up or they give in, and you may miss your bus transfer. So, for the sake of a few dollars, it isn’t really worth the argument. It costs around $40.
Cambodian Sim Card
I got a sim card on arrival from a local shop that we asked our tuk tuk driver to take us to, they are cheap and easy to set up. You may also be able to find an e-sim if this is your preference.
Cambodian Currency
In Cambodia they use riel and dollar. Most things will be priced in dollars but you can still pay in riel. When I was there they tended to charge you 4,000 Riel for $1. Therefore, I preferred to pay in riel as they give you a slightly better exchange rate. Like most countries in Asia, I would get money out at the local ATMs, but they do charge you a fee for every withdrawal so make sure you go to an ATM that allows for larger sums (some withdrawal limits were quite small). Most will offer you riel or dollar withdrawals.
Cambodia is country with such a diverse landscape, rich history, cultural heritage and friendly people. It is definitely somewhere to visit on your trip! Check out my other blogs on countries I visited in Asia too.
