Cambodia

What to see

Phnom Penh

Cambodia’s vibrant capital with a scarred and frequently violent history still retains a flavour of its French colonial past. The remarkable Royal Palace and iconic Silver Pagoda seem at odds with Cambodia’s poverty but demand your attention.

Sihanoukville

Cambodia’s only maritime port has a relaxed vibe. Come to escape the tourists and relax on one of its attractive beaches, or take advantage of the snorkelling and diving just offshore.

Angkor Wat

The remnants of a once mighty Khmer city, Angkor is Cambodia’s most celebrated attraction. Made up of around a hundred temples, the centrepiece is Angkor Wat itself, but set out to explore Ta Prohm, the Bayon, Banteay Srei or any of the other atmospheric, less-frequented sites to discover the beauty, craftsmanship and skill displayed by the Khmer architects.

Kratie

This small town, on the Mekong River, is an attractive destination in its own right and boasts a bustling market but the real reason to visit is to see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins that live in the river.

Top experiences / sites of particular interest

Tonlé Sap and Mekong River

Take a scenic boat trip or ferry ride to explore Cambodia’s Great Lake and the mighty river that runs through it, giving you the chance to see traditional village life, both on the banks and in the floating communities such as Kompong Luong.

Prasat Preah Vihear

The ultimate mountain temple with stunning stone sanctuaries and breathtaking views compensating for the extremely difficult overland journey required to get there.

Udong

An ancient capital and site of several stupas that is rarely visited by tourists. There is also a memorial here to the victims of Pol Pot, containing the bones of some of the people murdered and buried in the mass graves nearby.

Bokor

The ghostly hill station in this national park was an old colonial retreat. Its commanding, strategic location meant that it was taken over by the Vietnamese and then the Khmer Rouge.

Tuol Sleng

And the killing fields A former school converted into the notorious S-21 prison by the Khmer Rouge. Scene of some brutal torture and horrific murder, it is a chilling vision of the atrocities committed in Pol Pot’s name. Prisoners were then taken to the Killing Fields at Cheoung Ek, where they were murdered and thrown into mass graves. A visit to these genocide memorials is harrowing but essential to understand Cambodia’s past.

When to go

The country has a tropical monsoon climate, with the heavy monsoon rains falling from June to October. Avoid these by travelling during the dry season from November to May. The ideal time to visit is December and January when humidity levels are relatively low, there is little rain and a cooling breeze hustles across the country.

Celebrate the end of the rainy season by attending the festival of Bon Om Tuk, one of the most important Khmer festivals in the calendar, in early November. The Chaul Chanam (Khmer New Year) brings the country to a standstill in April with celebration lasting three days.

Getting there / around

Airport: There is an international airport Pochentong (PNH) just outside Phnom Penh, and also international terminals at Angkor(REP) and Sihanoukville(KOS).

Rail: Getting around the country can be complicated, with in need of restoration and roads often in a poor state of repair.

Road: Shuttle buses connect the main tourist centres and motorbike taxis buzz round towns and cities: accidents are common.

Sea: A regular ferry between Siem Reap and Battambang operates as does aboat sailing the length of the Tonlé Sap between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Potential itineraries

Short Trips: Take two weeks to get a good snapshot of the country. From Phnom Penh head north to Angkor to immerse yourself in temple architecture, then head south to the colonial era town of Kampot, ideally placed to act as abase for visiting Bokor National Park and the seaside towns of Kep and Sihanoukville.

Longer Trips: In a month you will be able to see most of what the country has to offer, taking in the scenic southern coast, rural northeast around Battambang, temples and jungle surrounding Siem Reap and the gentle hills of Mondulkiri Province in the northeast.

Guides

Overall Country Guides:Lonely Planet and Rough Guides produce comprehensive country guidebooks to Cambodia.

Temple Guides: Lonely Planet also publishes a pocket guide to Angkor Wat and Siem Reap in their Encounters series. Odyssey produces a good guide to the temples at Angkor, complete with illustrations, plans and tips for exploring the sites.

Maps

Overall Country Maps: Reise Know-How’s Cambodia map covers the entire country at a decent scale.

Road Maps: Cambodia from Nelles Verlag is a road map of the country accompanied by street plans of Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap, with detailed plans and descriptions of the Angkor complex on the reverse.

Read More

Signal Books publishes a cultural and literary look at Phnom Penh.

Charles Higham is the author of Civilization of Angkor, a clear and concise history of this extraordinary civilization.

Dragon Apparent is Norman Lewis’ classic account of travelling in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in 1950.

Cambodia’s traumatic past is represented in a number of literary accounts. Jon Swain, the English journalist portrayed in the film The Killing Fields, records his time living in Cambodia during the early 70s in River of Time, cataloguing the tumultuous events taking place then.

The Gate by Francois Bizot, the only western captive of the Khmer Rouge to be released alive, is a unique insight into the rise of the Khmer Rouge and chronicles the country’s descent into insanity.

Sight & Sound

The Killing Fields is a beautifully shot, unflinching drama centred on the relationship of an American reporter and his Cambodian assistant, the latter who is forced to endure brutal torture as part of the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal campaign when the reporter is ejected from Cambodia but can’t secure safe passage for his colleague.

Language

The official language is Khmer although Chinese and Vietnamese are also spoken.

Currency

Riel (r), made up of 100 sen. Thai Baht (B) and US dollars ($) also accepted.

Visas

UK and US required

Health issues

Inoculations for diphtheria, hep A, hep B and rabies recommended. Malaria is also present in low lying coastal and forested regions.

Safety, FO travel advice

Generally safe, with the usual proviso about being cautious late at night in large cities, especially Phnom Penh. There are still a large number of landmines and other unexploded ordnance buried and hidden throughout the country, a legacy of Cambodia’s traumatic past, meaning that travel off-the beaten track should be undertaken very carefully – local information about landmine locations should not be relied upon either.

Useful Telephone Numbers

Cambodian country representatives can be found

In the UK:

In the US:

There are no tourist boards in either country.

For more information, check out www.cambodia.org or www.cambodianembassy.org.uk.