Cambodia

With over 10 years of experience throughout Cambodia & Southeast Asia travel, we are pleased to provide hereunder the best travel guides, information, and exceptional suggested itineraries with photos.

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▸  Country Facts & Airport Codes for Cambodia ▸  Best Time to Visit Cambodia ▸  Top 11 Things to Do in Cambodia ▸  Visa Policy of Cambodia ▸  Cambodia Highlights by Map ▸  Cambodia Travel FAQ ▸  Destinations & Attractions in Cambodia ▸  Best Cambodia Tours ▸  Best Southeast Asia Tours

Country Facts & Airport Codes for Cambodia

Capital City of Cambodia:   Phnom Penh
Currency:                         Riel
International Dial Code:    +855

Cambodia has two major international airports: •  Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH) in Phnom Penh
                                                                    •  Siem Reap International Airport (REP) in Siem Reap

These flight times are from/to Siem Reap, Cambodia:  •  Bangkok, Thailand                   1hr 10min
                                                                               •  Hanoi, Vietnam                       1hr 45min
                                                                               •  Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam        1hrs 20min
                                                                               •  Luang Prabang, Laos               2hrs 10min
                                                                               •  Singapore                              2hrs 15min
                                                                               •  Phnom Penh (domestic flight)   50min
Notes: The flight time between domestic flights within Cambodia is approximately 45 minutes to one hour.

Best Time to Visit Cambodia

•  Cambodia has two seasons: The dry and wet (rainy) seasons, with the temperature ranging from 25°C to 35°C all year.
•  The dry season lasts from January to April and from November to December, with temperatures ranging from 25°C to 30°C.
•  The wet (rainy) season runs from May to October, with temperatures ranging from 30°C to 35°C.
•  The best time to visit Cambodia is in January, February, March, April, November, and December during the dry season when temperatures range from 25°C to 30°C.

Visa Policy of Cambodia

To begin, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Cambodia and you must have at least one blank visa page.

Visa Exemption
•  With an ordinary passport of the below countries, you can travel to Cambodia without a visa up to:
30 Days for Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia
14 Days for Thailand
21 Days for The Philippines
•  For all visitors from other countries, the visa has remained valid for 30 days, tourist visa fees are about $30
•  The international airports of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, as well as the international border inspection station, handle visas.
•  Cambodian visas are accepted at any embassy or consulate in the country.
•  At the immigration office in Phnom Penh, the visa is extended.
•  Cambodians living abroad are eligible for a free visa (visa k).

Cambodia E-Visa
With a few exceptions, nationals of any country can obtain an e-visa.
E-visa is also not available for
•  Those who hold diplomatic passports
•  Those who hold official passports
•  Those who hold spouse or parent-endorsed passports
•  Those who hold international travel documents

To obtain an E-visa, you will only need two additional documents:
The biodata page of your passport
A photograph of the applicant
Notes:
•  Cambodia’s E-visa is a government-issued electronic authorization in PDF format
•  The E-visa is required to enter Cambodia and travel within the country for tourist purposes.
•  The e-visa must be printed and presented at the port of entry.
•  When entering Cambodia, an e-visa can only be used once, and you will need to apply again on your next visit.
•  You can apply for an e-visa a few days before your trip, so you do not be concerned as long as your flight departs in more than 72 hours.

If you are flying to Cambodia, E-Visas are accepted at the following entry points:
•  Phnom Penh International Airport
•  Siem Reap International Airport
•  Sihanouk International Airport

If you are traveling overland, you can gain entry through
•  Cham Yeam (Koh Kong Province) (from Thailand)
•  Poi Pet (Banteay Meanchey Province) (from Thailand)
•  Bavet (Svay Rieng Province) (from Vietnam)
•  Tropaeng Kreal Border Post (Stung Treang) (from Laos)

E-visa is not yet issued for certain countries
•  Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Sri Lanka.—

Click here to apply online for Cambodia E-Visa, Valid for 30 days.

Cambodia Highlights: Best Things to Do with Photos

Siem Reap:  Home to the legendary ANGKOR WAT, a UNESCO-listed site, Angkor Complex, and Tonle Sap Lake the largest freshwater lake in Asia. 

Kampong Cham: The town itself is quaint and charming with its bustling morning river scene and wide boulevard streets beside the river.

Kampong Chanang: located in the heart of Cambodia, just next to Tonle Sap Lake, and is only 91 kilometers from Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh: The capital of Phnom Penh, notable for its Royal Place and the Killing Fields, related to the  Khmer Rouge’s worst mass killings.

Kampot: Very famous for Kep Beach, Bokor Hill Station, Rabbit Island, and countryside short tours.

Sihanoukville: Where has the most beautiful beach in Cambodia, including unique seafood and local foods.

Tonle Sap Lake: Also known as “the Great Lake of Cambodia,” is the largest freshwater lake in Asia and home to numerous floating villages.

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Top 11 Things to Do in Cambodia

1. Angkor Wat Temple, a must-see UNESCO World Heritage site

It takes about 15 minutes to drive from Siem Reap town to Angkor Wat Temple, you can also cycle or take a tuk-tuk, which is a popular mode of transportation among the locals. Cambodia’s Angkor Wat Temple was the center of the Khmer Empire from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries.

Visiting Angkor Wat, where you can contemplate the various structures made of hard stones, you completely feel cool while walking around and sitting in these stone structures, surrounding the walls in Angkor Wat it is decorated by skillful carvings about the different dances among which the Apsara dance the art soul of Cambodians is available.

If you’re not afraid of heights, you can also climb to the tops of the structures here for a bird’s-eye view of Siem Reap. It is never enough to write about everything that Angkor Wat has to offer and how valuable it is for you to see; come here to learn why so many tourists are aware of and want to visit Angkor Wat.

2. Angkor Thom Temple, amazing stone human faces and elephant statues

It is not far from Angkor Wat Temple to Angkor Thom Temple where you can see the large human faces, these statues are not only stone statues but also very soulful, this is a beautiful skill of those who created them in the past.

At Angkor Thom Temple, you can also see the large yards where many of the large elephant statuses were made and carved in stone,

3. Explore Ta Prohm Temple, magnificent trees, and octopus roots on the walls

Ta Prohm Temple, which is also part of the Angkor Temple Complex, has hundreds of years old trees. During the dry season, the weather in Cambodia is harsh and hot, and this area is almost entirely covered by stones, but the trees here have grown year after year, and they are now the oldest and largest trees in the Angkor Temple Complex’s forest.

You must be astounded by the fierce vitality of the trees in this area; there are even some large trees that appear to have grown from the stone walls and appear to be very healthy.

4. Experience the Tuk-Tuk, a popular mode of transportation for Cambodians

When you arrive in Cambodia, you can easily choose between a tuk-tuk, taxi, motorbike, or bike to get around the city. And, among almost all vehicles in Cambodia, the tuk-tuk is one of the most popular for locals to use because it is convenient to transport a large number of people as well as goods at the same time, and it is safe and fun for you to try this vehicle once you travel to Cambodia.

Tuk-tuks can be found everywhere in Cambodia, from the nook and canny to the bustling points in the real center. This vehicle is the most convenient and cheapest for locals to transfer in a short distance, as Cambodian roads are still narrow and crowded, so moving by tuk-tuk is much faster than moving by taxi.

5. Stay in a hotel with a swimming pool in Cambodia 

When visiting Cambodia, choose a hotel with a swimming pool because the weather is hot all year, especially during the dry season.

Almost all three-star hotels in this area have a swimming pool, and rates range from $20 to $60 per room/night (including tax, service charge, and breakfast). The cost of a hotel room varies depending on the type of room you prefer to stay in. It’s also a good idea to get a room with a window and air conditioning.

6. Try the local foods

Cambodia is still well-known for its traditional cuisine, particularly Khmer local cuisine, which is prepared differently than other cuisines. It may be difficult to try at first, but you will enjoy it because it is different from other local foods around the world.

When you arrive in Cambodia, you will notice that there are a lot of insects being cooked and grilled for sale on the streets, for some tourists, this is a unique food available only in Cambodia, and they are eager to try it, but for others, it is a source of fear.

7. Take a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake “the lake sea” of Cambodia.

Tonle Sap Lake is only 15 kilometers from Siem Reap town, so tourists can easily take a bus, taxi, or even a motorbike or bike from the center of Siem Reap town to this lake to take a boat trip and explore the daily life of the local floating villages as well as their habits and customs.

Tonle Sap Lake is too large to row a boat by hand this is the most popular mode of transportation for the locals here because they frequently have to move a lot to different and narrow places in the lake every day to earn their living. Tonle Sap Lake is home to many people from countries other than Cambodia, such as Vietnam and China, these locals collaborate and help together.

In addition, there are adequate basic infrastructures such as hospitals, schools, churches, markets, shops, and restaurants in the area, although these structures are still small and located on the water’s edge, they are also very good and steady, and you will be surprised by these architectures once you see it directly on a large water area.

When you visit Tonle Sap Lake, you will see children who are very good at swimming, many small children who can swim and rowboats very skillfully, and many children who must rowboats to go to school by themselves because their parents are very busy earning a living.

Even though there is electricity, poor families must use oil instead of electricity because it is expensive to pay for the electricity in the lake, and the locals cannot find enough of what is offered on the land, because children do not have access to entertainment venues, they only know how to go to school and return home so that locals also sometimes take their children to the center of Siem Reap town to play in their summers or holidays.

Women in Tonle Sap Lake typically stay at home to care for their children, while men work and earn a living. Almost all of the men who live on the lake make a living by fishing and selling their catch to local markets, tourists, and restaurants, as well as to their neighbors around the lake on occasion.

Locals’ daily lives are very simple, and while many families only need enough money to get by each day, some families want to become wealthy by doing business right on this lake. While exploring Tonle Sap Lake, you will have the opportunity to see all of the locals’ unique lives firsthand.

Tourists can also buy souvenirs made by locals here, such as hand-made towels, necklaces made of pearls or different materials, clothes, and hats….all of these products are very unique to both locals and Cambodians. They are very cheap, so don’t pass up the opportunity to buy them as souvenirs after a boat ride on Tonle Sap Lake, one of the world’s largest fresh lakes.

Tourists exploring Tonle Sap Lake have the opportunity to participate in a charitable activity that helps the poor people here, such as buying rice to give to them or giving to the poor children at the schools where many students do not have parents….. you can buy anything to give to the poor families in the lake, or you can bring old clothes to give to the poor locals at here…

So, when you visit Tonle Sap Lake, you not only get to see Cambodia’s most beautiful and largest lake, but you also get to help the locals.

Tonle Sap Lake has two distinct images due to the dry and wet seasons; however, you can visit Tonle Sap Lake at any time because each season has its beauty. The wet season lasts from October to April, and the dry season lasts from May to September.

The water level around Tonle Sap Lake is very high during the wet season, but it is also very beautiful for tourists who prefer to sit long on a boat and cruise along the lake to see a large water area as well as explore local life.

8. Explore the Royal Palace – Cambodia’s pride

If Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, Royal Place, where their king lives and works, is its heart, and if your hotel is also in Phnom Penh’s heart, you can easily walk to this unique site to explore.

Allow at least an hour to visit all of the sites, and go early in the morning to avoid Cambodia’s hot weather afternoon. To enter this site, you must also follow some strict rules, such as wearing long clothes and leaving your shoes (sandals) outside the site to allow entry, not speaking loudly, not touching objects, and not stealing anything…

The Royal Palace is the most well-known attraction in Phnom Penh, and all locals respect and obey their king’s orders.

9. Shopping in the Russian market in Phnom Penh

Traveling through the Russian market in Phnom Penh, you can find anything you want, from the smallest to the most valuable, such as gold, silver, various types of stones, clothes, shoes, sandals, towels, hats….everything is available at very reasonable prices.

The Russian market is also a famous attraction on the Phnom Penh city tour; it must be included for customers who enjoy shopping, so if you enjoy shopping or want to buy authentic Cambodian souvenirs, do not miss this interesting site.

After shopping in this central market, walk to the nearby street food to try the special dishes made from insects and animals such as locusts, frogs, toads, mice, and cats.

10. Must see Khmer’s traditional Apsara dance show

When visiting Siem Reap, one of the most popular activities is to see the Apsara dances of Cambodians, which is a truly unique and authentic Cambodian traditional dance.

There are many restaurants right on the local streets that offer these dances while serving their meals, making it easy for you to enjoy the famous Apsara dances that are only available in Cambodia.

11. Visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, home to the Khmer Rouge’s crimes

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum now displays photographs of victims, torture instruments, and human skulls from the Khmer Rouge’s killing of over 7000 people between 1975 and 1978. While looking at the objects here, you may feel your blood freeze.

This special site is not far from the city center; you can take a taxi, cycle, or rent a tuk-tuk (a local vehicle) from your hotel in the city center to get there.

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Public Holidays in Cambodia

Jan. 1st – International New Year’s Day
Jan. 7th – Day of Victory over the Genocidal Regime
Mar. 8th – International Women’s Rights Day
Apr. 14-15-16th – Khmer New Year’s Day
May 1st – International Labor Day
May 14th – Birthday of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia
May 15th – Visaka Bochea Day
May 19th – Royal Ploughing Ceremony
Jun. 18th – Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen-Mother Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia
Sep. 24th – Constitution Day
Sep. 24-25-26th – Pchum Ben Day
Oct. 15th – Mourning Day of the Late King-Father Nonodom SIHANOUK of Cambodia
Oct. 29th – Coronation Day of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni
Nov. 07-08-09th – Water Festival
Nov. 09th – National Independence Day

Destinations & Attractions in Cambodia