Angkor is the reason and three days is the minimum; the rest of Cambodia is the reason to stay a week. This page groups the country by region and interest, then points you to the tours page.
Angkor and Siem Reap
Angkor is the reason: the Khmer empire’s capital from the ninth to the fifteenth century and the largest religious complex ever built, across 400 square kilometres of forest north of Siem Reap. Angkor Wat itself at sunrise from the left-hand pool, arriving by 5.15; the walled city of Angkor Thom with the 216 faces of the Bayon and the Terrace of the Elephants; Ta Prohm, the temple the trees have taken, before it fills; Banteay Srei’s pink-sandstone carving 35 km out; Preah Khan, Ta Som and Neak Pean on the grand circuit; the Roluos group for the earliest; Beng Mealea, the jungle-swallowed temple, and Koh Ker’s pyramid for the party with a fourth day. Three days is the minimum with a licensed guide and the three-day pass; a week is not too many. Siem Reap itself is the Old Market, the Pub Street strip, the Phare circus (superb), the Angkor National Museum, the floating villages of Tonle Sap by boat, and a landmine museum that explains the country. November to March is the season; April and May are brutal.
Phnom Penh
The capital on the Mekong, a day or two on every route and a city with two faces. The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, the National Museum’s Khmer sculpture, the riverside at dusk, the Central and Russian markets, Wat Phnom, and a restaurant scene that has become good. And the two sites that must be seen: Tuol Sleng, the school that became the Khmer Rouge prison S-21, and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek, with the audio guide. A morning for both, a guide, and an afternoon with nothing planned afterwards. The city is the flight hub for the south coast and the road or Mekong boat to Vietnam.
Battambang and the countryside
Cambodia’s second city and its gentlest: French colonial streets, the bamboo train (a platform on wheels along the old line), the Phnom Sampeau hill with its killing caves and the dusk flight of a million bats, Wat Banan up its stairs, the Phare circus school where the Siem Reap performers train, and a countryside of rice and sugar palms by tuk-tuk. One or two nights between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, by road or the boat across the Tonle Sap in the wet season.
The south coast: Kampot, Kep and the islands
Kampot is the river town with the French shophouses, the pepper farms that grow the world’s most prized pepper, Bokor hill station’s ghost casino in the clouds, and a sunset from a boat with the fireflies. Kep is the crab town with the colonial villas, the crab market and the national park walk. Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, an hour by ferry from Sihanoukville, are the undeveloped islands with bioluminescent plankton, long white beaches and few resorts; Sihanoukville itself has become a casino city and is a port, not a destination. November to March; a cheap, basic and good four days after Angkor.
Elsewhere
Kratie for the Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong; Mondulkiri for the elephant sanctuary and the hills; the pre-Angkorian temples of Sambor Prei Kuk; Preah Vihear on the Thai border escarpment; and the Cardamom mountains for the eco-lodges and the forest. Each is a two-night detour for a second trip.
By interest
Temples and history
Angkor over three days with a guide, the Bayon and Ta Prohm at opening, Beng Mealea in the forest, Sambor Prei Kuk, Preah Vihear.
- Three-day pass
- Licensed guide
- 5.15 am start
- Shoulders and knees covered
The modern history
Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, the landmine museum in Siem Reap, the killing caves at Battambang: hard, necessary, with a guide and an empty afternoon after.
- A morning
- Not for young children
- Audio guide
- Then the riverside
Water
Tonle Sap’s floating villages, the Mekong at Kratie for dolphins, the Kampot river at dusk, the Battambang boat in the wet season, the islands.
- Tonle Sap wet season
- Kratie 2 nights
- Kampot fireflies
- Koh Rong plankton
Food
Fish amok, lok lak, Kampot pepper crab at Kep, num pang baguettes, the Old Market in Siem Reap, the riverside in Phnom Penh, and a cuisine milder than its neighbours’.
- Mild
- Kampot pepper
- Cooking classes
- US dollars accepted
Families
Angkor with a guide who tells stories from about ten, the Phare circus, Tonle Sap by boat, the bamboo train, and Koh Rong for the beach; Phnom Penh’s sites left for the adults.
- From about ten
- Three temples a day max
- Phare for everyone
- Beach to finish
The add-on
Cambodia joins Thailand or Vietnam without strain: an hour by air from Bangkok or Saigon, or the Mekong boat from the Delta. Three nights at Angkor is the minimum worth adding.
- Bangkok 1 hr
- Saigon 1 hr
- Mekong boat option
- e-visa in advance
Questions we get asked
How many days do you need at Angkor?
Three is the minimum to see Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei properly with a guide; a week allows the outer temples. Buy the three-day pass and hire a licensed guide.
When is the best time to visit Cambodia?
November to March, the dry, cooler season; October and April are the shoulders. May to September is wet and green, with the Tonle Sap high and the temples emptier; April and May are the hottest.
Do Australians need a visa for Cambodia?
Yes: an e-visa from evisa.gov.kh applied for online, or a visa on arrival with cash and a passport photo. About AUD 50 for 30 days. We send the link.
Is Cambodia safe?
Yes for visitors with ordinary cautions: traffic, water, mosquitoes and petty theft in Phnom Penh. Landmines remain in remote border areas and are not a concern on any tourist route. Smartraveller rates Cambodia at “exercise a high degree of caution”.
Can I combine Cambodia with Vietnam or Thailand?
Easily: Siem Reap is an hour by air from Bangkok and Saigon, and the Mekong boat crosses from the Vietnamese Delta to Phnom Penh. Sixteen days covers Vietnam top to bottom and Angkor; fourteen covers Thailand and Angkor with a beach.
Where this leads
Blog attracts, things to do informs, tours convert — in that order.