Cambodia

Cambodia Travel Information and Guides

Enchanting archaeological sites like Angkor Wat, its rich history, hilltop temples, charming colonial towns, and tropical beaches make Cambodia an inviting and cheap getaway for intrepid travelers. For a small country, Cambodia encompasses a surprisingly diverse range of terrain and scenery. The coastline is beautiful and blissfully undeveloped compared with some of the region. Inland from the coast lie the Cardamom Mountains, part of a vast tropical wilderness that provides a home to elusive wildlife. The northeast is a world unto itself, with its wild and mountainous landscapes and home to Cambodia’s ethnic minorities. The countryside is the place to be to really feel the rhythm of rural life and timeless landscapes of dazzling rice paddies and swaying sugar palms.

Highlights

Cambodia has a lot to offer. Below we made our own selection of places we think are definitely worth a visit.

Angkor Wat is off course a must see. It is staggering! The best time of the day to visit the temples is 1 or 2 hours after sunrise before the tourists are coming back from the breakfast break with their travel agency.
Visit the tropical island of Koh Rong with its white-sand beaches. It only allows 50 people on the island so upfront booking is recommended.
See the Irrawady dolphin in Kratie , and take the ferry to the little village of Koh Trong. It is a place where you can still see the traditional way of life of the Cambodian people.
Do a river cruise from Battambang to Siem Reap . It is a beautiful journey! Be aware to go in the right season when there is sufficient water in the river (January/February are not the best months).
See the true local life in the province Ratanakiri . It is not easy to get to, but so rewarding. You can still experience Cambodia 50 years back.

What to eat

Cambodia's food is often all about the contrasts—sweet and bitter, salty and sour, fresh and cooked. It is a mixture of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and even Indian.

Fish Amok - this is delicious dish! It is a fish mousse with fresh coconut milk and kroeung, a type of Khmer curry paste made from lemongrass, turmeric root, garlic, shallots, galangal and finger root, or Chinese ginger.
Sour Fruit - green, unripe fruit, including various types of mango, plus guava, ambarella, jujube, otaheite apple, tamarind, and more, are sliced and sprinkled with chili-and-salt spiked sugar.
Lort Cha - these short, fat rice noodles are stir-fried with leafy greens, bean sprouts, soy sauce and fish sauce.
Green Mango Salad – this salad is similar to Thai green papaya salad, but then even a little more refreshing and less spicy. It is often a mixture of carrots, red and green peppers, tomatoes Asian basil and mint.
Khmer Muslim Beef curry – pieces of beef cooked in a delicious red curry made from coriander, ginger, shallots, garlic, onions, lemongrass, cardamom and palm sugar.
Iced coffee – a delicious refreshing drink! Due to the fact that they use some fat to the flavor is more intense and creamy.
Grilled bananas – this is one of my favorite snacks or deserts. Cambodians grill them on a skewer or fry them with sesame seeds. They may use different type of bananas: red, green or yellow.

What to know

You need a visa to travel to Cambodia with a few exceptions. Most visitors to Cambodia require a one-month tourist visa (US$20) which you can receive on arrival at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports, and at land borders. One passport-sized photo is required and you will be ‘fined’ US$1 if you don’t have one.

You can also arrange your visa upfront online which cost 37 USD per person. For the latest information have a look here .