We update travel information from time to time.  However, if you have any comments, please contact us.  Thank you.

Foreign Embassies in Cambodia
Road Distance Chart
About Mekong River
Travel by boat from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
Travel by land from Koh Kong to Phnom Penh

Tips on Cambodia Tour
Angkor Thom temple
	Angkor tour provides you with an insight into the history of Khmer empire that once stretched over a vast area in South East Asia that now covers Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.  Click here to read a brief history of Angkor and Cambodia. We suggest you take time to do internet research on Angkor and Khmer history so that you have at least a knowledge that help you indentify what area you plan to tour. If you want to tour and study to get an insight into history, you will spend considerable amount of time depending on your interest and the size of the temple you will visit. Angkor Thom temple alone will take you almost half a morning if you want to learn considerably about the temple. Your internet research helps you identity your interest and it will help you focus on temples to visit. The most popular Angkor
temples are Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.  However, you  will never make a wrong decision by just visiting certain temples and leaving out the most popular ones later because each temple in Siem Reap provides tons of amazing Khmer and Angkor history.

Language: The official language is Khmer. English is the second official language used through out Cambodia. Other popular languages spoken: Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Shopping: Price negotiation is normal in markets. Due to an influx of investments from foreign as well as local investors, many modern shopping malls are built and commodities start to have price tags. However, price is still negotiable.

Visitor Visas:  A visitor does not have to apply for a visitor visa prior to entering Cambodia.  A one-month visitor visa can be provided at the port of entry: Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport.  However, a visitor or business visa can now be applied on line. The government processing fee for visitor visa is $ 20 and $25 for business. One copy of passport-size photo is required along with your passport valid for at least 4 months from the date of entry. For more information on entry visa, check with government official website above.

Dress Codes:  Even though Cambodia has changed significantly since the United Nation sponsored general election in 1991 that brings an influx of Western cultures and influence, Cambodians tend to dress modestly. Casual dresses, such as pants for men and long skirts (not short ones) for women, are recommended. Short-sleeve shirts are very common for men and women due to hot and humid climate. However, for those interested in sunbathing at Kep or Sihanouk Ville beaches, wearing bikini still get more attention from locals. That is the reason why you may see that Khmer women bathe and swim in their shorts (not bikini) and T-shirts.

Airport departure tax
From Phnom Penh International Airport: $20 (International Flight)
From Siem Reap Angkor International Airport: $15 (International Flight)
Domestic flight: between $5 and $10.

International airports: Cambodia has only two international airports: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Operating Airlines: Bangkok Airways, China Southern, Dragonair, EVA Air, First Cambodia Airlines, Lao Airways, President Airlines, Royal Khmer Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Siem Reap Airways, SilkAir, Thai Airways, Transmile Air Services, Vietnam Airlines. If you stay at the hotel, ask the hotel for the Yellow Page that lists all types of businesses including airlines and hotels.

Cambodia Time Zones: GMT + 7 hours

Banking: Riel is Cambodia’s currency. Riel banknote denominators: 100, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000, 50 000, 100 000. One Riel = 100 Cents. As of March 2010, one US dollar can buy about 4,100 Cambodia Riels.  The United States dollars are widely used and accepted in business centers and hotels.  American Express, travelers’ cheques, Visa, and Master Card are accepted mainly in major hotels, restaurants, and business centers.  In 2009, some banks and financial centers introduce ATM machines that allow customers

to withdraw cash from their accounts using debit cards and credit cards.  However, the credit card withdrawal actually is a withdrawal from the checking or saving account.  The withdrawal is not a credit card account, such as Visa or Master Card used worldwide in the Western countries.  If you require urgent cash during your Cambodia trip, you can withdraw cash at major banks using your credit card such as Visa or Master Card.  Don’t forget to ask for information on the service charge and the exchange rate.  Many travelers are excited to get the cash they need during their trip without knowing costs of related to services and money transactions.

Calmette Hospital, #3, Monivong Boulevard. Tel: 023 426 948 (run by the government in conjunction with foreign donors)

	American Medical Center, Ground Floor #3, Hotel Cambodiana, open 24 Hours (Privately operated and managed by foreign doctors)
	Tropical & Travelers Medical Clinic, #88, Street 108. Tel: 012 898 981
	International SOS, #161, Street 51. Tel: 023 216 911 (private)
	Naga Clinic, #11, Street 254. Tel: 011 811 175 (private)
	Surya Medical Services, # 39, Street 294.  Tel: 016 845 000

Calling Cambodia from foreign countries: 855 + local telephone number

Calling Canada and U.S.A. from Cambodia: Calling using your land-line telephone or your cell phone cost you a fortune. It depends on what telephone company you deal with. The cost per minute is between 1.50 and 3 dollars. A cheap phone call is the internet call. Internet is almost found in every corner and you will never have problem making a phone call. Please note that these cheap phone calls are for US and Canada only. One-hour internet phone call costs you between two and three dollars.

Business Hours: Government offices are open mainly from 7:30 am to 11:30 am and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.  Banks are open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday, and 8:00 am to noon on Saturdays. However, due to competition, some local banks and financial services are open long hours. Markets and shopping centers are open daily from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.  Some are open till late at night.  In Phnom Penh and Siem Reap towns, there are many 24-hour convenient stores that sell Western imported foods: cheese, milk, apples, ham, and so on.

Cambodia Population: 15.5 million (Government census 2009). Popular distribution: rural 87%, urban 13%. Age distribution: 15 years and under is 41 %; 65 years and over is 3.5%. Annual population growth: 2.3%.

Electricity: 220 volts, AC, 50 Hz. Travelers are recommended to bring along power converter that can convert voltage from 220 to 110 volt required for their electronic devices, such as digital camera battery chargers. All hotels and Guesthouse have 220 volt electrical outlets ready for these power converters.

Drinking Water: bottled water is recommended. Although, the government has assured the public that water supply in Phnom Penh is safe and meets the International standard, for extra protection, the bottled water is still recommended. Ice cubes should also be avoided as some of them are produced locally from the tap water.

Climate: between 21ºC and 35ºC (70º to 95ºF).  The ideal time to visit Cambodia is between November and February when the humidity is low and the temperature is between 21 and 25 degree Celsius.  In April, the temperature starts to rise due to the start of monsoon season and humidity start to rise.  People from cold climate region,
such as Canada and Northern Europe, sweat easily.  The rainy (monsoon) season starts in May and ends at the end of October.  However, the climate is noticed to change without warning these days due to the effect of global warming. 

Cambodia rainfalls and temperature in Celsius through out the year: Phnom Penh area
Phnom.Penh	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temp (H)	31	32	34	35	34	33	32	32	31	31	29	30
Temp (L)	21	22	23	25	25	25	24	24	24	23	22	21
Humidity	60	62	63	65	70	72	73	75	78	76	75	63
Sun Light	9	9	9	8	7	6	6	6	6	7	8	9
Rain Days	1	1	4	7	13	16	17	21	20	16	8	6

Data collected from various Cambodia and international sources including Department of Meteorology Phnom Penh.  Note: Data based on 8 year historical reading 1994-2001.  A rain day is recorded when the rainfall is at least 1 millimeter.  H: high; L: low; rain fall in millimeter; Sun Light in hours, Humidity in percentage.

Phnom Penh sightseeing: the most popular place is Mekong river street in front of Royal Palace.  Families and couples stroll along the river enjoying the panoramic view of the river.  Lined up on one side of the river street are stores and restaurants: souvenir shops, street sellers, bars, cafes, guesthouses, and cheap hotels.

Mekong river park, on river street, in front of Royal Palace

Siem Reap: (government census 2004): population 798,000, in province. 85,000, in Siem Reap town. Siem Reap town has the highest number of hotels and guesthouses per capita compared to that in Phnom Penh.  The room accommodation starts from a few dollars per night at the guesthouse to five hundred dollars per night at the luxury hotel. If you know Las Vegas, you understand the system.  Most products and services are designed to meet the needs of foreign visitors.

Siem Reap taxi and Tuk Tuk fares: fares for transport between the airport and Siem Reap town are between 5 and 10 dollars.  However fares for boat terminals at Tonley Sap lake are higher due to distances and the seasons. During dry season, the fares are usually higher due to longer distance in traveling. The level of the lake is low and the boat terminals move further to the bottom of the lake and the boat the terminals move along making the travel distance longer. During rainy season, the lake water level goes up causing floods and making the boat terminals move closer to town.  The trip from the boat terminals to Siem Reap town is shorter and cheaper. The fare is between 5-15 dollars.

Tonley Sap lake and Tour: In addition to touring the floating village, you can arrange to tour the wildlife conservation area. There is a whole bunch of wildlife here undocumented although you can see the presence of world wildlife conservation teams coming down to monitor.  In floating village, visitors get an insight into way of life of people living on boats and floating houses. You will find that life here is a challenge.  However, the lake is part of their life.  The boats and floating houses are called by foreign visitors as "floating village" because this community floats on the lake and floats with the tide.

Phnom Penh - Siem Reap by speed boat: In addition to travel by bus or plane, people can choose to travel by Speed boat "Mekong Express"  It costs $25 per person per trip.  The boat departs daily at 7:30 am from Phnom Penh and arrives at Siem Reap around 1:00 pm.  The boat also departs Siem Reap at 7:30 am and arrives in Phnom Penh around 1:00 pm.  The price includes: one soft drink, a snack, and a lunch.  Many tourists who travel by boat enjoy the sceneries along Tonley Sap Lake.  They will observe the daily life of the fishing villages along the lake and river.

Phnom Penh - Siem Reap by bus: Mekong Express bus costs 9 dollars per person. The trip takes between 5 - 6 hours.  The bus departs at 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning from both cities. The bus makes a 30-munite stop break mid-way for travelers to relax and to eat lunch.  This bus has on-board toilet.  The bus fare for each passenger is $5.  A snack and a bottled-water are provided as part of the bus fare. You also can travel by taxi.  But, the taxi is usually packed with local passengers.  If you can afford, you can hire the taxi for you and your group.  Do not forget to negotiate the price.  The price is between $75 and $100 depending on negotiation with the driver. Siem Reap - Phnom Penh taxi stations are at Psa Thmey and Psa Chroy Changva bridge market.  See Phnom Penh map.  Small private car rentals with a driver provided costs $85 per day.  Car rentals for traveling in town and in Angkor complex is $25 per day.

The bus ticket from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is 5 dollars. The bus travels on National Road 6A and then 6, via Kandal, Kampong Cham, and Kampong Thom provinces. You can catch the bus a block west of Central market (Psa Thmey).   See Phnom Penh map.  The bus leaves every few hours. The first bus leaves at 7 AM.

Phnom Penh – Siem Reap by air: Traveling by air takes about 40 minutes.  The return airfare is $95 with Siem Reap Air and $90 with President Air.

Sihanouk Ville is a small seaport town, 230 km from Phnom Penh on National Road 4.  The town was named after King Sihanouk as a dedication to his effort to build a port city.  Between 1970 and 1975 during Lon Nol’s regime, the town was named Kampong Som.  Many people still call the town Kampong Som.  The town has a population of 18,000 (government census 2005).  There a number of popular beaches that include Victoria, Independence, Sokha, O Chheu Teal, O Tres, Chamkar Dong (further East), Thmar Thom (Ream national park). 

Sihanouk Ville Beaches: Among many beaches along Kampong Som coastline, the popular ones are Victoria (long, narrow sandy beach), Independence (quiet, and locals call it "7-floor-hotel beach"), Sokha (strong wind and big waves), O Chheu Teal (the most popular one, with variety of hotels and restaurants along the coastline), and O Tres (further East and less developed).

Cambodia Coast line: 443 km long. Provinces forming the coastline: Kampot, Kampong Som, and Koh Kong.

Phnom Penh – Sihanouk Ville by bus: The trip takes about 2.5 hours.  If you do not want to share taxi with locals, you can hire it for 30 US dollars for one way. Regular taxi fare costs between 2 and 3 dollars per person.  The taxi commuted by locals is usually packed and makes many stops along the way to load and unload passengers. If you want to spend a whole day to adventure Southern Cambodia, a train ride would be recommended.  Phnom Penh - Kampot train, costing about 2 dollars, leaves Phnom Penh at 6:30 am and usually takes about 12 hours.  Cambodia trains have no rules and people can sit on the rooftop enjoying the sceneries in the countryside. However, rooftop ride is not recommended for foreign travelers for safety.  Air-conditioned buses are also available.  They departs from Psa Thmey market very morning.  The bus fare per person is 4 dollars.

Koh Kong town has a population of 29,500 and is connected to Phnom Penh by a 271-km road that is partly paved with gravel and asphalt.  The adventure trip takes between 4 and 5 hours winding up and down the hills and crossing rivers and sea inlets. The main economy of this isolated province mainly depends on border crossing trade with Thailand.

Hotel and Restaurant Tipping: Tipping is optional in restaurants. However, in some major hotels, foreign guests give tips to room attendants and room service at their discretion.  Some major hotel and restaurants add 10% service charge on the bill.

Main Cambodia Public Holiday
Three days usually starting April 13 or 14 in the month of April: Khmer New Year Day.  See more Public Holidays

Each year, the days are set varying depending on lunar calendar year. This is the major public holiday of Cambodia.  Government offices and businesses are closed. Employees and workers travel to their home town to visit their relatives and friends. Khmer New Year in April is important to Khmers just as Christmas Day holiday is to people in Western countries.  For New Year Day, Cambodians go to temples (Wat) to bring foods and gifts to the monks.  They pray and remember their ancestors.  There are many traditional activities during this 3-day celebration.

November is the month of boat race festival, a family holiday of the year.
	Boat Race and Boat shows are celebrated in November.  The boat race starts during the day around 9 AM and the boat shows starts in the evening around 7 PM at dusk followed by a spectacular firework over the confluence of Mekong river and Tonley Sap river, in front of the Royal Palace. The boat shows represent each individual government department or private business corporation.  They display decorated artistic lights of spectacular colors that come in various forms and shapes.  The boats sail slowly along the river upstream.
	Khmers have celebrated the boat race festival for generations.  The event is known to mark the end of rainy season and the start of rice harvesting season in which farmers pray for good prospects of their crops and good luck in the years to come.  At the end of the 3-day boat race festival, the King gives out rewards and prizes to the winners.
	During the 3-day festival, people flock to Phnom Penh city using whatever means available to travel.  They converge on the Mekong river park in front of Royal palace to watch the boat races.

Last updated: 06/19/2010