Not Sure Where to Start?
You’ve decided on Cambodia, but now what. it’s all about the details. But how to sort it out and have the best trip. Making solid plans and finalizing details prior to your departure will ensure your experience is worthwhile and all you want it to be. Let’s start with some basic questions which will help you get the framework of your trip solidified.
How much time do you have for your trip?
It’s a little bit like the chicken and the egg; how much do you want to see and how much time can you get away. The biggest robber of time is travel time. The further from your home, the longer the travel time.
8 or 10 Days
Subtracting a day from the beginning and the end for travel leaves 8 days for fun. You must spend at least 3 full days in Siem Reap & Angkor Wat. Giving you plenty of time to explore other cities.
Travel Onward?
With so much to do in Cambodia, you might not want to leave, but Thailand and Vietnam are easy extensions to your travels with a few more days.
Find More to Do.
Great tours to fully explore Cambodia Identifying tours and side trips will help you better plan your trip and make sure you see what you are most excited about.
Major Cities to See
Cambodia is an interesting and diverse country. Exploring the entire country is well worth it but knowing vacations are usually only 1-2 weeks here are our must-see cities to get a taste of Cambodia and explore its rich heritage and history.
Siem Reap
The largest tourist destination, Angkor Wat is in Siem Reap. Making Siem Reap your base of operations for Angkor Wat, and while the temples are exhilarating they are also overwhelming, The best visiting times are in the morning until mid-day, giving you the afternoon and evenings to explore the local area. There is a lot to see and do while visiting Siem Reap, read our guide Discover Siem Reap. Take a break from the temples with the day trips below:
Day Trips from Siem Reap
Full-Day Kulen Waterfall – take a dip in the waterfall while exploring the 1000 Lingas and then trekking to the top of the mountain to see a Reclining Buddha.
Day in the life of a Cambodian Villager – you spend the day in a small village outside of Siem Reap, getting to know the families and how they make a living. We enjoyed the rice planting and learning about the process.
Countryside Bike Tour – enjoy a day biking around the outer villages of Siem Reap with local lunch. It’s a relaxed and informative ride.
Kompong Phluk Full Day Adventure Tour – A full day exploring Tonle Sap lake, visiting two different villages, and traveling on various boats. Educational and fun.
Phnom Penh
New Khmer Architecture, a mixture of French influences, modern forms, and the Bauhaus movement, gives Phnom Penh a quaint European vibe. Recent economic growth has created new shopping areas, restaurants, and bars, increasing tourism to the capital city. There have been lots of investments to upgrade the city further and make it the pride of Cambodia. The Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Phsar Thmei market, National Museum, and the riverfront area are all top tourist sights. With limited time in the city, we participated in the Phnom Penh Small-Group Tour, it was perfect, showing us the main sites and larger tourist attractions with a local guide. He also gave us insights into a few other places to explore on our own. The small group made it easy to hear and ask questions as we moved around the city. If group tours are not your thing, we get it. Most attractions are easy to explore on your own with one exception: this guided tour of the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum is a must; with so much history and education to absorb, it’s worth it.
The city borders the convergence of two main rivers, the Mekong and Tonle Sap. Along the riverfront area, several tourist areas have developed. Enjoy an evening on the water with a Sunset drink & BBQ buffet. This was a perfect way to end our time in Phnom Penh before we headed off to further adventures.
Sihanoukville
Along the coast, the peninsula features a few beach towns dot the landscape. Recent developments within Sihanoukville have focused on gaining tourists’ dollars with casinos, bars, and nightlife. Giving the area a different vibe, we find the area south at Ostres beach to still retain the beachy laidback vibe, and after the intensity of the Temples at Angkor Wat, this area provides a much-needed break. It’s a short flight from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, and if you have a few extra days, it’s worth spending a couple of days getting to know the locals and lounging.
Looking for a fully planned trip?
G Adventures offers the Ultimate Cambodian Adventure a 14-day trip visiting various cities and sights. No matter where you travel in Cambodia, the past is always present. History, both ancient and modern, is everywhere here, whether you’re cycling in the shadows of the mighty Angkor Wat, wandering the streets of cosmopolitan Phnom Penh, or exploring the Irrawaddy in search of river dolphins, you can’t escape the pull of time that shaped, and continues to develop, this arresting land. If this trip isn’t right for you, G Adventures offers other options to visit Cambodia
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