AsiaCambodiaCambodia
Most people come to Cambodia for Angkor and leave talking about something else. A circus built by a country that once banned the arts, an hour-long river of bats pouring out of a cliff at dusk, plankton that lights the water off Koh Rong, dolphins surfacing on the Mekong at Kratie. Angkor still earns its two days. It just stops being the whole story.
CambodiaCambodia in a nutshell
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Our travel routes through Cambodia
Cambodia is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
6 nights1 week, the two-city minimum
Siem Reap · Phnom Penh
Angkor's temples and Phnom Penh's sites are best explored in cool, dry weather without monsoon disruptions.
9 nights10 days: Angkor, Battambang and the capital
Siem Reap · Battambang · Phnom Penh
The Siem Reap–Battambang boat runs reliably only when water levels are high; Nov–Feb offers temple comfort and dry roads.
14 nights2 weeks, the classic backpacker loop
Phnom Penh · Sihanoukville · Koh Rong
Island ferries and beach time work best in the dry months; Koh Rong and Kampot are ideal before May heat and wet-season swells.
19 nights3 weeks: culture, nature and wildlife in the east
Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham · Sen Monorom
Eastern highlands around Sen Monorom and wildlife areas are accessible only in dry season; Tonlé Sap flooding peaks Oct–Nov.
19 nights3 weeks, highlights plus the quiet west
Phnom Penh · Kampot · Sihanoukville
Battambang and the western route need dry roads; islands and Kampot beaches work best before the wet season halts ferries.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editors164,000+ stops in Cambodia have been planned on Stippl. Here is what they say about the country.
Cambodia is a short country with one very large reason to come, and most travellers give a stop 2 nights. Angkor is a full day on the small circuit and a second on the grand one, with sunrise at Angkor Wat and then leaving before the heat. The rest is Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, the Landmine Museum, Phare's Cambodian Circus, Battambang's bamboo train and bat exodus, the Irrawaddy dolphins at Kratie, and night swimming in bioluminescent plankton off the islands.
One place carries a quarter of the country. 26.3% of every Cambodian stop planned on Stippl is a single destination, and only 23.5% of stops here are one night, which is low for a country this size. Travellers do not pass through Cambodia so much as stop in it, and the stopping happens in very few places.
So give Angkor two days and let the rest be slower than you planned. The temples reward a second circuit far more than a second country does, and the country is small enough that moving on early buys less than it costs. Skip Cambodia if you need reliable healthcare, polished infrastructure or fast internet, if you will not carry cash, or if you want a dense menu of organised excursions at every stop, which is what neighbouring Thailand is for.
Who Cambodia is for
History travellers
Angkor and the Khmer Rouge memorials give an unusually dense, unusually demanding historical arc for a country this small
First-time Southeast Asia backpackers
cheap, short distances, an established circuit, a strong hostel scene and low decision-load
Budget travellers
dorms from €2.60, local meals from €1.70, beer under a euro; the Angkor pass is usually the single biggest line in the whole trip
First-time solo travellers
repeatedly rated an easy, even beginner-friendly solo destination, with normal precautions about bags and night-time streets
Island loafers who want low polish
the Gulf islands deliver Thai-island scenery with far fewer people, at the cost of power cuts, no ATMs and thin wifi
Overlanders and motorcyclists
very little traffic outside the cities, roadside fuel every 15–20 km, and easy small border posts on the Vietnam and Laos sides
Slow travellers
the Mekong corridor towns have no attractions to speak of, which is the entire point of going there
Adventurous families
the temples genuinely delight children and Khmer people are notably warm to them, against long bus rides, heat and weak healthcare
Maybe not for you: travellers who need reliable healthcare, polished infrastructure or fast internet; anyone unwilling to carry cash; anyone who wants a dense menu of organised excursions per stop (Thailand does that better); and anyone who would be learning to ride a motorbike here
When to visit Cambodia
Cool dry season
November–February
the consensus best window: warm enough for the beach, mild enough for a full day at Angkor, and the only period when every region works at once. It is also peak season, with the highest hotel prices and the heaviest temple crowds
Hot dry season
March–May
temperatures peak in April and May; the standard advice is to be out early and back indoors by late morning, and one source simply says avoid these months
Wet season
June–October
usually one heavy afternoon downpour rather than all-day rain, so mornings stay usable. Fewer crowds, green countryside, flooded paddies and lower prices, against muddy dirt roads, worse driving and cancelled island ferries
- November–February is the consensus travel window; sources that say November–March or October–February are describing the same core with softer edges
- Koh Rong's own best months are December–March, when rainfall is lowest and the ferries are most reliable
- Roads are noticeably worse in the rainy season, which matters more here than in neighbouring countries because so much of the network is still dirt
- Robbery reportedly rises in the run-up to major festivals, when money is short, one source's observation, worth knowing rather than fearing
Add your Cambodia dates and we'll flag the weather per stop
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Festivals & special days
Chaul Chnam Thmey / Khmer New Year: the whole country stops: temple visits, family feasting, and a nationwide water fight on the final day. Transport and staffing are disrupted
Visak Bochea: the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing, marked with temple offerings and lights
Pchum Ben / Festival of the Dead, ancestors are honoured over fifteen days; for a country of Khmer Rouge descendants this carries unusual weight
Bonn Om Touk / Water Festival: boat races, music and fireworks celebrating the annual reversal of flow between the Tonlé Sap and the Mekong. Phnom Penh fills completely; book far ahead or be somewhere else
For Angkor specifically the window narrows to November–February, because from March the temple days become genuinely punishing
First-hand seasonal comparison from our sources: a July visit meant near-daily rain and oppressive humidity, a January visit meant sun almost every day and chilly Phnom Penh evenings, the writer calls the difference immense, above all for a full day at Angkor
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What not to miss in Cambodia
A full day on Angkor's small circuit
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bayon, Ta Keo and Ta Prohm, done by tuk-tuk, bicycle or electric car; the popular loop alone is around 36 km of riding before you count the ride out from town
A second day on the grand circuit
Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, Pre Rup and East Mebon, all quieter than the headline temples, with Banteay Srei's unmatched carving as a half-day of its own further out
Sunrise at Angkor Wat, then leaving immediately
the reflection shot from the left-hand pond is the classic, and it is also the most crowded moment of the day; our sources' shared trick is to leave the second the sun clears the towers and take Bayon or Ta Prohm while everyone else is still queuing
Tuol Sleng (S-21) and Choeung Ek
the two Khmer Rouge memorial sites in Phnom Penh, each with an audio guide and each needing two to three hours; places of mourning before they are sights
The Cambodia Landmine Museum
founded by Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier trained by the UN to clear mines, some of which he had been forced to lay himself; about an hour, and it pairs naturally with Banteay Srei
Phare, the Cambodian Circus
acrobatics, music and theatre telling Khmer folk tales, performed by graduates of an arts school founded by returnees from a refugee camp; the Khmer Rouge banned the arts, which is precisely the point
What to eat in Cambodia
mild coconut fish curry steamed in a banana leaf, the national dish
stir-fried beef with garlic and tomato over salad, with a lime-salt-pepper dip
rice porridge with spring onion and garlic, served with beans, chilli and lime
lime-marinated beef salad with lemongrass, basil and mint; often barely cooked
a Thai red curry without the burn: coconut, lemongrass and kroeung paste, often with bread
the Cambodian baguette sandwich: pork, ginger, pickles, sauce
grilled pork over rice, the classic breakfast plate
crab cooked at the market stalls, with green Kampot peppercorns
sticky rice steamed in a bamboo tube
deep-fried spider, sold as a snack
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Cambodian customs and what not to do
No cover, no entry
Temple dress code is shoulders and knees covered, for men and women, at Angkor and at temples everywhere else; women are checked more strictly, and without covering or a sarong you will not be let
Not only at the temples
Cambodia is a conservative society: public displays of affection are rare and read as private behaviour, tourist towns excepted, and dressing modestly is respectful generally rather than only at temples
Use the whole hand
Pointing with a finger is very rude, use the whole hand, at people and at goods alike
Do not touch a monk
Monks may not have physical contact with women and must perform rituals if it happens; do not touch them
Buying keeps them out of school
Do not give money or buy anything from children. Adult networks stand behind the "street children", buying keeps them out of school, and the money largely does not reach them
The children have parents
Most Cambodian "orphanages" are not orphanages; children are recruited from the countryside to extract money from Western volunteers. Research any organisation properly, and if you have less than a month, do not volunteer with children at all
Both sides, the same street
Discussing the Khmer Rouge period is close to taboo: perpetrators and victims live side by side, and the second generation was raised by parents with untreated trauma
A scene gains you nothing
Losing your temper escalates badly; nothing is gained by making a scene, in a negotiation or anywhere else
Where the camera stays down
Ask before photographing anyone, do not photograph military sites or airports, and obey the no-photography signs at S-21
Angkor is a working temple
One publisher reports multiple cases of tourists jailed for several days for taking nude photographs at the temples. Treat the underlying rule as real, Angkor is a working religious site, even though the enforcement detail is single-publisher and dated
The first price expects it
Bargaining is normal and expected at markets, on tuk-tuks and for tours, and stallholders price in anticipation of it
Crossing the line pays off
One source describes a visible tourist/local wall, drivers barred from the restaurants they deliver clients to, separate foreigner and local pub streets in Siem Reap, and says their best evening came from deliberately crossing it
Do
- Carry something that covers shoulders and knees in your day bag, every day
- Agree the exact temple list and the price with an Angkor driver before you set off
- Photograph your tuk-tuk and your driver's shirt, there will be sixty identical ones in the sunrise car park
- Take the audio guides at both Khmer Rouge memorial sites
- Keep small riel notes for tuk-tuks and street food
- Withdraw cash before you board an island ferry
- Buy from local producers and services rather than the big supermarkets
Don't
- Buy bracelets, books or milk powder from or for children
- Photograph the prisoner mugshot wall at S-21, or anything a sign asks you not to
- Assume the "happy" menu is legal: cannabis is not, anywhere in Cambodia
- Hand your passport to anyone at a border who offers to arrange your visa
- Swim near the piers and outfalls on Koh Rong
- Learn to ride a motorbike here
- Wander off marked paths in the countryside, landmines are still in the ground
Daily budget in Cambodia
Budget
€10–28
dorm bed, local meals, public buses, one big paid sight
Mid-range
€33–60
private room with air-con, restaurant meals, tuk-tuk day hires, tours
High-end
€65+
boutique and resort hotels, private transfers, guided temple days
Track what you actually spend
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Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
Same price either way
The tourist e-visa costs USD 30 for 30 days, single entry, applied for at the official portal evisa.gov.kh, valid three months from issue with processing of about three business days.
Health
Only yellow fever is required
No vaccinations are compulsory unless you have been in a yellow-fever country in the seven days before arrival; DTP, typhoid and hepatitis A are the standard recommendations.
Money
Two currencies, one wallet
Dollars for anything above about a dollar, riel below it; roughly 4,000 riel to the dollar, and change under a dollar comes back in riel.
Connectivity
Two cities, then nothing
Wifi is workable in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and unreliable everywhere else; on the islands the signal ranges from weak to absent, and digital-nomad life outside the two big cities is a struggle.
Water
The filter bottle earns back
Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in the country; bottled water runs about €0.90 for 1.5 litres and a filter bottle pays for itself.
Tipping
Pay the driver at the end
Power & practicalities
Two types, so go universal
Sockets are types A and G at 230V, so a universal adapter is the safe answer for European and British plugs alike.
Language
Not tonal, so learnable
Khmer is the national language, written in its own script, unlike Thai and Vietnamese, not tonal, which makes the basics genuinely learnable; English is limited outside the tourist economy and any attempt at Khmer lands well.
Useful phrases
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
Jum-reap soo-a
Hello ·
Joom-reap leah
Goodbye ·
Baat (m) / Chaas (f)
Yes ·
Dteh
No ·
Suom mehta
Please ·
Or-koon
Thank you ·
Sohm dtoh
Sorry / excuse me ·
T'lay pohnmaan?
How much is this? ·
K'nyom trouv krouh peit
I need a doctor ·
K'nyom vung vehng plouv
I'm lost ·
Cambodia questions, answered
With the loop and how long you have. Two weeks covers Phnom Penh, an island, Kampot and Siem Reap; three adds Battambang or the east. Travellers planning Cambodia on Stippl start about 78 days out, which is roughly when the Angkor days want deciding. Lay the route into Stippl and show it to people who have done it.
Siem Reap and the islands get three; Phnom Penh, Kampot, Battambang and Kratie get two; Sihanoukville gets one. That is across the 164,000+ stops planned in Cambodia on Stippl, and it is more or less the itinerary: a few anchors that hold you, and a chain of two-night towns in between.
No, and the numbers are blunt about it: 31.00% of Sihanoukville stops planned on Stippl carry no night at all, the highest share in the country by a distance. It is the ferry port for Koh Rong and nothing more. Come from Kampot in the morning and sail the same afternoon.
The three-day one, and not for the price per day. It is valid on any three days inside a ten-day window, so a clouded-out sunrise or a day lost to heat is recoverable, which the one-day pass does not allow. Buy it from Angkor Enterprise, online or at the official counter. Anything else is a reseller.
Yes, unless you hold an ASEAN passport. It is a single-entry thirty-day visa, available as an e-visa before you fly or on arrival at the airport, and the requirement is the same on EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports. Take the e-visa: it saves you the queue and the cash at the counter.
Both, and it is simpler than it sounds. US dollars do the heavy lifting for hotels, tickets and transport, and riel comes back as change for anything under a dollar. Carry small, clean notes, because torn ones get refused, and take enough cash to the islands, where there are no machines.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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