Cambodia
Cambodia is one of the beautiful Southeast Asian countries bordering Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Having been through a hard past, it is slowly recovering and has been a popular destination for backpackers and cultural tourists. It is one of the most beautiful nations that show old and new can co-exist and can flourish with grace and pious. Houses the world-famous Angkor Wat a UNESCO world heritage site and stunning beaches, Cambodia are slowly picking up to be one of the popular countries to visit by the backpackers.
List of places to visit in Cambodia
Siem Reap
Siem Reap is arguably the most popular tourist destination in Cambodia. The beautiful town is located in the northern part of Cambodia is often visited for its mind-blowing ancient architectural marvels. It is a proper gateway for Angkor archaeological Park and thus Siem Reap is flocked by tourists from across the world throughout the year. The techniques used to construct these temples are simply astonishing. Historical places to witness in the archaeological park that traced back to 9th -15th century is Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, etc. It is a fantastic place to interact with the friendly locals and click stunning pictures.
Nearest airport: Seim Reap international airport
Phnom Penh
This beautiful capital city of Cambodia is one of the interesting places to visit in the country. It is believed that it can never get boring in this city. Although history hasn’t been kind to the people residing in here, it is still an interesting place to witness the beautiful blend of Khmer and French architecture. There are several places on can visit in Phnom Penh- Buddhist wats, Royal Palace, Tuol Sleng Museum, silver pagodas and a gorgeous riverside promenade, these are some lovely places to explore in the capital city of Cambodia. While you are in the capital city, we advise you to try the local street food to complete your day in Phnom Penh.
Nearest airport: Phnom Penh International Airport
Kep
Kep is a quaint coastal town in the south of Cambodia. Often considered to be a beautiful retreat by the locals and tourists, Kep is a wonderful place for excellent beaches, tall palm trees and calm waters. It is a fantastic place for sea-food. Do visit this sleepy little town for calm beaches.
Nearest airport: Phnom Penh International Airport
Kampot
This riverside town on the south-east of Cambodia is often considered to be a quaint little town by the off-beat travellers. Surrounded by beautiful mountains and hills, beaches and rivers, Kampot leaves quite an impression for first-time travellers. There are beautiful caves, and French architecture buildings one can look for. Apart from that, One can always go on a day trip from here to Kep or Bokor.
Nearest airport: Sihanoukville International Airport
Sihanoukville
Known for best beaches in the entire country of Cambodia, Sihanoukville is a fantastic beach town that is flocked with tourists from across the world. It is one of the most visited places after Angkor Wat in Cambodia. This coastal town located on the south-west of Cambodia is known for a magnificent coastline, fabulous beaches, lip-smacking sea-food and unforgettable nightlife. It is one of the top destinations in Cambodia for a memorable vacation.
Nearest airport: Sihanoukville International Airport
Koh Ker
Located in the north of Cambodia, about 3 hours’ drive from Siem Reap; Koh Ker is one of the most beautiful and intriguing places in Cambodia. Home to several temples and ancient monuments, Koh Ker is surrounded by a thick jungle. These temples and monuments have been traced back to the history of the 10th century to the Khmer Empire. One of the most intriguing things about this beautiful city is that there are ancient structures that are constructed very similarly to Mayan Civilization i.e. Pyramid structures. Located about 130 km from Siem Reap, Koh Ker is an ideal day visit, where one can explore the ancient temples and monuments amid the jungle. The entry ticket costs 10 USD for foreigners.
Nearest airport: Siem Reap International Airport
Temple of Angkor
This historical and archaeological site is the most popular tourist hot-spot of Cambodia. Located close to Siem Reap, Temple of Angkor houses some of the finest monuments spread across 400 sq km. These remains belong to the Khmer Empire built between the 9th to the 15th century. The whole complex has been declared as the UNESCO’s world heritage site. The most significant monuments in the complex are Temple of Angkor Wat, the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom and Bayon temple.
Nearest airport: Siem Reap International Airport
Battambang
This beautiful city happens to be the second-largest city located in the northwestern region of Cambodia. However, it is said that Battambang is not as crowded as the tourist hot-spots such as Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. This quaint city is one of the off-beat destinations to be surrounded by lush green countryside – the most ideal place for cycling. Battambang has seen drastic popularity in recent years, as most of the back-packers are preferring off-beat places like this.
Nearest airport: Siem Reap International Airport
Visa for Indians
Cambodia is one of the beautiful countries of south-east Asia that has a Visa on arrival facility for Indian passport holders. This stunning country has visa on arrival at two of their international airports such as Phnom Penh international airport and Seim Reap International Airport. Upon arrival, Visa fee of USD 20 per person is charged for Visa that is valid for 30 days. One can also apply an e-visa with the help of online payment through credit card. Documents required for entering the country is 6-month valid passport and confirmed return ticket
Itinerary
Day 1: Siem Reap Arrival
Day 2: Angkor Wat visit
Day 3: Siem Reap markets; night bus to Phnom Penh
Day 4: Phnom Penh city tour
Day 5: Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
Day 6: Sihanoukville
Day 7: Sihanoukville departure.
Best time to visit
This beautiful country is typically warm throughout the year due to its tropical climatic conditions. However, figuring out the right time to explore the country is very important. March to May is comparatively hot and humid in the entire country. It is also a great time to visit the coastal part of the country, however, the rest of the part remains dry and hot. November to February remains a beautiful time to explore the temples of Cambodia, the weather remains cool and pleasant in the evening and warm during the day. The raining season which usually happens in the months between May to October, the country experiences heavy rainfall, especially in the afternoon. Although it might interrupt sightseeing for some, for some this season is perfect. The whole countryside is lush green due to rains; apart from that it is low season hence the hotel rates and flight fares are cheap for budget travellers.
Where to stay?
Cambodia is one of the most sought after back-packers destinations, thus finding accommodation option is rarely a problem. There are several accommodation options with basic facility available in almost most of the places in the country. The budget accommodations start from 8 USD per night in places like Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. These places generally have budget guest-houses and Hostels. Mid-range and Luxury hotels, however, is found in tourist hotspots and big towns such as Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang, Sihanoukville and Kep.
What to eat?
Cambodia cuisine is majorly influenced by neighbouring countries especially that of Thai and Vietnamese. Often the herbs, chillies and spices are served on the side rather than cooking with the dish. The most popular and favourite amongst the locals is Fish amok – This beautiful dish is made up of freshwater fish cooked in coconut milk and other local spices, steamed in Bamboo leaf shaped like a bowl. Fish amok is a must-try dish in Cambodia. Other interesting dishes one must try are Steamed pork bun, Grilled frog, Pork and rice, Green mango salad and pickled fruits. The locals drink a lot of green tea and fruit shakes and apart from that one must try Cambodia’s national beer – Angkor in Sihanoukville.
How to reach?
Travelling by air to Cambodia from India is the only comfortable and fastest way of reaching the country. The country has two important international airports including Siem Reap international airport and Phnom Penh international airport. These two airports are connected with direct flights and connecting flights from across the world. Most people arrive from Bangkok, Ho Chi Mihn and Singapore. Cambodia Angkor Air is the official airline of the country. There are no direct flights from India to Cambodia; most common flights from India are Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Bangkok Airways and Silk Air; of which Malaysian airlines offer the cheapest airfare in general.
These are some of the best places to visit in Cambodia. Do let us know if we have missed out on your favourite spot on the comments section.