Four places you need to go in Cambodia!
Cambodia is a country that should definitely be on your list so you can experience their culture, way of living, and of course to check out a wonder of the world and UNESCO heritage site.
Cambodia is a country nestled between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos making it the perfect country to go through and visit while going to Ho Chi Minh from Bangkok or vice-versa.
Due to the country still offering a lot of street food and unfortunately not having as strict food hygiene measures as the west, I recommend you only stick to red meat, vegetable options, or don’t eat if you’re at a restaurant that doesn’t look quite right.
That’s not to say the food there isn’t delicious but I’ve heard of countless stories and had one guy on my tour who got seriously ill and it didn’t look at pleasant experience at all so I advise you to always do your research or avoid street vendors.
The country has a lot of history to it and was where political leader Pol Pot between the years 1975 to 1979 led the Pol Pot regime which is regarded as one of the most barbaric and murderous events in recent history with an estimated 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians died of starvation, execution, disease, or overwork.
It’s a country worth going to just for the beaches and island hopping you can do all of which come with great activities, lots of opportunities to meet new people, and lots of interesting cheap beers to choose from.
If you’ve been to Cambodia, let our community know what you thought by dropping a comment on what your favourite place was or if you want some more details on one of the places below feel free to reach out to me on Instagram at thallen.
ANGKOR WAT
Arguably the place that Cambodia is best known for and somewhere that in my opinion is a must go for the incredible views and history.
Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious building measuring at an incredible 162.6 hectares of land and is a UNESCO world heritage site as of 1992.
If you can, make sure you go early on to catch the sunrise at the temple as it’s well worth the early wake up to take in the awesome views with the sun gleaming through the different pillars of the temple.
If you’re going here, it’s likely you’ll stay in the city of Siem Reap as it’s the closest place with a range of accommodation, lots of different tour guide options running from the city, and it’s also a cool city to check out.
There’s plenty of photo opportunities including ones with the locals like in the picture below so make sure you’ve got your phone and cameras fully charged.
You can book your trip to Angkor Wat by either going through local guides (please do research so you’re not scammed) or going through a trusted travel group such as G Adventures or STA Travel which would be my personal recommendation.
SHARE THE PIN ?
PHNOM PENH
Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s capital and if you’re going there be prepared for busy streets and a busy walkable riverfront that is lined with plenty of restaurants and bars to party the night away in.
If you’re in the city and into your history, you can go to visit places like the ornate Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum which are all located on the riverfront and make for some great sites to see if either for strolling by or going inside.
The city is French built due to being part of the French colonisation and they left behind some amazing architecture that’s been built into the modern day city giving it the name “Pearl of Asia”.
You can visit the Tuol Sleng museum which is a former prison under the leadership of Pol Pot where people were taken to be tortured and executed.
It’s a really sad but interesting experience that I recommend you visit if you can and you can book tickets through a website such as Trip Advisor or have it as part of a bigger package that places like STA Travel offer.
There are loads of awesome places to eat in the capital and I could list quite a few.
The one place I really do recommend you try is Eleven One Kitchen because their fried beef in green pepper sauce was incredible and it’s definitely one of the first places I go when i’m next in Phnom Penh.
There’s plenty of places to stay in Phnom Penh with places that will match your level of comfort and you’ll likely have your accommodation sorted for you if you’re on a group trip.
If you’re going solo or with a friend, I recommend you check out Booking.com where there will likely be plenty of choices for the time your going.
SIHANOUKVILLE
The only thing I got told about this place was that it was a party city where you get ridiculously drunk for ridiculously cheap while at a disco on a beach and then go to the beach the next day to do it all over again haha.
Well, one thing is for sure, it’s good for late night parties, trying different cocktails, and meeting some hilarious people but that’s not all it’s good for.
When I went to Sihanoukville I wasn’t well which I put down to not properly hydrating.
Fortunately, this was only for the first night I got there and by the second day after necking enough water to fill up a lake I felt back to my usual exploring self.
So, on a side note, make sure you drink enough bottled water so you don’t have to spend your days feeling like total sh*t and can be out enjoying the beach or the activities in whatever part of Cambodia or South East Asia for that matter.
There are loads of different beaches you can visit in Sihanoukville either on the mainland or by going to one of the islands including Koh Rong Samloem mentioned as the next place I recommend on this article.
Three of my personal favourite beaches were Otres Beach, Ochheuteal Beach, and Lazy Beach.
Otres Beach is a relaxed beach lined with trees and beautiful clear waters, Ochheuteal Beach is lined with buildings and is a lot more popular and on the cities door step while, and Lazy Beach (my favourite on Koh Rong) is a proper chilled beach where you can have beers an food while looking into the sea and enjoying the view with mates.
Of course like any beach there are plenty of activities you can take part in and loads of different water sports you can sign up to either as a larger group if you’re on your own or hire for a smaller group if you’re travelling with three other people.
Again, if you’re travelling on a pre booked tour with someone like G Adventures you’re likely going to have your accommodation and a good majority of your adventures or activities booked for you.
If you’re going solo or in a group that’s with family and friends and not with a booking agent you can book accommodation to suit you through Booking.com and you can get your seaside activities booked through Trip Advisor.
Last thing, if you are going to Sihanoukville or the island of Koh Rong Samloem mentioned below I really recommend you go snorkelling or diving out in the sea as it’s a fun place to do it with lots of opportunity to see some cool sea life
KOH RONG SAMLOEM
Touched on it briefly in the last point – a great place to go snorkelling and to spot sealife while having some awesome beaches to relax on after.
It’s 25km from the main port of Sihanoukville and can be accessed by a short boat ride with five different ferry services going to the island on a daily basis that take between 45 minutes to an hour.
We went via private boat, stopped off at some snorkelling spots, went on land to have a quick bbq with a few beers, and then jumped back on the boat and went to Sihanoukville which was great but next time I’ll be staying over.
If you’re planning on going and staying the night there’s The Mad Monkey Koh Rong Samloem which has its own private bay (Monkey Bay) and is only reachable by boat which makes for a pretty cool experience.
Be warned though, it’s part of the Mad Monkey group who are renowned for throwing a bit of a party so might not be the place if you’re looking for a romantic or quite night.
Of course, there are plenty of other places you can stay, and you can use Booking.com to find somewhere that suits your style or use trip advisor to get a better feel for what places are good and what places are a no go.
Just make sure you’ve got your camera and phone charged as it’s not the easiest place to find chargers in my personal experience (maybe I wasn’t properly looking) and as I mentioned in the 10 things to take to Vietnam article I always recommend having a battery pack or two to ensure you don’t run out of juice for when that perfect Instagram shot shows itself.
WHICH ONES ARE ON YOUR LIST?
So that’s four places the chief fun officer of Exploring Together (me) personally recommends you check out if you’re going through Cambodia or are planning on going to Cambodia.
If you’ve been to any of these places we would love to know what you thought, what you got up to, where you would or wouldn’t recommend, and any funny stories you have so please leave us a comment on here or our social channels.
As mentioned above if you want any more information on the places above or what other personal recommendations I have, please feel free to reach out to me on Instagram at thallen.
I’ll catch you on the next one mitt robsakhnhom or មិត្តរបស់ខ្ញុំ if you can read/speak Khmer.
