Cambodia Travel Tips – Things I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Cambodia

Cambodia is a wonderful country to visit for a variety of reasons. If it’s not Cambodia’s world-famous Angkor Wat, then there are the killing kills and then there are the beaches and islands, which are some of the best in the world.

International visitors to Cambodia have been increasing year on year. With that Cambodia has started to experience rapid development in a lot of areas. Cambodia is fairly safe for tourists to Cambodia but Cambodia has its customs and little quirks.

In this post, we will go through Cambodian travel tips that I wish I had known before visiting Cambodia. So let’s get started!

Read More On Cambodia

• Can You Drink Tap Water in Cambodia?
• Things To Do in Phnom Penh Cambodia
• Where To See Monkeys in Cambodia?
• Best Places To Visit in Cambodia
• Is There Uber in Cambodia?
• What Are The Best Historical Sites In Cambodia?
• Is Tipping In Cambodia Expected?

Quick Information on Cambodia

• Currency: Riel and the US Dollar
• Language: Khmer
• Population: Over 16 million
• Capital City: Phnom Penh
• Best time to visit Cambodia: Dry season is between October to April with an average temperature of around 23°C. While the rainy season is from May until September with an average temperature of around 35°C.
• How to get there: You can enter by land through Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Or you can fly into Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

Where To Stay In Cambodia?

Cambodia is fairly cheap but this depends on the standard of the hotel or hostel. Basic hotel room prices can start from $8 per night. And a hostel sharing with others can be as low as $1 per night.

Cambodia Travel Tips

Cambodia has its customs and little quirks. To make your visit to Cambodia more enjoyable and to avoid any misunderstanding or cultural challenges we have a few Cambodian travel tips that will help.

Here are 8 Cambodian travel tips, that I wish I had known before visiting Cambodia.

Have To Use 2 Currencies

The Riel is the official currency of Cambodia. Also, the US Dollar is used for anything greater than 1 dollar. If the change is less than 1 dollar, you will get Riel.

When you are using a local ATM in Cambodia, it will dispense in dollars. I don’t recall being given an option to choose either Dollar or Riel.

In some cases, you will be paying for things in 2 different currencies. It takes a while to figure it out, as the Riel starts to build up.

Generally, 10,000 Riel is equal to 2.50 Dollars. Always ask what the conversion rate is.

The Internet Is Generally Awful

Don’t expect to get great WiFi in Cambodia. A lot of hostels and hotels provide interest access but it is generally poor and unstable.

Sometimes at the best of times, you are doing well to be able to check your emails. In saying that there is always the option to buy a local sim for 2 Dollars and 2G data for 7 days for another 1 dollar. And use your phone as a hotshot.

This is a reasonable solution but the data at times is not great but works.

Toilet Standards?

The toilets are not the best in some cases pretty awful. The public toilets are used by loads of tourists and locals each day. Plus the toilets are not regularly maintained, expect to be shocked.

If in rural areas, there’s no avoiding the squat toilet.

Remember, to always begin a toilet roll with you everywhere in Cambodia.

The bar and restaurant toilets are a bit better but in general, there may only be one toilet for all their customers. Don’t expect anything fancy.

Don’t Give Money Or Food To Local Children

You’ll find them begging mainly at touristy spots or where tourists go to eat and drink. Yes, it looks sad to see little kids begging in dirty clothes at all hours.

Firstly, if you give one kid money, it will attract other kids over to you. Secondly, the kid’s parents send these out to beg from tourists as a business venture, instead of sending them to school.

The Cambodian Government actively encourages tourists who want to do good to donate to local schools and charity organizations instead of giving money to beggars.

Mosquitos?

If you have an intolerance to mosquitos, be prepared. On my travel, I was absolutely eaten by them. Get some mosquitos to spray and use it regularly.

Plus bring some medicine for mosquito bites, as mosquito bites are well-known for spreading other diseases like the Zika virus and Chikungunya.

It’s Hot And Humid

I was there in the rainy season which is generally between May to November. It’s very hot and very humid but when it rains, it really rains. The rain can last for a couple of hours with lightning and thunder.

And between November to February, temperatures drop to the low 20s.

Awesome Beaches And Islands

Cambodia was one of the nicest beaches and Islands in the world. In Sihanoukville, there are nice beaches with good nightlife.

A quick boat ride away, you can be on the paradise island of Koh Rong Samloem Island or Koh Rong Island.

Visiting Angkor Wat, You’ll Need A Temple Pass

To visit Angkor Wat, an entry permit or Temple Pass is required to enter the Angkor temples unless you are Cambodian.

The entry permit is valid for all of the Angkor temples in the area. A 1-day pass is $37 USD, a 3-day is $62 USD, and a 7-day is $72 USD.

Remember to bring a lot of water, you will need it.

Wrapping Up

Finally, Cambodia has its customs and little quirks that you should respect and something you should beware of before going to Cambodia. The Cambodian people are friendly and are generally, understanding when tourists make mistakes or if there is a misunderstanding. Like any trip, you’ll get the most out of it by learning all you can before you arrive in Cambodia.

And that’s it for now! And I’d love to know if this guide on Cambodia Travel Tips has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there are any other tips for traveling to Cambodia.

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