CAMBODIA

Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia and once known as the Khmer Empire, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia.

The South East Asian kingdom of Cambodia has as rich and as ancient a cultural heritage as its neighbors Thailand and Vietnam and it’s time travelers discovered destinations other than Pattaya, Phuket and Bali in South East Asia. Cambodia has some truly spectacular sights to see – the capital, Phnom Penh with an old-world French colonial charm to it; and the spectacular temple complex of Angkor Wat, easily the grandest one even in this part of the world with its sprinkling of temple complexes.

Cambodia has many treasures that you must come and discover for yourself!

Capital: Phnom Penh

Best time to visit:

  1. Cambodia has pretty unbearable summers- hot, humid and most unappealing. What is worse is that it rains even during the rest of the year- the north east monsoons drench most of the country around November.
  2. The best time to visit Cambodia, therefore, is in December to February, when the temperature’s fairly comfortable, and it isn’t pouring cats and dogs.
  3. The main rainy season, between April and October, is very wet, but can be a good time if you’re keen on seeing Angkor Wat in all its glory- that’s the time when all the moats are full and the vegetation is at its greenest.

Minimum days required: 5 days

Places of Interest:

  1. Angkor Wat
  2. Bayon
  3. Angkor Thom
  4. PreahVihear Temple
  5. Royal Palace

Climate:

  1. Cambodia’s climate is typically tropical- hot and humid almost all the year through.
  2. Two monsoons, the southwest and the northeast monsoons dominate the climate.
  3. The southwest monsoons bring heavy rains between May and October, while the northeast monsoons cause rain between November and March.
  4. Broadly speaking, the northern 2/3 of the country has a longer dry season than the rest of Cambodia.
  5.  Mean temperatures in much of the country- especially in the area around the Tonlé Sap basin- range between 22º C and 28º C; rainfall ranges between 100 and 190 cm annually and increases with altitude- the mountains are the wettest.

Currency: Riel

Things to carry:

  1. Everything- or almost everything you may need.
  2. The capital has shops and markets where you can usually find medicines, toiletries and the like, but definitely not the expensive or rare brands, but in towns and villages outside Phnom Penh you might have trouble finding most things. So if you’re likely to run out of anything, it’s best to bring along replenishments.
  3. As far as clothing is concerned, carry light, airy clothes- Cambodia’s hot and muggy, and cotton is best.
  4. However, be careful about what you wear- leave skimpy clothing for the beaches; and be doubly sure not to wear shorts, tank tops or the like when visiting shrines or temples of any kind.
  5. Do bring along insect repellent and sun tan lotion- two indispensable things needed in the country.
  6. It’s also a good idea to carry a map of the country or respective cities you are travelling to for your own convenience.

How to get there:

Air

  1. Getting to Cambodia isn’t as difficult as it once used to be, with two major international airports serving the country.
  2. One is in Phnom Penh, the capital city and political center of Cambodia, known as the Phnom Penh International Airport and the second airport is Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport situated at Siem reap, the land housing Angkor wat- Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination.
  3. Both airports provides adequate facilities for tourists and are easily accessible by a number of cities including Bangkok, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Hong Kong and Hanoi. Angkor Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Thai airways, China Southern Airlines are just a few of the many passenger carriers which flies directly to this ancient country.