The once great power of Southeast Asia can today be considered the most economically poor and ruined state. Having been excluded from the world community by the regime of dictator Pol Pot for seven long years, Cambodia was left without intelligentsia, specialists and simply educated people. The long civil war completely ruined the country; only by the mid-90s did peaceful life begin to improve.

Tourism for Cambodia is the most important revenue item in the budget. Despite the weak infrastructure, the country is proud of its temple complexes, natural parks, excellent beaches and delicious cuisine. The mild climate, very cheap housing and food well compensate for the lack of European comfort and inconvenience when moving around the country.

Many domestic tourists note the similarity of the current economic situation in Cambodia with Russia in the 90s. High corruption, an abundance of poor people and outright beggars on the streets. On the other hand, they try to protect tourists from all possible troubles. But vigilance will never be superfluous.

Travel companies sell five-day tours to the country of jungles and Hindu temples at prices starting from 1,400 euros for two (without meals, the price includes flights and a simple room in a 3* hotel). The real cost of the trip in this case will eventually increase to more than a thousand euros per person. Can you save money by traveling on your own? Let's figure it out!

Visa!

Despite the fact that Russians need a visa to visit Cambodia, it will not significantly increase the travel budget. A visa can be obtained in Russia, through a travel company, or in person at the consulate, as well as at the airport terminal.

The cost of an entry permit does not cost more than 18 euros (in both cases). However, if you use the services of travel companies, you will have to pay approximately the same amount.

A Cambodian visa entitles a tourist to visit Thailand and return back. An undoubted advantage, isn't it?

Road

There are no direct scheduled flights between Russia and Cambodia. Organized tourists enter the country on charter flights, for which it is quite difficult to get a ticket. You will have to fly with transfers in China, Vietnam or Thailand.

The cheapest months to fly to Cambodia are November-December and February-March. At this time, the most attractive discounts on tickets from Moscow to Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville are offered by China Eastern - from 525 euros round trip. The flight takes about a day (long wait at the transfer in Shanghai). A flight through Thailand or Vietnam can be found much faster, but the cost of such a flight will be more than two thousand euros per person.

Hotels, apartments, residences

Most often in Cambodia there are hotels that do not provide meals to guests. This circumstance will not spoil your vacation, since in any city in the country the number of cafes, restaurants and eateries is amazing.

And the prices are very reasonable:

• You can find a European-level hotel for one hundred euros per night, or you can stay in an excellent small guest house a kilometer from the beach for 6 euros (in November-December, double room with a fan and free internet).
• For 12 euros you can rent an excellent room with air conditioning, TV (satellite TV, several Russian channels), in a hotel that provides a fairly high level of comfort.
• A bungalow fully equipped with all amenities (shower, toilet, air conditioning, terrace, outdoor cooking facilities) will cost no more than 13-15 euros.
• A hotel room that provides guests with breakfast starts from 22 euros. Bungalow 300 meters from the beach - from 30 euros (breakfast included).

The level of service for tourists in hotels is very high. Khmers in general are very friendly and helpful people.

Gastronomic features and prices for food in restaurants and cafes

In terms of ingredients, traditional Cambodian dishes are not very different from dishes from neighboring countries (Thailand, Vietnam), which are well known to our tourists. But the taste of these same dishes here is completely special: not as spicy as in Thailand, not as balanced as in Vietnam. Khmer dishes are almost always a little sweet, and the range of spices is such that it creates a special and unique aroma.

In Cambodia, an Asian and traditional country, rice is the basis of nutrition. Meat and fish are also held in high esteem here. The climate provides an extraordinary variety of vegetables and fruits in the diet. If in other countries of Southeast Asia, dishes from insects and reptiles are prepared more for tourists, in Cambodia the local population happily feasts on red ants, larvae, spiders, beetles and grasshoppers, snakes, fried or stewed frogs. Such exotic dishes most often appear as snacks for strong alcohol.

Exotic dishes of Cambodia are not in demand by all tourists, but all travelers note the especially delicious dishes prepared from traditional European ingredients:

• Bai sach chrouk is a widespread, inexpensive, but very filling and spicy dish. Spicy rice with pieces of pork roasted over an open fire, served with fresh cabbage and a cup of broth. Excellent breakfast, costing no more than 1 euro;
• Lap Khmer is a great salad with marinated beef and vegetables. It may well pass as a main dish, especially in the hot season;
• Kdam chaa - fried crab with herbs and local peppers, served in resort towns on the ocean;
• Ankh dtrey myk - grilled squid with lime and basil sauce;
• Fried fish is a very special dish, the fish is cooked in coconut milk and served with a sauce of many spices and lime juice.

Prices for food in street cafes are very low, and the quality of food is always excellent. If you feed yourself, you will have to spend a little more.

The fact is that in Cambodian supermarkets the products are mostly imported. Their prices cannot be called low, and their quality is even more so. There are frequent power cuts in the country. During the hot season, food spoils quickly.

When eating in inexpensive cafes and restaurants, expenses should be planned as follows:

• Breakfast - one dish and a drink - 1.5-2 euros;
• Lunch - two dishes and a drink - 3-4 euros;
• Dinner - one dish, beer or wine - 3 euros.

The daily food budget is therefore between 7.5 and 9 euros per person.

Historical and natural attractions

All the main tourist attractions of Cambodia can be divided into three groups: temples, beaches, natural parks and pepper plantations.

Cambodia offers so many sites that no matter where you are (Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kampot, etc.), you can visit many unusual temple complexes, special museums, walk through the real jungle and enjoy the most fantastic views.

List of objects of the “obligatory” tourist program:

• Angkor Wat is the main treasure of Cambodia, which no tourist can miss. A Hindu temple city, symbolically representing the center of the world - Mount Meru. Dedicated to god Vishnu. Despite the fact that the temple is abandoned and has not been active for a long time, when visiting it, you must observe some restrictions on clothing (shorts and short T-shirts are prohibited). It will take several days to explore the complex. The best option is a 72-hour ticket (35 euros). Taxi (tuk-tuk) from the nearest major city (Sien Reap) - 10 euros (if rented for the whole day). You can get from the capital by bus (the journey takes 7 hours, ticket costs 13.50 euros one way). The best time to visit is early morning (no later than 5 o’clock), at other times you will have to wade through the crowd;
• Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, has only two truly interesting sites for tourists: the Royal Palace and the Genocide Museum. The Royal Palace will take at least two hours. The main thing here is the silver pagoda and the emerald Buddha. Entrance ticket - 8.5 euros. Covered clothing is required to visit (no shorts or short T-shirts!). The Genocide Museum is a terrible place, a political prison from the time of Pol Pot. Torture chambers, punishment cells, historical exhibitions - all this makes a strong impression. Entrance ticket - 2 euros;
• Sihanoukville is the main resort of the country. There are many ancient temples in the city, and in the city surroundings you can see waterfalls and pepper plantations. But the main thing here is the beaches (they are basically free, a sunbed is provided after ordering at the beach bar - from 1 euro). Prices in the city are higher than in other areas of the country;
• Kampot is a small town in the vicinity of which is the Bokor Natural Park. In addition to the natural beauty, you should definitely see the abandoned royal residence and caves. In the town itself there is an unusually original market, where you can find not only vegetables and fruits, but also inexpensive and high-quality silk scarves (5-7 euros). You can explore the park and temples for free;
• Uninhabited islands near Sihanoukville - visiting these islands is a unique opportunity to escape from civilization and relax in the lap of pristine nature (conditionally, of course, there are now many people who want to visit these islands).

Precautions and features of Cambodian life

The main troubles that tourists encounter in Cambodia are related to three features of the country:

• Lack of ATMs, currency scammers;
• Corruption;
• Beggars (most often children).

In the first case, you need to have cash with you. American dollars are best; they can always be exchanged in banks and exchange offices at a favorable rate. Moreover, you can pay with dollars almost everywhere, although this is not convenient. The best option: have cash in local currency and dollars in small denominations.

In the second case, nothing can be done. You need to be doomedly prepared that the “magic” 1 dollar bill solves almost all misunderstandings: you crossed the road incorrectly (although the locals never follow traffic rules), you want to stay in the temple longer (almost all of them are officially open until 6 pm ), you want to get a working sunbed, you want your room to have a view of the sea... Everything is solvable, and the price of the issue is 1 American dollar.

In the third case, you will have to work harder. To keep the beggars away from you for the entire duration of your vacation, you will have to make a scandal with the participation of the tourist police once. They will leave immediately and forever!

Enjoy your holiday in Cambodia!

Previously, I already wrote about. Now I want to talk about how much it costs to visit Cambodia for most people. I will not consider expensive ready-made tours, because... in my opinion, this is a blatant rip-off. Neither can the countries of Southeast Asia cost more than $1,500 dollars per person for a comfortable stay, to the extent that the Khmers and other residents of Asia understand comfort. Briefly about the budget for a vacation trip to Cambodia and how to plan it.

I'll start with good news, as in any place, the cost of living in Cambodia greatly depends on the period for which you plan to stay: the longer the period, the cheaper the housing. I'm sure you're familiar with it, everything there is so banal. In the process of living in Cambodia, with time and experience gained, prices fall not only for rented housing, but also for food, but for now we are talking about rent:

• a room of 12-15 meters in a guesthouse, without air conditioning and a kitchen, but with its own toilet - $100 per month
• the increase in volume and number of amenities raises prices, so for a room with air conditioning you will have to pay - $150 per month of stay
• a further increase in the quality and quantity of amenities raises housing prices, so a good-quality apartment with everything you need can cost up to $300
• studio apartments of increased comfort, a kind of Cambodian euro (without tiles on the walls of the room and decent furniture) will cost from $300
• a kind of townhouse - three-story cells (hall, kitchen, several bedrooms), albeit without furniture and in an uninhabited area, will also cost from $300 per month
• the initial cost of renting a house with good furniture, with a long rental period starts from $400

I repeat that this is a very average price level, cases vary, so it is quite possible to find the best deals:

...I rented a room in a Khmer house a five-minute walk from Lviv for $50 a month, including water and electricity (although instead of a shower there was a barrel of water, a pipe and a ladle, but right in the room))
An acquaintance rents a cell house next to the bus station for $150 (2 rooms with air conditioners, kitchen, living room, huge balcony on the roof)…

So: I would advise you to count on the average cost of renting housing in Cambodia in the amount of $150-200 per month.

Cost of food in Cambodia in 2015

In general, they turned out to be quite low, but they are far from it. in general it is very specific, although food is always very individual: taste and color, as they say. Some are ready to eat the required amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates per day, while others are accustomed to eating only in expensive European restaurants, although the latter will probably prefer Europe and will not read the article. In general, let everyone decide for themselves how much they are willing to spend monthly on food while living in Sihanoukville, but I will give the average level of expenses:

• in Cambodia, buying and preparing food yourself will cost about $50-80 per month
• the cost of visiting inexpensive cafes as the main source of food starts from $120 per month
• gluttony in restaurants with an abundance of seafood and fruits with aperitifs will not exceed $300

Thus, we safely budget $150 per month for food in Cambodia per person and continue moving forward.

Transport Cambodia

A little later I plan to include in a separate article all the information I collected on transport in Cambodia, but for an approximate calculation of the cost of living in Cambodia, it’s still worth saying briefly about transport services. There is no public transport in Sihanoukville; people travel by their own or. For tourists there are taxis and tuk-tuks, but for long-term stays the tourist option is ruinous:

• the starting price for renting a medium-sized bike in Cambodia is $70 per season, $85
• buying a bike is profitable if you stay for more than 6 months, its cost is about $700 (upon departure, part of the money will be returned upon sale)
• Taxi to Sihanoukville Airport - Sihanoukville $25
• tuk-tuk from $2 (don’t fall for all sorts of local scams)
• the cost of a liter of gasoline in Cambodia in October 2014 was $1.3

In my opinion, you can easily spend $100-120 to rent a bike with gasoline if you are not a fan of sports bikes and come to relax and not show off in front of the locals.

Other expenses

What other expenses should you consider when traveling to Cambodia on your own:

• will cost $30
• Cellular communications and internet are another $20-30
• Clothing and household items $20
• Cigarettes: $0.5 a pack (in the supermarket)
• Mekong whiskey 31 degrees 0.7 liters 90 cents

Most of my friends who love long-term residence lead a relatively healthy lifestyle, at least they don’t smoke, so I will focus the calculation on such people, then everyone can add a couple of hundred for themselves. According to the item, other expenses we get $50-70

How much does Cambodia cost in total? The amount turns out to be $450-540 per month with a competent approach to the budget. Don’t forget, too, that if you come with your family (without children, more about them later), then not all costs need to be doubled, because housing, internet, and a bike will be shared. There are craftsmen whose expenses are significantly lower, but these are already experienced travelers, long-stayers, winterers and expats. On average, excluding a ticket for two, 800-900 dollars is quite a sufficient amount. You will have to pay the same amount for a two-week vacation at a hotel, but there are some nuances there.

Live for free in Cambodia

Instead of concluding, I want to debunk one of the myths circulating on the Internet regarding freebies in Cambodia - They say, there are people who can get by without money in southeast asia, sleep in a hammock, gather and fish. Here is the answer from experienced people:

1. The breadfruit tree is sometimes ownerless, the rest of the fruit trees belong to someone. And the fruits ripen only in December-January.
2. The Khmers fish with nets from the shore. With some skill you can always catch small fish and crabs.
3. I can’t really imagine spending the night in a hammock during the rainy season. In principle, it is possible, provided that you wrap your mortal body in a mosquito net. It’s difficult to say about snakes. If it's within the city, it's probably safe.

In its pure form, only experienced extreme sports enthusiasts, who are doing something like this out of sporting interest, can survive without money. Most of the so-called backpackers have at least a penny to their name, sleep under a roof, usually in a house, and buy some kind of food (rice, doshirak, etc.).

Have a nice trip everyone, thank you for your attention

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7 comments

Cambodia is the same Thailand only ten years ago. Mass tourists can come here, but they just need to wait a couple of years. Now prices for housing, food and entertainment here are an order of magnitude lower than in Taisui. The country has something to see and, most importantly, it has something to show. Temple complexes, Lake Tanle Sap and much more. The country is worthy of mass tourism.

My husband and I traveled for 2 months—from 11/19/09 to 01/19/10—in SE Asia. We traveled through Vietnam from north to south, visited Cambodia - relic Angkor, Thailand, and on the island. Langkawi, Malaysia, celebrated the New Year. I describe my subjective impressions separately by country.

As I already wrote in the story about Vietnam, in Saigon we took an “open bus ticket” - a bus ticket with an open date, on the route Saigon - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap. For $20 per person. Saigon - Phnom Penh - 10 dollars. And Phnom Penh - Siem Reap - 10 dollars. We were dropped off at the border and we crossed the border on foot, the same bus was waiting for us on the other side. The visa was issued right there at the border, at a special point, for $20 per person. Processed very quickly. The questionnaire is standard, it is even easier to fill out than a customs declaration. The visa is given for a month. A photograph is required for a visa. We took photos from home, just in case.

Cambodia has a lot of space, few people. There are only 14 million in the entire country. It’s easy to breathe. Crossing the border has a dramatic effect on the sensations. The silence and open spaces are immediately impressive, just like we have in Russia. I can’t say at first glance that Cambodia is so completely poor. Our country is also full of contrasts. But I think that everything is fine with the environment. The country is mainly agricultural. Labor everywhere is exclusively manual. The space is clean.

People are very similar to Sri Lankans in attitude, behavior and even appearance. Calm, friendly and non-aggressive. But they have more negative experiences after Polpot, therefore, unlike those, they don’t believe in miracles and don’t expect fairy-tale princes. And there is absolutely no intrusiveness anywhere (we didn’t encounter any in Tai either). Only in Angkor did souvenir sellers pester you. And one day in Phnom Penh - refugees.

Phnom Penh

Gate to the palace.

It didn’t take long to get to Phnom Penh, including crossing the border and stopping in line for the ferry, about 6 hours. Phnom Penh greeted us with stunningly beautiful palaces. We were taken to a bus stop, not far from the city center. Sasha ran around the area, but there were no rooms in the nearest hotels. And we surrendered to the mercy of the tuk-tuk driver. “Tuk-tuk” is a local taxi, in the form of a motorcycle and a carriage attached to it.

He took us around a bit to hotels. As a result, we stopped at Her Royal Highness (No. 35-37, street 172 Sangkat Chey Chumneas), for $13/room. The hotel is old, huge, located almost in the center. One can feel the former luxury. Apparently it was once quite expensive, but is now practically empty. We were placed in the second building, and there was no one there even at the reception, which was even alarming.

And in 2 days they saw only one more foreign guest there. It was possible to stay in the very central square, in a new hotel, for $25. And opposite our hotel we later found a cozy family hotel for $15/room. But we didn’t plan to be in Phnom Penh for a long time, just a couple of days, and decided to save money.

And on the very first day we screwed up. The Tuk-Tuk driver began offering us a tour to some significant “temple” for little money. According to past experience, we translated “temple” as “temple”. It was lunch time - still half a day ahead. And we decided not to waste time and agreed. He drove us for a long, long time. He took it far out of town and brought it... to the museum-memorial of the Pol Pot events.

There were mass graves of Pol Pot's victims. During his regime, he managed to reduce the population from 15 million to 5 million. A glass tower was built there, the height of a 5-story building, all filled with the skulls of victims. The impression, of course, is painful. Even now I’m writing and shuddering. Of our own free will, even for the sake of interest, we do not like to visit such places. In general, by the time we returned, it was already dark. We refused further taxi driver services.

In the evening, while walking along our street, we came across a massage parlor. I decided to get a massage there for $5/hour. The owners called a massage therapist. They gave me a uniform - canvas trousers and a shirt. It turned out that the massage therapist was blind. No one has given me such a unique and brutal massage, either before or since, anywhere. He found the most painful points on my body, and then pressed on them so that my brain was ringing and my eyes popped out of their sockets from pain. Moreover, I tried not to show that it hurt, already knowing what would follow.

But he, by some intuition, by touch, recognized them. At some point, I thought that I could no longer stand this execution, I even wanted to give up the massage. But then a miracle happened - at the moment of apogee, the pain suddenly disappeared abruptly, and relaxation set in. I survived until the end. Very interesting. As a result, an extraordinary lightness appeared in my body, and I was satisfied. To celebrate, I gave him a tip. I would like to undergo such a massage course.

The next day, after having breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we went to the national museum, it is located very close. We looked at the artifacts taken from Angkor. We wandered around the city and sat in a cafe. We entered the territory of the monastery, it is large, with residential buildings and churches, like a city within a city. Behind a high fence, but with through passages. There, on a street, Sanya talked with a local monk, and the attendant kindly opened the temple for us to explore.

The Government Palace opened at 2:00 p.m., and we didn’t get into it, because at that time we were already traveling to Siem Reap.

Siem Reap

Dancers - apsaras

Based on the distance on the map, we thought that we would arrive in Siem Reap quite quickly. But we got there quite late. Around 9 pm. So it’s better to leave Phnom Penh early in the morning, and not at 13-30, like we did. Considering that it gets dark already at 6-7 pm, and there is not much lighting there, we arrived almost late at night. The bus station is located 4 km from the city.

And again we surrendered to the mercy of the tuk-tuk driver. He brought us to a very good hotel “Tropical Breeze” (No. 0293, Group12, Wat Damnak Village, Salalkomreuk Commune), where we rented a room for $16. As in Vietnam, there are computers in the lobby with free Internet for guests.

Here Sanya immediately became energetically active, and, despite my advice to rest and then outline an action plan, he hired a Russian-speaking guide with transport for 3 days, for $100 per day. It was possible not to spend this money, because the guide, in essence, did not tell us anything that we could not read about Angkor. On the contrary, he told many standard legends that contradict official information. Anyway. Time was pressing on us. We wanted to celebrate the New Year on a magical island. Langkawi, having also traveled through Thailand. And it was already December 14th.

Angkor

Angkor Wat

Angkor is, of course, stunning. I won’t describe the temples in detail, because a lot has already been written about it. Let me just say that the temples are very high, and the steps are also very high, besides small and steep, so you need to be in good physical shape to climb them all day long in the heat. Going down is even more difficult. It is believed that they represent the road to paradise, to heaven, and it cannot be easy.

I especially liked the Bayon Temple, with its magical energy. In Angkor we watched the sunset while climbing the mountain on an elephant. We went up in a hot air balloon and looked at the Angkor Wat temple from above. We tried palm juice. And we watched how palm sugar was evaporated from this juice. By the way, there is both white and brown sugar, in the store at the same price. Approximately 60 cents per kg.

River of a thousand lingas

River of 1000 lingas

We spent all 3 days on an intense excursion. In addition to Angkor, we visited the sacred river of 1000 lingas. This impressed me even more than the numerous temples. Imagine a river, along the bottom of which there are inscriptions and sculptures of lingas carved from stone, which are already 1000 years old. And the water did not destroy them. Just unbelieveble. We wandered along the river, touched the stone lingams and took a cleansing, healing bath.

Other excursions

Girl in a boat

We also visited a rock temple with an 8-meter tall reclining Buddha. This temple is even older than Angkor. For some reason, Buddha is lying on his left side. I had never seen anything like this before that day either; usually he lies everywhere on his right side. The question remains open for me... I got a little lost in the surrounding area, behind the temple. Wandered through the jungle. Behind the temple in the forest, traders furtively sell all sorts of pagan things, like chicken feet, feathers, bones and animal skulls. Following an invisible signal, all this is quickly hidden. I bought a block of sandalwood resin from them for a dollar. From evil spirits.

Where it all started

Our story began simply and simply. A stuffy summer Moscow office... I still remember the first time I saw it. He walked down the corridor in a gray suit and I, like all dreamy girls, thought that here he was, the man of my dreams. Like Carrie Bradshaw (the heroine of the popular female television series Sex and the City), I had to try to be noticed, appreciated and loved. 4 years of work, friendly communication and quarrels have passed. I changed, and so did he. Winter has come to Moscow. The time has come for New Year's corporate parties and so, finally, WE appeared. Galya and Ruslan.

First trip. Vietnam!

Our very first trip took place 3 months later, we flew to Vietnam, Hoi An. We had too much baggage from the past and we were getting used to each other again and getting to know each other, so Hoi An was both forever remembered by us and also erased from our memory. It has become too personal a city for us. Traveling has taught us to understand and hear each other, as well as the wonderful surrounding world that is new and so different from ours, so perhaps the phrase that travel is the best teacher would be appropriate here. Because this is really true.

Therefore, I want to tell you about our second journey - Cambodia, magnificent in its beauty and so distant and unhappy for its own people.

Travel to Cambodia

Since we decided that we would never go to corporate events again (you never know how it could end up ☺), for our trip we chose the glorious month of December, already far away in 2014. When everyone in Moscow is wrapping up warmly and preparing food for the most important night of the year, we decided to bask in the sun and enjoy the spicy taste of local cuisine.

It turned out that you can’t just fly from Moscow to Cambodia, there are no direct flights. Yes, and you still need to get a visa. And the sea and Anchor are located in different parts of the country. Call! A real traveler would think. Call! I thought too and got down to business. Plans, budget calculations, reservations and finally we are on the plane. It was very scary to fly. What awaits us there? Will we be able to travel from north to south on our own? But I have the perfect man with me, I thought. And he knows English well, so why should I be afraid? Moreover, I’m already sitting on the plane and there’s nowhere to go anyway).

Visa. Everything is simple here, there are 2 options, you can buy it upon arrival for 25 dollars after standing in line, or simply buy it on the Internet https://www.evisa.gov.kh/ paying 28 dollars and print it in two (or better yet in three, and if you are sloppy or confused, then in ten copies on a color printer (this is important for them, because there is a photo!) One printout is taken by the customs officers upon arrival, another upon departure, and just in case.

Flights. There are two airports in Cambodia, in the north of the country, where the Ankor Wat temple complex is located, and in the capital. We decided to take it to Siem Reap to immediately begin exploring the country from the Ankor Wat complex. We bought tickets in August and they cost us almost 70 thousand for two. But! We flew for the New Year holidays and transited through Korea (we were lucky, Russia just canceled visas on January 1 and we took enough time to admire the sights of another new country for us). By the way, now the cheapest Aeroflot ticket costs 43 thousand per person with one transfer in Shanghai. There are still no direct flights, and the price has increased during the crisis... You can, of course, fly to the capital, Phnom Penh, if your goal is the sea. But is it worth flying such a difficult route without visiting some of the main attractions of Asia to the South China Sea, when there are direct tickets to Vietnam?

Returning to my memories... The plan seemed ideal to me: We fly to Siem Reap, stay there for 2 days, admire the Ankor temple complex, take a night bus to Phnom Penh (12 hours), admire the Royal Palace, be horrified by the genocide museum and take a second bus to sea ​​(4 hours).

It’s worth clarifying right away that Anchor Watt is located at a fairly decent distance from the city and it’s almost impossible to get there, buy tickets and get around everything yourself. We allocated two days (Ruslan could have spent his whole vacation there, but I really wanted to swim) and it was decided that we would go broke and take an excursion.

After looking through a mountain of sites, for example, I was upset, everything was very expensive and usually the excursion was divided into two days - into a large and small circle (each excursion costs $100 per person). And I really wanted to go to Phnom Kulen National Park. It was here that King Jayavarman II laid the foundation for modern Cambodia in 802 by declaring the independence of the Khmer state. At the highest point of this mountain there is a small temple located on a stone ledge, in which there is a statue of Buddha. For some reason, I really like Buddha statues and really wanted to go there too.

But, really, everything in life happens for a reason... At lunch in the office, I got into a conversation with a colleague who, it turns out, lived all last winter in Cambodia and traveled the length and breadth of it with a Ukrainian who moved from Poland, who previously sold souvenirs, and now carries Russian-speaking tourists . He offered his services for 300 bucks for two for the whole day, Anchor (the best of the big and small circle). We paid entrance tickets separately, $20 per person for Anchor Watt and also for Phnom Kulen. Expensive, but you only live once... Cambodia is a very expensive country in some ways (sights, domestic flights), but in some ways you feel like a king, buying beer for 0.5 cents...

Adventures in Cambodia

The adventure began as soon as we arrived at the hotel. The beautiful picture of the booking did not coincide at all with what we saw - a mattress on the floor and a hole in the floor as a shower... It was one in the morning, we were supposed to be picked up for the excursion at 4 in the morning, I was on the verge of panic/hysteria.

The hotel employees, after we filed a complaint with them, told us that they had posted the best room on booking and we needed to pay another 20 bucks for it, but it was still occupied now... Then they completely stopped understanding English. I wanted to go with my suitcases and look for another hotel, but my husband decided that sleep was more expensive, it wasn’t worth spoiling my vacation and it was easier to pay extra.

The analogue of the “best” room had old furniture, separate beds and there was no soundproofing at all, so I personally never managed to fall asleep, I enjoyed the loud beats of the nearby bar street... Tan Kang Angkor Hotel, I really don’t recommend it) How Our guide later told us, and also, from the experience of our friends who went the next year and found them in a similar situation in the capital, this is a common practice among Cambodians. And no one is safe here. Upon arrival, I wrote a letter to booking, but they didn’t even answer me.((

Anchor. He is beautiful. I don't know what to write about him. It needs to be seen. Just like the Eiffel Tower of Paris. This is a kind of Eiffel Tower of Asia. A little advice: to enjoy the deserted and deserted Ankor, you need to go to its opening, at 5 am, almost at dawn, otherwise all the beauty will be lost behind the crowd of Chinese tourists.

By the way, I’m wearing a stupid T-shirt with a Smurf... in such a place... and all because women need everything to be covered, otherwise they won’t be able to enter many temples, Cambodians sacredly revere this place, and I only had one T-shirt with me((

National park in Cambodia

But even more than Anchor, I was impressed by the national park. We drove along a mountain serpentine to the top of the sacred mountain Phnom Kulen (on the road sometimes it seemed as if there was no road at all; in the jeep we were shaking as if we were riding a bicycle over bumps), namely to the statue of the 8-meter Reclining Buddha in Temple 16 century Preh Ang Thom, carved right on the top of the rock.

Buddhist pilgrims from all over Cambodia come here to worship the Great Buddha. The monk here tied a red thread for me for good luck. It is different from the white thread that is tied for a wish in Thailand (by the way, my thread came undone after 2 hours and my wish came true, so it works!) Next we went down to the stream of 1000-lingams, delivered on elephants from India in 802 .

The river bottom is almost completely covered with stone carvings. At different times of the year, at the bottom you can see stones of the male (lingams) and female (eni) origins. According to Khmer beliefs, water flowing through the lingams and yenis becomes healing. Therefore, many Khmers come here in search of health. Then we swam in the waterfall and saw a circular rainbow (I really didn’t want to get into the icy water, but the guide said that it was impossible to drive such a distance and miss such beauty and practically pushed me into the water, which I was then very grateful for).

Trip to Phnom Penh

The next day we planned to go for a walk in Ankor on our own, but we were so tired that after sleeping for 12 hours we just went for a walk around the city. In addition, we had a goal, we needed to get to the next point of our journey - the capital Phnom Penh.

Initially we planned to take night buses, but the guide said, guys, why? Everyone travels this way, because no one simply knows that you can travel by boat on the Mekong. At the same time, he said, you will see floating villages, consider it also an excursion. We were simply fired up by this idea; by the way, finding a travel agency that provided this service was as easy as shelling pears. As long as the river does not overflow its banks, this is a frequent way of transportation. By the way, it cost a little more. If a bus to Phnom Penh would have cost us 15 bucks per person, here we paid 20. Having booked everything and happy, we went to eat, not knowing what awaited us tomorrow morning.

Pay attention to the last two lines))

The person who was supposed to pick us up and our suitcase was an hour late. I panicked, Ruslan was waiting. We were about to go to yesterday’s travel agency to find out how two motorbikes arrived, the three of us were riding on one, our suitcase was on the second) When they brought us to the square to a group of foreigners, we thought, oh, great, then everything will be fine. But fate is an insidious thing)

The bus that was supposed to take us to the pier was crowded and it was simply impossible to get on it, we thought that it’s okay, there are about 30 of us left here, another one will arrive, we’ll wait. But a truck arrived... you know, the one in which animals are transported in Texas in American films? This is the truck they put us in)

We rode like herrings in a barrel, jumping up and falling on each other on any bump in the road. But, apparently, only positive people go to Cambodia, everyone was having fun, when will you ever ride like that, pressed on one side by an Englishman, and on the other by a laughing Frenchman. The branch that hit me on the head (by luck, I was standing on the edge) dampened my ardor a little, but it set the topic for fun for another couple of kilometers.

A boat... it really was a boat) And there was even enough space for almost everyone)) The rest were taken to the roof. We were glad that we had time to take our seats for exactly two hours, then the bottom flooded and our feet were ankle-deep in cold water. And we also climbed onto the roof. Here the trip became cool, we enjoyed the view, the Cambodians were immediately selling beer and nuts. We sailed like this for 4 hours. It’s a pity that no one thought of selling protective cream (((And the suitcases were securely packed... I burned like never before in my life, even my ears peeled off))) But, impressions for life) In addition, Ruslan fell into the water glasses, then we’ll be back))

In Phnom Penh, I didn’t want anything more than to check in quickly, wash and put on sunscreen, so we immediately took a tuktuk. Well, to be honest, I missed this moment and didn’t study the location of our hotel. We paid 5 bucks and rode around the capital for half an hour, although as it turned out later it was only a five-minute walk)))

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital. The king lives here. Siem Reap is a village in comparison. In the morning we had breakfast (we were lucky, the hotel was wonderful, they even booked us a bus to the seaside of Sihanoukville, it cost $11 per person and brought us to the reception).

We had a goal in the capital. Ruslan is interested in history and really wanted to go to the genocide museum. To be honest, the only thing more terrible is the museum in Hanoi, where the Vietnamese thought of planting mannequins in the image of victims. I couldn’t even make it to the end; I sat waiting for him on a bench, watching cute Cambodian girls jumping over a rubber band.

Then our vacation proceeded without incident. We booked a plane back from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap. The way home was very difficult - as many as 3 transfers, I probably will never dare to do this again, it is very difficult. We paid 16 thousand for a one-way plane for two. There, too, they wanted to scam us out of money, not allowing our bag with carry-on luggage onto the plane, supposedly it was too big. They asked for more than 100 euros, but I was no longer ready to pay them for anything more, considering the ticket prices, I took out winter clothes and told Ruslan to get dressed. Here they probably thought what kind of crazy foreigners were, when I was already buttoning my jacket and tying myself with a scarf (luckily there was an air conditioner in the room), we were allowed to take our bag for free into the cabin of the plane and we flew home!

And now photos of beautiful beaches (there are quite a lot of them, there is a lot to choose from), and in the evening all the beaches turn into parties with music, coastal cafes set up tables on the beach. But we liked going to family restaurants on the second line more; by the way, it was cheaper there.

The beaches are very beautiful... but there is one big problem! They steal there. In broad daylight, children run up, grab everything that is lying around and run away. I myself saw how a French woman’s glasses were stolen. Together we never went for a swim, unlike in Vietnam, where we did it all the time. An eye and an eye were immediately needed. This is a very unpleasant moment. People live very poorly, the same bracelets on the beach cost 1 dollar and the child just walks around begging to buy these bracelets from him, we took a few... besides, I love bracelets)

This concludes my huge story, thank you for reading! Somehow I didn’t expect it to be so long)) I hope it was informative!
If you are ready for such adventures, then you will definitely like it in Cambodia! It’s a pity, of course, that with the current exchange rate it has become less accessible.

P.S: On my own behalf, I would like to say a big thank you for your site) While in Nha Trang, we were looking on the Internet for where to eat, what was recommended, and I came across your site with a description of a local restaurant, we became regulars there until the end of the vacation, we really liked it) Sami We would probably be afraid to go into such a cafe) And now I’m studying your articles about Gelendzhik, because 9 months ago a new traveler was born in our family and this Sunday this young guy is going on his first trip - to the south of Russia. What am I talking about? Thank you very much for your site!

— a travel plan for the sights of an exotic country in Southeast Asia and a guarantee that your trip to the Khmer country will be successful. You can very easily create your itinerary based on your interests and in accordance with the number of days, using my article. I have traveled to Cambodia several times at different times of the year. I have accumulated a lot of experience, and based on it I have compiled several itineraries - from two days (for those who just want to drop into Cambodia), for a week or two (to see only the main attractions), to three weeks and a month for independent travelers in Kampuchea who want to thoroughly explore this country.

For a successful trip to Cambodia, it is better to plan and work out a route to famous attractions in advance and have a rough idea of ​​how the trip will go. You need to know in advance what exactly you want to see in Cambodia and what you expect from it. This will make it more convenient to travel and there will be no hassles or problems.

Cambodia is a poor country, but with a rich history. Now it distinguishes three main tourist destinations (for active trips and beach holidays):

1. Siem Reap and Angkor Temples- the greatness of the Khmer Empire and the wonders of medieval architecture. It is the other temples of the ancient Khmers that are the main attractions that all tourists watch, bring money to the budget and feed the country at the present time.
   All Siem Reap hotels with prices and reviews from tourists
2. Capital Phnom Penh, where you can get acquainted with the culture of the country - in museums and by visiting. Modern Cambodia will be found on the streets and on the embankment. Also near Phnom Penh there is the former capital of Cambodia - Oudong, where it is worth visiting a beautiful temple on a hill. In the province of Takeo, near Phnom Penh, small temples from the pre-Angkorian period have been preserved, which are older than the temples of Angkor.
   Good hotels in Phnom Penh are better to book
3. Sihanoukville is a popular beach holiday destination in Cambodia. Although the beaches of Cambodia cannot compete with the best, but, as experienced travelers say, they are better than in Thai Pattaya. This is a relaxing holiday by the sea, which will be quite reasonable after a busy tourist trip to the sights and immersion in the ancient history of this country.
   You can choose a good and inexpensive hotel in Sihanoukville follow this link >>

Gardens around the Throne Hall of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

But upon a more detailed study of the country, it turns out that there is an interesting province near Sihanoukville Kampot is the birthplace of the famous black pepper in Cambodia, as well as a resort town Kep, where the French came to rest. Today it is a relaxing youth resort where you can stay inexpensively in bamboo houses and relax in hammocks.

Recently, a new direction of tourism has been actively developing in Cambodia - these are cities Battambang And Pailin- the birthplace of Cambodian gems.

And now you can safely travel to the eastern provinces of Cambodia - Mondulkiri And Ratanakiri, where it is interesting to learn about the life of ordinary Khmers, towards whom civilization is moving slowly. For now, it is better to visit natural attractions and mountain tribes with an experienced guide, so as not to expose yourself to danger, including due to mines that have not yet been cleared, left after the war.

As you can see, Cambodia offers a wide range of tourist destinations. And the traveler needs to decide on the time of the visit and buy tickets to Cambodia and book hotels where necessary.

Read also:

• Review article about what to bring from Cambodia as a souvenir

I offer several options for ready-made routes around Cambodia, based on my experience visiting this country.

Mr. Samet takes us around the sights of Siem Reap in his tuk-tuk (or rather remorka)

A short route around Cambodia for the lazy - 3 days

At the very short route in Cambodia You can include a visit to the main attraction of the Khmer country - the Angkor temples in Siem Reap. You can even try to squeeze highlights into one full day, and leave the other two days for travel between and. The easiest way to travel along this route is to pre-purchase plane tickets from Bangkok to Siem Reap and fly to Angkor airport, then you will be able to allocate two whole days to different temples of Angkor and a visit to the main attraction of Cambodia - Angkor Wat!

Here is a three-day Cambodia itinerary for those who are short on time:

• 1st day— arrival at or arrival by plane at Angkor airport. You can buy cheap plane tickets.
• 2nd day— inspection of the temples of Angkor by or by.
• Day 3- transfer from Siem Reap to Bangkok by bus and taxi, or inspection of other temples of Angkor (for example, Beng Melia or the death pyramids of Koh Ker) and evening by plane.

Our first visit to Cambodia took place along this route. Traveling independently in Thailand, we went to Cambodia for a few days. In two full days we managed to see almost all the nearby ones and got rich impressions, and also visited a couple of distant ones - the ancient city with the pyramid of Koh Ker and the atmospheric Beng Melia temple, hidden in the jungle of Cambodia.

It took us almost two more days to get on buses and planes from, as well as return to Thailand and go by train to the south, to.

Buddhist monks at Angkor Wat

Cambodia itinerary for a week or 10 days

In a week in Cambodia you can see the main attractions and relax a bit on the beach. I recommend the following program for visiting Cambodia in 1 week:

• Visit the city Siem Reap and see many of the temples of Angkor (3 days);
• Get to know the capital of Cambodia - Phnom Penh (1 day);
• Relax on the beaches of Sihankuville (2 days).

This is the simplest and most optimal route, during which you will see the most important thing that Cambodia has. The route will be eventful and rich in impressions, but the last days on the beach will help you relax and unwind.

Read our detailed guides to the cities of Cambodia:

• Siem Reap – all practical information about the city:
• Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia:

Do not forget that you also need to allocate time for moving between cities one day at a time, as well as for the days of arrival and departure. Everything will depend on the transport you choose. Planes are faster, but more expensive. Buses are very inexpensive, but take a long time.

If you really only have a week in Cambodia, then it’s worth shortening your days in Siem Reap and Sihanoukville to spend them on travel, and it’s better to fly to Cambodia itself by plane. But if you have ten days, then the three days added to the week will be spent moving between cities.

Children from the floating village easily navigate the boat on Tonle Sap Lake

Cambodia travel itinerary for two weeks

If you have two weeks, you can no longer rush so much and include various interesting cities and temples near the main attractions in your standard route. This way you can learn much more about this amazing country.

• For example, a visit to the temples of Angkor can be spread over four to five days and even a trip to the famous Preah Vihear, over which Thailand and Cambodia periodically fight. Visit and atmospheric, and also go on an excursion to the floating villages.
• See everything and then go to and to the former capital of Cambodia, Oudong, which will take 2 days.
• And in Sihanoukville, relax on one of the many beaches, and also visit the islands, Ruam National Park (it is better to spend 3-5 days for this).

This was the itinerary for traveling around Cambodia for two weeks, including transfers.

Galleries of Ta Prohm Temple - Angelina Jolie's temple in Cambodia and tree roots

Cambodia travel program - three-week itinerary

Cambodia travel itinerary for three weeks will allow you to add additional cities and attractions to the above two-week itinerary. I propose the following large route, detailed by day:

As a result, together with all the transfers or flights, it will be possible to spend about three weeks in Cambodia.

Interestingly, in this case, a circular route through Cambodia is obtained, which is convenient because it ends in the same place where it began. For example, you flew or arrived by land to Siem Reap, visited the temples of Angkor, went to Phnom Penh, then to the beaches and Kampot province. From there you can return to Phnom Penh and immediately go to Battambang. And then you can either return to Siem Reap and fly away, or go through the city of Sisapon to the border with Thailand.

Upon entry into Cambodia, all tourists at the border are given a visa for 30 days. All these days can be used for sightseeing in Cambodia. Despite the fact that a whole month seems like a lot, you need to be more careful when planning your route, since now you can visit all the interesting places scattered throughout Cambodia.

When planning a route around Cambodia for a month (4 weeks), you should definitely pay attention to the following attractions:

The total is 24 days of travel throughout Cambodia, during which you can see all the sights, and 6 days will be spent traveling between cities.

Tropical paradise in Cambodia

If you start your visit to Cambodia from Siem Reap, then you should devote a week to the temples of Angkor, then go to Battambang, and from there stop by Pailin. The next point will be the capital Phnom Penh and other attractions nearby - Udong and the Pre-Angora temples.

The relaxing beaches of Sihanoukville and Kampot province with its national parks are a short break on the itinerary.

And then you will need to return to Phnom Penh and go to the towns of Krati or Stung Treng (depending on which hill tribes you want to visit). Afterwards you will need to return to Siem Reap and fly away. Or go to, if you are traveling to several countries in Southeast Asia at once.

If you arrived in Phnom Penh

If the first city of your trip to Cambodia is Phnom Penh, then I suggest the following route:

• Phnom Penh and surroundings
• Kampot, Kep and Phnom Bokor
• Sihanoukville and islands
• Battambang
• Pailin
• Siem Reap and Angkor Temples
• Hill tribes of the eastern provinces
• Return to Phnom Penh

We can definitely say that such a trip to Cambodia for a whole month will be very memorable and you can consider that you have seen the whole of Cambodia.

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