Know before you go
Cambodia
General Information
Cambodia is located on the Indochinese peninsula in Southeast Asia bordering Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Its capital and largest city is Phnom Penh. They drive on the right side of the road.
Visa
You have to apply for an eVisa before you travel to Cambodia. If in doubt, contact your ministary of foreign affairs.
Watch Geography Now!
The video will give you a good first overview of Cambodia.
Power
Cambodia uses Type A, C and G plug outlets. The voltage is 230 Volt and the frequency is 50 Hz.
Language
Khmer is the official language of Cambodia. In the touristy areas you can get by with English just fine.
| Khmer | English |
|---|---|
| Suô-stei! | Hello! |
| Leahaey! | Bye! |
| bat | yes |
| te | no |
| âu kŭn! | Thank you! |
| ât ei té! | You're welcome! |
| Sŏm toŭs | Excuse me |
| Leuk dach! | Cheers! |
Weather Forecast
Climate
Cambodia has a temperature range from 21 to 35 °C (69.8 to 95.0 °F) and experiences tropical monsoons. Southwest monsoons blow inland bringing moisture-laden winds from May to October. The northeast monsoon ushers in the dry season, which lasts from November to April. The country experiences the heaviest precipitation from September to October with the driest period occurring from January to February.
Average Temperature in Phnom Penh
Average Precipitation in Phnom Penh
Transportation
If you are travelling to Cambodia, chances are high you are coming to see the ruins of ancient Angkor Wat. Fly to Siem Reap International Airport (REP). It’s better than flying to Phnom Penh and taking a bus. For that reason Siem Reap Airport is actually the busiest airport in Cambodia. Many large airports in Asia serve direct flights to Siem Reap. The most frequent ones being Bangkok (BKK), Hanoi (HAN), Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and Phnom Penh (PNH). Travelling to Cambodia from Europe directly is possible but I wouldn’t recommend it. You will be hard pressed to find a direct connection (I don’t know any) and as the route is not that popular, there is not that much competition and prices are considerably higher than flying to Bangkok for example. I suggest to include Siem Reap in your travel plans when you visit other Souteast Asian Countries like Thailand or Vietnam. From there it’s cheap and easy to travel to Cambodia.
Money, Money, Money
Currency
The currency of Cambodia is Riel. Check out the currency converter to find out about current exchange rates.
Accommodation
Depending on where you are staying prices will vary of course. Using a middle class hotel in Siem Reap, we paid around 12€ per person per night. Yes, you read that right – 12€.
Cash
Touristy places prefer the US Dollar before Riel. You can even withdraw US Dollar at ATMs in Cambodia. How much you will need of course depends on your spending habits. Places around Angkor Wat are more expensive than in places in other parts of the country. Retrospective I found I needed around 25€ per day. Most of the money was spend for admission to the temples.
