Want to live the life of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider, then head to Cambodia now. You will be awestruck by the majestic Khmer Temples of Angkor Wat. Cambodia is a country that will keep you spellbound by its contrasts.
Traveling to Cambodia is very cheap and you can live like a king/queen in shoestring budget.
Read on to live the life of Indiana Jones.
Budget for Travelling to Cambodia
The currency of Cambodia is Cambodian Riel. Don't get surprised by the exchange rates.
$1 will fetch you 4000 Cambodian Riel. In most of the places USD is accepted and many people will tell you the rates in USD and can give you return in USD.
Don't forget to check the exchange rates from the news channel/internet or you might lose on USD as people will convert Cambodian Riel into USD and quote you a price. They can sometimes calculate using their own conversion rates.
Accommodation in Cambodia
You can easily get a good hotel with swimming pool starting $35. I have stayed in this luxury hotel -
Angkoriana Hotel and paid $35 per night including breakfast. If you are planning to stay in a dorm then $10 per night should be enough. Yes,Cambodia is very cheap.
Food in Cambodia
Cambodia will make you salivate by its Khmer cuisine.Food in Cambodia is again very cheap .If you are planning to have food at a roadside eatery or where locals generally eat it will cost you $2-3 and a meal at a good restaurant will cost you $10 with drinks. Beer and drinks are very cheap. A mug of beer will cost you $0.50 ando a glass of wine will cost you $1.
If you are planning to experiment with food then check my blogpost
"5 Crazy Street Foods from Siem Reap Cambodia"
Travel in Cambodia
Hiring a Tuktuk for a day is most cost effective way of travelling and visiting the sites in Cambodia. You can easily hire a tuktuk for a day starting from 8am-6pm for $15 and a little bargaining can bring down the price to $12 even (One day I casually asked a tuktuk driver what would be his best rate for the day without hoping much.He said $12. Though at the end I tipped him additional $3).Cambodia is not a very rich country hence little bit of paying extra wouldn't hurt you.
Itinerary for Travelling in Cambodia
As usual I will break the places into Must visit , Should Visit and Can be missed which will you an idea about the places you can visit when travelling to Cambodia.
The typical itinerary should include the following :
a) Siem Reap : 4-5 Days ( 2-3 Days for Angkor Wat , 1 Day for Vietnamese Floating Village and 1 day for Battambang)
b) Phenom Penh : 2 Days
If you are planning to extend your stay in Cambodia then add the beach town of Sihanoukville for 2-3 days and keep one additional day for Bokor National Park.
Tip : If you are planning to visit Cambodia in the month of Nov/Dec and are flexible with dates then my suggestion is to match the date with Angkor Photo Festival. You will be able to see beautiful photographs across the world and will get a chance to interact with the biggest names in Photography. The entire city of Siem Reap turns into a photo gallery where photography works are diplayed at various public places.
What to Expect in Cambodia :
Angkor Wat
After hearing Angkor Wat if you are thinking Angkor What? then you should drop the idea of visiting Cambodia.Become the Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones and get yourself lost in the majestic ruins of Angkor Wat.It is the largest religious monument in the world measuring 402 acres. Read about Angkor Wat in wikipedia to know about the history before heading to the place.
Vietnamese Floating Village on Tonle Sap lake
Vietnamese people who entered during the French Regime stay here. These people doesn't own any papers to stay in Cambodia hence they can't buy any land. They make floating houses on the South East Asia's one of the largest lake and stay in the same. Infact the entire village is floating started from houses to school to churches.
Battambang
If you want to get the real taste of Cambodian life you should head to Battambang. This is a offbeaten trail and there is no tourism here. You will only find handful of tourists here.There is a bamboo train which is worth riding.
Phenom Penh
If you want to understand the city life of Cambodia then head to the capital city of Cambodia - Phenom Penh.If you are food lover then you will get various options to pleasure your taste buds.You can visit the infamous killing fields at
Choeung Ek Genocidal Center.
Sihanoukville
If you want to laze on the white sand beaches during the day and party entire night over cheap booze and have amazing sea food then head to
Sihanoukville.You will find lots of backpackers here. You can go to nearby islands from Sihanoukville.
Travel to Cambodia now and get a truly amazing experience & yes don't forget to share your travel stories in the comments below.
