Complete Guide to Cambodia

From our agency in Phnom Penh, we see travelers pass through each year who discover a country far larger and more contrasted than Angkor alone. Cambodia is first and foremost a central plain crossed by the Tonlé Sap and the Mekong, where rice paddies, floating villages and morning markets are concentrated. In the north, Siem Reap provides access to Khmer temples from the 9th to 13th centuries: Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Ta Prohm, but also more remote sites like Banteay Srei or Beng Mealea, less crowded early in the morning.

To the east, the provinces of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri offer a landscape of wooded hills, waterfalls and Bunong communities, 6 or 7 hours' drive from the capital. To the south, the coast of the Gulf of Thailand stretches from Kep and Kampot, known for their pepper and colonial houses, to the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem. The tropical climate alternates between dry season from November to April and rainy season from May to October, with temperatures rarely dropping below 25°C.

For a first trip, we recommend combining Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and a coastal or rural stopover over 12 to 15 days, enough time to experience something beyond temples.