10 Things You Need To Know Before Going To Cambodia

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Last Updated: November 26 2020

Cambodia is an incredible country and should be on everyone’s list when it comes to travelling Southeast Asia. However there are some important things that we have learnt whilst travelling through Cambodia, that may be helpful to anyone wanting to travel to this amazing place. Here are 10 things you should know before going to Cambodia:

1. Cambodia has dual currency:

There are two currencies in Cambodia; the Cambodian Riel and the US dollar. This can get pretty confusing, especially when you often get change in both currencies. Cambodia doesn’t have US currency under $1, so no cents. Due to this you will get any change under a dollar back in Cambodian Riel. Pretty confusing ey! Generally everywhere accepts both US dollar and Cambodian Riel. The only issue you might have is if you go way off the beaten track. We didn’t stray too far up North so we can’t be sure what the currency situation is like, but if you always have some Cambodian Riel you should be great!

Before entering Cambodia you can’t get Cambodian Riel, so make sure you take in US dollars. If you want to change them to Cambodian Riel you can when you get to Cambodia, or you can just stick with US dollars. One thing we did notice was that all ATM machines gave an option for either US dollars or Cambodian Riel, however we only ever took out US dollars.

2. Be aware of the exchange rates:

As Cambodia uses two different currencies it can leave you open to being scammed. During our first night in Siem Reap we got overcharged by $4 at the night market because they knew we didn’t understand the exchange rate. Make sure you have a mental note of the exchange rate before you get to Cambodia so you know the price you are paying for items in both currencies.

Generally $1 = 4,000 Cambodian Riel or thereabouts.

View of Battambang at the killing caves, Battambang, Cambodia

3. Cambodia can be an emotional country to visit:

Cambodia is a beautiful country but the poverty levels are also really high as the country is still recovering from the horrific Khmer Rouge. There will be homeless people in the street, children begging for money to take back to their parents and Cambodia also has one of the highest rates of amputees in the world due to the Vietnam war. It can be very difficult to see, so prepare yourself for this side of Cambodia.

Cambodia is also where you will find numerous killing fields and the S21 prison from the Khmer Rouge. These places are absolutely heartbreaking but they are a must visit if you want to learn the history of the country. Graphic images can be found in these places, as well as horrific stories you can hear on audiotapes. It is very upsetting, but don’t miss out on visiting because it will give you an in depth understanding of what happened to this country.

4. Transport in Cambodia is not the best:

Transport is definitely not the same quality as other parts of Asia such as Thailand or Malaysia. This may be partly down to the fact that the roads in this country aren’t great. A lot of the time it seems to be a dirt road full of potholes rather than a road haha but still! Be prepared to travel longer distances than expected and experience major traffic jams.

We have had multiple occasions when our pick up has turned up late; sometimes up to an hour. We have had times where we were quoted a journey time of 4 hours, which turned into 7 hours. Also we have booked transport, only to be stuffed onto a public bus with people sitting on the floor because there was no room! Travelling through Cambodia can be an experience in itself. However the transport does get you from place to place and that’s all that matters! Just make sure when booking transport that you don’t book consecutive journeys straight after each other. The chances are you will not arrive to your destination the time you are told, so give time in between to catch another bus or transfer!

5. Book popular places in advance:

Typically Cambodia has plenty of places to stay, but in the popular areas such as the Koh Rong Islands it can be difficult to get decent accommodation if you don’t book ahead. Generally throughout Asia we have tended to book around a week in advance; although this can be sometimes be the night before if we don’t have a plan. When we were looking for accommodation in the Koh Rong Islands we were booking around Christmas time which could have been the reason for the shortage of accommodation. However that’s not the reason why some places were charging £70 to stay in a tent for 4 nights! It may be a good idea to book ahead in popular places as some of the prices can get really expensive; especially compared to other parts of Asia.

6. Research your itinerary, and make sure you are visiting the right places for you:

Before we headed out to Cambodia we had a list of places that we wanted to visit. This list included Sihanoukville and Koh Rong; neither of which we visited in the end. This was due to hearing bad reviews from other travellers and extortionate accommodation places. In Sihanoukville it worked out at around £10 a night to stay in a awful tent with no lock! Due to the massive prices, we ended up at Koh Rong Sanloem which was the best decision we could have made. If you want to find out more about our stay in Koh Rong Sanloem, click here.

Upon getting the ferry to Koh Rong Sanloem you have to travel through Sihanoukville. We are so glad we decided not to stay here, as we probably would have got there and left straight away. Sihanoukville is currently being built upon by Chinese companies, who are building casino after casino and ruining the place! Even people who used to live there, didn’t want to stay there anymore. They have now moved to another part of Cambodia, with some people saying they wouldn’t even bother to go back. If possible talk to other travellers and see where they would recommend. It may help you to decide which places should go on your itinerary.

7. There are animals everywhere:

In Cambodia there tends to be plenty of dogs, monkeys, and cats wandering around. Dogs especially are very common, and in places such as Angkor Wat there are a lot of monkeys! It may be best to invest in a rabies jab before you come to Cambodia as a precaution. The monkeys and cats don’t seem to be bothered by your presence, and the dogs are lovely but you can never be too careful.

8. Make sure to haggle for prices:

Cambodia like anywhere else in Asia can be big on overcharging. To tourists, it may not seem expensive however quite often people tend to be overcharged. Make sure you haggle for taxi and tuk tuk prices, but don’t insult people. It is important to remember that many of these people are still living in poverty. An extra dollar or two may mean a huge amount to them and not a lot to you. Be reasonable and fair with your price. If you research how to get to a destination you can find forums on prices. These can give you a good idea of what to pay.

We found that when visiting the killing fields in Phnom Penh; a good price to pay for a tuk tuk there and back was around $12-15. The driver waits while you visit and will organise to take you back to the city in around an hour or more.

Yellow boat on the Mekong River in Kampi

9. Be aware of the food in some areas:

We had been travelling for nearly 4 months at this point and had never really had an issue with food. However we both suffered bad with food poisoning during our trip to Koh Rong Sanloem. After talking to some of the westerners that live here, it was apparent that it was common to get food poisoning in the area and to be careful with what you eat. If you are susceptible to an upset stomach, it may be worth being cautious with what you are eating in certain parts of Cambodia such as the islands. Whilst staying here, Jack had to visit the doctors and be put on antibiotics. The doctor had already seen 3 people that morning with sickness.

10. Taxi apps such as Grab aren’t available everywhere in Cambodia

When travelling throughout Asia, you get to know that the app Grab can be an absolute lifesaver. It is cheap, reliable and easy to use. However Grab isn’t available everywhere you go in Cambodia, and a lot of people tend to use the app PassApp instead. Having no experience of using this app we can’t give an opinion on it. However other travellers we have spoken to found it to be reliable. Luckily there are no shortage of tuk tuks and prices tend to be very reasonable after a bit of haggling!

We hope you have enjoyed reading this post, and that it has given you some tips for travelling through Cambodia!

P.S for more of our travel tips, head over to our Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.co.uk/acouplescalling/

Thanks,

Jack & Abbie

Jack Bolton

I’m one half of Acouplescalling. I'm passionate about all things travel and photography and I love sharing my experiences with others. I've seen a lot of the world already and I want to help as many people as I can do the same thing!

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