Cambodia: a country with many faces

Did you know that the ancient temple complex of Angkor has a top 10 position in the Lonely Planet's ultimate travel list? For many people, this is the highlight of Cambodia. Although that's completely understandable, Cambodia has a lot more on offer.

It's a country with many faces. On the one hand, there is a lot of ancient and natural beauty. On the other hand, there is a dark, recent history, namely the Khmer Rouge rulership in the late 70s which led to the killing of a quarter of the population.

This incomprehensible history has left deep scars in many ways. However, the Cambodian people turn out to be resilient, and many businesses have a social cause, which makes it a country where it's rather easy to do good with your travelling.

In this Cambodia itinerary, we show you the best places to visit and things to do!

Recommended itinerary

• Siem Reap

• Battambang

• Phnom Penh

• Kampot

• Koh Rong

Depending on your travel pace, this route can be completed within two to three weeks. We would advise a minimum of two days for both Battambang and Phnom Penh, and three days for Siem Reap and Kampot. Stay on the island of Koh Rong for as long as you want to relax.

We share possible additions to this route and practical information at the end of this guide.

Siem Reap

As stated before, Cambodia is known to many people for one thing: the Angkor temple complex, located in its capital Siem Reap. We would highly recommend going on a cycling tour to Angkor as this is a lovely way to explore it. You'll get a better sense of the great extent of the complex and you'll feel a bit like a tourist version of Indiana Jones cycling through the jungle and in between hidden temples. Definitely come back a second day by hiring a tuk-tuk or Remork-Moto (a motorscooter with a carriage behind it, typically Cambodian), so you can explore what you haven't seen yet or revisit your favourites.

The city of Siem Reap is a nice hustle and bustle. The (in)famous pub street is quite an attraction of its own, but not so much our cup of tea. Overall, the city has a lovely atmosphere, with many nice shops and restaurants around. The scars left by the genocide are deep but have also resulted in many people trying to do good for society through their businesses. An example of this is the amazing Phare Circus where unprivileged young people are trained to become circus artists.

We also had an amazing (fancy) dining experience at Lum Orng Farm to Table Restaurant, where they serve a carefully selected menu of local produce following old Khmer recipes. During the Khmer Rouge period, much of the old culture was forbidden, so many recipes were forgotten. This restaurant aims to bring these recipes back to life.

Another awesome project to visit is APOPO. Here they train rats to detect TNT explosives. Cambodia is scattered with unexploded mines and bombs because of the genocide and the Vietnam War. The rats are even better suited for finding TNT than dogs because they're lighter in weight. You can visit APOPO to see the rats in action and to make a donation.

Lastly, we can recommend a visit to the Artisans Angkor Cambodia Fine Arts & Crafts for the most beautiful souvenirs. Again a lovely social project where young people are trained to craft the most beautiful art pieces. In terms of accommodation, we can recommend the lovely and centrally located Siem Reap Palace Hotel & Spa.

Battambang

It's interesting to see how many people only visit Siem Reap, while there is so much more to see in Cambodia. One of these places to visit is the city of Battambang. Although it's a very small city it has several sights to visit and things to do. We would recommend getting a guide here so you can learn the most about the Khmer Rouge period and which sites in Battambang show you more of it. It is also the best way to experience local life and craftsmanship. For example, we visited a local market (prepare yourself for some 'exotic' meats...), an old lady who still produces cigarettes by hand, and a family who produces rice paper and banana chips.

One of the most significant historic places is the so-called killing cave where corpses and even people who were still alive were thrown down the roof of the cave. The cave is now a memorial place. You might think, why would I want to visit all these horrible places? Well, we would say that you cannot fully understand a country and its people, without understanding its history. Moreover, you'll sometimes find the most beautiful sights near the most horrific places. For example, on top of the Phnom Sampov mountain, where the cave is located, you'll have the most beautiful view of the rice fields surrounding Battambang. Cambodia is a country of contrasts that can be a bit awkward at times.

The Phnom Sampov mountain is also known for the mind-blowingly large colony of bats that swarm out at sunset. At the foot of the mountain, you'll find several seats and vendors that sell ice-cold beer. This way you can fully enjoy this amazing natural phenomenon. Afterwards, you can visit another philanthropic and authentic restaurant: Jaan Bai. We can also recommend visiting the Human Gallery for some amazing humanitarian photography by Joseba Etxebarria.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is Cambodia's capital. It's quite an easy-going city with a lot of nice coffee shops, bars and restaurants. It's fun to just wander around town and admire places like the Royal Palace. We expect that the city will become even more fun in the future because of the increasing internationalization and development.

Nevertheless, Phnom Penh is also the place where a lot of horrible things have happened. A visit to the Tuol Sleng Prison is recommended to fully understand the horror of the Khmer Rouge Regime. An audio tour will take you around the prison grounds and tell you all about what happened here. You'll better comprehend why democratic institutions are so incredibly important and how it just takes just one intensely bad person and weak spots in the governing system to end up in a deadly dictatorship...

Just outside the city, you'll find another historic site from the Khmer Rouge period, namely the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, also known as Killing Fields. 99% of the people who were imprisoned in Tuol Sleng found their death at this place. Wearing glasses or being a teacher was enough to be murdered. The paranoia regime wanted to get rid of all intelligent people in order to create a communist farmer state. It's very hard to comprehend these bizarre ideas and actions.

Kampot

Kampot is our favourite region of Cambodia so far. We can recommend a stay at one of the cosy bungalows of Gecko Village. This small accommodation is beautifully located at the Preaek Tuek Chhu River, with a lovely staff, pool and views of the surroundings.

Kampot village is rather small, but with a few lovely restaurants and cafés, especially at the riverside. It's also fun to eat at one of the riverboats. We enjoyed having some drinks and a bite during a sunset river cruise, which you can book on the spot for just a few dollars. If you're lucky, you'll also get to spot some fireflies. Just like in Battambang, we would recommend getting a local guide since you can get fined for driving a scooter and because the roads are quite bad in this region.

Bokor Hill, short for short for the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park, is definitely a must-visit. During colonial times, this used to be the place where the French would like to come. There were fancy hotels and mansions where people could enjoy the temperate climate. Now you'll find mostly half-occupied Chinese apartment buildings and some remnants of the past.

There are still several cool things to see. The Sihakouk mansion is the home of the previous king and later president Sihanouk. He went from being a supporter of the colonial government to a freedom advocate, to politically neutral, to a negotiator with the communists, to living in exile, to bringing back democracy to the country... A very interesting life to say the least. At Bokor Hill, you can still see the remnants of his mansion, which is now taken over by nature and covered in the most stunning graffiti. When being here at the top of the mountain, overlooking the sea, you can only imagine how beautiful this must have been.

The Popokvil waterfall is also worth a visit, but it can run dry so it might not be that beautiful well into the dry season. When we were there in November, there was water coming down the waterfall and it was a nice sight to walk around. Another beautiful sight is the old Sampov Pram Pagoda. This is also where you'll have the most amazing view of the ocean and nearby islands.

Other famous landmarks are the Bokor Church and the renovated Bokor Palace. The latter used to be much more interesting when it was still the deserted Bokor Hill Station, which used to be an incredible hotel for the colonists with the most amazing chambers and ballrooms. Until recently, you were able to walk around the deserted building. Now, it's a luxurious hotel, although we hardly saw anyone here. We don't know what we find spookier... The Bokor Church was built by the French and is now a ruin which you can still explore!

Once you're done exploring Bokor Hill, you can continue with the rest of the Kampot region. You can find salt fields all around Kampot, but this wasn't so special to us. However, we did really enjoy visiting La Plantation, which is a world-renowned pepper plantation. You can have a tour and a tasting of their amazing products, like pepper ice (trust us, it's so good!). This plantation is owned by a French couple who is supporting the local community through their business. You can also do a traditional Cambodian cooking class here.

The plantation is very scenically located near the Brateak Kola Lake, in a beautiful valley. It's even possible to stay at one of their amazing accommodations. The lake actually has a horrific history as forced labourers were ordered to create it during the Khmer Rouge period. According to our guide, hundreds of them died in the making of this lake... Again, an example of the contrasts of a journey through Cambodia.

Lastly, in case you have some leftover time, you can visit the little seaside town Kep, which is famous for its seafood market. It's not a very interesting place, but we did like walking around the beach and seeing the local families enjoying their free time. You can also go for a hike in the jungle here.

Koh Rong

A visit to Cambodia is not complete without going to one of its beautiful tropical islands. Koh Rong is one of the most famous ones. We were not too sure about it at first, because it's also known for attracting party people, but it is really easy to dodge this if you're looking for a more relaxed island vibe. Just a short boat ride from the previous backpacker's paradise and now horrible Chinese casino resort town of Sihanoukville will get you here.

You can stay on any side of the island, especially if you're looking for a remote island vibe. This would require another boat ride and there wouldn't be any shops or restaurants, so we opted to stay in the main area. Here there are plenty of restaurants, but it's also easy to find paradise just a short walk away. Long Set Beach is just heaven on earth!

Possible additions

There are also other places that we did not visit but that we would definitely add to our route next time. For example, we would go to the authentic Kampong Cham, a town that is picturesquely situated on the Mekong River.

We would also visit the Botum Sakor National Park and specifically the Cardamom Tented Camp. Here you have a really special stay in the jungle, including some fantastic expeditions. On top of that, we would visit the Mondulkiri National Park and the special Elephant Valley Project where you can take walks through the jungle with rescued elephants and stay in a bungalow.

You can also visit the floating villages on the Tonlé Sap Lake, although you have to look carefully at which tour you take and whether the water in the lake is high enough because we've read a lot of mixed reviews about this experience.

If you want to add something very special to your trip, you can consider a luxurious river cruise. You have to empty your wallet for this, but you will end up with the most amazing experience. These cruises often combine Cambodia and Vietnam and are also a way to see the Tonlé Sap Lake.

Practical information

Ways to travel to and in Cambodia
For smaller distances, you can best travel around by tuk-tuk or Remork-Moto. With the app Grab or the Cambodian PassApp you can easily book a tuktuk. For longer distances, you can easily travel by bus. These are easy to book online, for example via 12GO or the Cambodian Camboticket. You can also take the train, which is seemingly a very nice way to travel around. Airports can be found in the places Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. It is also possible to cross the border by (night)bus.

Best time to visit
The dry season and therefore the high season of Cambodia runs from November to March. We would especially recommend November and December so that you can enjoy the green nature and rice fields the most.