Thailand Tours & Holidays - Useful Cambodia country guide

CAMBODIA GUIDE

Country Statistics

Time: GMT+7

Dialing code: 00 855

Area:

181,040 sq km

Elevation:

Lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0m

Highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810m

Population:

13,124,764 (July 2003 est.)

Capital:

Phnom Penh

Government:

Democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Language:

Khmer (official) 95%, French, English

Overview
Brief History
Highlights
Geography
Climate
Currency
Holidays

Religion
Vaccinations
Customs
Security
Visas
Flights
Our tours in Cambodia

Overview

Cambodia, long isolated from the international community, has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s most exciting tourist destinations.

Modern day Cambodia now occupies but a fraction of the territory that the once mighty Khmer Empire covered. During the 9 ^th to 14 ^th century AD it stretched across most of Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, and the vast complex of temples at the empires former capital, Angkor, still stands today as a true and lasting testament to the greatness of the Khmer god-kings.

Phnom Penh - the modern capital - wonderfully combines a bustling, commercial heart with Buddhist temples, majestic palaces, shady avenues and colonial style building. Various museums and sites of interest in and around the city chart Cambodia’s past - from the glories of the Khmer Empire to the darker recent history of genocide by the Khmer Rouge.

Cambodia’s countryside is a beautiful patchwork of rice paddies dotted with small villages. National parks have been opened covering vast tracts of dense, unspoilt jungle - and the mighty Mekong River cuts the country in two. Tonlé Sap (Great Lake), a large freshwater lake is one of UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage Sites because of its importance to the wildlife and ecology.

To the south of the county there are the beautiful beaches and warm emerald seas off the Gulf of Thailand. Nearby National parks have been set up to preserve the fragile ecology of the mangrove swamps.

But most importantly, you have in Cambodia some of the most warm, and friendly people in the world, who are always genuinely happy to welcome you to their amazing country.

Brief History

The early inhabitants of Southeast Asia date back as far as 8,000 BC, and were simple hunter-gatherers. However, a slow southwestwardly migration of Austronesian (Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian) and Austro-Asiatic (Mon, Khmer, Vietnamese) speaking settlers, from China, gradually pushed out the native Australo-Melanesian speaking inhabitants. These new settlers brought with them Chinese agricultural practices based on intensive rice production, so that by about 4,000 BC rice was being cultivated throughout the region, and from about 3,000 BC metalworking started. Read more...

Highlights

Siem Reap – The magnificent Khmer temple remains at Angkor, including Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm
Phnom Penh – The majestic King’s Palace, Tuol Sleng prison museum, The Killing Fields, French colonial buildings
Tonlé Sap – Vast freshwater lake rich with varied bird and wildlife
Sihanouk Ville – Beautiful, white sandy beaches and mangrove forests

Geography

Cambodia is dominated by two river systems, the Mekong River to the northeast and the Tonlé Sap River and Lake to the northwest. These two bodies of water meet at Phnom Penh where the upper Mekong and the Tonlé Sap converge into the lower Mekong River, which continues southwards to the border with Vietnam. During the monsoon season the Mekong River rises so much that water backs up the Tonlé Sap River reversing its flow and swelling the lake to over twice its normal size. As the rains stop and the level of the Mekong drops the water in the Tonlé Sap drains back into the Mekong. This yearly phenomenon makes the Tonlé Sap Lake one of the world’s riches sources of freshwater fish.

Three main mountain regions border the fertile lowlands of central Cambodia. To the southwest lay the Cardamom and Elephant Mountains, along the northern border with Thailand lays the Dangkrek Mountains, and to the northeast lays the Eastern Highlands.

Climate

The climate of Cambodia can broadly be divided into 2 seasons, each governed by monsoons. From May to October the southwesterly monsoon brings rain and high winds. The rain is usually sporadic but humidity during this period is very high.

From November to April the northeasterly monsoon brings dry, cool weather, but during March and April the temperature climbs to uncomfortably high levels before the rains arrive again.


Phnom_Penh	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rain (mm)	7	10	40	77	134	155	171	160	224	257	127	45
Sun (hrs)	9	9	9	8	7	6	6	6	5	7	8	9
Temp (Max)	31	32	34	35	34	33	32	32	31	30	30	30
Temp (Min)	21	22	23	24	24	24	24	25	25	24	23	22
Days of Rain*	1	1	3	5	6	10	11	11	12	13	9	3
Hum (%)	64	62	60	62	70	72	73	75	78	76	72	68

* denotes number of days with at least 1.0 mm of rainfall

Currency

Cambodian riel 1 US$ = 3,900 riels

Common notes

100 riels
200 riels
500 riels
1,000 riels
2,000 riels
5,000 riels
10,000 riels
20,000 riels
50,000 riels
100,000 riels

NB US$ are accepted everywhere and can be regarded as a second currency. Thai baht is also widely accepted and you will be given change for both Thai baht and US$ in riels.

You can also change Thai baht or US$ with any private moneychanger, at the local market or shop, or of course at any bank. Other currency can be changed at the banks, which usually open from 7.30am to 2.30pm.

Travellers’ cheques in major currencies are accepted at all banks, though a commission will be charged.

At banks and some travel agents in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap you can draw cash on most major credit cards. There is, however, a 3-4% surcharge. Some shops, restaurants and hotels in Phnom Penh also accept payment with credit cards.

There are no ATMs in Cambodia.

Holidays

New Year’s Day	-	1 ^st January
Liberation from Pol Pot Day	-	7 ^th January
Chinese New Year	-	Late Jan to early Feb
Cambodian (Buddhist) New Year	-	13 ^th-17 ^th April
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony	-	30 ^th April
International Labour Day	-	1 ^st May
International Children’s Day	-	1 ^st June
Queen’s Birthday	-	18 ^th June
Constitution Day	-	24 ^th September
Bon Pchum Ben	-	September to mid October
Paris Peace Agreement	-	23 ^rd October
King’s Birthday	-	1 ^stNovember
Independence Day	-	9 ^th November
Water Festival	-	18 ^th –20 ^th November
Ramayana Festival (Angkor Wat)	-	November
Human Rights Day	-	10 ^th December
New Year’s Eve	-	31 ^st December

For exact dates of holidays and festivals for the coming year please click here

NB Banks and government offices are closed during the holidays above.

There are many other national Buddhist festivals throughout the year that are linked to the lunar calendar, usually during full moons.

There are also numerous regional holidays, festivals and fairs throughout the year.

Religion

Cambodia’s dominant religion is Buddhism, with a small Muslim and Christian minority.

Vaccinations

Recommended vaccinations and other health protection measures vary and are subject to change. You must consult your GP on current vaccinations needed for your destination. You can also visit our travel health website at:

TravelHealthZone

This has links to up-to-date information on vaccination requirements as well as much more general travel health information and advice.

For direct, up-to-date information on vaccination requirements for Cambodia please click here

Customs

Greetings are usually accompanied with a small bow, a big smile and hands together in prayer.
Cambodia is a Buddhist country and religion is taken seriously. Images of the Buddha are regarded as sacred and should be treated as such by foreign visitors. Always take your shoes off before entering a temple and remember to dress conservatively, shorts are not allowed. Women are forbidden to touch, give to, or receive from a Buddhist monk.
Cambodian women are conservative and should not be touched without their consent. Public shows of intimacy are frowned upon and nude sunbathing is inappropriate. Except on the beach you should try to dress conservatively wherever possible.
The feet are considered as unclean and should not be used to point to things or to touch someone with. It is also considered rude to show the soles of your feet in public, so try to avoid putting you feet up on a chair or table. Try not to touch the head or ruffle the hair, as this is also considered rude. You should also remove your shoes when entering houses.
Tipping is not expected except at large tourist resorts, and then only when a service charge is not included, however a small tip will always be appreciated.
Haggling, though not quite as serious as in Thailand, is expected. You can haggle for just about everything, but for the best results do so with a smile and a light-hearted approach. Always be wary of street sellers, as what they sell may not always be what you think it is.

Security

With the demise of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia has become a very safe country in which to travel. The most common form of crime against tourists is theft, usually by stealth rather than violence, so visitors should take care to secure their personal possessions at all times. In more remote areas the risk of muggings and robberies does exist but again is very low.

Mines and other military ordinance remain a major problem for local Cambodians. All too often you will see limbless locals begging on the street. Only a small percentage of the total mines laid in Cambodia have been cleared. However, all the major tourist areas have been thoroughly cleared of landmines and therefore the risk to tourists is very small indeed. With this in mind you should never stray from well-worn pathways and never touch, or pick up any military looking objects.

For more specific, up-to-date security information and how this may affect your tour, please visit our regional security page.

Visas

Most foreign nationals can get a 30-day visa for US$20. Visas are obtained on arrival at Siem Reap and Phnom Penh airports, or at most land borders. Other visas, including business visas are obtainable for a fee.

There is a US$20 departure tax when leaving by air to international destinations.

Flights (from the UK)

There are no direct flights to Cambodia and the most often-used stopover airports are Bangkok and Singapore.

You can get a stopover flight from the UK to Cambodia via Singapore. Otherwise you will need to go via Bangkok and arrange two separate flights.

UK to Phnom Penh return - UK£500to UK£600with a stopover in Singapore
UK to Bangkok return - UK£350to UK£450using the cheapest air carriers (usually with a short stopover)
Bangkok to Phnom Penh return - UK£90to UK£120