This Southeastern country offers rich history, stunning temples, vibrant culture, and welcoming locals. The country’s main attraction is the Angkor Wat temple complex which is the largest religious monument in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located near Siem Reap.
We went on a 9-day private guided tour to this country in October 2025, covering the following 3 cities –
- Phnom Penh – Day 1-2
- Battambang – Day 3-4
- Siem Reap – Day 5-9
A few important facts and experiences –
- Cambodian Currency – The official currency is the Cambodian Riel, but the US dollar is also widely used and accepted. When we visited Cambodia in 2025, the exchange rate was – 1 US $ = 4030 KHR.
- Food in Cambodia – Restaurants in the 3 big cities we visited had a good amount of vegetarian options. It was hard to find vegetarian/vegan food in smaller towns.
- Tonlé Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and the only one in the world where the river’s flow reverses seasonally. The northern part of this lake is near Siem Reap and it flows down to the capital city of Phnom Penh, where it converges with the Mekong River.
- How many days in Cambodia – If you only have 7 days to spare, consider skipping Battambang. It is worthwhile spending as much time as possible in and around Siem Reap.
- Month of visit – We visited the country in the second week of October, which was the end of rainy season and low-peak tourist season. Weather was hot and humid and we were sweating buckets. We were lucky not to encounter too much of rain.
- Hotels – We had a good experience in Phnom Penh and Battambang. In Siem Reap, the room was spacious, clean, and comfortable, but the hotel staff were slow and inefficient. Additionally, the hotel’s restaurant only served breakfast, so we had to go into the city for dinner – inconvenient on days when we were tired and just wanted a quick meal before bed.
- Guide – We had one guide for Phnom Penh and Battambang, and a different guide for Siem Reap. The guide for Phnom Penh and Battambang was satisfactory, but we were quite disappointed with the guide in Siem Reap. He struggled to put two sentences together in English. Since we are familiar with Hinduism, Buddhism, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and related epics, we managed, but this could be challenging for others. It would be advisable to ensure that the guides provided, especially in Siem Reap, are fluent in English and have some understanding of Hindu gods and epics.