PHNOM PENH

A mixture of Asian exotica,the famous Cambodian hospitality awaits the visitors to the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Situated at the confluence of three great rivers the "four arms" of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac forming the "four arms" right in front of the Royal Palace Phnom Penh is the commercial, political and cultural hubs of the Kingdom and is home to over one million of the country's estimated 11.4 million people.

It is also the gateway to an exotic land….the world heritage site, the largest religious complex in the world, the temples of Angkor in the west, the beaches of the southern coast and the ethnic minorities of the northeastern provinces. The city offers several cultural and historical attractions including the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum. There are also a wide variety of services including five star hotels and budget guest houses, fine international dining, sidewalk noodle shops, neighborhood pubs international discos and more.

Phnom Penh, like other Asian-City tourist destinations, is in the midst of rapid change. Over the past few years the number of restaurants and hotels have grown considerably and in the last year there had been a huge increase in the number of visitors. There are now direct daily flights from several Asian cities and three overland border crossing have opened since 1998. Even travel within the country is easier with several airlines flying domestic routes, regular bus service to major cities like Sihanouk ville and Kampong Cham and road conditions throughout the country have been gradually improving. Cambodia is becoming easier to visit everyday.

SIEM REAP | ANGKOR

Siem Reap, literally "Siam Defeated", commemorates a Khmer victory over the neighboring kingdom of Thailand. These days, however, the only rampaging hordes are the tourists heading to Angkor and this once quaint village has become the largest boomtown and construction site in Cambodia. It's quite laid-back and all in all a pleasant place to stay while touring the temples. It's a nice compromise between observing Cambodian life and enjoying the amenities of modern services and entertainment, thanks to the large expatriate community in Siem Reap. As business has increased, so have the numbers of people wanting your custom. Expect to receive almost constant offers for motodop and tuk-tuk rides, along with everything else which drivers may be able to offer to you.

Angkor Archaeological Park, located in northern Cambodia, is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia.

Stretching over some 400 sq. km, including forested area, Angkor contains the magnificent remains of several capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century CE. These include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations.

Angkor was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992 - the same year it was also placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. UNESCO has now set up a wide-ranging programme to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings.

Angkor itself has no accommodations and few facilities; the nearby town of Siem Reap is the tourist hub for the area.

SIHANOUKVILLE

Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Seihanu), formerly Kompong Som and familiarly just Snookyville or even Snooky is a seaside town featuring Cambodia's best-known beaches.

In a land with thousands of years of history, Sihanoukville is a colorful but tragic upstart. A mere fifty years ago, a French-Cambodian construction carved a camp out of the jungle and started building the first deep-sea port of a newly independent Cambodia. Named Sihanoukville in 1964 after the ruling prince of the kingdom, the booming port and its golden beaches soon drew Cambodia's jetsetting elite, spawning the first Angkor Beer brewery and the modernist seven-story Independence Hotel which, claim locals, even played host to Jacqueline Kennedy on her whirlwind tour of Cambodia in 1967.

Alas, the party came to an abrupt end in 1970 when Sihanouk was deposed in a coup and Cambodia descended into civil war. The town – renamed Kompong Som – soon fell on hard times: the victorious Khmer Rouge used the Independence Hotel for target practice and, when they made the mistake of hijacking an American container ship, the port was bombed by the U.S. Air Force. Even after Pol Pot's regime was driven from power, the bumpy highway to the capital was long notorious for banditry and the beaches stayed empty.

Peace returned in 1997 and in the ensuing ten years Sihanoukville has been busy picking up the pieces. First visited only by a few intrepid backpackers, guidebooks still talk of walls pockmarked by bullets, but any signs of war are hard to spot in today's Sihanoukville, whose new symbol seems to be the construction site. More and more Khmers and expats have settled down to run hotels, bars and restaurants, and the buzz of what the New York Times dubbed "Asia's next trendsetting beach" is starting to spread far and wide. After 30 years of housing only ghosts, the Independence Hotel is wrapped in scaffolding and scheduled to be rise from the ashes soon.

KAMPONG CHAM

Kampong Cham is the third largest city in Cambodia, but has yet to be heavily touristed like Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. It carries with it plenty of colonial French charm, and has a genuine "wild west" feel to it. Most travellers who do find themselves in Kampong Cham are in transit to elsewhere in the country, but those that choose to spend at least a couple of days in the provincial capital will enjoy the laid back atmosphere and quaint charm.

Most people in Kampong Cham are of course ethnic Khmer, but there is a sizeable Cham minority in the province's towns, including a disproportionately high number of Muslims and Christians.

Kampong Cham is the capital of the province of the same name. Because there is little foreign investment and no large scale tourism (almost every foreigner who comes here will be a backpacker), this city is very poor with few modern buildings, though not lacking in French architecture from the colonial period. It is similar to many other Cambodian cities, being rather dirty, with garbage a common sight. However, with the completion of a modern two-lane bridge across the Mekong, the city has begun a slow recovery from decades of irrevocable decline. The people of Kampong Cham are (like all Cambodians) very friendly and open to engaging with tourists.

If recent projects seem to be improving the state of things here (relative to other Cambodian cities), realize that both PM Hun Sen and former Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara are originally from this province.

Once in Kampong Cham, most of the sites worth seeing are outside the city itself, so you're going to need some form of motorized transport.

An increasing number of visitors to Cambodia are buying their own motorcycles and then reselling them just before they leave the country (or return home), and this is a great way to see Kampong Cham. Smaller 110cc bikes are the ones seen driven by practically every Khmer in the city, while the larger 250cc bikes are more often driven by foreigners or expats. The smaller bikes are cheaper, but less suited for long distance travel and are more susceptible to theft. It's your call, though most travellers end up buying 250ccs. If you choose to buy a 250cc, expect to pay anywhere from $500 to over $2500 USD, depending on the age of the bike. Note that Vietnam currently does not allow anything larger than 150cc into it's borders, but this will likely change in the near future. Note that there are no places to rent motorbikes currently in Kampong Cham, so if you don't wish to buy you had best rent from elsewhere in the country.

There are plenty of motodops offering their service for travel not only within the city, but to outlying areas of the province. For a scant $4 USD, you can be shown the temples at Nokor Wat, the endless jackfruit fields, and other attractions near the city. Be warned though, if your driver takes you to stalls or shops to purchase souvenirs, he will be receiving commission off of whatever you choose to buy. As usual, bargain with your driver. It's okay to set a price beforehand, but sometimes best to agree on the price afterwards. For one way trips within the city, don't pay more than 2,000 riel (and many will consider even that a rip off).

There are tuk-tuks in Kampong Cham, but as the city is not nearly as heavily touristed than others in Cambodia, such as Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, there won't be many of these.

Some of the larger hotels and guesthouses (such as the Mekong Hotel) will rent you bicycles, but these are next to useless, as they are too slow to see anything meaningful in a day, and if yours leaves your sight for an extended period of time, you won't see it again.

KRATIE

Kratie (pronounced kra-chey) is a tiny town in northeastern Cambodia. Despite its small size, it is the capital of the province of the same name.

Cambodia, and although it is relatively remote and not heavily touristed, travelling here won't earn you points for being a pioneer. There's no large scale tourism, but plenty of backpackers pour through here during the peak season. The town has developed to meet this demand, with very good budget accommodation that is well known in backpacking circles.

As the town is so small, ignore offers from touts to take you from the bus stop into town, since it's a walk of just a few minutes. If you feel compelled to hire a motodop to take you anywhere within town, you won't need to pay anything more than 500 riel for your short journey. To visit sites outside the town, you'll need to hire a motodop for a few dollars - standard prices are posted around the guesthouses, typically US$3-5 depending how far and how long you go for.

Motorbike rentals are available at the Star Guesthouse. A 110cc Honda step through bike for US$6 per day, but it isn't really worth it. Given the tiny size of the town, you won't need one to do anything within Kratie itself, and the roads outside Kratie aren't in great shape.

KOH KONG

Koh Kong is in western Cambodia, adjacent to the border with Thailand.

Koh Kong has an airport but it's not currently used for commercial passenger flights.

The quickest way to get to Sihanoukville is the daily fast ferry (USD15) which leaves around 08:00-08:20 and takes 4-5 hours - however this option may not be the best if the weather is less than favourable and there's a heavy swell.

Koh Kong is also linked to Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville via Sre Ambel by National Route 4. Most of this road is unsealed so conditions and transit times depend on the weather, usage, and recent maintainence. It's a moderately scenic drive through some of Cambodia's least developed and unspoiled regions, and entails four vehicle ferry crossings. Minibuses leave Koh Kong in the mornings - expect to pay about USD8.