[ welcome to the Cambodia site! ]

	Search MSN:

Home

Introduction Part I

Introduction Part II

Introduction Part III

Introduction Part IV

Contact

Getting Around

Flying is the quickest (and of course most expensive) way of getting to places like Angkor, Battambang, Ratanakiri, Koh Kong, Stung Treng and Mondulkiri. Road travel is safer than it's been for years, but your body is still going to suffer for travelling by bus - the country's highways are in truly pathetic shape. Train travel is back on the agenda for visitors - and it's ludicrously cheap - but the journey will take much longer than by bus. Trucks and jeeps tackle the dreadful roads to Siem Reap, Battambang and Kratie, and share-taxis scoot around the south coast. With some 1900km (1180mi) of navigable waterways to utilise, boats play a major role in getting around. The most popular services operate between the capital and Siem Reap - the express service cuts the journey time down to a mere four hours. Fast boats also head up the Mekong to Kompong Cham, Kratie and Stung Treng. An effective local bus network makes travel to sights around Phnom Penh much easier than driving, particularly as cars can only be hired with a driver - and when you look at the country's highways from hell, perhaps that's all for the best. Taxis are more common in the cities these days, and cyclos and motos (small motorcycles) can be flagged down for short hops.

Getting There & Away

Bangkok is the easiest place to pick up a flight to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Flights to the capital also fly out of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane and Guangzhou. The major airport is Pochentong, 7km (4mi) west of Phnom Penh. A taxi to the centre costs around US$8, and motos charge US$1 or so per passenger; departure tax is US$20. The land route will be vastly improved when the road linking Phnom Penh with the Thai border at Poipet is upgraded, but there are no firm plans to improve the diabolical road to Siem Reap. A combination of boats and buses will eventually ferry you from Thailand's Trat Province to the coastal town of Krong Koh Kong. Buses and shared taxis will get you to Vietnam's entry point at Moc Bai. The land border with Laos should open up once the Laos-Cambodia border negotiations are completed in 2001.

When to Go

The ideal months to be in Cambodia are December and January, when humidity is bearable, temperatures are cooler and it's unlikely to rain. From February onwards it starts getting pretty hot, and April is unbearably so. The wet season (from May to October), though very soggy, can be a good time to visit Angkor, as the moats will be full and the foliage lush - but steer clear of the northeast regions during those months, as the going gets pretty tough when the tracks are waterlogged. The country's biggest festival, Bon Om Tuk, is held in early November, and is well worth catching.

Basic Info

The Culture