Cambodia - Travel Like An Athlete

General tips

Use Pass App or Grab if you need a taxi in the cities
Onederz will always be a very good quality price hostel always with swimming pool and chilling areas
I would advice not to plan to rush the country (like it did unfortunately …) in 2 weeks but to come and see how is the energy here and how are the khmers 😉
You can find mineral water in 7 eleven, C market or any bigger supermarket
Food is more expensive in restaurants but you can always buy cheap fruits or shakes

Angkor temples – Siem Reap

Angkor temples are the largest religious site of the world. The temples date from the 9th to 14th century and most of them are astonishingly well conserved. One of THE place to go in south east Asia. You have many options to visit the temples from Siem Reap. I took the 3 days pass online through the official website Angkor entreprise (3 days is cheaper than 2 times 1 day). Then you can book tours with tuktuk, go by yourself by scooter or by bike. The weather was very very hot from 12pm until sunset so I would recommend to start your days with sunrises. Apart from the temples, Siem Reap is a very touristic but very pleasant city with a good energy and nice locals.

What to do in Siem Reap ?
- Angkor temples : most agencies have 3 different day tours : the small tour with all the most famous temples, the big tour with the secondaries and an “other tour”. The tour with tuktuk is between 15 and 20$ (max 4 ppl) and you can book private guide for 40$ ish in English and around 70$ in french. You can also rent scooter for 8-10$ or bike for 3-5$.
- Siem Reap city : the city center have very good energy, many European and Khmer restaurants. The nightlife is quit alive as you have many bars as well. The center is very colorful at night, it’s worth seeing it.
- Floating village – alone or with a tour if you need a break from the temples

Where to sleep in Siem Reap ?
- Onederz – 7$ dorm with swimming pool in city center
- Siem Reap Chilled backpackers – 4$ good and chill dorm with swimming pool but outside the city center

Where to eat in Siem Reap ?
- Japanese restaurant – Tokyo something close to Chilled backpackers
- Warning : food is quite more expensive inside the temple area so it’s good to eat well before and bring some food and water their.

Phnom Penh

I stayed only 2 nights in the capital city as it is warm, with little nature and I felt a colder energy compared with all other cities I visited. They are many beautiful temples tough and the genocide museum is a very good way to understand the nightmare of the red khmers dictatorship period (3 years and 8 month starting in 1975). At night, the riverside promenade is a nice colorful and alive place to go to for food and drinks.

What to do in Phnom Penh ?
- Genocide museum – 10$ with audio guide, very interesting but very shocking
- Killing fields – complementary with the museum, outside the city
- Wat Phnom Park and temple
- National museum – 10$ but I didn’t go
- Royal Palace – 10$ but I didn’t go nor heard good things about it even tough it’s very beautiful from outside

Where to sleep in Phnom Penh ?
- Eighty8 Backpackers hostel – 4-5$, comfortable dorm with AC and swimming pool

Where to eat in Phnom Penh ?
- Most of the restaurants are along the riverside promenade

Kampot

Kampot is known worldwide for its pepper that has the reputation to be (one of) the best of the world. You can find many farms around the city and some of them offer free guided tours and tasting. You get to see the plants, understand the different techniques to get red, green,black, red pepper. In La Plantation, you can also try many different spices mix for free. Besides, the city has a very relaxing and good energy. The people are very kind. You can reach Kep in 30min by scooter or take a tour and also explore various natural places.

What to do in Kampot ?
- La plantation pepper farm – free guided visit (french and english) and free tasting
- Sothy”s Pepper Farm (free as well)
- Salt fields (Traeuy Kaoh, South of Kampot city center on the island)
- Kampong Trach Cave
- Trapeang Sangkae Mangrove
- Kep – Beach, natural park and fish market
- Bokor National Park – not the most impressive park

Where to sleep in Kampot ?
- Onederz – 5$ and always very good dorm, in the city center
- Yellow sun – 5$ dorm, a very chill place with camping vibe at 10min of scooter from the city center
- Mama’s Family Guesthouse – 7$ private room, 5min scooter from the city center

Where to eat ?
- Khouch and Sarin Restaurant + fresh organic juice in front of it
- Auberge du soleil – For french and Swiss cheese food, its good for here 😉
- Onederz – Incredibly good and cheap pancake – cheap menu

Koh Rong

This island is a pure beauty, an island paradise where you can find your private area in any white sand beach with turquoise water. As you have one paved road that almost go all around the island, you can rent scooters for 10$ and sleep in the the few places where you have accommodation. It is still quite little touristic and very wild. However, this will last a few years only as they will build an airport. You can reach Koh Rong by speed boat from Sihanoukville for 12.5$ or from Koh Rong Sanloem for 5 or 10$ depending on the port.

What to do in Koh Rong ?
- Long beach – Crazy sunset in this huge and incredibly beautiful white sand beach
- Lonely beach – Wild and beautiful beach with snorkeling spot
- Prek Svay – Fisher village very cute & Mangrove to explore with kayak
- Coconut beach – little but cute beach
- Plankon experience that you can do by yourself in any fully dark bay/beach after sunset and before moon rise

Where to sleep in Koh Rong ?
- Lonely beach – Remote, rustic, wild and nice place. Basic bungalow 9-12$
- Fireflies Guesthouse – Unique hostel in the fishing floating village with the beautiful view on the sea, 2m in front of your dorm (6$) or bungalow (15-20$).
- Coconut beach – comfortable tent for 6$ & bungalow options

Where to eat in Koh Rong ?
- Lilly’s guesthouse in Prek Svay
- Natural kitchen in Prek Svay
- Lonely beach
- Sihanoukville : Onerderz

Koh Rong Sanloem

The little sister of Koh Rong has very similar landscape but it is a much wilder island as their is no road, no vehicule their. You can only take a boat to or from Saracen beach or M’Pay Bay that are the main places where you can sleep. Don’t trust Google maps their, ask the locals 🙂

What to do in Koh Rong Sanloem ?
- Plankon experience that you can do by yourself in any fully dark bay/beach after sunset and before moon rise
- Saracen beach – long white sand beach with restaurants, bungalows and hostels
- Sunset beach – 40min quite hard jungle trek (very hard by night) for beautiful beach
- Lazy beach – Easier to access
- M’Pay Bay – little village more developed with more life

Where to sleep in Koh Rong Sanloem ?
- Saracen Beach :
  - Onederz – 10$
  - Big Easy – dorms ok with AC for 8$ and bungalows
  - Lucky Sun – dorms ok always available for 7$
- M’Pay Bay :
  - Seashell Guesthouse – 7$ dorm looks very good (min 2 nights, book in advance)
  - Ing Ing Guesthouse – very nice private room with bathroom for 17$

Where to eat in Koh Rong Sanloem ?
- Big easy
- Lucky sun
- Ing Ing Guesthouse