Tours in Cambodia

Stand on the edge of Tonle Sap at the end of the day and you will see why Cambodians talk about the lake the way other people talk about family. Boats slide past houses that float, kids wave from doorways with no street outside them, and the light goes copper over the water. You can spend an evening out there on a cushioned boat with a cold drink, doing very little, and it will be one of the better things you do in the country.

The lake sits close to Siem Reap, and Siem Reap is where most trips begin. You come for Angkor Wat, and you should. Then you find the temples keep going: Bayon with its stone faces, Ta Prohm with trees growing through the walls. Go early, wear shoes you can climb in, and give it more than one morning. The town itself is easy, with market lanes, noodle stalls and a long evening street of cafes for tired legs.

Down on the south coast the pace changes. Sihanoukville is a small port town where the day runs between pagodas, the Golden Lions roundabout and the beach. Hawaii Beach sits at the end of a rocky point, and a seafood picnic followed by a swim is a very good way to spend a few hours off a ship. Kbal Chhay Waterfall is a short ride inland and worth the detour when the heat builds.

Phnom Penh sits at the meeting of the rivers, and its riverside promenade fills up at dusk with walkers, shuttlecock players and families on mats. The Royal Palace and the National Museum are close together, and the Central Market is a good place to get lost. Kampot and Kep, further along the coast, are slow towns known for pepper and crab. We do not sell tours to all of these yet, but a local guide can arrange them if you ask.