Cambodia Travel Guide

The Cambodia e-visa costs US$ 36 per person and is available for tourist purpose only. To apply for e-visa, you just need to go to www.evisa.gov.kh, a unique official government e-visa portal for Cambodia. Be aware that there are other websites that falsely claim to provide this service. There are some simple steps to follow, which are to sign up, sign in, apply, and pay online. The procession usually takes three business days and you will get an approval from the online portal. Then print out  your e-visa and present on arrival in Cambodia. 

Coming from temperate countries, many travellers get shock because of hot sunny days and high humidity, especially in summer season. The weather affection may cause heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke and dehydration, which you could prevent by staying vigilant about hydration and applying sunblock.

The imminent risk is mostly persistent in highland region or secluded countryside so if travelling there, you need to consider  taking anti-malarial medication. More frequent in Cambodia than malaria, dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease, which is quite common not only in countryside but also  in city area. To prevent this disease, you should  wear bug spray at all times and cover your ankles and arms early in the evening, around sunset.

Internet access is widely available in tourist areas and big cities of Cambodia so you can get Wifi access in almost all hotels, cafeterias, pizzerias, and even food stores. However, it’s less frequent or rather week in rural and remote areas. You may be capped at 3G but the rollout of fibre has been phenomenal and the land based wifi units are usually both reliable and fast.

Mostly possible. You can use your mobile phone in the majority of urban areas in Cambodia, though network coverage may be limited in remote and mountainous areas. Before departing from home, you need to make sure that your mobile service provider has activated global roaming for your mobile phone if you intend to use it in Cambodia. However, global roaming can be very expensive in Cambodia, so the best option is to buy a local SIM if you want to use your phone on the go.

The most common credit cards honored in Cambodia are Visa, Master Card, JBC and American Express, which are widely accepted in many restaurants, hotels, and shops in  big cities of Cambodia. However, they may not be accepted by smaller vendors such as small family restaurants, market stalls or in remote towns or countryside. To travel in remote or rural areas of Cambodia, you need to bring  enough cash for expenses since credit cards may not be used in places. 

Widely available throughout Cambodia,  ATMs are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,  in big cities of Phnom Penh, Siem reap, Battambang, Sihanoukville… and even in small urban centers, allowing you to a cash machine at any time. In small villages or remote areas, ATMs are rarely found so you need to prepare enough cash before your venture into these areas.

The major festival celebrated in Cambodia is Khmer New Year  on April 13 or 14 each year. There are also some more important traditional festivals such as  Water Festival in every November, Pchum Ben running from the end of September to mid-October , and Royal Ploughing Ceremony usually taking place in May. However, the date of celebration is subject to changed based on the local calendar  different from the western one.