Cambodia is always one of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia. People keep hearing about the mysterious and majestic of the ancient Angkor, the wild and free offshore islands in Sihanoukville, tasty Khmer cuisine and many more wonderful things about the temple country – Cambodia.
However, planning a trip to an exotic country needs many preparations; below is 6 tips to travel Cambodia for the first time for your perfect experience in Cambodia.
1. Choose standard itinerary in Cambodia
If you travel Cambodia for the first time, you should choose to visit all the main attractions first as the tourist attractions are dense throughout the country and only one trip to Cambodia cannot help you to cover all of them. Phnompenh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville are the most popular cities in Cambodia and also the must-visit places for tourists in this country. Normally, people choose to travel Phnompenh and Siem Reap only with 5 to 7-day trip. Sihanoukville will be included in the itinerary if the trip lengthened from 8 to 10 days. So if the trip is more than 10 days? Battambang can be added in your travel plan if you decide to spend 12 – 15 days in Cambodia and that should be absolutely enough for your first-hand experience in the temple country – Cambodia.
If you travel Cambodia for the first time, you should choose to visit all the main attractions first as the tourist attractions are dense throughout the country and only one trip to Cambodia cannot help you to cover all of them. Phnompenh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville are the most popular cities in Cambodia and also the must-visit places for tourists in this country. Normally, people choose to travel Phnompenh and Siem Reap only with 5 to 7-day trip. Sihanoukville will be included in the itinerary if the trip lengthened from 8 to 10 days. So if the trip is more than 10 days? Battambang can be added in your travel plan if you decide to spend 12 – 15 days in Cambodia and that should be absolutely enough for your first-hand experience in the temple country – Cambodia.
2. Buy Cambodian 4G sim card
Having 4G sim card while travelling in Cambodia is a must if you still want to keep connecting with other parts of the world. 4G sim card in Cambodia is not expensive, the price is from US$ 1 to US$ 20 and the price depends on how big the data package you can get. Normally, most of travelers choose to buy the US$ 5 4G sim card which include a package of 4Gb Internet data of Metfone which may allow a group of 5 people share the Internet in 5 days for check-in, surfing on social network, watch a few short videos. If you plan to travel in many days and have huge demand of using Internet, just confidently buy the US$ 20 data package with a sim card which includes 20Gb of Internet.
Having 4G sim card while travelling in Cambodia is a must if you still want to keep connecting with other parts of the world. 4G sim card in Cambodia is not expensive, the price is from US$ 1 to US$ 20 and the price depends on how big the data package you can get. Normally, most of travelers choose to buy the US$ 5 4G sim card which include a package of 4Gb Internet data of Metfone which may allow a group of 5 people share the Internet in 5 days for check-in, surfing on social network, watch a few short videos. If you plan to travel in many days and have huge demand of using Internet, just confidently buy the US$ 20 data package with a sim card which includes 20Gb of Internet.
Metfone – the biggest telecom brand in Cambodia
You should not expect too much in Wi-Fi while travelling in Cambodia. Most of accommodations here, especially from 3-star standard have Wi-Fi; however, it is super slow and has weak connection. The Wi-Fi is better in Phnompenh – where may has the fastest Internet speed in this country. In other cities, even though in Siem Reap – the 2nd biggest city in Cambodia, the Internet quality is really bad. Of course, if you choose to stay in 5-star luxury hotels, it should be fine, although the Internet speed is still slow, but in general, the quality is still acceptable. With 4-star accommodations and below, normally the Internet there is week; sometimes, they do not provide Wi-Fi in guest rooms, travelers only can use the Internet at hotel’s lobby with bad quality.
3. Avoid travelling on your own at night in Cambodia
Electricity is like treasure in Cambodia therefore in this country they are saving it neatly. Except for the main streets in the city center, other streets have limited light or no light at all, even though it is big city like Phnompenh or Siem Reap. Besides, people here go to bed quite soon, most of the stores do not open after 9 p.m. so it is not secure enough if you travel alone or have in a group of only 2 or 3 people at night. In addition, there is no light in Cambodia’s highways, so you should not drive in this country at night to avoid any accidence that may happen.
Electricity is like treasure in Cambodia therefore in this country they are saving it neatly. Except for the main streets in the city center, other streets have limited light or no light at all, even though it is big city like Phnompenh or Siem Reap. Besides, people here go to bed quite soon, most of the stores do not open after 9 p.m. so it is not secure enough if you travel alone or have in a group of only 2 or 3 people at night. In addition, there is no light in Cambodia’s highways, so you should not drive in this country at night to avoid any accidence that may happen.
4. Bargain when go shopping
Bargaining is like a part of Asian culture and Cambodia is not an exception. Of course you cannot bargain in shopping mall and convenient store; however, if you want to buy anything in a Cambodian market or small shop on the street, don’t forget to make a deal with them. If it is just a small amount of food, bargaining may not really change anything; but with food from 1kg, souvenir, clothing, jewelry, gems, etc. bargaining may save you up to 50% of price. How much you should deal with the seller depends on what you buy and is it expensive or not. Normally, it’s about 10-20% for foods and 25-50% for other stuffs. And a tips for a success deal is that you should make the seller believe that you don’t really like those things and you will buy it only when it is sold at the price that make you satisfy. Keep calm, bargain and save your money!
Bargaining is like a part of Asian culture and Cambodia is not an exception. Of course you cannot bargain in shopping mall and convenient store; however, if you want to buy anything in a Cambodian market or small shop on the street, don’t forget to make a deal with them. If it is just a small amount of food, bargaining may not really change anything; but with food from 1kg, souvenir, clothing, jewelry, gems, etc. bargaining may save you up to 50% of price. How much you should deal with the seller depends on what you buy and is it expensive or not. Normally, it’s about 10-20% for foods and 25-50% for other stuffs. And a tips for a success deal is that you should make the seller believe that you don’t really like those things and you will buy it only when it is sold at the price that make you satisfy. Keep calm, bargain and save your money!
Phnompenh Center Market – the most popular shopping place in Cambodia
5. Prepare your taste and stomach for Cambodian food
Actually, Cambodian food in general is easy to eat. If you are familiar with Asian food, so you can deal with the food in Cambodia quite well, even totally enjoy it. However, if rarely taste the Asian food before, you may find it a little bit hard to be used to with Cambodian food which usually has strong flavor. Some dishes that may fit with most of people’ taste such as Khmer Curry, Fish Amok, Khmer Lap, Lok Lak, Grill Seafood, etc.; however, if you dare to try other foods, especially the creepy one like insects, your stomach and taste must be strong enough so you can enjoy the dish safely and happily.
Actually, Cambodian food in general is easy to eat. If you are familiar with Asian food, so you can deal with the food in Cambodia quite well, even totally enjoy it. However, if rarely taste the Asian food before, you may find it a little bit hard to be used to with Cambodian food which usually has strong flavor. Some dishes that may fit with most of people’ taste such as Khmer Curry, Fish Amok, Khmer Lap, Lok Lak, Grill Seafood, etc.; however, if you dare to try other foods, especially the creepy one like insects, your stomach and taste must be strong enough so you can enjoy the dish safely and happily.
Above is some tips for your unforgettable first trip in Cambodia. for the perfect solution for a perfect Cambodia tour to enjoy the beauty of this temple country and taste its unique cuisine.
Source: TravelDailyNews Imternational
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