How to spend a month in the Kingdom of Cambodia

My idea of how to have a great and not too busy schedule when visiting and exploring Cambodia.

1. Phnom Penh

Encounter the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia Phnom Penh. The people are kind, friendly, and will always give you a smile and a helping hand. Phnom Penh has a distinctive friendly and mellow vibe. You can even go around on foot without fearing for your life.

Best area to stay
Daun Penh: Whether you are on a budget or like comfort Daun Penh is a great location. The hostels offer accommodation in dorms from 3$, private rooms for around 10$ a night.

Where to Go
Choeung ek Genocidal center, also known as the killing fields of The Pol Pot regime. It is a dreadful tour in the fields containing mass graves and slaughter places where the regime killed 20.000 of their own people. When you go, do yourself the favor of getting the audio tour. It provides a lot of information and it gives you the opportunity of not talking with your fellow travelers while seeing these nightmares.
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, also known as prison 21. If not for the barbed-wire fence, it would look like the school it once was. A stroll by the waterfront, just wave at the children and enjoy the vibrant lives of the locals you meet. While walking down the waterfront you will walk by a pagoda and the royal palace. You can enter and visit both of these extremely beautiful locations.

A Buddhist temple

Which Markets to Hit-Up
Central Market, you can find treasures for every age and desire varying from ‘I Cambodia’ t-shirts, to China and cutlery for the house. The backside of the market has the food corner. Try as much as you can and sit and eat with the locals. Night Market: Located the river, and a place to go for clothing and traditional food. Open on the weekends. Enjoy your food in the picnic area while watching traditional Cambodian dance on the stage.
Old Market: Located opposite Night Market. This is where the locals' shop and you will find no souvenirs. Go here for a very authentic Cambodian experience.

2. Koh Rong Sanloem

This is a beautiful little chill and a relaxing island around an hour boat ride from the mainland where you can chill all-day and chill all night. Take the speedboat and get off at M’Pai Bay. Pick a hostel in the first row for waves lullabying you to sleep at night. Nighttime is good for enjoying a bonfire, the Milky Way, and the amazing experience of the glowing planktons in the water - which actually make the stars appear 3D - 360 degrees around you.

Clear Water Bay

In the daytime you can relax on the beach, snorkel the sea, or go trekking in the jungle - remember to get a guide because without a machete you won't get far, and you will definitely get lost.
Wildlife contains snakes, spiders, and a wide variety of insects, birds, lizards, and monkeys.

Beach-wise Clear Water Bay is the most beautiful beach around Koh Rong Sanloem. Located about 1-1,5 hours from M’Pai Bay, through the waters and into the wild. It is hard work but worth your while when you arrive. Enjoy a drink on the beach and experience perfection of simple moments.

Sunset is caught at the Dragonfly (just walk straight off the Jetty and continue for around 5 minutes inland and turn right and follow the signs) and the surrounding rocks where you can enjoy a drink at happy hour while looking at the sun and get those breath-taking photos for Instagram.

Where to stay: Prices on the island vary but accommodation is fairly cheap. 5-10 $ for a dorm per night. Around 13-17 $ for a private room and 28-35 $ for a bungalow on first row/ beach line. If you go hunting for a bargain in the 3rd row or with the locals, a dorm bed can be obtained for 3$ and a private room for 5 $.

Food varies from 2 to 10$ depending on local or western style, and choice of veggie/meat/seafood.

Keep in mind that Cambodia is still a 3rd world country, so they are still fighting ignorance of a few issues but they are working on the task. Koh Rong Sanloem is in the process of being cleaned from rubbish.

3. Kep & Kampot

Kampot is a nice change from the big cities and it is surrounded by beautiful nature. Book an all day tuk-tuk trip. It is the best way to see the amazing surrounding upland. You get to spend all day driving around the countryside seeing the real Khmer and the real life of the people living outside the cities. It isn't fancy, but you see the authentic every day in Cambodia. You can stop at the local attractions like the salt fields, pepper plantations, beaches, local crab market, caves ( wear smart shoes and bring a flashlight if you want to dig into and crawl through the caves, it is highly recommended), durum plantation, the secret lake and much more.

Countryside Kampor

Staying
The living is so cheap in Kampot! Peppers offers dorm rooms for 3 $ per night, and the Monkey Republic offers 3-person bedrooms for 6,5$ per night. Both are fine quality and their vibe good.

Where to Go
The sunset/fireflies cruise is a lovely trip with beautiful scenery. It is quiet and peaceful, and you get to see a few blinking fireflies. Doesn't sound bad eh?
Visit Kep, the neighboring city. Walk through the ghost-city that was left during the Khmer revolution. At the end of this terrifying city make sure you end up enjoying a drink or two at the yacht club by the water.

Fishing village, Kampot

Koh Tunsay: Enjoy the clear water in beautiful surroundings and a relaxing environment. Just get a tuk-tuk to the harbor and find a boat.

When it comes to food
Grab breakfast on Veranda Lounge in Kep if you want to spoil yourself and take a dip in their pool.
Kampot: Rusty Keyhole is famous for their ribs and BBQ and is a must-dine place.

4. Siem Reap & Angkor WatA lot of us have a childhood longing for an Indiana Jones adventure and to maybe fall upon a hidden treasure. There are different means of transportation to get there and around, depending on your needs and sense of adventure.

Angkor temple ground

You can take a tuk-tuk for the day. They have fixed day-rates and you either do the big or small circuit trip. The small trip includes Angkor Wat, Bayan and 4 other temples, including the Tombraider temple. Meanwhile, the big trip takes you to a lot of smaller temples that are less crowded. You can also rent a bicycle and enjoy the trip at your own pace. It might be a good idea to get a tour guide if you wanna do a bit of off-road since there are still land-mines in the countryside around Angkor tomb.

Surrounding area
Visit Kulen Mountain. Nature is amazing. Here you can hang with the locals. To reach your destination, make sure you rent a bike that can go off-road because the roads are dirt roads and quite rough. Prasat Beng Mealea is worth a visit. It is 75 km from Siem Reap but hardly any tourists go there so you will have it almost to yourself. When you have done the big temples in Angkor Wat and want pictures with less than 20 other people in them.

Kulen Mountain

Where to go in the city
Siem Reap is quite a touristic city. It is small and easy to get around either by walking or by renting a bicycle for 1-3$ a day. The main attractions in the city are the 2-night markets where you can buy all your souvenirs and t-shirt for a couple of dollars. Pub-street, the party street, is where everyone who wants a little action, turn up after sunset. There are plenty of options to enjoy loud western music and beer for half a dollar.

Accommodation
We stayed at Sweet Dreams guesthouse. If you want a more social atmosphere, the area south of the river hosts many hostels and guesthouses with different level of party and action. And the area is just a 10-minute walk from the party street.

5. Battambang

Battambang has a relaxing atmosphere that will take your worries away. The river runs through the city center and gives it clean air and space. This is where the market and pub-street are located, and "what's happening" is happening here. However, if you are interested in a more chilled vibe, you might not find what you are looking for.

Battambang Main street

Around Battambang
The area around Battambang includes killing fields, not the size of what you can find in Phnom Penh, but fields where more than 10.000 people lost their lives during the Khemer Rouge regime.
It contains temples, some of which were converted to prisons during the regime. Important! Don’t go pioneering the nature or history by yourself. This is the province of Cambodia containing more landmines then anywhere else in the country.

A feel-good experience
Ride the bamboo train. (Note: bring earplugs, it is very noisy). Grab a tuk-tuk to take you to the old track and just on an old-fashioned bamboo train. The experience is unique and fun. The "train" goes quite fast, and every time you meet oncoming traffic on your shared track one of the "trains" must be lifted off the tracks in pieces so that the other one can pass.

Bamboo train, Battambang

The area is also home to bat caves and fruit bat colonies in big trees. In the bat caves, you have a chance to see an army of bats leaving the cave at sunset. In the fruit bat trees, you get to listen in on a huge pack of bats in lively debates with each other and feel how intelligence and dynamic this family is.

Not the biggest of cities or attractions but definitely worth a stop for a few days if you should have the time and chance to visit. The bus from Siem Reap is only 6 $. You can also take a boat or private taxi if you prefer to travel more comfortably, the price is, as always, negotiable.