Before jumping into an airplane and getting to Cambodia you should prepare your journey. Find below all important travel information’s helping you to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Time zone
Cambodia is within the Indochina Time (ICT). These time zone various from the Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) about +7 hours and the European Summertime GMT about + 6 hours.
Climate
The climate of Cambodia is officially divided in two main seasons. The Cambodians itself add a third season, the “cold season” between December and January.
Months | Max C° | Min C° | Rainy days | Sun hours | |
Dry | Jan | 31 | 20 | 1 | 9 |
Feb | 32 | 21 | 2 | 9 | |
Mar | 34 | 24 | 4 | 9 | |
Apr | 35 | 25 | 6 | 8 | |
May | 35 | 25 | 16 | 7 | |
Jun | 33 | 24 | 18 | 6 | |
Jul | 33 | 24 | 19 | 6 | |
Aug | 32 | 25 | 19 | 6 | |
Wet | Sep | 31 | 25 | 19 | 5 |
Oct | 31 | 24 | 17 | 7 | |
Nov | 30 | 22 | 9 | 8 | |
Dry | Dec | 30 | 21 | 3 | 9 |
Health Precautions
It is recommended that all visitors be inoculated against typhoid, tetanus, and hepatitis A and B. Precautions against malaria are not necessary for the main travelling destinations, but are recommended when visiting remoter provinces (see map below). Travellers should generally visit their doctor or travel center in their home country, for an individual consulting, before leaving for Cambodia.
Water
The Water quality of the tap water various extremely depending on the region. It is advisable to generally not to drink tap water and buy some of the bottle water, which is everywhere available for less than one dollar.
Electricity
The country has a 220 volts electricity system and it is likely to find generators in places with occasional support problems. Most sockets are French style two-pin and connective to European plugs.
Money
Cambodia’s currency is the Cambodian Riel (KHR), but there is usually no need to change money into KHR, since you will inevitably pay a lot of things in USD and receive change in KHR (1USD = 4000KHR). Most hotels accept international credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard and travellers checks can be easily cashed.
Airports
Travellers can enter the country by plane on two international gateways, the Phnom Penh International Airport and the Siem Reap International Airport, which is close to the temples of Angkor. A third airport in Sinahoukville has been reopened recently which will serve as a portal to Cambodia’s coastline.
Passports & Visas
There are two main possibilities for receiving a visa in Cambodia. One-month tourist visas are available upon arrival at Cambodia’s airports as well as at the border checkpoints (costs around US$20 and requiring one passport-sized photo). The other opportunity is getting it from the Cambodian Embassy in a foreign country.