Cambodia Lost temples, drifting villages, wild mountains and islands fringed by warm seas

US dollars function as the de facto primary currency for almost all tourist spending, from hotel bills to temple entry fees, while the Cambodian Riel (KHR) is used mainly for small change under a dollar. This is the reverse of what most destinations expect from visiting currency, so arriving with a reasonable supply of small dollar bills matters more than exchanging money for local currency.

Khmer is the official and dominant language, and while French remains present in some older signage as a colonial legacy, English is now far more useful in practice across hotels, guiding and tourism generally. Guides in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh operate confidently in English, so this is rarely a practical concern.

Cambodia operates on Indochina Time (ICT, UTC+7) year-round, with no daylight saving changes. Temple visits, particularly sunrise trips to Angkor Wat, mean an early start regardless of season, so adjusting to local time as soon as you land is worth doing rather than treating the first morning as a rest day.

Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere in Cambodia, including Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Bottled or filtered water is provided as standard at all reputable hotels and should be your default throughout, particularly given how much walking across Angkor’s temple complexes typical itineraries involve.

Cards are accepted at larger hotels and established restaurants in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, but many temples, tuk-tuk drivers and smaller vendors expect cash, specifically US dollars in small denominations. A reasonable supply of one and five dollar notes covers most day-to- day spending far more smoothly than relying on cards.

Tipping isn’t a deeply traditional custom but has become genuinely expected in tourism-heavy areas like Siem Reap as the industry has grown, particularly for guides, drivers and hotel staff. Small US dollar notes given directly are the standard approach, and it’s worth carrying enough for this across a multi-day temple itinerary.

Cambodia uses an unusually wide mix of Type A, C and G sockets depending on the property and its age, a legacy of varied import history rather than one settled national standard. A universal adapter is genuinely the safer choice here, more so than in most destinations, since which type you’ll encounter can vary from one hotel to the next.

Mobile coverage in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is reliable, and a local SIM is inexpensive and easy to arrange on arrival. Coverage holds up reasonably well even across the Angkor Archaeological Park itself, which is useful for coordinating pickup times with drivers between temple stops.

Clothing that covers shoulders and knees is essential for temple visits, and this is genuinely enforced at Angkor Wat and several other major sites rather than a loosely applied guideline. Comfortable, sturdy shoes matter more than sandals given how much uneven stone walking a typical multi-temple day involves, alongside strong sun protection for exposed courtyards with little shade.

The head is considered the most sacred part of the body and the feet the lowest, so pointing your feet at a person, a Buddha image, or a monk, even inadvertently while seated, is worth avoiding. Removing shoes before entering temples and private homes is standard practice and expected without needing to be asked.

Yes, in Theravada Buddhist practice, monks are not permitted physical contact with women, including receiving an item directly from a woman’s hand, so placing an item down for the monk to pick up, or having a man pass it instead, is the respectful approach. This isn’t widely publicised outside the region and genuinely surprises visitors who encounter a monk unexpectedly during a temple visit.

Sunrise draws the largest crowds of the day at Angkor Wat, and arriving well before dawn to secure a good spot by the reflecting pools genuinely changes the experience compared with arriving even fifteen minutes later. A multi-day Angkor pass allows a sunrise visit followed by quieter exploration of the wider complex later, which many specialists consider a better use of an early start than sunrise alone.