Cambodia Travel Forum

We are a semi-retired couple from Boston with a flexible schedule. We are pondering our first (and probably only) trip to southeast Asia, and we need help. We know very little about this region. Is there a time of year to travel that is not TOO hot, crowded or rainy?

Should we consider planning a budget trip ourselves,rather than going on an organized tour? We are not hardy backpackers or beach folks, but want to see interesting and beautiful cultural/ historical/ natural sights. We will have three weeks or less- is it reasonable to combine visits to Thailand and/or Vietnam in that time?

We would appreciate ANY help. Although very specific details are probably unnecessary at this early stage, a rough idea of a possible itinerary might be useful. THANKS SO MUCH!

If you do some reading of travel books and a little internet study, you can tour Southeast Asia by yourself. If you don't have time for this, plan tours in each area.

There are some very good tours for people who have never been to Asia and have very little experience in travel. If I were going for the first time and wanted to maximize the experience, I would choose a tour. They will take care of hotels, transportation, tours of local sites, and maybe entertainment and meals. Trying to do this on your own can be difficult, especially if you want to see all of the top locations without doing all the planning. You also can get a better price on flights and hotels than you can get yourself.

For travel time, I would choose Later in January or February. These tend to be the cooler time. Most of SE Asia is in the tropics. The sun is overhead in late March and April. It is overhead again in September. These can be the hottest times and the times people with sensitive should avoid.

There are some very good tours for people who have never been to Asia and have very little experience in travel. If I were going for the first time and wanted to maximize the experience, I would choose a tour. They will take care of hotels, transportation, tours of local sites, and maybe entertainment and meals. Trying to do this on your own can be difficult, expecially if you want to see all of the top locations without doing all the planning. You also can get a better price on flights and hotels than you can get yourself. I prefer tours that get you to the sites, and give extra time to get out away from the tour.

For travel time, I would choose Later in January or February. These tend to be the cooler time. Most of SE Asia is in the tropics. The sun is overhead in late March and April. It is overhead again in September. These can be the hottest times and the times people with sensitive skin should avoid.

Travel to Asia takes about 4 days off your trip, just in air time. Add to this the fact that it will take a few days to overcome the jet lag. I think three weeks is a good planed time for a tour.

For itinerary, look at what the tour companies offer. If you decide to go it alone, their itinerary will serve as a good model for planning your trip.

PS, Be sure to see Angor Wat http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/1e4db/12431e/

Transport, hotels and tours can be arranged very easily while you are in southeast Asia. So I would vote for organizing it yourself. But I don't know how much you traveled around on your own. If this is your first non-organized trip, Asia can be a bit overwhelming. Unlike in Europe or the States, the most of the time you have to bargain to get a reasonable price. Just think about it and ask as many guestions as you want on this forum.

One important thing: check with your doctor for the necessary vaccinations (hepatitis,..) and medicines against malaria and such.

I've been a few times to southeast asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) myself. November/December is a good time to visit. The rain season has just finished and nature is very lush and green. Also the humidity is not so high, this makes it easier to travel.
June is hot and sometimes it rains. Mostly it is just a shower in the afternoon. But not many tourists, so it is a good time to visit Angkor Wat. And the green ricefields with a few dotted palmtrees are so beautiful now.
DON'T GO in March,April. It is very very hot, this makes it very difficult to travel around.

Maybe you can combine Cambodia with Thailand. You can get now very cheap airfares to Bangkok. You can fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh with the lowcost carrier Air Asia.

A possible itinerary for Cambodia
fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap
3 days Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)
take the boat to Battambang (very nice scenery)
2 days Battambang (very beautiful countryside)
bus to Phnom Penh
2 days Phnom Penh (Royal Palace, Tuol Sleng Prison, Killing Fields, Russian Market)
There are of course a lot of other sights to see,such as the dolphins in the Mekong at Kratie, the floating villages at Kompong Chnnang, ethnic minorities in the northeast, the seaside in Sihanoukville or Kampot,...

Very good advice already given above by the two posters.
The worst time to visit is between late March thru mid-May when much of mainland Southeast Asia becomes a sauna.
Best time weatherwise to travel yet to avoid crowds and still get good airfares is November and before airfares jump in December. Busiest time is Christmas week when many accomodations charge anywhere's between 20-75% more for a room.
If you're willing to do the homework which means reading several guidebooks and travel forums like this (which tends to have the latest info) then it's very easy to travel on your own and you'll save quite a bit in contrast to organized tours.
I would recommend a trip to Cambodia and Thailand and would recommend 3 weeks minimum.
If you've got more specific questions, feel free to return and ask.
Would recommend setting aside 4-5 days for Siem Reap/Angkor and 2 days should suffice for Phnom Penh.
There are cheap flights on Air Asia between Bangkok and Phnom Penh but NO cheap flights to Siem Reap.

Hi

The last time we were in Thailand was in 2005 from beginning of March to the beginning of April. You can really feel the defference in temperature in 1 month time. First half of march was ok, april started to get really hot.
We flew to Siem Reap for 4 days. These 4 days were a real minimum to see the temples. We also rented a long tailes boat to tour on the Tonle Sap Lake.
We haven't visited the rest of Cambodia though, that's something for in a few years.
But a visit to Angkor is a true MUST, we found it being truly overwhelming !

If you plan on flying in Thailand and Cambodia, check out my tip and the included link on Bangkok Airways' "Discovery airpass". This allows you to fly 3-6 times in Thailand & to neighbouring countries at discount rates. Note that this has to be booked in advance and can only be booked from outside Thailand.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/114fff/797/9/

Have fun !
Jessika

Hi, We are also semi-retired couple living and working in Bahrain who have one son in Boston area (Saugus) and younger son in Siem Reap, Cambodia where we have visited several times. I would be happy to correspond and answer any questions on my email shoufythecat@gmail.com.
Sharon Doenitz