Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia is home to one of the world’s greatest ancient structures and warmest welcomes. Occupying a land mass slightly smaller than that of the UK, Cambodia sits on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand and is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, and Vietnam to the southwest.

Angkor Wat is undoubtedly the highlight of Cambodia. The temple complex is the largest in the world, and its ornate spires and intricate reliefs tell stories of ancient kings and mythical deities. The temple complex was started by King Suryavarman II, ruler of the Khmer Empire, which was the dominant civilisation in Southeast Asia from the 9^th to the 15^th century. From the 15^th century onwards, the Khmer empire went into its own dark ages, and the Angkor temples were abandoned. Despite the nearly 500 years that have passed since its relative abandonment, the complex remains well-preserved (several restoration projects have taken place, especially in the 20^th century) and continues to be used as a religious site.

Siem Reap, the gateway city to Angkor Wat, has interesting markets and a colonial French quarter. The wider province is home to around 1 million of Cambodia's 18 million population. During the day, you can visit unique stilt villages, nearby waterfalls and many food and souvenir markets. Nightlife is a highlight in the city; Pub Street comes alive with neon signage and is pedestrianised each evening. Its affordable drinks, live music and street food are well regarded.

No direct flights operate from the UK to Cambodia. Indirect flight times depend on layover location and duration. On our Cambodia holidays, flights tend to be via Singapore, which can take between 13 and 15 hours. Cambodia is 6 hours ahead of the UK during the summer (BST) and 7 hours ahead during the winter (GMT). Due to the multi-centre nature of our Cambodia holidays, guests tend to be acclimatised to the time zone by the time they reach Cambodia, but we tend to include a night or two in the city where each tour begins to help with the adjustment.

Our Cambodia FAQs answer the most common queries we hear from customers considering a holiday to Cambodia. If you are ready to explore our small group, great value tours of Cambodia, you can do so here.