Travelogue from Cambodia: Cambodia is now in our top 3 of the best trips we've had

During the summer of 2022, our CEO, his wife and two grown-up daughters went on our “Highlights of Cambodia” tour. It ended up being a trip that neither of them will forget. You can read about their experience below.

Our first impression on arrival, is of the fantastic Cambodian people. From the very first day, we meet the most welcoming, happy and hospitable people. Whether it’s immigration officers, staff in the airport or our guides – you can feel straight away, that you have entered a Buddhist country, where kindness and a friendly smile are deeply integrated into the culture.

We begin our tour in Siem Reap. A very cosy city. The hotels are in the center of town, and we can easily walk to restaurants, cafes, parks, and the royal palace.

We get to experience one of the tour’s main highlights already on the day after arrival. We visit the temple city, Angkor, home to the main attraction Angkor Wat. Stunningly beautiful and breathtaking. You can only simply marvel that this complex could be built around 1,000 years ago. It is truly outstanding.

The following day we visit the “floating city”, Kampong Phelang by the Tonle Sap Lake. Here the locals either live in houses elevated on 10-metre stilts or on rafts, so they can withstand the changing water levels in both the rainy and the dry season. These towns have grocery stores, fishmongers, schools and doctors’ offices, all built to be suited to the environment which is fascinating to see.

The final day in Siem Reap, we were on our own. This works well as we get the chance to explore the city on our own and browse the many small local shops. These are in fact not “tourist traps”, as you might expect, but cosy little shops selling handmade bags and jewelry at reasonable prices.

The next stop of the tour is Kratie, located in the eastern part of Cambodia on the Mekong River. It takes a 6-7 hour drive to get there but we enjoy the trip and lush, green Cambodian countryside on the way. We stay in Kratie for two nights on the small island of Koh Trong in the Mekong River. You can stay in Kratie town itself, but Koh Trong is the place the stay. You can cycle around the whole island through rice fields and plantations. The locals were incredibly friendly and everywhere we go, we’re met with smiling faces.

During the cycling tour, we stop along the way to plant trees and try the local pomelo fruit. We visit the local food market in Kratie and the boat trip which was also very special. The boat trip along the Mekong River to see the rare Mekong dolphins is just magical. For us, Kratie was absolutely a highlight of the trip.

The last stop of the tour is Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh today is a large Asian city experiencing rapid development. Modern architecture, busy traffic and many international restaurants. It’s a big contrast to the rest of Cambodia but an extremely fascinating and interesting city. The city tour and boat trip on the Mekong are very good and exciting.

The highlight of Phnom Penh, however, is the visit to the S-21 museum and the “killing fields”. A visit that left a big impression on us. Here you get a chilling but at the same time fascinating insight into the atrocities committed by the “Khmer Rouge” against their own people during 1975 – 1979. S-21 was one of approximately 170 security prisons established by the “Khmer Rouge” used for torture and killing during their regime. It was the largest prison built and more than 18,000 people were tortured and killed here. Only eight people survived, and we were lucky enough to meet two of the survivors, as they were visiting the day we were at the museum.

Overall, it was a very powerful and moving experience, that none of us will forget.

We end the holiday with a beach holiday on the island of Koh Rong. The island is located around 5-6 hours drive from Phnom Penh and then a 45-minute boat ride. The journey was worth it. Koh Rong is a stunning island with white sandy beaches and palm trees. It’s the perfect place if you just want to relax on the beach and enjoy yourself. It’s the ideal way to end an action-packed Cambodia tour.

This will not be the last time we visit Cambodia. We have been lucky enough to travel a lot and we all agree that this trip is in our Top 3 holidays of all time.

I can without a doubt recommend Cambodia as your next travel destination!

Best regards,

Claus

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller