Practical Information for visiting Cambodia

Cambodia uses the riel (KHR) but runs substantially on US dollars, which are accepted everywhere and dispensed by most ATMs. Prices are frequently quoted in dollars.

The practical convention: dollars for anything over a dollar, riel as small change — roughly 4,000 to the dollar — because there are no US coins in circulation. Carry small, clean notes; torn or heavily marked dollars are refused.

Cards work in hotels and city restaurants; markets, tuk-tuks and rural areas are cash. Tipping is not traditional but is appreciated and increasingly expected in tourism.

Coverage for mobile networks is good and data is very cheap. Local SIMs are inexpensive, sold at airports with passport registration, and generally better value than roaming.

Wi-fi is standard in accommodation and cafes. Roads have improved but journeys take longer than distances suggest; domestic flights link the main centres, and river boats operate on some routes seasonally.

Cambodia is generally safe for a careful traveller, but a few specific, well-documented risks deserve real attention rather than a glance. The main tourist areas are Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and the south coast.

Landmines and unexploded weapons, and the warning that matters most: mined areas are often unmarked. The FCDO's wording is that Cambodia remains heavily affected, country-wide rather than only near the Thai border, and its instruction is not to stray off main routes in rural areas including around temple complexes — which is where visitors naturally wander. Do not read an unsigned track as a cleared one. Where a sign does exist, treat it as absolute.

Bag-snatching from motorbikes is the commonest theft. Thieves cut bag straps and take bags or phones from people on foot, in tuk-tuks and on motorbikes, often causing injury. Carry bags on the side of you furthest from the road, keep phones out of sight near traffic, and where you have the choice, take a tuk-tuk with grills on the back and sides.

Female travellers have been sexually assaulted in Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, including by men claiming to be motorbike taxi drivers in the Pub Street area of Siem Reap. Be wary of approaches from strangers and of unsolicited offers of transport — which is the same reason to arrange drivers and guides through your accommodation rather than on the street.

Road safety is a headline risk, not a footnote. Cambodia has one of the highest rates of road traffic accidents in south-east Asia, with many deaths and serious injuries, mostly from poor vehicle and driver standards; travelling after dark raises the risk substantially. Riding pillion on a motorcycle taxi (a moto dop) is specifically dangerous. Boats are the other one to watch: accidents happen when they are overloaded or poorly maintained, and tourist boats sometimes sail despite weather warnings, particularly between Sihanoukville and the nearby islands.

The Thai border is closed and some border temples with it. After the 2025 fighting and the ceasefire signed on 27 December, land borders and crossings between Cambodia and Thailand remain suspended, and Preah Vihear, Ta Krabey and Ta Muen Thom are closed. There is also unexploded ordnance in the border area. Plan to fly in rather than cross overland.

Unofficial guides and scams around Angkor and the other big sites are common. Book through your hotel or a reputable operator and agree the price before you set off. Bear in mind too that the legal process in Cambodia is unpredictable, lacks transparency and is open to outside interference, and pre-trial detention can run for months — so avoiding a dispute is worth more here than winning one.

Emergency numbers: 117 for police, 119 for an ambulance.

Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccinations are commonly recommended; Japanese encephalitis and rabies may be advised for longer or rural stays. Malaria risk exists in some border and forested areas rather than in the main tourist centres, and dengue is present year-round.

Do not drink tap water. Ice in established places is generally made from purified water and is fine.

Medical facilities are limited outside Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and serious cases are usually evacuated to Bangkok. Insurance with evacuation cover is genuinely necessary rather than precautionary.

Heat and humidity are severe from March to May.

Dress modestly at temples — shoulders and knees covered — and this is enforced at Angkor, where visitors are turned away. Remove shoes and hats before entering temple buildings, and never touch a monk if you are a woman or hand anything directly to one.

Do not touch anyone’s head, and do not point your feet at people or at Buddha images.

Photographing at the genocide sites is restricted in places and posing for photographs there is deeply offensive.

Removing artefacts is illegal, and buying antiquities almost certainly means buying looted material. Drug offences carry severe penalties.

117 reaches the police, 118 the fire service and 119 ambulance, though response capacity is limited and English is not guaranteed.

In practice, for anything serious, contact your hotel and your insurer directly and go to a private clinic in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap rather than waiting for public emergency services.

There is a tourist police presence in Siem Reap and the capital, which is the better contact for theft and lost documents.

Landmines and unexploded ordnance remain a hazard in some rural border areas. Stay on marked paths and heed warning signs, which are real rather than precautionary.