Cambodia for 5 days.
 

Will visit Cambodia later this year. I will fly to Phnom Phen and leave from Siem Reap or vice versa. I will be flying on a short flight from within Asia so jet lag won't be an issue.

I have a maximum of 5 days (6 nights) to spend in the country, one of which will be a travel day between Phnom Pehn and Siem Reap. I plan on travelling between the two cities by bus. Debating how I should divide the days, 2 full days in Phnom Pehn and 2 or 1 full day in Phnom Phen and 3 in Siam Reap.

These are the sights I am interested in:-

Siam Reap - Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phohm - not sure about seeing other temples, I really don't want to get "templed out". Would like to see sunrise at Angkor Wat, any tips on sunrise at Angkor Wat? An obligatory stop at Artisans d'Angkor should take care of my souvenir shopping. Do I need three days for these sights or can these be seen in two days? Any other comments on Siam Reap will be appreciated.

Phnom Pehn - the SIlver Pagaoda, the Royal Palace, the National Museum , the Central Market and the Independence Monument. The Killing fields and genocide sights are of no interest.

Tonle Sap is of interest but I don't know how to incorporate this into the itinerary, maybe as a day trip from Siam Reap.

Any information on how to set up the sightseeing itinerary will be appreciated. Thank you.

You could fit it the sights you want in SR in a couple of days ( or even a single, very long, and very hot day!). Sunrise, when I first visited some 10 + years ago attracted only a handful of people. The last time, in 2007, there were in excess of 500 making it difficult to get a photo. In fact I gave up and took photos of the crowds instead! If you do want to get a prime spot with no one blocking you view I imagine you will have to get there VERY early indeed.

We have visited the temples two ways. First with a guide and driver the second with a tuk tuk driver only. The second option was far better as the driver took us to places at times which avoided the inevitable crowds. I expect it has got even busier still in recent years.

Tonle Sap can be visited in an afternoon by tuk tuk or car. I think we paid $14 per day for the tuk tuk which was available for us to use all day if needed. Artisans de Angkor does provide the best goods by far in Cambodia. We visited on our way back from TS.

The sights in Phnonm Penh are, IME, best visited by hiring a tuk tuk for the day. if you can find a driver that speaks some english, then great but you should have few prolems communicating where to go. All the places you mention are worth a look but I would add in the "Russian " market as well. If you hav eno interest in the killing fields or Tuol Sleng, fair enough, but I found them to be hugely interesting and emotive experiences.

Do research the restaurants in PP , there are some great places to eat there, much better than in SR.

I'd spend the longer time in Siem Reap. Spend a day of sightseeing in PP, the rest at Angkor. There are many dozens of accessible temples. Get a copt of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples.

I found Tonle Sap of little interest, perhaps due to my extensive travels elsewhere in SE ASia. But some people love it. If it is a must-do for you, it is an easy day trip from Siem Reap.

Thank you for the helpful replies.

I too have travelled extensively in South East Asia, and get the impression Tonle Sap is very similar to sights I will have seen elsewhere. Didn't realize it only takes an afternoon, will leave it for my last day and visit if I don't want to visit more temples.

I'd given some thought to visiting the killing fields before I posted the op. I've seen many human remains in catacombs, seen Auschwitz and some genocide/tortue museums elsewhere. As I have limited time in Cambodia and feel the sights will be repeative to what I've seen elsewhere I opted to skip them.

Is it easy to hire a tuk tuk for the entire day? I'd imagine there would be plenty of tuk tuk drivers competing for business in both cities. What is the current rate for a day of sightseeing in Phnomn Pehn and Siem Reap?

I've read that US are prefered to local currency, is this stil the case?

I went to Siem Reap last November and US currency was accepted almost exclusively. I enjoyed the temples very much -I did enjoy one temple you didn't mention - Banteay Srei which is further outside of Siem Reap.

We arrived early on a Monday and left Thursday morning so had 2 1/2 days and didn't spend ALL day at the temples as my friends' children would have protested! In the middle of the afternoon, we took a break and came back to the hotel and swam.

We ate at the Haven Restaurant (your servers were orphans and are now learning a trade), Peace Cafe (vegetarian and service was only so-so), and Viroth's (very nice).

Have a great time!

I don't know the current price for a tuk-tuk, but in the $15 a day range, I'd guess. You can easily arrange one from your hotel or guesthouse. Cars and drivers are also available, maybe $25 per day. You can also engage a guide, if you wish.

We loved many of the smaller temples, Ta Som was a favorite. Explore and find your own favorites. Dawn Rooney's book will help.

Yes Kathie is right, Dawn Rooney's book is a must. As a matter of fact I think she is the one that recommend it on another post. We had a guide for the temples but his English was limited so the book really came in useful.

I too loved Banteay Srei temple. It is a bit further but well worth the trip for me. The countryside is lovely and not too far from there is a site with remains of an ancient temple in a river. It is about an hour hike uphill with beautiful views but unfortunately the name escapes me now.

We arrived in SR early in the morning and on a lark arranged a tour of Tonle Sap lake through our hotel. We all enjoyed it tremendously and I was able to get some nice shots in the afternoon light. Perhaps if I had more experience with SE Asia I would not have found it as interesting but if you have the time it is a nice half day trip.

The countryside is lovely and not too far from there is a site with remains of an ancient temple in a river.

Kbal Spean -- and it is so lovely and worth the hike up the hill and a little tour at the top to see the carvings. One day we did Kbal Spean in the early morning, followed by Bantay Srei, then some others much farther from town (fanastic tuk-tuk ride through rural villages) in the afternoon. That was one day. Another full day was Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm, and sunset at the one on the hill (a big miss - just jammed with people, and the sunset wasn't that good anyway). P.S. We NEVER get up for sunrise -- so we started around 8 or 8:30 a.m. and ended around 6:30 or 7 p.m. each day. We did not return to the hotel either day.

Thank you for the replies.

I went to the local library and picked up the book that Kathie recommended, will read it over the weekend; just browsed at the pictures thus far.

$15US a day for a tuk tuk to the local temples(small circuit?) but expect to pay more if you are going out to Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean (Both recommended). I think I paid $30 to go to Kbal Spean but it was a fairly full day. I normally start at 7 or 7.30 and go until I feel tired.

There are lots of tourist shops but Artisans d'Angkor is a good option. Also a place next to the main Blue Pumpkin outlet near the end of Pub Street.

Something else to consider is the Phare Circus which is on in Siem Reap every evening. Its very Cambodian and great fun.

You could do the places you are interested in at Phnom Penh in one day.