Safety in Cambodia???
Jun 19th, 2005, 10:27 PM
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Safety in Cambodia???
We are two backpackers making our way throughout Southeast Asia and are heading towards Cambodia. Lately, we have read conflicting reports and have heard contridicting stories from other backpackers. Some same Cambodia is as safe as Thailand, while others say you need to take extra precausions when traveling throughout the country. We are planning to travel to Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh, Kampot, and possiblly the beaches in southern Cambodia. Any information about these areas and/or traveling by bus would help. Thanks all!
Jun 20th, 2005, 02:07 PM
#2
Siem Reap and PP are safe. We never felt uncomfortable there. I haven't been to the other places but I believe they are pretty safe. One thing you should be aware of is that in Cambodia, since there are still many land mines littering parts of the countryside, it's best not to go too far off the beaten track. In other words, I wouldn't take a walk in a deserted field. The areas that tourists would be interested in have been cleared of mines. Also, I think the situation is better than it was in years past but in remote areas, be careful, I've heard and read that there are still some snipers around. Travel during the day if you are going overland. Since you are going to touristed areas, you shouldn't have a problem.
I just KNOW that there will be some fodorites who disagree with me but that is my opinion based on my experience and talking to others. Have fun!
I just KNOW that there will be some fodorites who disagree with me but that is my opinion based on my experience and talking to others. Have fun!
Jun 20th, 2005, 03:01 PM
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LIke laurieco, I would say that Cambodia is very similar to Thailand in terms of safety. There are remote areas where there are still some mines, but I've not heard any stories of snipers. There have been a couple of instances reported on the Thorntree of sexual assualts of lone women at Sihuokaville (sorry, I know that's spelled wrong). So I would be cautious there.
Just use good sense.
Just use good sense.
Jun 20th, 2005, 03:51 PM
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In general Cambodia is a safe place to travel but like all places one visits you should use common sense. There is crime like most places but it seldom affects the tourist whom are Cambodia's bread and butter. Here is my observations of the major tourist places.
Siem Reap: Probably the safest place as it is geared to the tourist trade visiting the temples and the officials do not want any bad occurrences. Having said that, just the other day a hostage taking incident at an international school claimed the life of a young canadian boy.
Phnom Penh: It is a relative safe city in the daytime but at night things can be different and visitors should be aware that armed theft of tourists can occur late at night. These are infrequent, isolated incidents and should not necessarily deter you from sampling the city’s restaurants and bars. Just get a taxi back to your hotel.
Battambang: No safety problems here.
Kampot: Nice laid back town that does not get many visitors. Very friendly people whom expect nothing in return for offering their help (no scams) and the kids just want to practice speaking english. No safety concerns.
Sihanoukville: This is the beach town which is fairly quite during the week but very busy on weekends/holidays with local from Phnom Penh. Now has its first 4/5 star hotel. The only danger here are the moto drivers that have the reputation of being the worst lot in the country when it comes to ripping off, bullying, and on a few occasions even assaulting tourists whom have refused to pay the fare.
Siem Reap: Probably the safest place as it is geared to the tourist trade visiting the temples and the officials do not want any bad occurrences. Having said that, just the other day a hostage taking incident at an international school claimed the life of a young canadian boy.
Phnom Penh: It is a relative safe city in the daytime but at night things can be different and visitors should be aware that armed theft of tourists can occur late at night. These are infrequent, isolated incidents and should not necessarily deter you from sampling the city’s restaurants and bars. Just get a taxi back to your hotel.
Battambang: No safety problems here.
Kampot: Nice laid back town that does not get many visitors. Very friendly people whom expect nothing in return for offering their help (no scams) and the kids just want to practice speaking english. No safety concerns.
Sihanoukville: This is the beach town which is fairly quite during the week but very busy on weekends/holidays with local from Phnom Penh. Now has its first 4/5 star hotel. The only danger here are the moto drivers that have the reputation of being the worst lot in the country when it comes to ripping off, bullying, and on a few occasions even assaulting tourists whom have refused to pay the fare.
Jun 20th, 2005, 06:06 PM
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I was there 3 years ago as a 23 yr. old. female (granted, I was with my little bro) I felt safe, although you just need to keep your eyes and ears open. Talk to people that have traveled there recently. We were "ripped off" many times by the moto drivers, they would charge us double or triple what they would charge "locals"- even though it was still pretty cheap. ex) they would charge us $2 for a moto trip when most people pd. only $0.50 (= riel....)
Jun 20th, 2005, 07:00 PM
#6
It's not unusual for locals to be charged less, they have less money and cannot afford to pay what we can. Many hotels, museums etc have special rates for locals that are less than what we pay. I don't look at it as being ripped off, I just accept it as a fact of how things are. If I still consider it to be a fair price, that's all that matters.
Jun 21st, 2005, 02:55 PM
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Hi FishRich,
If you intend to travel by bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, you can buy a ticket in Bangkok for as much as 10$ or 15$ - I'm not sure of the price - (at any of the more reliable agencies in Khao San Road) BUT bear in mind a couple of things: the journey will start as early as possible and you'll be at the border at noon, maybe a bit later. Then you'll change the bus at the Cambodian side (actually, instead of another bus you're going to get a ''bus'', a small dusty vehicle without air-con but with windows wide open in order to collect all the dust from the road: keep your mouth shut!) and the ride is going to be very slow, with a lot of bumping: it's nevertheless going to be one of those unforgetable experiences, since you'll cover 150-200 km (?) in 8-10 hours or so, with a long lunch break in the middle of nowhere. When you finally reach Siem Riep, late in the evening, the ''bus'' will stop at the guesthouse of their choice, but you can walk away and take a taxi to the place you've booked via internet or to the central area which is full of nice guesthouses, so you can walk around a bit and choose what's best for you. My friend and I got a very nice, clean room with air-con and hot-water for 12$ a night at ''Home Sweet Home'', but I guess there are a lot of much nicer places.
If you intend to travel by bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, you can buy a ticket in Bangkok for as much as 10$ or 15$ - I'm not sure of the price - (at any of the more reliable agencies in Khao San Road) BUT bear in mind a couple of things: the journey will start as early as possible and you'll be at the border at noon, maybe a bit later. Then you'll change the bus at the Cambodian side (actually, instead of another bus you're going to get a ''bus'', a small dusty vehicle without air-con but with windows wide open in order to collect all the dust from the road: keep your mouth shut!) and the ride is going to be very slow, with a lot of bumping: it's nevertheless going to be one of those unforgetable experiences, since you'll cover 150-200 km (?) in 8-10 hours or so, with a long lunch break in the middle of nowhere. When you finally reach Siem Riep, late in the evening, the ''bus'' will stop at the guesthouse of their choice, but you can walk away and take a taxi to the place you've booked via internet or to the central area which is full of nice guesthouses, so you can walk around a bit and choose what's best for you. My friend and I got a very nice, clean room with air-con and hot-water for 12$ a night at ''Home Sweet Home'', but I guess there are a lot of much nicer places.
Jun 21st, 2005, 02:58 PM
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If you are planning to go overland from Bangkok to Siem Reap, make sure you read www.talesofasia.com for the specific instructions. Otherwise, it can take you all day, half the night and incredible frustration if you buy a bus ticket on KSR.
Jun 21st, 2005, 06:32 PM
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As Kathie says do not even consider taking a KSR bus trip to Siem Reap. Doing it on your own is so easy - a/c bus to boarder town, tuk-tuk to the boarder and then taxi to SR. Total time around 8-9 hours and the cost for two is around 1460 baht (37us). A fairly comfortable trip except for some portioms of the road in Cambodia.
Jul 23rd, 2005, 08:17 AM
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Though in general it is considerably safe for tourists traveling in Cambodia, there is one thing to keep in mind; take precaustion at every plan during your trip. Prevention an ounce, a pound of cure. In SEA countries, especially in Vietnam and Cambodia, there are people who very desperated that they would do anything to get your money. But I don't want to sound like it is a bad place to visit, just being careful. And enjoy the trip. It's a wonderful country to discover and explore.
About health precaustion: you probably have already learned about eating and drinking. Malaria, Bird Flue, and Influenza B viruses are recent epidermic. Like many posts already mentioned, bug spray which has DEED is sufficient, unless you are planning to explore deep forests (not recommended due to unclear landmines and possible bandits), you may need to take some Malaria prevention medicines. Though reports have warning against some of those Malaria prevention pills; its side-effects outweight its benefits. The very least, it could ruin your trip. That's my precaustionary advice.
For the fun part: give yourself plenty of time spending in Siem Reap; it should be the high point of your journey. You will witness a civilization which existed thousand years ago. Not much to see in Battambang. Take a boat trip if you can to Phnom Penh; it's easier than the road trip. From Phnom Penh take a bus to either Sihanoukville(former Kampong Som) or to Kampot. It is the same route with a little branch-off at the end. In Sihanoukville, if you go, take a trip in Ream National Park, a several hours trip on a small boat into the open sea, where the frest water intercept the salt water, for $15. You can share the fee with several other tourist, max of 5 people in a boat. It's a smooth journey through the Sun Bear country.
Enjoy the trip!
About health precaustion: you probably have already learned about eating and drinking. Malaria, Bird Flue, and Influenza B viruses are recent epidermic. Like many posts already mentioned, bug spray which has DEED is sufficient, unless you are planning to explore deep forests (not recommended due to unclear landmines and possible bandits), you may need to take some Malaria prevention medicines. Though reports have warning against some of those Malaria prevention pills; its side-effects outweight its benefits. The very least, it could ruin your trip. That's my precaustionary advice.
For the fun part: give yourself plenty of time spending in Siem Reap; it should be the high point of your journey. You will witness a civilization which existed thousand years ago. Not much to see in Battambang. Take a boat trip if you can to Phnom Penh; it's easier than the road trip. From Phnom Penh take a bus to either Sihanoukville(former Kampong Som) or to Kampot. It is the same route with a little branch-off at the end. In Sihanoukville, if you go, take a trip in Ream National Park, a several hours trip on a small boat into the open sea, where the frest water intercept the salt water, for $15. You can share the fee with several other tourist, max of 5 people in a boat. It's a smooth journey through the Sun Bear country.
Enjoy the trip!
Jul 26th, 2005, 04:19 PM
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Some good advice above, but I'd disagree with the comments painting Phnom Penh as being totally safe. I live here and I wouldn't describe it as totally safe. A couple of suggestions:
When travelling by cyclo or motorback hang on to your daypacks/handbags - drive and snatch robbery in Phnom Penh is becoming a massive problem. Likewise don't sit at a street side bar/restaurant with anything of value (eg phone) laying around on the table -- it will be stolen!
At night travel by motodop - preferably one you know and /or have used during the day -- Phnom Penh is not a safe city to walk around late at night -- use the motodops - they are cheap.
If you are staying in guesthouses, watch out for "fishermen" they use sticks and string with a hook to reach through open windows (as they are all barred) and grab things out of the room.
Lastly, if you are robbed at gun/knifepoint (rare but it does happen) don't make eye contact and just give them what they want -- don't try to bargain!
Bearing all the above in mind, it is a fantastic city to live in -- I love it here. My intention isn't to scare you off, not at all, but a little bit of paranoia goes along way and you do have to be more aware here than say in Thailand.
Hope that helps
When travelling by cyclo or motorback hang on to your daypacks/handbags - drive and snatch robbery in Phnom Penh is becoming a massive problem. Likewise don't sit at a street side bar/restaurant with anything of value (eg phone) laying around on the table -- it will be stolen!
At night travel by motodop - preferably one you know and /or have used during the day -- Phnom Penh is not a safe city to walk around late at night -- use the motodops - they are cheap.
If you are staying in guesthouses, watch out for "fishermen" they use sticks and string with a hook to reach through open windows (as they are all barred) and grab things out of the room.
Lastly, if you are robbed at gun/knifepoint (rare but it does happen) don't make eye contact and just give them what they want -- don't try to bargain!
Bearing all the above in mind, it is a fantastic city to live in -- I love it here. My intention isn't to scare you off, not at all, but a little bit of paranoia goes along way and you do have to be more aware here than say in Thailand.
Hope that helps
Dec 30th, 2005, 02:21 AM
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We nearly didn't go to Cambodia because of conflicting stories I am so glad we did. The people are the most amazing I have ever met! Check out www.cambodiaextreme.com if you want to see the real Cambodia.
Dec 30th, 2005, 02:49 AM
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I doubt the "real cambodia" is to be found on a website. Interesting that "fishermen" merit a mention - back in the early 70s they were called "pole fishers" in Kenya.
Hey, look, it's all about common sense.
Also I quite liked Battambang - but in its case it's less about the arriving than the journey you make to get there.
Hey, look, it's all about common sense.
Also I quite liked Battambang - but in its case it's less about the arriving than the journey you make to get there.
Dec 30th, 2005, 04:52 AM
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fuzzylogic, would you mind sharing what you liked about Battambang and the area? We'll be there in a few weeks and look forward to getting a little off the regular track, but are open to ideas on spending a day or two.
Dec 30th, 2005, 09:15 AM
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If you'd like to get off the beaten track then check out www.cambodiaextreme.com. An english guy has set up a camp in a Village near Battambang. Great guy with good intentions of saving the trees and giving cambodian people an opportunity to improve their quality of life.
