Phnom Sontuk
Address Kompong Thom Transport car
motorcycle taxi Keyword religious/spiritual, religious/spiritual, mountain Phnom Sontuk is the most important holy mountain in Cambodia’s northwest and the hillside is decorated with images of Buddha and a series of pagodas. It’s set high above the surrounding countryside, meaning there are a lot of stairs to climb – 980 in fact. They wind their way up through a forest and emerge at a colourful pagoda with many small shrines.

There are a number of interesting sandstone boulders balanced around the wat (temple), into which images of Buddha have been carved. Just beneath the southern summit of the mountain are several large reclining Buddhas – some modern incarnations cast in cement, others carved into the mountain itself centuries ago. There is an active wat on the mountain and the local monks are always interested in receiving foreign tourists.

Temples of Angkor
Address Siem Reap Transport car
bicycle
water taxi
mini-bus Keyword religious/spiritual, religious/spiritual, forest, architectural highlight Prepare for divine inspiration! The temples of Angkor, capital of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire, are a perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion. The Cambodian god-kings of old each strove to top their ancestors in size, scale and symmetry, culminating in the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat, and one of its weirdest, the Bayon.

The hundreds of temples surviving today are the sacred skeleton of the vast political, religious and social centre of an empire that stretched from Burma to Vietnam and which, at its zenith, boasted a population of one million.

The temples of Angkor are the heart and soul of the Kingdom of Cambodia, a source of inspiration and national pride to all Khmers as they struggle to rebuild their lives after years of terror and trauma. Today, they are a point of pilgrimage for all Cambodians, and no traveller to the region will want to miss their extravagant beauty.

Cambodia: Money & Costs

Cambodia’s currency is the riel. Its second currency (some would say its first) is the US dollar, which is accepted everywhere and by everyone, though change may arrive in riel. Dollar bills with a small tear are unlikely to be accepted by Cambodians, so it’s worth scrutinising the change you’re given to make sure you don’t have bad bills. In the west of the country, the Thai baht (B) is also commonplace. If three currencies seems a little excessive, perhaps it’s because the Cambodians are making up for lost time: during the Pol Pot era, the country had no currency. The Khmer Rouge abolished money and blew up the National Bank building in Phnom Penh.

It can be difficult to change travellers’ cheques outside Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Battambang and Kompong Cham. Cash advances on credit cards are available in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Battambang, but charges are high. Otherwise, there are now ATMs in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Battambang.

Tipping is not expected in Cambodia, but salaries are very low and any gratuities for good service will be gratefully accepted. Bargaining is the rule in markets, when hiring vehicles and sometimes even when taking a room, but you won’t need to be as forceful as you would in Thailand or Vietnam.