CAMBODIA: Two week explorer

Introduction

Basically the One Week Explorer with all the options thrown in, this two week vacation gives the traveller a good mix of ruins, beaches and culture. There's a fair amount of bus travel involved, but there's also enough down time to rest your sore bum.

As with the One Week Explorer, there is ample opportunity for side-trips and extensions to this, but given the amount of travel involved, we'd suggest adding in a few rest days before adding in too many more destinations -- this is a holiday afterall.

Both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh have international airports, so you could fly in and start the trip from either, though those with more time can overland in and out of the country -- Cambodia has overland borders with all of its neighbours.

Suggest trip length

The suggested minimum time for a trip like this is two weeks, though three weeks is a far more comfortable pace.

Sample plan

Sample plan:
1) Arrive Siem Reap (Angkor Wat -- allow at least two days)
2) Siem Reap -> Battambang (bucolic scenery, ruins, nori rides, Khmer Rouge history)
3) Battambang -> Phnom Penh (capital city, Khmer Rouge history, colonial architecture, scenic riverside setting)
4) Phnom Penh -> Sihanoukville (beaches, islands, waterfalls, backpacker scene)
5) Sihanoukville -> Kep (beaches, island, national park)
6) Kep -> Phnom Penh (capital city, Khmer Rouge history, colonial architecture, scenic riverside setting)
7) Phnom Penh -> Kompong Cham (temples, silk villages, river-trips)
8) Kompong Cham -> Kratie (Irrawaddy Dolphins)

Save some time

Two day: Fly into and out of Cambodia -- both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh have international airports.

Take a side trip

Two days: Strike north from Siem Reap to the Khmer Rouge hideout of Anlong Veng -- a destination unique in Cambodia
Three days: Head northeast from Kratie to the remote capital of Ban Lung go trekking, take river trips and visit minority cemeteries.

Map

Sample Trip Times (in hours)

To help you work out how you'll get around, we've listed the trip durations for the various forms of transport available. Note that with the exception of flight times, these are average trip times, so no hate mail if you take the slow train.