Tropical Travels

Guest post by Celina Bledowska

Anyone who has spoken with a traveler who has visited Cambodia knows that this destination is so much more than its troubled past. Here’s some ideas for an excellent trip.

Plan

Before you go ahead and book any tours of Cambodia make sure that you are travelling in a season when you won’t be overwhelmed with rain or the extreme heat. November to April are the hottest months, with April being the driest month of all. The monsoon also affects weather in Cambodia and, depending where you visit, July to September are the wettest months. Though these months are the best to go and visit the country, as long as you have adequate protection from mosquitoes and other nasty bugs that seem to come out to play in this moist steamy atmosphere. Rabies is also prevalent in Cambodia, so do take adequate protection and if an animal looks ferocious, it most probably is.

Away From It All

Many travellers tend to head to the ancient ruins at Angkor Wat in the west of the country but one interesting way of seeing Cambodia is to design a route that will take you through many of the country’s national parks in the North East. The terrain here is hilly and some of the roads have only recently been cleared of the mines that were left following the murderous regime of Pol Pot but once you’ve reached the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary the journey, however difficult, will be worthwhile. Both the Cambodian government and the World Wildlife Fund protect the whole area. Look out for the native elephants that live here, deer and extremely rare Indochinese tigers have also made their home in this safe environment, as has the stunningly beautiful clouded leopard.

Further North is the Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary in Ratanakiri Province. It’s best to visit this reserve with a guide to really take advantage of the wildlife and also to keep you safe. Guides can arrange for you to stay in the house of one of the local ethnic minorities who live in this area. If you get the chance see if you can visit one of the Jarai cemeteries with their majestic totems, but do remember to show respect to these people, sadly some recent visitors have tried to take these sculptures home as a bizarre type of souvenir.

Phnom Penh

For those city slickers who would not wish to be seen dead in a pair of walking boots unless they had had the official ‘Prada’ seal of approval, then a stay in Phnom Penh might prove to be the answer. Cambodia’s capital city is rapidly getting a name for itself as one of the most ‘happening’ places in South East Asia. Spend some time marvelling at the Silver Pagoda, close by to the Royal Palace. Alternatively, try out some of the numerous bars and nightclubs that are spread throughout the city or sample some of the tastiest food in Cambodia in one of Phnom Penh’s many restaurants.