What itinerary for 3 weeks in Cambodia?

3 weeks (...) from the 4th to the 27th

To be clearer, how many nights in each place?

23 nights in Cambodia.

So: - 23 nights, - a bit off the beaten track, - the essentials, - by road.

Phnom Penh, 3 nights Sen Monorom, 4 nights Banlung, 4 nights Kratie, 2 nights Kampong Cham, 3 nights Siem Reap, 5 nights (6-8h boat ride to) Battambang, 1 night Phnom Penh, 1 night

Accommodation everywhere. All stops connected by bus and/or minibus and/or minivans. The boat from Siem Reap to Battambang is a must-do, just like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Hello,

You’re arriving in PP on the first day of the Water Festival, Bon Om Touk, which this year falls on November 4th, 5th, and 6th (three public holidays). Take the chance to watch the boat races on the Tonlé Sap River in front of the Royal Palace (the Tonlé Sap River joins the Mekong a little further on). You can choose to visit PP at this very lively time or save it for the end of your trip.

Like Songsam, I’d recommend the Mekong region and the Northeast if you want to get off the beaten track. From there, you can continue to Siem Reap either by taking the northern road that crosses the Mekong near Stung Treng close to the Laotian border, or via Kampong Cham, which is kind of the gateway to (and from) the Northeast, or via Kratie since it seems the new bridge under construction a few kilometers south of the city is set to open this summer (check the progress of the road on the west side of the Mekong to connect to the national highway leading to Siem Reap). It’s possible to cover the four main stops—Sen Monorom (Mondolkiri), Banlung (Ratanakiri), Kratie, and Kampong Cham—in 10–12 days, but you can skip one or even two stops if you want to save time for the south of the country and its beaches.

You could consider a stop in Kampong Thom (coming from Kratie or Kampong Cham) to visit the Sambor Prei Kuk site and the countryside in the central part of the country, or in Preah Vihear (coming from Banlung–Stung Treng) to visit the temple overlooking the Cambodian plain near the Thai border. Then, of course, SR—spending 5 days there is great for exploring not only the Angkor temples but also heading to Phnom Kulen for a day. Don’t miss the sunset from Phnom Krom hill south of SR; it towers over the Tonlé Sap Lake, which surrounds it for the most part even at this time of year when the water level is at its highest.

Then take a boat to Battambang through the floating and stilt villages. You can spend 2–3 nights there.

After that, it depends on what you want: you can shorten your stops to just two or three in the Northeast over 7–8 days, spend 6 days in SR and Battambang, and then have time to head south to visit Kampot and Kep (4 days) and one of the islands off Sihanoukville, like Koh Rong Sanloem (3–4 days), which is less crowded than its neighbor Koh Rong.

Then PP for one or two nights, depending on whether you visited it at the start of your trip.

Here’s what that could look like: - A slightly off-the-beaten-path route: PP (1 day) – Sen Monorom (3 days) – Banlung (3 days) – Kratie (2 days) – Kampong Cham (2 days) – Kampong Thom (2 days) – SR (5 days) – Battambang (3 days) – PP (2 days) - A faster-paced route including beach time: PP (1 day) – Sen Monorom (3 days) – Kratie or Kampong Cham (2 days) – SR (5 days) – Battambang (2 days) – PP (1 day) – Kampot/Kep (4 days) – an island (4 days) – PP (1 day)

French travelers who spend two weeks here usually do a classic route: SR – Battambang – Kampot – Koh Rong – PP, so expect to run into some during your stay!

Note that November is the transition between the rainy season and the dry season, so it’s impossible to know in advance whether it’ll still rain a little, a lot, or not at all. But normally, nothing too disruptive for sightseeing. Just be careful on dirt roads if you’re on a scooter/motorbike after it’s rained the night before. Personally, I love November because it’s relatively cool, everything is green after months of heavy rain, and there aren’t many tourists yet!

For transport: you can rent scooters pretty much everywhere, or tuk-tuks are fun too. From Battambang to PP and from PP to Kampot (and all the way to Sihanoukville), you can take the train—it’s slow but offers beautiful scenery. There are direct overnight buses with bunks between SR and Kampot or Sihanoukville, which saves you a full day of travel. However, as far as I know, there are no overnight buses between Battambang and Kampot, which is why I included a day in PP between those two stops. There’s also a boat (new this year) from Kampot to the Koh Rong islands, so you don’t have to go all the way to Sihanoukville, but I don’t have much info on that yet.

Hi,

Boat (starting this year) between Kampot and the Koh Rong islands—no need to go all the way to Sihanoukville anymore, but I don’t have much info on it.

Boat at 8:30 AM for Koh Rong ($25), Koh Rong Sanloem ($25), and Koh Sdach ($28), with a travel time of 2 to 2 hours 45 minutes depending on the island. The company’s website: https://www.buvasea.com/

In another area, it now only takes 4 hours to go from Sen Monorom to Banlung by minibus since they built a road—just a few years ago, it was a 2-day motorcycle trip on rough trails. All these roads being built kind of take away from the charm of traveling in Cambodia, I think... 😎

Thanks for the info! Sen Monorom - Banlung (180 km), 2h30 is enough. The road is excellent and very quiet—it’s really pleasant to drive, especially during the rainy season or early dry season when the vegetation on both sides of the road is lush and green! For those nostalgic for adventurous motorcycle trips through the mud, there are still plenty of secondary roads where you can get stuck with a smile on your face, crossing rivers by ferry or pirogue 🙂

Hi everyone, and first of all, thanks for your super helpful tips. I’m slowly fine-tuning my itinerary, which might still change along the way. For now, here’s what I’ve planned: Phnom Penh (3 days) Kampong Cham (1 day) Sen Monorom (2 days) Kratie (1 day) Kampong Thom (1 day) Siem Reap (4 days) Battambang (2 days) Kampong Chnang (1 day) Sihanoukville (1 day) Kampot (2 days) Kep (2 days) Koh Rong (2 days) Phnom Penh (2 days)

Let me know what you think!

Hello,

Thanks for letting me know what you think.

I think it’s not good at all because, as planned, you’re averaging less than a full day per stop (the calculator test never lies…😎), which is completely unreasonable—if not ridiculous—and even unfeasible in some cases. The fact that Erwanploz and I suggested a total of full stops doesn’t mean we’re advising you to do them all. Unless it’s for "mandatory" transit stops between two buses with no sightseeing, there’s no point in planning single-day stops because after spending most of the day in transit, you won’t have time to explore the city and its surroundings. You’re going for three full weeks, but right now, your itinerary would need roughly almost five without dawdling, so you’ll have to make a lot of choices by cutting several stops. I also see a route direction inconsistency in this part:

Sihanakouville (1 Day) Kampot (2 Days) Kep (2 Days) Koh Rong (2 Days)

Anyway, in short, you need to rethink everything.

which can potentially be modified along the way.

That, for now, is the only good news—a flexibility that many travelers these days like to forgo.

This seems way too packed!

Here, transportation is slow, and you should plan for an average of 50-60 km/h even on main roads (except for the recent Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville highway). That’s why scheduling only one night for some stops is way too short. For example, if you leave Sen Monorom at 8 AM, you won’t arrive in Kratie until just before noon, leaving you only an afternoon for sightseeing/activities (it gets dark by 6 PM). Kratie is a quiet little town on the Mekong where it’s nice to stroll and take your time—you’ll need at least 2 days to observe the Irrawaddy dolphins, bike/scooter around Koh Trong Island in the middle of the Mekong or explore the countryside around town, enjoy an aperitif while watching the sunset, etc. I really think 2 days is the minimum for any stop, and often 3 days (Sen Monorom, Battambang), especially if you also want to rent a scooter to explore independently without relying on a tuk-tuk driver.

5 days in Phnom Penh seems like way too much. It’s a fast-paced, noisy city, totally different from the rest of the country. Personally, I think 2-3 days is enough. Sihanoukville hasn’t had much appeal for the past 8-9 years—it’s mainly just a stopover to reach the islands. If you do stop there, head straight to Koh Rong, and on the way back, go from Koh Rong to Kampot directly. That way, you’ll avoid the pointless Sihanoukville - Kampot bus ride, which is one of the worst road sections in the country.

In 23 days, I think 9-10 stops is already ambitious—14 is a mistake because you’d spend too much time on the road and wouldn’t have time to relax and really explore each region. It’s a vacation, take it easy! 😎

Kampong Cham (1 day)

Why plan single-day stops? I’ll use this city as an example. You’ll have spent half a day on the bus from Phnom Penh, plus time to drop your bag at a guesthouse and grab a bite... so your only day will already be pretty much shot. The city itself is nothing special (though it’s airy and by the Mekong!), but here’s what you’ll miss if you don’t have time to explore the surrounding area:

Preferably by motodop (motorbike taxi), let yourself be guided to places you wouldn’t find on your own, including these two and a few others:





Spend half a day or more on the river island of Koh Pen, with its quiet villages and countryside to explore by bike or scooter along the "road" that loops around it:







The paths and trails along the river, passing through peaceful villages. The ones on the east bank (south and north of the bridge) are my favorites. Best done by bike and after 4 PM (so over several days), when the kids—back from school and full of laughter—add a bit of life to the scene: