Travel Report Cambodia
How could a 4 day photo trip to Cambodia look like?
Our travel report Cambodia summarizes our 4 days photo trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat and then back to Thailand to continue our Thailand travel.
1.Day: Munich -> Bangkok (Millenium Hilton Bangkok)
2.Day: Bangkok -> Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) in Kambodscha
2.-4.Day: Siem Reap / Angkor Wat (The Privilege by Lotus Blanc)
5.Day: Siem Reap -> Bangkok
Where to find Cambodia?
What you should definitely think about when travelling to Cambodia:
National currencies: Cambodia = Riel, but also USD are gladly accepted. In Cambodia credit card payment works without problems, in hotels and many restaurants. But you should always have enough cash, at least USD.
Visa: You need a visa for Cambodia. However, this can be bought for a fee directly with the entry, at least if one enters with the airplane.
Vaccinations: No vaccinations are required when coming from Germany. However, the standard vaccinations including yellow fever are recommended, and you should also follow the suggestions of the Foreign Office. Malaria prophylaxis applies to Cambodia, i.e. here, everyone has to decide for themselves whether or not to take malaria prophylaxis.
Clothing: In both countries there are very warm to hot temperatures and at certain times of the year also an extremely high air humidity to which one has to get used to first. Therefore, in any case take airy and also fast drying clothes with you. For evenings, due to the mosquitoes, have long trousers/shirts with you. Due to the air conditioners in the hotels, it is very quickly unpleasantly cool. So also plan for it. As the sun shines during the day, it is recommended to wear a headgear.
Detailed travel report Cambodia
Flight from Munich to Bangkok
Day 1: From Munich we travel to Bangkok. Lufthansa flies directly from Germany. Arrived in Bangkok we take an official taxi to the hotel. The “unofficial” taxis should be ignored and you should not be approached. In the taxi itself make sure that the taximeter is running so that there are no discrepancies later.
We check in at the Millennium Hilton. It belongs to the more modern luxury hotels of Bangkok. One should always keep in mind that even the really good hotels in Thailand are very cheap compared to Europe, so one gets a lot for his money.
Flight from Bangkok to Cambodia
Day 2: We have booked the tour to Angkor Wat (approach to Siem Reap) via DERtour You can book here directly from/to Bangkok. Early in the morning we are picked up by a driver at the hotel and half an hour later we are at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Arrival in Siem Reap / Angkor Wat
The airport of Siem Reap is tiny and during the landing approach one flies all the time over under water rice fields. For a while we wondered if we would make an emergency landing on the water, but then the runway was there at some point.
The entry takes very little time, because first of all one has to clarify the visa formalities. For this the passport is given from one official to the next and every time meticulously looked at. At some point one of them stamps the passport and another one enters something into a PC. The only strange thing was that the PC was not switched on at all. But I could only see that because I had to wait for my wife and so I had the possibility to look at the screen. Anyway, we had now a visa and could enter and the appearance that also in Cambodia everything has its digital order was preserved.
The driver is already waiting and off we go to the hotel
As we leave the building we look for our driver. There’s no driver. In about 50m distance some cambodians are sitting together. One guest after the other is picked up, only we are not. After a while one of the Cambodians gets up, comes over and asks for our names. We are a bit suspicious as he asks in German. Then he pretends to be our driver, identifies himself and explains that he learned German in the GDR and lived there for a year.
Let’s go to the hotel. We stay at The Privilege Floor by LOTUS BLANC. After lunch we are picked up for our first tour and as for all other tourists we first go to the main temple of Angkor Wat. By the way, we can also recommend other exciting excursions.
Angkor Wat, more than 1000 Temple
Day 3: To date, more than 1000 temples have been discovered. There are speculations that up to a million people may have lived in Angkor at the height of the historic kingdom.
When you walk through the many temples, even if you are not very culturally interested, you will realize that you are facing a true human achievement. All temples are different and fascinating in their own way.
PHOTOTIP:
For the temples it is advisable to have a strong wide angle objective with you. There are only a few opportunities to go very far away to get it all. Ideal is 20mm, but a 24-70mm will do of course.
Entering the Tomb Raider Temple of Lara Croft
4th day: Today we go to the famous “Tomb Raider” temple, which is of course only called that by tourists, because Angelina Jolie made it famous with the movie of the same name.
The jungle has clearly taken back what man has wrested from it centuries ago and the way the trees grow here is more than fascinating.
PHOTOTIP:
For this temple, be sure to have a wide angle lens with you, as the jungle takes away a lot of light. Alernative is a high ISO, but this is never the best solution. Optimal here would again be a 20mm f/1.8.
There are many more temples to discover
Our journey goes right through the jungle and again and again new great temples appear. Unfortunately, after several hours one is satiated at some point. Nevertheless, it is an experience, above all, what one gets to see during the trip.
Siem Reap, interesting markets and good restaurants
Back in Siem Reap, we take a Tuk Tuk and drive into the city center, if you want to call it that. Here we visit a market hall and get an idea of where the pigs on the motorcycles were taken to. The restaurants in the city are numerous and you get excellent food.
From Siem Reap to Bangkok
5th Day: We fly back from Siem Reap to Bangkok.
FAZIT:
This tour is especially suitable for those who would like to combine a cultural highlight (Cambodia) with a great beach and adventure holiday (Phuket). Those who like it can also spend a few more days in the exciting metropolis of Bangkok, where you can enjoy a sundowner at one of the many rooftop bars in the evening. A really good combination trip, which we can only recommend.
Calendar from our trips?
as of 18,90€, Sizes A2-A5
Which photo equipment for Cambodia?
The photo equipment we took with us to Cambodia is listed below. Furthermore you have the possibility to order the photo equipment via our Photo-Shop or to request further technical details. There you will also find a lot of extras.
Cameras:
- D610 (Nikon)
- Iphone
Lenses:
- 70-300mm (Nikon)
- 18-105mm (Nikon)