3 weeks in Cambodia, could I get a critique of my route please?

It sounds reasonable, but are you interested in temples enough that you want to go to another temple complex in a remote location after seeing Angkor Wat? You really have to be a temple fanatic if you want to do this. Also, getting from Battambang to Sihanoukville? I think you'd have to go through PP anyway, so why not have Phnom Penh between the two. I think you can make your way from Sihanoukville to Vietnam without going back to PP via Kampot, and you could even do the Mekong delta before going to HCMC. If you drop the second temple I think you still have more than enough for three weeks, you've covered everything of interest. It's a poor country so there's not much else to see in most places.

Kampong Cham is nice, it's only 2 hours north of Phnom Penh.

Siem Reap
Tonle Sap Lake (Floating Villages) - you can do this as a day's outing - hire a tuk tuk driver to take you out of the city to the docks where the boats depart. The cost I'll be around $30 + $20 for the boat. When you get to the floating tea room, you will be offered a ride through the village in a canoe. It's worth the $5 to do this and it helps the local community.

Angkor Archaeological Parks - get an early start and go to the three main sites

Banteay Chhmar
Battambang

Sihanouksville - worth a few days at the mainland and on the islands. Depending on whether you want the noisey or quiet, choose carefully. If you are short of time, fly from SR. to PP one one of the budget airlines.

Koh Rung Sanloe

Phnom Penh - worth a few days; aside from the genocide museum and the killing fields, there is the royal palace and if you are into bargain shopping, Toul tom pong (Russian Market).

Then head into Vietnam, arriving in Ho Chi Min.
You can get to HCMC from Sihanoukville, which saves you the doubling back to PP (4 hours by car)

For the previous poster who said that Kampong Cham is only a two hour trip from Phnom Pehn this is pure nonsense unless you take a taxi from PP to the village of Tnael Toteung. If you take a bus as most of us do via Skun, the trip takes 4-4.5 hours due to roadwork. Even if you take the taxi, it is still longer than two hours, more like three.

Beside the usual temples which are great especially the carving on the women temple, there is a shoe shop who makes shoes for you. It takes about 3 days from order to finished product. I paid $29 for a pair of sandles made to my specification-excellent work. the shop is about a half mile from the market area. I think the street is 5th street.

#5 rovernh which town is the shoe shop in?

I really enjoyed Kompong Thom, between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Although not as awe-inspiring as Angkor Wat, the temples in Kompong Thom are much quieter and more peaceful. There was one ruined temple complex, Prasat Bakan, where I was the only tourist! Though this was in summer, where there are less travelers in general.

For the previous poster who said that Kampong Cham is only a two hour trip from Phnom Pehn this is pure nonsense unless you take a taxi from PP to the village of Tnael Toteung. If you take a bus as most of us do via Skun, the trip takes 4-4.5 hours due to roadwork. Even if you take the taxi, it is still longer than two hours, more like three.

My comment was not "pure nonsense." The road work finished a month ago. The distance is under 80 miles now on a good road with no delays.

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.