not so touristy destinations in Cambodia

Hi All, Just wondering if anyone can offer some advise on the not so touristy places we should get to in Cambodia? Don%26#39;t get me wrong, we will definately be seeing the usual places but want to spend some time without the other tourists.

We also want to do an elephant ride but perhaps for longer than just an hour or so.

Any help would be appreciated,

Cheers

sandyqld

not so touristy destinations in Cambodia

What is your opinion of ';not so touristy';? Do you have time constraints? What season will you be visiting?

not so touristy destinations in Cambodia

Ack, I meant to write ';What is your idea of not-so-touristy';, but I guess you got that.

Well if you avoid Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, then the rest of Cambodia is pretty much non-touristy. The Cardamom mountains and the northeast (Kratie and above) would be a good place to start

I%26#39;d say go along to Kampot and Kep, I didn%26#39;t go there myself when I was there last month but I hear its quite quaint and best to go about now because I hear they%26#39;re going to slowly develop those coastal towns. I should imagine in ten years time Cambodia will be like a %26#39;mini-Thailand%26#39;, its getting quite busy now.

The jungle areas are not touristy but then you have to contend with possibly some unexploded ordnance from way back when.

That is the reason tourists do not go there.

As long as you stay on the well-trodden roads there should be no problem. It is recommended to go out there with a guide %26amp;/or driver. I heard some sort of UXO go off when I was walking around Koh Ker in December, it was quite a blast. The landmine team wasn%26#39;t working there that day, so it must%26#39;ve been a cow or something...

An adventurous tourist perhaps, in a non touristy area?

Thanks for all your information-certainly helpful. It is giving me names to research.

Yes, an adventurous tourist! I love travelling and of course there are attractions at every destination that are %26#39;must sees%26#39; but we also love seeing the places that are not well known. I guess there%26#39;s a little Anthropologist in me somewhere!

Please keep the ideas coming.....

Thanks

:)

Again, please let us know your time constraints and if there is a budget involved. Hiring a driver to some of these places is a bit costly (around $100 per day for Koh Ker, and that is for driver sans guide) and to get to other places like Sambor Prei Kuk fo rexample, you might need to overnight it somewhere.

Hi there,

Make sure you spend a few days in Phnom Penh. This city is definitely not what I%26#39;d call a ';touristy'; place: it is often overlooked by tour organizers, and I would admit rightfully so if you only consider the ';tourist attractions'; like the Royal Palace, the National Museum or even the S-21 prison.

Phnom Penh is a crazy city, with (in my opinion) a wonderful street ambiance. Rent a bike to wander around (make sure you wear an helmet). Visit the ';real'; markets (O%26#39;Russey, Olympic Stadium, Old Market...). Enjoy the blooming cultural life (check out http://ladypenh.com, a website about events in Phnom Penh). Visit the surroundings (Kirirom, Oudong, the Silk Island, Phnom Chisor and its temple...)

I would advise you to buy the Cambodia Ultimate Guide if you can find it. It is very different from the usual Lonely Planet, and features a lot of details on the not-so-touristic destinations.

Enjoy!