Go with a plan.
No major changes since yesterday.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Cambodia
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go with a plan.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Border official bribes
Officials at border crossings frequently solicit bribes from tourists. Expect these demands and prepare accordingly.
Inflated pricing and false advertising
Tourists often encounter marked-up prices and tours that do not match their advertisements. Negotiate all costs clearly before entering a taxi and verify restaurant bills before payment.
Tuk-tuk driver commissions
Tuk-tuk drivers often recommend restaurants, hotels, or activities because they receive a commission from those businesses. Treat these recommendations as biased.
Rigged card games and sob stories
Men in tourist areas may befriend you, invite you to dinner, and then attempt to lure you into a rigged card game or solicit money for fake sick relatives. Decline invitations from strangers.
Fake monks
Individuals posing as monks may approach tourists to beg for money. Ignore them or contact the tourist police if harassed.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Dengue
- • Global Measles
Tap water safe to drink: No — bottled/filtered only
Vaccines
Required: Yellow Fever
Recommended: Chikungunya, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria, Measles, Rabies, Typhoid
Source: CDC Travelers' Health →Getting in
What you'll need at the border
Most visitors to Cambodia must obtain a visa, either on arrival or online, unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.
Source: Wikipedia →Real, not invented
Terrorism
Although there’s no recent history of terrorism in Cambodia, attacks cannot be ruled out. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by expatriates and foreign travellers. Stay aware of your surroundings, keep up to date with local media and follow the advice of local authorities.
Source: UK FCDO →Real, not invented
Cultural & legal notes
Dress code
You may be refused admission to religious sites, including Angkor Wat, if you wear skirts or shorts above the knee. Cover bare shoulders.
Source: UK FCDO →LGBT+ travellers
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Cambodia. The LGBT+ community is becoming more visible, through gay clubs, club nights and the work of some human rights organisations. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers .
Source: UK FCDO →From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Theft: Cambodia is a reasonably safe country, with the usual exception for large cities late at night, particularly Phnom Penh, and with unobserved luggage or wallets.
- •Crime and corruption: The rule of law in Cambodia is inconsistently applied.
- •Scams: Scams of all sorts are plentiful in Cambodia.
- •Land mines: Cambodia suffers from a legacy of millions of land mines left during the war years.…
Staying healthy
- •Cambodia lacks reliable medical facilities, doctors, clinics, hospitals and medication, especially in rural areas.
- •Local hospitals and clinics vary from mediocre to frightening. Expect dirt, poor equipment, expired medicines and placebos of flour and sugar.
- •In local clinics don't let them put anything in your blood: treat dehydration orally and not with a drip, as there is a risk of septicaemia (i.e.
- •Hygienic standards of food and drinks leave something to be desired.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Right now
In the news the last few days
- Sri Lanka emerging as Chinese mafia hub , gang wars reach island nation2026-08-04
- Agence Kampuchea Presse2026-08-04
- Cambodia asks CNA to issue a correction on report on missing Singaporean after probe clears scam claims2026-08-04
- Cambodia famed Angkor revenue drops 29 pct in first 7 months of 20262026-08-02
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / C / G · 230V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 117 / ambulance: 119 / fire: 118
Cash vs. Card
Only upmarket places, supermarkets, restaurants, and ho(s)tels will accept credit cards, normally at a 3% or US$0.50 surcharge.
Zoom in
One Cambodia city on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (9 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-09-09
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-09-09
- ca-gac — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-09-09
- cdc-health — observed 2026-09-09
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-09-09
- reddit — observed 2026-09-09
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-09-09