Region

North-western Cambodia

Base in Siem Reap for Angkor; add one remote temple day (Koh Ker or Banteay Chhmar) only if you have a spare day.

Open Cambodia Plan a trip

More: share, save offline, report a correction

Key facts · Cambodia

Best months: Dec–Feb
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: US dollar for most prices
Language: Khmer (own script)
Plugs: A · C · G · 230 V
Time zone: UTC+7 all year

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 5Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…

Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
Cambodia ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra. Some nationalities can also get a visa on arrival.
Cambodia ↗Angkor Wat and other active temples enforce a dress code: shoulders and knees covered, or you are turned away at the gate.
Cambodia ↗US dollars are used for most tourist prices; carry clean, undamaged small notes and some riel for change under one dollar.

North-western Cambodia is Siem Reap plus a thin ring of towns along the Thai border. Almost everything a first-time visitor wants — Angkor, the Tonle Sap villages, the food and beds — sits inside Siem Reap. The rest of the region is for a second trip: remote temples, border towns and long, mostly paved drives. Pick Siem Reap as your base, take one day out for a far temple, and treat Poipet, Sisophon, Samraong and Anlong Veng as transit stops rather than destinations.

Where to sleep

8 places in this region

Sleep base

Siem ReapTrip line
Airport, Angkor, all the beds and food. Sleep here every night of the region.
Best Nov–Feb
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Siem Reap →

Day trip

Banteay ChhmarCity guide
Remote temple complex 60 km (37 mi) north of Sisophon; unpaved but passable in the dry season.Remote temple complex 37 mi (60 km) north of Sisophon; unpaved but passable in the dry season.
Best Nov–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Banteay Chhmar →
Koh KerCity guide
Pre-Angkorian site about 90 km (56 mi) northeast of Siem Reap; a long day out.Pre-Angkorian site about 56 mi (90 km) northeast of Siem Reap; a long day out.
Best Nov–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Koh Ker →
Preah VihearGuide: planned
Cliff-top temple on the Thai border; check access and road status before committing.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Transit

PoipetCity guide
Thai border crossing on the Bangkok road; pass through, don't stay.
Best Nov–Feb
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Poipet →
SisophonCity guide
Road junction for Banteay Chhmar and Battambang; a lunch stop.
Best Nov–Feb
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Sisophon →
SamraongCity guide
O'Smach border and the road south to Siem Reap.
Best Nov–Feb
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Samraong →
Anlong VengCity guide
Choam border crossing; small town, few beds.
Best Nov–Feb
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Anlong Veng →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

3 nights: Siem Reap 3: Angkor two days, Tonle Sap or town on the third
4 nights: Siem Reap 4: Angkor two days, one remote temple day, one slow day
6 nights: Siem Reap 4 + Battambang 2 by bus or boat, then onward

The K5 mine belt runs parallel to the Thai border — stay on paved roads and marked tracks, never cut across fields or forest near the frontier.
Remote temple roads (Banteay Chhmar, Preah Vihear, Koh Ker) can be impassable after rain; confirm the road and access status with your driver before you commit to the day.
Poipet, Choam and O'Smach border crossings: check the current status and your own government's travel advice before planning an overland leg.
Angkor passes are sold only at the official ticket office in Siem Reap — anyone selling them elsewhere is not legitimate.
Outside Siem Reap, ATMs and card payment are thin; carry enough US dollars in small notes for the days you leave town.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Angkor Archaeological Park	Siem Reap	30 min	unknown	Tuk-tuk from town; start before sunrise for the main temple.
Tonle Sap Lake villages	Siem Reap	45 min	unknown	Half day; water levels change what you actually see.
Koh Ker	Siem Reap	150 min	unknown	Long day by car; leave early and carry water.
Banteay Chhmar	Sisophon	90 min	unknown	Unpaved approach; dry season only for most vehicles.

Bags between cities

No useful luggage-forwarding network here; carry your bag or leave it at the Siem Reap hotel and day-trip with a small pack.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Siem Reap	go	go	ok	×	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go
Banteay Chhmar	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	×	go	go
Koh Ker	go	go	go	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	go	go
Poipet	go	go	×	×	×	ok	ok	ok	×	×	go	go
Sisophon	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	×	×	go	go
Samraong	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	×	×	×	go	go
Anlong Veng	go	go	×	×	×	ok	ok	ok	×	×	go	go
Cambodia (country-wide)	go	go	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	×	ok	go	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Siem Reap and the plainsSiem Reap, Sisophon, Tonle Sap shore	best	best	hot	hot	wet	wet	wet	wet	wet	wet	ok	best
Dangrek Mountains and borderAnlong Veng, Samraong, Preah Vihear	ok	ok	hot	hot	wet	wet	wet	wet	wet	wet	ok	ok

best: dry, mildok: workablehot: short walking windowswet: daily rain

Siem Reap and the plains: Nov–Feb is dry and cooler; Mar–May tops 35 °C (95 °F); the wet season runs roughly May–Oct with afternoon downpours.Nov–Feb is dry and cooler; Mar–May tops 95 °F (35 °C); the wet season runs roughly May–Oct with afternoon downpours.
Dangrek Mountains and border: Cooler and wetter than the plains; dirt roads to remote temples can be impassable in the wet season.

Dry-season months are also the crowd peak at Angkor; book Siem Reap beds ahead for Nov–Feb.

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes2 partsGet in · Passes

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (REP)	Siem Reap	Taxi or tuk-tuk	~30–45 min	Direct regional flights from Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Vientiane; check current routes.
Phnom Penh	Siem Reap	Bus on Hwy 6, or domestic flight	~6 h bus	Road is paved the whole way; flights are short but add airport time.
Bangkok / Aranyaprathet	Siem Reap	Cross at Poipet, then bus or taxi on Hwy 5 and Hwy 6	~2 h Poipet to Sisophon, ~2 h Sisophon to Siem Reap	Busiest land crossing into Cambodia; check the border status and your government's advice before you travel.
Battambang	Siem Reap	Bus or boat	3–4 h bus; 5–8 h boat	Boats can ground in the dry season; the bus is the reliable option.

Regional passes

Verdict first

Angkor pass

buy

Required for the Angkor park; buy at the official ticket office in Siem Reap, not from touts.

Koh Ker and Banteay Chhmar entry

check

Separate tickets from Angkor; confirm current prices and opening at the gate or with your driver.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Fish amok and Khmer curries	Siem Reap	The region's restaurant centre; lunch sets are cheaper than dinner.
Lok lak (stir-fried beef)	Siem Reap and provincial towns	Usually beef with a pepper-lime dip; ask if you want it without egg.
Kuy teav (noodle soup)	Siem Reap, Sisophon, Poipet	Breakfast staple; pork or chicken broth is standard.
Freshwater fish from the Tonle Sap	Siem Reap, lake villages	Grilled or in soup; the lake is the source.
Provincial rice-and-soup stalls	Sisophon, Samraong, Anlong Veng	Simple rice, meat and vegetable plates; little choice outside Siem Reap.

Go next

Cambodia travel guide

Country overview and first-trip plan

Start here if you are still choosing regions.

Battambang

Bus 3–4 h or boat 5–8 h from Siem Reap

Countryside temples, circus and colonial streets.

Eastern Cambodia region guide

planned

Via Kampong Thom on Hwy 6, then east

Mekong towns, dolphins and hill country.

Poipet guide

Hwy 5 from Sisophon

Use it as a border crossing, not a stop.

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Going in… · Trips here

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 4, 30 min to 2 h 30
Nights suggested: 3–6 nights
Ways in: 4 listed
Best months: No month is best in every zone

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

Trips that stop here

From the Cambodia guide

Angkor, 4 nights
4 nights here
siem-reap
Angkor and the capital
7 days · 4 nights here
Siem Reap → Phnom Penh
Temples, countryside, capital
10 days · 4 nights here
Siem Reap → Battambang → Phnom Penh → Kampot
The full loop with a beach
14 days · 4 nights here
Siem Reap → Battambang → Phnom Penh → Kampot and Kep → Koh Rong Sanloem

All Cambodia trips →

Open Cambodia Up to Cambodia

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

officialMinistry of Tourism, Cambodia
officialAngkor Enterprise — official ticket office
officialSiem Reap-Angkor International Airport
secondaryWikivoyage: North-western Cambodia, revision 5300282 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ask about North-western Cambodia

Loading…

Was this useful?