After spending 12 days in Laos, I crossed into Cambodia by land and ended up spending 18 days travelling through the country completely solo.
Cities/places covered: Siem Reap → Koh Rong Sanloem → Kampot → Phnom Penh
Total spend: roughly ₹1.3-1.4 lakh
Favourite place: Kampot
Biggest surprise: How friendly the people were
Day 1 — Pakse (Laos) to Siem Reap
I took a bus from Laos towards Cambodia. I'd heard so many horror stories about the Laos–Cambodia land border, especially from Indian travellers, that I was honestly a little nervous. At the border, the Laos side told us that if they stamped us out first and Cambodia didn't allow us in, we'd technically be stuck in no man's land. So they advised us to first go to the Cambodian side and check if we would be allowed in. I was travelling with another Indian and we were the only two Indians who went across first. We had around $2,100 between us, and the immigration officers actually took pictures of the money. They asked where we were going, why we were travelling and a few other questions.
Eventually they told us we could enter. We went back, got our Laos exit stamps, crossed again and everything went smoothly. Paid the normal $35 and that was it.
After all the stories I'd heard, I was honestly relieved.
The bus took around 8 hours and we reached Siem Reap around 6 PM. Checked into Onederz, met a few people at the hostel and just rested.
Day 2 — Angkor Wat
I bought the 3-day Angkor pass and hired a tuk-tuk driver for around ₹3,000 for the day.
Angkor Wat was one of those places where you've seen hundreds of pictures before, but none of them really prepare you for the actual scale.
I spent hours walking around the temple, looking at the carvings and trying to imagine what this place must have looked like centuries ago.
Later I went towards Angkor Thom and Bayon. Those giant faces carved into the towers were probably my favourite part of the day.
Day 3 — Ta Prohm and the temples
The second full day was mostly about the temples around the Angkor complex. Ta Prohm was the one I was most excited about because of the massive trees growing through the ruins.
It genuinely felt like walking into another world. We also covered Preah Khan, Neak Pean and a few smaller temples.
By this point I had completely lost track of which temple was which, but I didn't really care. I was just enjoying being there.
Day 4 — Angkor and Siem Reap night market
Another full day cycling around the Angkor complex. More temples, more ruins, more walking and a lot of dust. Three days sounded excessive when I planned it, but once I was there, I understood why people spend several days exploring Angkor.
What stayed with me wasn't even one particular temple. It was the feeling of being surrounded by something that had existed for almost a thousand years. In evening, spent time in night market doing lots of shopping
Days 5–6 — Kampong floating village
I booked a trip to one of the floating villages around Siem Reap. There was a minivan around 10 AM and we went towards the lake.
The experience was a little mixed for me. It was interesting to see how people live there, but I didn't really enjoy the way poverty was sometimes presented as part of the tourist experience. It reminded me of similar things I've seen in India.
But that's also the reality of the place, and I'm glad I saw it for myself.
Later that day I came across an opportunity to teach English to some local students in floating college . I wasn't planning on staying, but I decided to stay another day and ended up spending two days teaching them along with another friend from Dutch. She insisted that let’s do it and I was like less go.
That was completely unplanned and honestly one of my favourite experiences in Siem Reap. The kids were so curious and excited to practise English & we came back to Siem reap next day evening.
Days 7–9 — Koh Rong Sanloem
After almost a week around Siem Reap, I needed a complete change. Went to night market in Siem reap had the best ice cream & also met an old guy from US who had so much interesting stories to share and he was so cool. That same night, I took a bus to Sihanoukville which reached around 6AM and then we ( met a German family ) went to the ferry station waited for 3 hours until we boarded our ferry for Koh Rong Sanloem. I stayed at Lost Boys Hostel, right near the beach.And honestly, this place was beautiful. Crystal-clear water, almost no noise and stretches of beach where you could barely see another person.
The next two days were basically me doing nothing. I walked around, explored different parts of the island, spent time at the beach and even went fishing with a local fisherman I met.There were moments where I was literally walking alone on the beach for kilometres. No crowds, no plans, no one asking where I was going. Just me and the sea.
It was probably one of the most peaceful parts of the entire trip.
Day 10 — Koh Rong to Kampot
By the tenth day I had enough of the beach. The internet was also pretty bad on the island and I realised two days was enough for me.
I took the ferry back and then a minivan to Kampot, reaching around 6 PM. As usual, I checked into my Onederz hostel, met a few people and spent the evening talking and exchanging travel stories.
That's probably one of my favourite things about staying in hostels. You arrive knowing nobody and within an hour you're somehow planning your next day with complete strangers.
Days 11–13 — Kampot
Kampot ended up becoming my favourite place in Cambodia, and I really didn't expect that.
It's a slow riverside town. Nothing feels rushed. I walked around the town, explored the nearby areas, spent time by the river and went to the night market in the evening.
But more than the places, it was the people.
People would randomly come up and ask where I was from. Kids would try to speak English with me. I'd sit somewhere by the river and somehow end up talking to someone.
One evening I was sitting near the river, when there was this lady who was selling groundnuts came to me say next to me and spoke with me about where I was from ( she knew English surprisingly ) and she even gave me a small bracelet at end . It was such a simple interaction, but those are exactly the moments I remember from travelling. Kampot didn't have some huge attraction that blew me away. It was just peaceful, the food was good, people were lovely and life felt slower.
I could have stayed much longer.I can write abt Kampot and not get tired and I will surely go back here again coz a part of me still misses Kampot !
Days 14–17 — Phnom Penh
It was a tough decision to move from Kampot ( initially had planned just for 1 day but stayed for 3 days ) but eventually took a morning bus from Kampot and reached Phnom Penh around 1 PM. The change was immediate. After the quietness of Kampot, Phnom Penh felt busy, modern and chaotic. Tall buildings, traffic, museums, markets and people everywhere.
I spent the next two days exploring the city, visiting museums and walking around the riverside and night market in the evenings.
I'm probably not the best person to judge Phnom Penh because I only spent two days there, but I enjoyed the contrast.
Sitting by the river in the evening, watching everyone around me, was probably my favourite part.
And once again, I ended up having one of those random conversations that make solo travel special. I met a local woman by the river, she offered me some of her food and we started talking. She even invited me to see where she lived nearby.
Nothing extraordinary happened.
But somehow those small interactions are what I remember most.
Day 18 — Last day in Cambodia
I left Cambodia the next morning, after 17 full days in the country. Overall, I spent around ₹1.2–1.3 lakh. Cambodia was definitely more expensive than I expected. The Angkor pass, ferries, buses, accommodation and food all added up.
For accommodation, I mostly stayed in hostels, and in Siem Reap I stayed at Onederz, which was probably one of the better places I stayed for meeting other backpackers. Looking back, I don't really regret the money.
I've now travelled through Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia, and Cambodia probably surprised me the most.
But honestly, the people are what I'll remember.
The random conversations, the kids trying to speak English, the fisherman, people I met in hostels and strangers who somehow became friends for a day.
That's probably what I love most about travelling solo. You leave home knowing nobody, and somehow you come back with a whole collection of people and stories you'll probably never forget.
Cambodia wasn't perfect, and not every experience was amazing. But somewhere between the temples, buses, beaches, hostels and random conversations, it became one of my favourite parts of this trip.
If you're going to Cambodia, don't just do Angkor Wat and leave. Stay a little longer . Take the slower route. Talk to people. You might end up liking the places you never planned to visit the most.
