You will see elephant rides being offered, with huge swarms of tourists gathered around waiting their turn. Don’t do it, cambodia tours no matter how much you want to, don’t do it. Those animals suffer unbelievably and contributing to the demand is unacceptable. Young elephants are torn away from their mothers, kept in confinement and tortured to break their spirit and make them appropriate to be ridden. It is disgusting. The way elephants are ‘broken in’ for tourists to ride is truly horrific. I cannot convey this strongly enough, please, do not ride them. Education is the key here, so learn about why it’s not okay and then share it with others so they can learn the truth about this horrible industry for themselves. Want to see what really goes on? Watch this.
6. You can’t drink the tap water
Unless, of course, you want to have a very very upset stomach, be able to poop through the eye of a needle and potentially die. But, it’s your call. Instead, buy big bottles of water from the supermarket or mini-mart and carry them around with you. I suggest the big bottles because it’s a better choice environmentally to purchase fewer bottles (i.e. buying a small bottle every hour is bad).
7. Tuk Tuk is the way to get around
The easiest and most enjoyable way to get yourself around town is in the back of a Tuk Tuk! As soon as you step on the street you’ll have local guys yelling out to you, offering you a lift. I found it to be safe, fun and easy to get around this way. Be sure to negotiate the price before you get in though. It should cost around $1US per person for a trip that takes around 5 minutes. The price goes up from there. I found Tuk Tuks more expensive in Phnom Penh than they are in Siem Reap. Don’t be afraid to barter with the guy. Pro tip: Always carry the business card for your hotel on you, so you can show your Tuk Tuk driver the exact address.
8. Beware of the food scam
Everyone’s got a hustle and you’ll find them alive and well on the streets of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. One popular scam involves a hot meal. I had a beautiful young-ish girl approach me in Siem Reap, a small, suspiciously sleepy baby in her arms. She told me she didn’t want money, that she was starving and needed a meal, she then pointed to a restaurant. Seems reasonable, right? Home-girl just needs a feed. NO, you fool! Wake up to yourself! It’s a trap! If you say yes, you’ll go to that restaurant and be hit with a massive bill at the end and, being in a foreign country, have no choice but to pay it out of fear. The restaurant and girl split the profits.
9. Beware of the baby milk scam
Yeah, there’s another popular scam! You’ll be approached by a woman with a baby, she’ll tell you she doesn’t need money, just formula for her suspiciously docile baby. You’ll be taken to a suspiciously close mini-mart, pay $20 – $30US for a tin of formula then leave feeling like you should be part of the UN, you’re such a humanitarian! What really happens is the girl returns the tin and the profits are split between the store owner and the girl. The very real danger with both these scams is they are both allegedly overseen by organised crime in Cambodia. Please, please, please be aware of scams. They do happen and you need to be prepared to say no and walk away calmly. (Read more about the baby milk scam in this awesome blog post).
10. You’ll need a visa
To enter Cambodia, you’ll need a Visa. You can do that before you go or sort it out when you arrive, which costs $30US per person for a tourist Visa and takes around 5-10 minutes to get sorted (if the queue is empty). If you do plan to get your Visa on arrival, make sure you have a spare passport photo with you, they’ll need it to issue your Visa. Some countries in ASEAN do not need a visa.
For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/
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