Before your trip
Cambodia is a warm, welcoming and broadly safe country to travel. The real risks are mundane (traffic, mosquitoes, phone snatching) and all manageable with a little prep.
The picture
Violent crime against tourists is rare. Millions visit every year and the overwhelming majority experience nothing worse than a sunburn. Khmer culture is gentle and conflict-averse; solo travellers, including women, generally report feeling safe, with the usual big-city precautions at night.
What does happen: opportunistic bag and phone snatching in Phnom Penh (from motorbikes, targeting phones held at the kerb or bags on the road-side shoulder), pickpocketing in crowded markets, and drink-related trouble in nightlife areas. Hold bags on the building side, keep phones off the street edge, and use registered tuk-tuks (Grab/PassApp) late at night.
Save these: Police 117 · Ambulance 119 · Fire 118 · Tourist Police +855 12 942 484. Your country’s embassy in Phnom Penh is worth a contact entry too.
Number one risk
Stay well
Dengue exists year-round, peaking in rainy season, in cities as much as the countryside. Repellent morning and dusk is your main defence. Malaria is a non-issue in tourist areas: only remote forest regions warrant prophylaxis; ask a travel clinic.
Tap water is not drinkable: stick to bottled or refilled purified water (most hotels have refill stations). Ice from proper factories (cylindrical, with a hole) is fine. Street food from busy stalls with high turnover is generally safe and one of the joys of the country.
See a travel clinic 4–6 weeks out. Routine boosters plus Hepatitis A and Typhoid are the standard recommendations; Hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis case-by-case for longer or rural trips.
March–May is brutally hot (38–40°C). Temple days start at dawn for a reason: hydrate constantly, salt your food, plan air-con breaks at midday.
Well-stocked pharmacies (Ucare and Pharmacie de la Gare are reliable chains) exist in every city and sell most things without prescription. Check expiry dates; counterfeits exist at market stalls: use real pharmacies.
Royal Phnom Penh Hospital and Calmette (Phnom Penh) and Royal Angkor International (Siem Reap) handle most situations; anything major means evacuation to Bangkok. That is why comprehensive travel insurance with medical evacuation is non-negotiable.
Know the moves
A mother asks you to buy formula for her baby at a nearby shop: the shop later refunds her and splits your money. Give to reputable organisations instead of cash or goods on the street.
Visits and volunteering at orphanages fuel an industry that separates children from living parents. Decline, and support family-based NGOs instead.
At land borders, touts sell overpriced visas, fake “health checks” and express fees. The tourist visa is $30 at the official counter, full stop.
Drink spiking is rare but real in party areas (Pub Street, riverside bars). Watch your glass, and don’t accept drinks from strangers on big party nights.
Good to know
Generally yes: harassment levels are low by regional standards and locals are protective of guests. Standard precautions apply: registered tuk-tuks at night, modest dress outside tourist zones, and trust your instincts in nightlife areas.
Yes, genuinely. Local healthcare is fine for small things, but anything serious means evacuation to Bangkok, which costs five figures without insurance. Check that scooter riding is covered if you plan to rent one.
Demining has cleared all tourist areas: temples, cities, beaches and marked trails are completely safe. The residual risk exists only in remote border regions, off marked paths, where you have no reason to wander. Visit the APOPO centre or Landmine Museum in Siem Reap to understand this story.
No: buy bottled water or use refill stations, and brush your teeth with it if you have a sensitive stomach. Factory ice (the cylinders with holes) in restaurants and cafés is safe.
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