Lonely Planet Cambodia: A Travel Survival Kit

Lonely Planet Guides are always the best sources of info for pre-trip planning and to take along, but the Cambodia LPG has an added feature that really impressed me, and that is the maps and diagrams of the temples and temple complexes, and the great details in the descriptions that go with them. I'm absolutely delighted to have this information to help me plan my photo sessions. In addition, LP has a service on their website where you can get updates to a guide between old and new publications. Also try the Thorntree feature to get questions answered or to contribute info for others. Lonely Planet has done it again. Best guidebooks and best services for travelers. Thanks LP!

I decided to be a little different when I went to Southeast Asia. Instead of taking the Lonely Planet Books which I had done to past trips to China, and England I went with the Rough Guide. What a mistake. Such a mistake that about 1/2 through the trip, somewhere in Thailand I think, I threw the book out and picked up LP guides to Vietnam and Cambodia.The Cambodia book is great. Great information, easy to follow guides to Angkor what else could you need. LP really tells it as it is. Cambodia is a place changing everyday. Fortunately for the last year or two its been relatively calm and tourist friendly. How long this will last is anyone's guess. I hope stablity have finally come to this country with such a tragic history.Angkor is a unbelievable place and the LP book will get you through it and teach you a lot.Get this book before you go!

Very practical and quite a useful book to have when travelling to Cambodia. I found it useful myself too with information regarding Cambodian history, past, present and maybe the future of the country's outcome having came out of the shadows of the Killing Fields. The book covers everything you need to know about travelling to Cambodia. The best place to eat and what are the popular sites to visit... in Phnom Penh and the famous jungle ruins of Angkor. This 3rd edition contains wonderful photos of the Khmer people in many aspects... Even though the country had been ravaged by war yet their souls are still proud like before much like their ancestors who built a wonderful civilization that ruled mainland Indo-China. Also there is a page for those who want to learn basic Khmer which is easy and enjoyable...Now that Cambodia is opening up the outside world the book gets a little bit thicker which I find is interesting since now there are many areas to visit in Cambodia like the hill tribes living in east of Cambodia and also the temple of Preah Vihear in the north of Cambodia which sits on the Dangrek mountain range overlooking Thailand. Great book to have and I hope soon in the next edition more information will be added. Don't travel to Cambodia without one!!!

Nick Ray's Cambodia is a practical, invaluable guide for commercial or recreational travelers wanting to explore the sights and wonders of this exotic land. From the majesty of Angkor, to Phnom Penh nightlife, to the wild and remote Cambodian countryside, this reliable, detailed, and authoritative travel guide offers 30 "user friendly" maps; up-to-date health and security information; vital transport details (including river trips and overland travel); special features on the temples of Angkor; a useful chapter on the Khmer language; and much, much more. If you are planning a trip to Cambodia, begin with a thorough reading of Nick Ray's Cambodia!

Planning a trip to Cambodia is not easy. The country is still not very accessible although much has been improved in the past years, in particular available flights.If you plan to go, read the guide very carefully. It gives you enough background to do it on your own. However, I would still recommend to go for local assistance ( with the exception of Siem Rap when visiting Ankor Wat)The country is beautiful and the people are very nice. If you have time and sense of adventure it is definitely worth a trip.Pnom Penh should be the centre of the visit and the guide is at it's most helpful here with good background on the Tol Sluen Prison or the Killing Fields as well as on the nicer things like the Palace and the Silver Pagoda. A tip: try to take a good hotel. PP can be a bit depressing, particularly after a visit to the fields, and also is not a very safe place to go out at night without guide or transport. If you have transport you should eat of course in the Foreign Correspondent Club.Angkor Wat is a must, although the guide maybe overdoes it a little. I find that you must be a real "culture buff" to use more than one day for a visit. In Siem Rap there is nothing, so don't fall for the trap of a four day visit.In general, I find the guide giving good information and,as in all the countries here in SE-Asia, if you want to travel alone, you HAVE to take it with you.I have been in Cambodia now a couple of times and each time I find it a good adventure, not in the least because of the help of this good guide.