Lonely Planet Cambodia

The book was topical, current and in great shape.

I've been to Cambodia several times now and this is the guide I will continue to buy. It's important to have an up to date guide to Cambodia as the country has and is changing so rapidly (5 years ago you couldn't walk 20 metres without coming across someone with a gun in Phnom Penh and most of the roads weren't sealed). I would still buy each new edition that came out simply for the knowledge of the important basic things that change like transport routes and times etc. that are constantly changing. Cambodia is now well and truly open for tourists. I know from speaking with locals that the author, Nick, spends a lot of time in Cambodia and has great local knowledge (I'm kind of cheesed a little since he's included many of my previously unknown haunts and now they get filled up well in advance). I do have some criticism of the guide, and I guess how people use it. First, people mostly tend to go to restaurants and guesthouses recommended in the book. I've found many places that I've enjoyed staying that are not in the book and in many cases are better than places in the guidebook (and cheaper, many places, particularly in SEA put their prices up after getting an LP inclusion). The towns are generally small enough that you can look around and also ask people who live there for their recommendations. (Most times you can `feel' when someone has no agenda in recommending a places versus someone who'd take you someone who gains to get a commission out of you going there - and the commission system is well and truly alive in Cambodia - they're not huge in $ terms but you don't want to stay in a dump when better alternatives are available and also there's the consideration that price you pay in Cambodia is not always related to the quality you get). The other thing is often Lonely Planet uses text from previous editions (which is particularly worrying for guesthouse inclusions) and so some descriptions are a little (or a lot) out of date. While there are definitely some good places recommended there, you will often find them full of other backpackers and tourists so either you can't get a booking or there will indeed just be tones of people there which will likely detract from your experience. Restaurant and guest house recommendations, particularly in the two major cities need to be used with discretion. It's also good to spread your money around. Some of the benefits of the book - it does clue you in to things that are very important that you otherwise would have a hard time finding out - e.g. if you take the bus from Thailand, they do slow that bus down and make the trip long and tiring as you're pre-sold for a commission to the (rotating) guesthouse they drop you off at (so you're deliberately) exhausted late at night; another useful tip was the dangerous Malaysian boats that do the Siem Reap - Phnom Penh route. You need impartial and insider advice for these kind of things because you wont necessarily get it from an average local (unless you

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!