What Transportation in Cambodia are best for visitors

The civil war severely damaged Cambodia's transport system, but with assistance and equipment from other countries Cambodia has been upgrading the main highways to international standards and most have been vastly improved since 2006. Most main roads are now paved. Cambodia has two rail lines, totaling about 612 kilometers (380 mi) of single, one meter gauge track. The lines run from the capital to Sihanoukville on the southern coast and from Phnom Penh to Sisophon (although trains often run only as far as Battambang). Currently only one passenger train per week operates, between Phnom Penh and Battambang. Besides the main interprovincial traffic artery connecting the capital Phnom Penh with Sihanoukville, resurfacing a former dirt road with concrete/asphalt and implementation of 5 major river crossings by means of bridges have now permanently connected Phnom Penh with Koh Kong. Hence there is now uninterrupted road access to neighboring Thailand and its vast road system.

The nation's extensive inland waterways were important historically in international trade. The Mekong and the Tonle Sap rivers, their numerous tributaries, and the Tonle Sap Lake provided routes of considerable length, including 3,700 kilometers (2,300 mi) navigable all year by craft drawing 0.6 meters (2 ft) and another 282 kilometers (175 mi) navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters (6 ft). Cambodia has two major ports, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, and five minor ones. Phnom Penh, located at the junction of the Bassac, the Mekong, and the Tonle Sap rivers, is the only river port capable of receiving 8,000-ton ships during the wet season and 5,000-ton ships during the dry season. With increasing economic activity has come an increase in automobile and motorcycle use, though bicycles still predominate. As often in developing countries, an associated rise in traffic deaths and injuries is occurring. Cycle rickshaws are an additional option often used by visitors.

The country has four commercial airports. Phnom Penh International Airport (Pochentong) in Phnom Penh is the second largest in Cambodia. Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is the largest and serves the most international flights in and out of Cambodia. The other airports are in Sihanoukville and Battambang. Local time: 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (no summertime in Cambodia)

Major Industries:Clothing, fishing, footwear, rice milling, rubber, shipping, textiles, timber and tobacco. Major Trading Partners: Major trading partners include Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and Vietnam.

The Cambodian currency is the Riel which can fluctuate slightly with the US dollar. Riel denominations are 100,000; 50,000; 20,000; 10,000; 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500; 200; 100 and 50. Banknotes, which are printed in both Khmer and English, increase in size according to value and are in different colors. The value of the Riel is currently about 4200 per US dollar. Foreign currencies can be easily changed at airports, hotels or markets, but American dollars are widely accepted in Cambodia. Credit cards are only accepted in banks and main hotels. Credit cards can get cash from ATMs at the airports and some of the banks in the towns.

However, the US Dollar is commonly used. There is no need to change from USD to Riel.

Telephones, Faxes & Internet: International phone calls can be made quite easily from most hotels. Rates for calling out of the country are normally considerably higher than for calling in. In Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, phone cards are widely available, and cards can be purchased at many outlets. There are also several reasonably priced mobile phone systems.

Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia occupying a total area of 181,035 square kilometers (69,898 sq miles). It is bordered to the North by Thailand and Laos, to the East by Vietnam, to the South by Vietnam and the Gulf of Thailand and to the west by the Gulf of Thailand and Thailand. Cambodia is divided into six major regions: The western and northwestern regions are mountainous covered with tropical forest, fruit trees and plenty of wildlife; the northwestern region is a plateau abounding with tropical forest, wildlife, waterfalls, diamonds and magic; the central region is a plain used for cultivating mainly rice, other grains and beans. For enjoying fish and mangrove, there's the western and southwestern coastal plain popular with tourists to who like to sunbathe on the sandy beaches and eat seafood. 

The western and northeastern valleys are suitable for the development of hydro-electric power; and the 2 peninsulas are suitable for tin mining, rubber cultivation and fishing. Total population is nearly 15 million. 90% are Khmer who are the aboriginals. The other 10% are composed of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, and hill tribe groups such as Phnong, Kuoy, Stieng, Tamil. Chinese influence is very strong, particularly in the business sector.