Cambodia.

Angkor alone justifies the visit. The temple complex outside Siem Reap is the largest religious monument on the planet by area, and three full days of exploring it barely scratches the surface. Sunrise at Angkor Wat itself is the iconic shot, but Bayon's stone faces, Ta Prohm's strangler-fig roots (the Tomb Raider trees), and the pink sandstone carving at Banteay Srei each have their own moment of the day when the light and the crowds work in your favour. Beyond Angkor, Cambodia's value is that it complements neighbouring countries rather than competing with them. Vietnam offers urban energy and food; Thailand offers beaches and infrastructure; Cambodia offers depth. Phnom Penh delivers a hard but essential history lesson at Tuol Sleng (S-21) and the Killing Fields, alongside the gilded Royal Palace and a riverside that buzzes after sunset. South of the capital, Kampot's pepper plantations and lazy river, Kep's crab market, and the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem give you the low-key beach time that Sihanoukville stopped offering after Chinese casino development hollowed it out around 2018-2020. And Cambodia is cheap in a way Thailand no longer is: street food meals run $1-3, mid-range hotels are $30-70, and a tuk-tuk across town costs a few dollars. Two weeks lets you do Phnom Penh (2-3 days), Siem Reap and Angkor (3-4 days), Battambang or Kampot (2-3 days), and the islands (3-4 days) without feeling rushed.

Cambodia's three-season pattern matters more than the simple wet/dry binary. The dry-cool season (November-February) is the textbook best time: 22-32 C, low humidity, almost no rain, and the sharpest skies for photography. It is also when Angkor Wat sunrise gets crowded - expect 1,000+ people in front of the western reflecting pool in December and January, with the densest mornings around Christmas, New Year's, and Chinese New Year. To beat the crowd, arrive 90 minutes before sunrise (gates open at 5am for Angkor Wat) and walk to the northern reflecting pool, which has nearly the same shot with a fraction of the people. The dry-hot season (March-May) is when Cambodia gets serious about heat - 35-40 C+ at midday, with April routinely hitting 40 C in Siem Reap. Temple touring becomes hard work, but accommodation prices drop 30-40% and crowds thin dramatically. Start at 5am, finish by 10am, retreat to a pool, and head back out at 4pm for sunset. The wet season (June-October) is underrated. Mornings are usually clear, rain falls in dramatic 1-2 hour afternoon bursts, and the landscape turns electric green. Angkor's moats fill up, giving you the mirror-reflection shots that are impossible in dry season. The flip side: Tonle Sap behaves completely differently across the year. In dry season the lake shrinks to about 2,500 sq km and floating villages sit on dry mud; in wet season (peaking September-October) it expands to roughly 12,000 sq km and the stilt-house villages of Kompong Phluk look surreal. For birds at Prek Toal sanctuary, December-March is best. For the Bon Om Touk water festival in Phnom Penh (boat racing on the Tonle Sap), aim for late October or early November.

Cambodia is easy to enter but has two separate digital steps as of 2024-2026. First, the visa: most Western passports get a 30-day tourist visa via the official e-Visa portal at evisa.gov.kh for $36 USD (visa fee plus processing), processed in 3 business days. Visa-on-arrival is also available at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports and most land borders for $30 cash plus a passport photo - bring crisp USD bills, no tears or marks, and a small photo. Both options give you 30 days, extendable once in-country. Second, and separately, the Cambodia e-Arrival (CeA) launched in mid-2024 and is now mandatory for all air travelers regardless of visa type. It is a free pre-arrival registration form at arrival.gov.kh that combines immigration, customs, and health declarations. Submit it within 7 days of arrival and screenshot the confirmation. The currency situation is unusual: USD is effectively the primary currency for tourists. ATMs dispense USD, hotels quote in USD, and restaurants accept it. Cambodian Riel (KHR) is used mostly for change under $1 - roughly 4,000 KHR to a dollar. Bring smaller US bills ($1, $5, $10, $20) since change is sometimes given in a mix of both currencies. Tuk-tuks are everywhere; either agree the fare upfront ($2-5 short hop, $10-15 day rental in Siem Reap, more for the temple loop) or use the PassApp or Grab apps for transparent pricing. On etiquette: shoes off in temples and many homes, knees and shoulders covered at religious sites (this is enforced at Angkor), don't touch heads, and pass items with your right hand or both hands. Tap water is not safe - bottled or filtered only - and be cautious with ice and raw vegetables outside reputable restaurants. Land mines remain a real issue in remote rural northwest areas, so stick to marked paths if you go off the beaten track.

Cambodia is one of the cheapest destinations in Southeast Asia, often noticeably cheaper than Thailand and Vietnam. Daily budgets break down roughly like this: backpackers $25-40 (hostel dorm $5-15, street food, shared tuk-tuks, occasional bus), mid-range $50-100 (boutique hotel $30-70, restaurant meals, private tuk-tuk for the day, one paid attraction), and comfort/luxury $150+ (4-5 star hotel $100+, private driver, fine dining at $20-30 a head). Specific costs: street food $1-3, mid-range restaurant meal $4-12, upscale dinner $20-30, beer $1-2, coffee $2-3. Transport is similarly cheap: Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by bus runs $10-15 (Giant Ibis is the premium operator), domestic flights $50-100, sleeper-bus options exist but are rough. Cross-border to Vietnam (Phnom Penh to Saigon) is $15-20 by bus or $50-80 by flight. The one place to budget more carefully is Angkor itself: the 1-day pass is $37, the 3-day pass is $62, and the 7-day pass is $72. The 3-day is the sweet spot for most people - it's valid for any 3 days within a 10-day window so you can rest in between, and it gives time to see the small circuit, the big circuit, and Banteay Srei without rushing. A tuk-tuk for the temple loop is $15-25 per day; an air-conditioned car with driver runs $35-60. Add a licensed guide ($30-50 for a half day) for the first day to make sense of the iconography. For a 2-week trip, expect to spend roughly $400-600 backpacker, $800-1,200 mid-range, or $2,000+ luxury, excluding international flights.