Cambodia small group travel guide

The clue is in the name – small! This typically means a maximum of 16 people, sometimes a maximum of just 12. Often, tours run without every place being filled, so you may be part of a group of only 10 travellers.

Small group means huge benefits, though. The group can stay in locally owned, small accommodation, so you enjoy a unique connection with local people. The tour operator will have built up a relationship with local communities, so you have the chance to stay in a traditional Khmer wooden stilt house, for instance, and help the family prepare dinner. This kind of intimate, unique insight into local life and the traditions of Cambodian culture is rarely available to independent travellers; and almost never available to anyone travelling in a large group.

You’ll typically stay in a mix of hotels and guesthouses, with the quality depending on the style and price of the trip (ranging from simple to more comfortable, with en suite facilities). Your tour operator will have an established working partnership with all the accommodation included, so you can trust that’s it’s a good standard and has proved popular on previous trips. Accommodation is usually on a twin share basis, and solo travellers can share with people of the same gender or request their own room, although the latter will usually incur a supplement.

Most small group tours to Cambodia employ a group leader, as well as local guides at specific sites. The group leader is there to take the hassle out of your travels and make sure you have the best trip. He or she provides information on the places you travel through, offers suggestions for things to do and see, recommends great places to eat and will introduce you to the local people that the tour operator has built up relationships with.

The group leader isn’t a guide in the traditional sense, but has a broad general knowledge – historical, cultural, religious and social – of the places you will visit. In addition, local guides who have specialised knowledge will accompany you. So, when you tour the temple complex at Angkor, a local guide with in depth understanding of the site can bring it to life, and also navigate you to the best corners at the best times, away from the crowds. Local guides are also wonderful at breaking down barriers in your interactions with local people; they’ve got the language and the cultural know-how to make this possible. Meeting local people and enjoying a chat and a laugh with them can make the difference between a good holiday and really great, memorable holiday, so the local guides on a small group tour are invaluable.

Small group trips to Cambodia might include a visit to restaurants with training schools set up for under-privileged young people. In the tourist town of Siem Reap, a responsible operator will steer you away from the souvenir stalls and towards the land mine museum and school, for instance, where your donations support and educate at-risk and landmine affected young people that live at its relief centre.