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Voykit pocket guide · Cambodia
Kampong Speu
កំពង់ស្ពឺ
Skip as a base: use it for a half-day stop at Chambok Waterfall or as a lunch break on the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville highway.
Kampong Speu town is a provincial hub 40 km west of Phnom Penh on the main highway to Sihanoukville. The flat town itself has little for travellers, but the Cardamom foothills to the west hold community-run eco-sites and Kirirom National Park. Most visitors pass through in under an hour.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Local name
- កំពង់ស្ពឺ
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- May–Oct (rainy season, trails muddy)
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- US dollars for hotels, tours and restaurants; riel (KHR, about 4,000 to the dollar) for change and small street purchases.
- Daily spend
- Budget $15–25 excl. bed · Mid $30–50 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Smart, Cellcard and Metfone sell tourist SIMs at the airports with passport registration; a week of data costs a few dollars.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, C, G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US and round European pins; newer hotels have UK-style type G.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Round up or leave US$1–2 where no service charge is added.; Tuk-tuk: Round up; US$2–5 extra for a full Angkor day.; Guide day: US$5–10 per person.; Massage: US$1–2 per hour.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Bottled water everywhere; many hotels have refill stations.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, restaurants and at the Angkor ticket office and main temples; squat toilets with a hose or scoop on the road. Paper goes in the bin in older places.
Get in
By air
- PNH · Phnom Penh International
- About 1 h by car or taxi
Typical fares
- Phnom Penh → Kampong Speu by shared taxi
- about $5–8 per person, 1 h (check)
- Moto from town to Chambok
- $8–12 one way (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Town is walkable. For Chambok or Kirirom you need a hired taxi or moto from the market; check the price before you ride.
See and do
Known for
- Chambok Waterfall
- Kirirom National Park
- Provincial market
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chambok Waterfall | Taxi or moto from Kampong Speu market, about 30 min | About 1 h from Phnom Penh |
| Kirirom National Park | From Traeng Trayung on Hwy 4, take Hwy 46; taxi from Kampong Speu about 45 min | About 1.5 h from Phnom Penh |
Sleep
- Town centre
- A few guesthouses near the market; basic, for transit only.
- Kirirom National Park
- Ranger station has basic bungalows; book ahead on weekends.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | ជំរាបសួរchum reap suor |
| Thank you | អរគុណaw kohn |
| How much? | ថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន?thlay bon man? |
| Too expensive | ថ្លៃពេកthlay pek |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Sampeah (palms together, slight bow); higher hands for elders and monks; avoid: Firm handshakes with older women
- Head and feet: Keep feet down and pointed away from people and Buddha images; avoid: Touching heads, even children's
- Temples: Shoes and hat off inside, shoulders and knees covered; avoid: Sitting with feet toward the Buddha; women touching monks
- Keeping face: Stay calm and smile when things go wrong; avoid: Shouting or public anger
- Giving and receiving: Use the right hand or both hands; avoid: Tossing money or objects
- Photos: Ask first, especially of monks and at memorials; avoid: Selfies at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
Scams and watch-outs
- No ATM in the town centre that reliably works for foreign cards: bring cash from Phnom Penh.
- Chambok Waterfall is a 3 km walk from the parking area; wear shoes that can get wet.
- Kirirom gets crowded on weekends with local families; go on a weekday if you can.
Kampong Speu is safe for a stop. The main risk is road traffic on Hwy 4: drive or ride defensively. No scams reported beyond the usual taxi overcharge.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kampong Speu yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Chambok Waterfall
- Kirirom National Park
- Provincial market
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Kampong Speu, revision 5036941 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5036941
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/kampong-speu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.