From Greg Cruey,Your Guide to Asia for Visitors.

Cambodia is not the safest place on Earth. But then, safety is not why people visit this region of the world...

There was a time when Cambodia was perhaps Southeast Asia's least stable country; and it continues to provide risks for anyone who wishes to visit the country.

Having said that, it is only fair to add that Cambodia does have a growing tourism industry.

The government (Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party has been in power for a dozen or so years and Hun Sen has been either copremier or the country's premier since 1991) sees tourism as a way to generate badly needed foreign currency revenue. And Cambodia has become in many ways a hospitable place. And apart from a period of turmoil in 1997, Cambodia has become a relatively calm country.

Is it safe? If you stay in Phnom Penh and the Angkor Wat area, probably. If you venture outside that area, however, you are taking greater risks - if for no other reason than that you may step on a landmine left over from 20 years of civil war.

If you decide to visit Cambodia, you should register with your embassy upon arrival and find out what advice they have to offer on the current security situation. Travel outside Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat, unless it is absolutely necessary, is not that great of an idea; but while the embassy reports say that robbery is common and foreigners are targeted regularly, the countryside is no longer the lawless landscape that it once was...

Travel and Health

Flights into Phnom Penh leave from Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. It is also possible to fly into Siem Reap from most of these locations. Getting from place to place within Cambodia can be done by road and boat (both of which or uncomfortable) or by air (which is expensive).

Angkor, Battambang, Ratanakiri, Koh Kong, Stung Treng and Mondulkiri all have air links to the capital.

December and January are the best months for visiting Cambodia: humidity is more tolerable and rain is less likely. February to April are increasingly hot and for someone not used to the heat it may seem unbearable. The April-October wet season can be a good time to visit Angkor because the temple-city's moats will be filled and the surrounding plant life particularly lush. But not much else in Cambodia is worth doing during the rainy season.

A variety of health risks exist in Cambodia. These include AIDS, cholera, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and rabies. Make sure your cholera, tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid and infectious hepatitis vaccinations are current. It should be noted that Cambodia as a country is not very wheelchair-friendly and travel for the handicapped may be difficult.

Visitors to Cambodia should avoid drinking tap water if possible. Bottled water is preferred when it is available.

Sunburn is among the chief medical problems visitors face; visitors not familiar to tropical conditions should use sunblock even on cloudy days. Insect repellent and antiseptic rub are also important.

Visitors should take the normal precautions with food: peel fruit, avoid ice, and don't eat reheated food.

Cambodia is rich in history and culture. And there are things to do which are just plain fun. But you should be aware of the problems which travel in Cambodia can pose before you decided to visit the country.