Temple stonework in Cambodia
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Homestays in Cambodia

A room in somebody’s house, and the closest thing to seeing how the country actually lives.

In short

Community homestays run from Banteay Chhmar in the northwest and Chi Phat in the Cardamoms to the Mekong islands of Kratie and Stung Treng, the temple villages of Sambor Prei Kuk and the Bunong highlands of Mondulkiri. Facilities are simple - often a mattress under a mosquito net and a shared bathroom - and the money stays in the village. Book through the community scheme rather than a middleman where one exists.

Homestays

Where to find it

Banteay Chhmar

Banteay Chhmar Community Homestay

The Banteay Chhmar community tourism scheme places guests with families in the village that surrounds the twelfth-century temple of Banteay Chhmar, built under Jayavarman VII and famous for its bas-reliefs. Meals are cooked by the community, local guides lead the temple visits, and the income is shared across the village.

Province
Banteay Meanchey, near the Thai border
Getting there
Around three hours by road from Siem Reap
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Cardamom Mountains

Chi Phat Community Homestay

Chi Phat is a river village in the southern Cardamom Mountains that runs one of Cambodia's best-established community ecotourism schemes, set up with Wildlife Alliance in 2007. Guests sleep in family homesteads or simple community guesthouses and book treks, mountain-bike trails and river trips through the community office.

Province
Koh Kong
Getting there
From Andoung Tuek on the Koh Kong road, by boat up the Preaek Piphot river or by road
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Beside Kirirom

Chambok Community Homestay

Chambok is a community ecotourism site in Kampong Speu, beside Kirirom National Park and about two hours from Phnom Penh. Families host guests in the village, and the community runs the forest walk to its waterfall, ox-cart rides and meals.

Province
Kampong Speu
Getting there
About two hours by road from Phnom Penh
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Upper Mekong

Preah Rumkel Community Homestay

Preah Rumkel is a Mekong community in Stung Treng, just below the Lao border, where the river breaks into channels, rapids and flooded forest inside a Ramsar-listed wetland. Families host guests; the community runs boat trips to the Irrawaddy dolphin pool and kayaking through the channels.

Province
Stung Treng, near the Lao border
Getting there
North of Stung Treng town by road, then by boat
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Mekong island

Koh Trong Island Homestay

Koh Trong is a flat, car-free island in the Mekong facing Kratie town, reached by a short ferry. Families host guests in wooden stilt houses among pomelo orchards and rice fields, and the whole island can be cycled in an afternoon.

Province
Kratie
Getting there
Ferry from Kratie town
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
UNESCO temple forest

Sambor Prei Kuk Homestay

Village families beside Sambor Prei Kuk host guests a short walk or ride from the temples of Ishanapura, the seventh-century capital listed by UNESCO in 2017. Staying the night means the brick sanctuaries in the forest at dawn and dusk, when the day-trippers from Siem Reap have gone.

Province
Kampong Thom
Getting there
North of Kampong Thom town; about two and a half hours from Siem Reap
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Tonle Sap stilt village

Kampong Khleang Homestay

Kampong Khleang is the largest stilt village on the Tonle Sap, south-east of Siem Reap, with houses raised high above the dry-season ground. Local family homestays let you see the lake community after the day boats leave.

Province
Siem Reap
Getting there
About an hour by road from Siem Reap
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Rice-farming commune

Chansor Community Homestay

Chansor is a rice-farming commune east of Siem Reap with a community homestay scheme: families host guests, and the village organises cycling through the paddies, cooking and farm work in season.

Province
Siem Reap
Getting there
Under an hour by road east of Siem Reap
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Craft village

Cheung Kok Village Homestay

Cheung Kok is a village near Kampong Cham town where a community tourism project runs weaving, crafts and farm visits and places overnight guests with families. It is an easy, gentle stop between Phnom Penh and the Mekong provinces to the north.

Province
Kampong Cham
Getting there
A short drive from Kampong Cham town
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
Sen Monorom highlands

Bunong Village Homestay

Bunong communities in the villages around Sen Monorom host guests with families and lead treks into the surrounding forest, farms and waterfalls. The Bunong are Mondulkiri's indigenous people, and a homestay organised through a community project is the most respectful way to visit.

Province
Mondulkiri
Getting there
Villages within driving distance of Sen Monorom
Rooms
Family house, mattress and mosquito net, shared bathroom
Read the guide
The northwest border country

Homestays in Banteay Meanchey

Banteay Meanchey's homestays are in Banteay Chhmar, a farming village built around one of the great Angkorian temples, close to the Thai border. The community tourism scheme places guests with village families and runs the meals, guides and ox-cart rides itself.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
The Cardamom Mountains

Homestays in Koh Kong

Koh Kong's best-known homestays are at Chi Phat, a river village on the edge of the Cardamom Mountains that turned from logging and poaching to community ecotourism. Families host guests; the community office runs treks, bike trails and boat trips.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
Two hours from Phnom Penh

Homestays in Kampong Speu

Kampong Speu's homestays are at Chambok, a community ecotourism site beside Kirirom National Park, close enough to Phnom Penh for a first night in the countryside. Families host guests; the community runs the waterfall walk and the ox-cart rides.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
The upper Mekong

Homestays in Stung Treng

Stung Treng's homestays are at Preah Rumkel, a Mekong community just below the Lao border, where the river breaks into channels, rapids and flooded forest. It is the base for the northernmost Irrawaddy dolphins in Cambodia and for kayaking the Ramsar wetlands.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
The Mekong islands

Homestays in Kratie

Kratie's homestays are on Koh Trong, the flat, car-free island facing Kratie town across the Mekong. Families host guests in wooden stilt houses among pomelo orchards, and the island is made for a bicycle.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
Pre-Angkorian country

Homestays in Kampong Thom

Kampong Thom's homestays are in the villages around Sambor Prei Kuk, the UNESCO-listed brick temples of the seventh-century capital Ishanapura. Staying overnight means seeing the forest temples early and late, without the day-trip crowd.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
Beyond the temples

Homestays in Siem Reap

Siem Reap's homestays take you out of town: to Kampong Khleang, the largest stilt village on the Tonle Sap, and to the rice-farming commune of Chansor east of the city. Both are an hour or less from Siem Reap, and a world away from Pub Street.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
The Mekong heartland

Homestays in Kampong Cham

Kampong Cham's homestays are at Cheung Kok, a village near the provincial town where the community runs weaving, crafts and farm visits. It is an easy stop between Phnom Penh and the Mekong provinces further north.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide
The eastern highlands

Homestays in Mondulkiri

Mondulkiri's homestays are in Bunong villages around Sen Monorom, in the rolling highlands near the Vietnamese border. The Bunong are the province's indigenous people; staying with a family is the best way into their forests, farms and traditions.

Stay
With a family, arranged through the community
Rooms
Simple - mattress, mosquito net, shared bathroom
Pay
Cash, in US dollars or riel
Read the guide