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Kep beach (Kampot Province coast, near Kep Thmey)Photo by PsamatheM, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Cambodia

Cambodia's kite scene has two anchors on opposite ends of the coast: Kep Thmey outside riverside Kampot, a flat, shallow, boat-accessed spot now run as a private-island setup from Villa Vedici, and Otres Beach near Sihanoukville, a long west-facing stretch split into a livelier Otres 1 and quieter Otres 2.

Kep Thmey's flat water suits lessons and freestyle; Otres runs mixed conditions across nearly the whole year.

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It's a two-town choice between Kampot's slow riverside pace and Otres's beach-bar scene, with real food and culture around both bases rather than a resort compound.

Seasonevery monthsomewhere in the country
How we count
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan21
  2. Feb9
  3. Mar21
  4. Apr0
  5. May2
  6. Jun27
  7. Jul40
  8. Aug21
  9. Sep43
  10. Oct0
  11. Nov20
  12. Dec27

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Sihanoukville - Otres, 43% of days in September, from the Otres Beach series.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Kampot Province, Kampot coast Local favourite1 spot · every monthflat water beginner-friendly buzzing scene car needed budget Otres, Sihanoukville Under the radar1 spot · May to Septemberquiet no car needed budget to mid

Destinations

All 2 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

Kampot Province, Kampot coastOtres, Sihanoukville

Visa & entry

EU passporte-Visa (tourist T-class) or visa-on-arrival, 30 days single entry, valid 3 months from issue for use. Passport must have 6+ months validity and 2 blank pages.
US passportSame e-Visa/visa-on-arrival system applies; USD 30 fee (2025, reduced from USD 36 on 1 Jan 2025).
UK passporte-Visa (apply online, official guidance says allow 4+ days) or visa-on-arrival at airports and land borders (payable in USD, photo required); the UK government's travel advice does not publish the exact fee and tells travellers to check with the Cambodian Embassy in London.
Entry or eco taxesNo separate entry/eco tax found beyond the visa fee itself. Mandatory free online 'e-Arrival Card' for air arrivals at Phnom Penh/Siem Reap/Sihanoukville airports, submitted within 7 days before landing.
NotesT e-Visa = single entry, max 30-day stay, USD 30 (2025). E-visa valid only at the 3 main international airports and a subset of land borders, not all crossings: check the specific entry point.Contradiction on the e-Arrival Card: it is elsewhere dated as new for 2025, while the UK government's travel advice dates its introduction to 1 September 2024. Both are recorded as-is, not reconciled.

Money

CurrencyCambodian Riel (KHR); US Dollar (USD) is used interchangeably and is the de facto currency for larger payments and change is often USD
Card acceptanceCash-driven economy overall; hotels, higher-end restaurants and shops in Phnom Penh/Siem Reap/Sihanoukville take Visa/Mastercard, but small guesthouses, markets, tuk-tuks and beach kite spots (Kampot, Otres) are largely cash (USD or riel) only
Paying by phoneBakong (national blockchain-based instant-payment rail) and bank apps like ABA Pay use KHQR codes widely for in-store payment across Cambodia; whether short-stay foreign tourists can register and pay through them, rather than needing a local ID or bank account, is unclear.
TippingNot obligatory but increasingly expected in tourist-facing restaurants/tours in Phnom Penh/Siem Reap; small change rounding is common; no fixed percentage found
Cash tipsyes

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • Metfone (broadest rural/coastal coverage, incl. Kampot/Sihanoukville area)
  • Smart (Smart Axiata, strong tourist SIM offers)
  • Cellcard
eSIM options
  • Metfone eSIM
  • Smart eSIM
  • Cellcard eSIM (also available pre-arrival via Airalo/Saily-type resellers)
ID needed for a SIMPassport registration required when buying a physical SIM (e.g. at airport kiosks in Siem Reap/Phnom Penh)
NotesTourist prepaid SIMs are cheap: roughly USD 1-10 for SIM cards giving 30-100GB (2025 pricing from local SIM-guide sites); reseller eSIMs cost more per GB (~USD 1.80-2.60/GB) than a local physical SIM (~USD 0.10-0.17/GB).

Health

VaccinesRoutine vaccines plus Hepatitis A commonly recommended; Japanese Encephalitis vaccine recommended for stays over 1 month or shorter trips with rural/outdoor exposure; dengue vaccine may be considered for those with a prior dengue infection (age 4+)
Mosquito-borne diseasesDengue is a year-round, hyperendemic risk across Cambodia (higher in/after rainy season, roughly May-Oct); malaria risk is low in Phnom Penh/Siem Reap/major coastal towns but present in rural/forested provinces (antimalarials advised e.g. for Mondulkiri); Japanese Encephalitis and Zika also present
Tap waterNot safe to drink; use bottled/boiled water, avoid ice from unknown sources
Emergency numbersPolice 117, Fire 118, Ambulance 119 (national numbers; response/coverage outside Phnom Penh can be slow - relevant for remote coastal kite spots like Kampot)

Driving

International driving permitCambodia recognizes the 1949-format International Driving Permit (officially since 2020); for a car you need a home-country car license + IDP Category B, for motorbikes over 125cc a home motorcycle license + IDP Category A
Road safetyPoor lane discipline, roundabouts often ignored, rural roads (relevant to Kampot coast) can be rough/unpaved; helmets legally mandatory
Rental trapsMotorbike rental is cheap (~USD 6-9/day) and shops typically do not provide insurance; if riding without the correct home-country license + IDP, travel insurance may refuse accident claims and the rider can be fully liable

Calendar & costs

BeerUSD 1.00 (range 0.75-2.00)
MealUSD 3.00 (range 2.00-6.00), inexpensive restaurant meal
CoffeeUSD 2.32 (range 1.00-3.75), regular cappuccino
One-bedroom rent, per monthUSD 254.75 (range 180-520), 1BR outside city centre
CurrencyUSDSee Money
Year2026

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Cambodia

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Where records disagree

  • e-Arrival Card mandatory-date conflict: a 2025 travel-blog source frames the online e-Arrival Card as a new-for-2025 rule, while UK gov.uk FCDO guidance dates its start to 1 September 2024.

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 8 open questions
  • What does a Cambodian e-visa cost for a UK passport, and is it the same USD 30 as for EU and US holders?
  • Which ATM networks work in Cambodia, and what are the fees and withdrawal limits?
  • No digital nomad visa scheme identified for Cambodia - unclear if one exists.
  • How many days in Cambodia make you tax resident, and is the threshold 182?
  • What do AirAsia, Cambodia Angkor Air and Bangkok Airways charge for a kite bag?
  • Can a tourist use Bakong, KHQR or ABA Pay without a Cambodian ID or bank account?
  • What are Cambodia's hospitals and pharmacies like, and what insurance covers kiting there?
  • How does Cambodia regulate kiting and drones, and what applies in protected areas?

Not written yet

Nothing has been written about Insurance and Regulation for Cambodia yet, so there is no section for them above. That is a gap in what we hold, not a sign that there is nothing to know.

Last updated September 2026