GREEN ERA TRIP NOTES

Preparations before Departure 

Compulsory Documents

Travel Insurance is important. You have to be covered in minimum, for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. Please bring a copy of your travel insurance policy as well as the insurance company’s 24 hour emergency contact number to give to your tour guide or leader in case of illness. Please make sure you are able to present the appropriate documents during the group meeting of the first day of your tours (for joining long day tour only). Note that Green Era Travel is unable to accept insurance provided by a credit card issuer.

You are also strongly advised to be covered for personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects. Green Era Travel shall not be liable for all this kind of occurrence.

For Cambodia, a visa is required for all nationalities except Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. It is your responsibility to obtain this visa. You can usually obtain it very easily when arriving in Cambodia by plane. Tourist visas (30 days, single entry) are issued on arrival at Phnom Penh or Siem Reap International Airport for US$20 and a passport photo. If you do not have a passport photo with you, you will have to pay a supplement. At land border, the tourist visa costs between US$20-US$30. If you need a contact address in the destination for the visa application form, please give either the name and address of your meeting point hotel or the address of our company in Siem Reap. As regulations change frequently you are advised to obtain your visa in advance, or at least to contact your Cambodian Embassy or Consulate for up to date information shortly before you travel. Green Era Travel can not accept responsibility for anyone who is refused entry to Cambodia because they lack the correct documentation.

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended length of stay with at least two blank pages. You are strongly advised to bring with you good photocopies of all your documents and keep them in a separate place to wherever you keep your passport.

You will receive, by email, tour voucher – after you have fully paid the total tour price. You have to print this voucher and bring them with you. You are requested to give a copy tour voucher to the driver waiting for you at the airport on arrival on day one of your tour. You will be asked to show the tour voucher on arrival at the hotel and you have to give it to your tour guide or leader at the first meeting (for the joining tour only).

Money

The official currency in Cambodia is the Khmer Riel (KHR), however US$ are used everywhere in the country. If you bring cash, be careful to bring new and clean bank notes. It is very useful to bring smaller denomination. The exchange rate is usually roughly KHR4000 to US$1, so if you give US$2 for something which costs KHR6000, you will usually receive back KHR2000. For exact currency conversion, you can consult the following website: www.xe.com.

We advise you to bring US$ and traveler’s cheques as they are easiest to exchange. Credit Card advances are possible at banks but can be expensive. ATM’s are almost everywhere, making it easy to withdraw cash. If there is no ATM at one of your future destinations, your tour leader or tour guide will keep you informed.

In case of unexpected events, such as (but not limited to) natural disaster, human conflict or adverse weather conditions, which would necessitate a change to our itinerary, please make sure you have access to an additional US$300. This is extremely rare but we must be prepared for every possibility.

Arrival 

Arrival Transfer

Arrival transfers are included if you arrive in Siem Reap on the morning of Day One (for joining tour) providing that you inform our office in Siem Reap of your flight details by email at least one week before your arrival (in this case, be sure that you received a confirmation of reception before departure) or by phone at least three hours before your arrival in Siem Reap (during transit). Your driver will be waiting for you as you leave the customs hall, holding a Green Era Travel sign with your name. If you decide to use a public taxi, you should pay US$5 to the hotel (the prices can fluctuate with the petrol rate). Even though you should not need our assistance, you will be able to call our emergency phone number that you will receive after confirmation of your booking. We will be pleased to help you.

Meeting Point

You can arrive anytime during the morning before the group meeting at Noon. When arriving at the hotel, you will need to show your GET voucher at the reception desk to get your room and pick up a note from your tour leader confirming the time and location of the meeting. The group meeting will be followed by a welcome lunch (for joining tour only).

To the meeting, please bring your passport and a good photocopy of it, your travel insurance policy and emergency phone number, your travel voucher. Your tour leader will check that you have the adequate documents as well as give you some information about your tours (for joining tour only).

Arrival Complications

If for any reason you are unable to arrive at Noon on Day One of the tour, please contact your joining point hotel and ask to speak with your tour leader or leave him a message. Your are allowed to join the tour you booked on the way, however the additional cost needed to meet up with your group is at your own expense. Note also that no refund is available on missed transfers or sections of your tour owing to a different or delayed flight arrival.

Health

All GET travelers need to be in good health in order to participate fully in the tour. If you have any medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday, you must advise us in writing at the time of booking giving full details. If we feel unable to properly accommodate your particular needs, we reserve the right to decline or cancel your booking. We reserve the right to exclude someone from all or part of the itinerary without refund if in the opinion of our tour leader the completion of the itinerary puts him/her or the rest of the group in danger. It is important that you read carefully the itinerary to be sure you are able to complete it, and please consult this with your doctor if you have any doubts.

If you have any personal medication, be sure that you have enough for the entire duration of the tour, some medicines can be difficult to find in Cambodia. Medicines in frequent use must be carried in your hand-luggage.

If you suffer of allergy, such as with iodine or penicillin, please keep your tour leader or tour guide informed of this in case of an accident.

Itinerary

Last minute modification of the itinerary

Please be aware that GET reserves the right to modify the itinerary in short notices if the conditions may require so, to ensure the safety of our passengers.

If water levels are low the journey from Siem Reap to Battambang will be overland. The Tonle Sap Lake presents its lowest level at the end of the dry season, in March and April.

The restaurants indicated in the itinerary are subject to modification for various reasons (availability, annual or definitive closing, late arrival).

Included activities

All the activities mentioned in the itinerary are included. Note that they are not refundable if you decide not to participate. All other activities you decide to do are at your own expense.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided in the form of 3-4 or 5 stars hotels in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanouk Ville. In others cities, the range of hotels is more limited and accommodation can be more basic.

Single travelers are paired in twin share rooms with someone of the same gender (for joining tour only). Single accommodation is available on request and implies the payment of a single supplement.

People who desire to share the same room are kindly requested to inform us of their wish at the moment of booking, as well as their preference for twin rooms or double rooms (we will take this into account whenever possible as some guesthouses offer only twin rooms).

Meals

When meals are included in the tour price, your group leader will accompany the group on booked restaurants (apart from the very expensive places) where most of the time a set menu will be served. All restaurants are carefully selected to give you the best of Khmer food and atmosphere. There is of course no obligation to follow the group if you prefer to try another place. However, note that the cost of the meals included will not be refunded if you decide to eat somewhere else.

People with a specific diet or food allergy are kindly requested to inform us of this at the time of booking. Vegetarian meals are almost always available apart from at some of the more basic places. Nevertheless, steamed rice is served everywhere. A soft vegan-diet is normally not too difficult to follow as dairy products are not used in Khmer cooking and eggs easily avoidable.