How To Visit The Phnom Penh Killing Fields

By ALONG DUSTY ROADS Oct 22, 20240

In this post, you’ll find all the key information + details to help you plan your visit or tour to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, located just outside Phnom Penh.

Updated October 2024

As explained in our main guide to Cambodia’s capital, any first-time visit to Phnom Penh will be underpinned by a sense of grief and melancholy.

Through the brief yet barbaric actions of the communist Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, Cambodia was devastated. It’s estimated that 1.7 million (or 21 per cent of the population) lost their lives during their genocidal four-year reign of mass torture, starvation, and murder.

Some studies put that figure even higher, at around 2.2 million.

Learning about the dark underbelly of Cambodia’s relatively recent past is therefore not simply an optional activity in Phnom Penh – it is absolutely vital.

Its scars, both seen and unseen, continue to shape the country’s narrative, demographics, and its ability to move forward. As a visitor, we must learn and reflect upon this period during our time exploring Cambodia.

No matter your age, your background, your budget, your travel style, two sombre sites in and around Phnom Penh should be visited across a single morning and afternoon – the killing fields at Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre and Tuol Sleng S-21 Prison (also known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum).

Both convey a sombre, sobering, and shocking experience upon visitors.

In this article, we’ve shared all the necessary details to help you plan and prepare for your visit to the killing fields outside Phnom Penh, including information on transport, what to expect, tours, and how to act respectfully once there.

You can find all the necessary details to plan your visit to Tuol Sleng S-21 Prison in our other post, 13 Things To Do in Phnom Penh.

Travel Tip // If you’ve come to this post because you’re looking for a Phnom Penh Killing Fields tour, this is an excellent option that also includes the S-21 Prison plus a knowledgeable guide and round-trip transport.

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Long-time readers of Along Dusty Roads may be a little surprised that this post contains no photos. The truth is that during our visit to both Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng S-21, we had absolutely no inclination to take out our cameras, let alone take any photos.

It didn’t feel appropriate, it didn’t feel right, and it just didn’t feel necessary.

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What Are The Phnom Penh Killing Fields?

There are thought to have been 300 ‘killing fields’ across Cambodia, but the figure is likely higher.

Each served as an execution site for the Khmer Rouge during its four-year reign of terror (1975-79).

Due to its proximity to the capital city, Choeung Ek is the most well-known and infamous of the fields. It’s estimated that within the confines of this once-upon-a-time orchard, up to 17,000 Cambodians were killed.

Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, infants.

Many were transported directly from the city’s schoolhouse Tuol Sleng S21 prison. A fatal blow to the head or slit throat was the preferred method of execution, so that precious bullets could be preserved for more ‘meaningful’ endeavours. Within the site, the tree upon which babies were battered to death by boy soldiers, still stands.

Following the fall of Pol Pot’s genocidal regime, the remains of 8,985 people were exhumed from mass graves at Choeung Ek: a further 43 graves remain in place, untouched.

Thousands of tourists visit the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre every year, and today the site acts as both a memorial to the atrocities which occurred here and an open-air museum for visitors to learn and reflect.

And yet, it will always be the site of a slaughter, and the final resting place for thousands of innocent, unknown Cambodians.

A resting place where fragments of bone and rags lay in the dust and dirt in the ground beneath and beside you, and skulls are piled high like bricks.

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Should You Visit The Killing Fields?

Undoubtedly, unequivocally, and unreservedly, yes.

Travel is not simply about exploring beautiful places, having fun at the beach, or eating amazing street food. Those are, of course, essential ingredients to certain trips (and all feature heavily on our recommended Cambodia itinerary), but they should not be the only reason we venture to places.

Exposing ourselves to uncomfortable pasts and presents, enhancing our learning and understanding of the world, and confronting our beliefs or values, are all as integral the authentic travel experience.

Visiting the Phnom Penh killing fields, and other memorials to Cambodia’s brutal communist regime, is not fun. It is both emotional and disturbing. It weighs heavy on the soul. However, it is essential to not only informing your understanding of the country, but informing your understanding of humanity.

Respect is however key: this mass grave & memorial is an attraction which many tourists visit, but it should in no way be viewed or treated as a tourist attraction.

We have shared more advice on how to visit the killing fields responsibly and respectfully at the end of this post.

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The Essentials

Opening Times | Open daily, from 7.30 am – 5.30 pm.

Entry Cost | Admission to the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre is $6 USD per person, which includes a multilingual audio guide + headphones. The audio guide adds depth and perspective to the visit, and is highly recommended. There is also a small museum on site.

Payment is cash only, and note that most day-trip tours from Phnom Penh will not include your entry fee.

When To Visit | It’s best to arrive early in the morning when it is much cooler and the site less crowded. However, many people do opt to visit Tuol Sleng S-21 before travelling the Killing Fields later in the afternoon. Whatever you do is down to personal preference.

Time Required | Around 4 hours. We’d recommend spending at least 60-90 minutes at the site overall, but transport to / from Phnom Penh is one hour one-way.

Facilities | Modern toilets are within the site, whilst there are one or two people selling drinks and snacks in the shade.

Guide Required? | A guide is not mandatory, and the included audio guide is roundly viewed as excellent. The site itself is quite small and the wooden walkway trail is clearly laid out, alongside a handful of simple explanation signs in English.

During our own visit, our group did have a guide, Ran, who grew up in the age of the Khmer Rouge and lost five siblings by their hand. His explanations and experience added unique depth and perspectives on the visit and we’d highly recommend visiting with a similarly knowledgeable guide to add depth to the experience. This Killing Fields tour also includes time at Tuol Sleng Prison and has hundreds of really excellent reviews.

Transport | See How To Visit The Phnom Penh Killing Fields section below for full information.

What To Bring | Cash, a hat, water, suncream, and appropriate clothing. Visitors are not permitted to wear clothing which exposes their back, shoulders, knees, or midriffs, and the dress code at the site specifically prohibits sleeveless shirts, crop tops, skin-tight clothing, and short shorts (above the knee). We have shared more advice on how to visit the killing fields respectfully + responsibly at the end of this post.

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How To Visit The Phnom Penh Killing Fields

The killing fields now form part of the larger Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre, situated 11 kms from the centre of Phnom Penh. Depending on traffic, it’s a 45-60 minute journey away from the city centre.

It’s possible to visit the site by private taxi or tuk-tuk, as part of a Phnom Penh Killing Fields tour, and even with the public bus network. Here are the key costs + details to help you plan for each:

1. Public Bus

Update 2024 | After some confusion about whether there was a public bus running, a lovely reader has let us know that it definitely seems to exist! Previously it was the 4C from the city centre, but it is now the 11B. A single jounrey costs 1,500 KHR and the buses run every 30 minutes.

If you plan on using the bus network we recommend downloading the ‘City Bus Official App’, a live bus app that shows all the lines, stops, and current location of all the buses (Google Play / Apple).

Although this is the cheapest option by far for independent travellers, note that you’re going to be wholly dependent on the bus schedule for the return journey to the city centre. Online reports from travellers mention waiting over an hour.

An alternative for those who would like to make their own way there is to rent a motorbike, which costs approximately $6 for the day. Obviously this is only a option for those that feel confident driving on busy South East Asian roads!

Cost | 1,500 KHR ($0.35) per person one-way. Pay on board with exact change.

Time | 60 minutes, depending on traffic

2. Half-Day Phnom Penh Killing Fields Tours

Taking a half-day tour of the killing fields from Phnom Penh is a convenient option for a number of visitors, particularly as you will likely visit the site on your first full day in the city. Two well-rated and recommended options are:

Phnom Penh Killing Fields and S21 ‘Hop-on-Hop-off’ Joint Tour | Although the name jars, it’s the most affordable tour option available to book online. It includes free pick-up / drop-off from central hotels and hostels in an air-con bus, and the choice of a morning or afternoon departure. It also includes time at Tuol Sleng S21 prison.

The Killing Field and Toul Sleng Genocide Museum Tour | This four-hour tour includes a guided visit to both sites alongside round-trip transfer from your accommodation. Note entry fees are not included, but the tour is very reasonably prices, and has literally hundreds and hundreds of excellent reviews.

Phnom Penh Killing Fields Tour : 4-Hour Guided Tour | This small-group morning tour with a private English-speaking guide provides a more detailed, intimate, and in-depth experience of just the Phnom Penh Killing Fields.

Hostels in Phnom Penh, such as Mad Monkey, also run daily group tours to the site which you can put your name down for the day beforehand.

3. Hire A Tuk-Tuk or Taxi

If you don’t opt wish to opt for a motorbike or a tour, you can sort your own taxi or tuk-tuk transport from Phnom Penh.

The standard practice is to find a driver on the street and agree a single fee to travel out to the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre where he will wait for an agreed amount of time (90 minutes is what we’d recommend) before bringing you back to the city.

As always in Cambodia with tuk-tuks, you need to agree the full, total fare clearly in advance.

If you don’t fancy doing the negotiations on the streets in the early morning of your first day in Phnom Penh, simply ask your hostel or hotel reception to advise. They’ll be used to doing it for guests, and can make sure you have a clear idea on price and confidence in security. Many will have a guy they usually use too.

Alternatively, as we mention in 23 Things To Know Before You Visit Cambodia, both Pass App and Grab are popular ride-hailing apps in Cambodia. Although they’re best used for arranging one-way taxi or tuk-tuk trips, we’ve read a few traveller reports online where they booked a driver out to Choeung Ek via the app, he agreed to wait for them there, and they then paid him the agreed one-way return fare directly plus an extra dollar.

Cost | $15 round-trip for a tuk-tuk, $25 for a taxi – prices include waiting time. If you are a group of 3 or more, expect prices to be a little more.

Time | 45-60 minutes, depending on traffic.

Tip | If you wish to also visit Tuol Sleng S21 on the way there or on the way back with your driver, this is possible but will increase the tuk-tuk price to around $20.

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How To Visit the Killing Fields Responsibly & Respectfully

As we’ve hopefully made clear, this is not a tourist attraction. It’s a serious site, a mass grave, and a memorial.

This is not the place in Cambodia to come and act like a dickhead.

It’s a small site overall too, so respect is not just important due to the gravity of what happened here, but also to your fellow visitors.

Although your emotional response and experience of the killing fields will be subjective, there are clear objective rules and guidelines in place for visitors to the site. These are all on the signs within Choeung Ek, but it obviously helps to know them in advance to help you prepare.

Alongside your common sense, we strongly advise you to follow them:

Dress modestly | Visitors are not permitted to have clothing which exposes their back, shoulders, knees, or midriffs. The dress code at the site specifically prohibits sleeveless shirts, crop tops, skin-tight clothing, and short shorts (above the knee).

No loud noises | Visitors are advised to stay quiet throughout their time in the centre – this doesn’t mean silence, but it means being aware of your surroundings when talking in the site.

Don’t take anything | It should go without saying, but you are forbidden from taking any bones or other items out of the site.

Shoe removal | If visiting the Memorial Stupa tower, which houses thousands of skulls and is a focal point of the killing fields visit, you have to remove your shoes before walking up the steps.

As explained at the start of this post and in an Instagram Story which resonated with many of our readers, we actually chose not to take any photos during our visits to the killing fields and Tuol Sleng – this is very, very rare for us (particularly as it’s sort of our job to take photos). That was a personal choice, and whilst we are not saying that you should’t take any photos at these sites, please just be sensitive to what you’re taking photos of, how you’re taking them, and consider whether a photo is actually necessary before taking it.

What would you do at Auschwitz?

Lastly although it’s difficult in a group with new people, please do your best to encourage responsible, respectful tourism practices from others who may not have done as much research or reading as you – we’d really appreciate it.

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