Cambodia -- Traveler Advice -- Transportation |
[Mon 29 Jan, 21:35] Does anyone know how long the road journey from Siem Riep to Poipet is? Is the road in good condition? Are there any other risks on that journey? Thank you for any answers. [Mon 29 Jan, 21:52] 5-8 hours depending on weather, traffic and road conditionms. The road is in horrible shape. There are no significant security concerns. The greatest danger is to your posterior as you will be in an old pickup truck bouncing down one of the worst roads in SEA. It makes for a nice little adventure though. Happy travels [Mon 29 Jan, 22:29] You really should consider to go by boat from Siem Reap to Battambang and then continiue by road to Poipet. The boatride is 15 bucks, but its one of the most underrated journeys in Cambodia. The scenery is stunning - much better than the boatride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap.... If you are that kind of tourist who is willing to spend a few more money and then have a great experience, then you shall avoid the "shit road" between Siem Reap and Sisophon. Anonymous [Tue 30 Jan, 01:03] #2 Mr. Kite is correct about the boat trip between Siem Reap and Battambang being very scenic. However, if you're only seeking to avoid a bad road, then this is no longer a good option because as of late, the stretch of road between Sisophon and Siem Reap is in better shape than the stretch of road between Sisophon and Poipet. [Tue 30 Jan, 01:17] I took the Poipet - Sisophon rd last May and found it OK. Has it deteriorated that much? The real bad stretch of that road was Sisophon to Siem Riep and in comparison the Poipet - Sisophon road was a little rough in places but fine. After taking the road the first time (an agonising 9 hours) now I always go via Battambang which is a far better option. [Tue 30 Jan, 02:45] No. 4: You got it right and this due to your own experience. [Tue 30 Jan, 02:52] Number #5, this is #3. The point of my post was that historically the worse part of the road was from Sisophon to Siem Reap - which helped popularize the boat trip to Battambang. However, recent repairs made after this year's flooding saw this section improve considerably - I did the trip four times in December and early January and the Sisophon to Siem Reap stretch was definitely the better of the two. As of my last trip (January 2) they were just beginning to make some repairs near Poipet. [Tue 30 Jan, 05:24] #6, [Tue 30 Jan, 11:18] #7- ----------------------------------- [Mon 5 Feb, 18:31] Can someone tell me if it's cheaper and less hassle to buy a 30 day visa for Cambodia in Bangkok or should I wait till I get to the border at Aranya Prathet- Poipet? Similarly, is it easier to get a Khao San Road tourist bus up to Aranya Prathet and then make my own travel arrangements or should I just go to the Northern Bus station and hop on a bus there? Thanks in advance. [Mon 5 Feb, 18:41] [...] The KSR tourist bus is less hassle but a few dollars more expensive. Yes, you can go to Morchit (Northern Bus Terminal) get the bus, walk across the border - Ignore anybody that offers to carry your bags or assist you with your visa/entry/exit. They're scammers. Pass through Poipet immigration and walk up to the circle to get a truck to Siem Reap. You will be followed by several truck touts. You won't be able to get rid of them but don't talk to them, either. Find a truck and offer half what he asks and walk away if he says no. The biggest advantage to the KSR van/truck ticket is it speeds up and simplifies the pick-up truck process. Getting my own truck has left me waiting in Sisophon for as long as three hours changing trucks and waiting for a new set of passengers. -------------------------------------- [Thu 8 Feb, 03:43] Does anyone know of a convenient land route from Bangkok to Angkor Wat? How much does it cost? Any advice would be appreciated!! [Thu 8 Feb, 04:18] Convenient is a broad term- do you mean fast, cheap, or comfortable? Depending on your budget, here are three suggestions- flying direct to Siem Reap, flying to Phnom Penh and then taking a Channa to Siem Reap, or taking a bus to Phnom Penh and then a Channa to Siem Reap. A Channa (hydrofoil speedboat) will get you to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh in six hours, and is a fairly smooth and comfortable ride. [Thu 8 Feb, 05:04] Bangkok to Aranya Prathet/ Poipet by train or bus (4-6 hrs) If you need more info about travel in SEAsia email solutionsatinsiteasia@yahoo.com [Thu 8 Feb, 08:55] definitely take the Battambang route from Poipet, the road from sisophon to Siam Reap is only for hell-seekers. Mind, from Poipet to Battambang in a pick up taxi it will probably take nearer four and half hours rather than 3 and involve a change of vehicle in sisophon and if you aim to be at the border by 1 p.m. from Bangkok, clear of Cambodian customs etc by 3, you should get to Battambang same day around 7 or 7.30 but not much earlier. Enjoy the trip, enjoy Cambodia, we did. [Thu 8 Feb, 13:52] #3 - when did you last do the overland route? I crossed four times in December and early January and found the Sisophon > Siem Reap stretch in better condition than the Poipet > Sisophon stretch which one must go over even if going to Battambang. In November they put fresh dirt down on a large part of the Siem Reap > Sisophon area that really smoothed things out. Of course, by January the dirt was already blowing away... --------------------------------------- [Wed 7 Feb, 17:47] I don't have much time to travel, so I can't wait arund in Bagkok for a Cambodian visa (Besides, I've been to Bangkok 4 times already!) So here is my plan; Arrive in Bangkok and depart for Siem Reap overland the following day, spend as much time as possible around Angkor, and then go back to Bangkok for a trip to Malaysia. My questions are: 1. If you go to the border with a Khao San Road tour ticket, and don't have a visa, will you be processed quickly enough to make your connection on the truck to Siem Reap? Someone who has experience with this type of situation, please reply. Thanks! [Wed 7 Feb, 18:44] Don't EVER get a Khao San Rd. ticket. It's ridiculously easy to just go to the border and do it all yourself. there are a few scams but just do a search on this bulletin board for poipet and you'll probably find out about them. [Wed 7 Feb, 19:34] The only advantage to the KSR ticket is that you avoid the time-wasting ordeal of changing pick-up trucks in Sisophon. I have done a few BKK > Siem Reap trips and had one wait of over three hours. No waiting with the KSR ticket. It's a little more expensive but I see it as six of one, half dozen of the other. [Thu 8 Feb, 09:14] Tourist bus from Bangkok to the border at Aranyaprathet costs 300 baht in a tourist pick up minibus from Kao San road, picks up around 6.30 or 7 a.m. and you get to the border between 12 noon and 1 p.m.; have some lunch at the border cafe, walk across the border yourself without any help, its only a 100 metre walk to the start point, insist on paying in Dollars US 20 though they will take baht from you at higher rate if you choose this way. fill the Form out at the visa booth not in the cafe with one of the Agents who will charge you perhaps 50% more. You must then walk to a separate Kiosk to authorise your entry into Cambodia and then obtain a Quarantine Certificate which you will have to show when you leave by land (but not by air); it costs US 1 or 40 baht if you do not have your International Vaccination Card available given to you by your Doctor after update on all your jabs, so have that ready. takes about an hour all told, aim to take a pick up truck from Poipet by 3 p.m. as its a 4 hour ride to Battambang arrive around 7 p.m., a nice relaxing intro to Cambodia - alternatively a bumpy hellish 9 hour ride to siam Reap, perhaps arrive midnight; as others and I have said on other postings, boat ride Battambang to Siam Reap is excellent and you are on holiday after all, dont forget that in the haste to get from A to B, so enjoy yourself. Mr Kites tip to me on this trip back in November was appreciated, if you travel with others, negotiate for exclusive use of the pick-up cab for say 600 baht but a few hours in the outer part wont do you any harm. -------------------------------- [Tue 6 Feb, 23:09] Just made the trip on a pickup, and it is as bad as everyone says. Other people got a mini-bus for about $12. It was longer but they arrived clean. The touts on the Thai side were setting it up. If you do go in the pick-up (150B), ride in the cab. They are "fining" you for not having the health card when leaving Cambodia to Vietnam at Moc Boi, as well as entering at Poipet. They make you fill out a yellow form and then give you a white form if you have a vaccination certificate ( or some dollar amount). Nobody ever checks the white form so just ignore the guy if you can. [Wed 7 Feb, 10:16] Just ignore the whole health certificate thing. If they don't ask, don't offer it when you hand off your passport when entering Cambodia. In our case, they didn't bother with the health card stuff and we just had to fill out the white arrival/departure form. No trouble leaving either. -------------------------------------- [Tue 6 Feb, 16:47] Is it possible for me to fly from Bangkok into Siem Reap and out of Phnom Penh? and how is transport from SR to PP? Thanks for your help [Tue 6 Feb, 17:18] Visa on arrival in Siem Reap $25 Visa on arrival in Siem Reap and in Phnom Penh is only USD 20 for tourist. IT's 25 for business. You need one passport photo. Bangkok Airways flies direct from Bangkok into Siem Reap as well as Phnom Penh. There are 3 airlines operating flights between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh - smallish but good. One way is around $50. Other options include the boat, which is $25 one way. It's a nice journey and takes about 5 1/2 hours. If you will be sitting on the roof, take sunscreen and a hat - it gets bloody hot up there. You can also go by bus or taxi. This is cheaper, although you still have to pay a foreigners way. It's takes longer and is quite bumpier. I would recommend the boat. It's all pretty straight forward. Any hotel or guesthouse you stay should be able to arrange the boat for you. The visa is simple - the majority of people get it on arrival at the airport. It's very easy so long as you fill the form out, have $20 cash and a photo. All the best for your trip, you should enjoy it! [Wed 7 Feb, 05:13] #2's price for a tourist visa upon arrival [both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh] is correct--U$20. It's U$25 for a business visa. You can book an open jaw ticket for flying into Siem Reap and leaving from Phnom Penh back to Bangkok but it costs more than a regular roundtrip fare. In December/January, travel agencies in Bangkok were charging ~U$270 RT BKK-Siem Reap--BKK with Bangkok Airways [which offers 4-5 flights per day]. Royal Air Cambodge was charging slightly less than U$200 for the same RT route, but offered only one scheduled flight per day [sometimes chartered flights had space and you can luck out if scheduled flights are booked]. In Siem Reap, you can also contact Smiley's Guesthouse for a helicopter ride from SR to PP for U$40. However, the flight is not daily and is subject to when a military helicopter needs to return to/from PP. Otherwise, like post #2 I would recommend taking the daily morning fast-boat to/from PP; definitely more comfortable than on the back of a pickup to/from PP. ----------------------------------- [Mon 12 Feb, 13:04] [...] [Mon 12 Feb, 13:24] Went in July and stayed in Sisaphong overnite then Battambong next day(3hrs) [Tue 13 Feb, 00:28] [...] If you need more info about travel in SEAsia email solutionsatinsiteasia@yahoo.com [Tue 13 Feb, 00:36] OOPS. Forgot to mention that trains leave Aranya Prathet at 0630 and arrive in BKK 1150 (48B) or 1355 arr BKK 1955. ---------------------------------- [Sun 11 Feb, 22:41] Has anybody travelled from Bangkok to Phnom Penh [Mon 12 Feb, 03:58] I went by Minbus. I say minubus, but once you get to the Cambodia border you transfer to a truck. This was the only way to travel as the road is so bad. Its 8 hours from the border, sitting on your backpack on the worst road, no continuous pothole, you have even encountered. And thats just to get to Ankor, which is definately worth the visit, despite all the american tourists that flew in luxury! You can get the Visas at the border now, no problem. [Mon 12 Feb, 04:50] The train is very, very miserable (I only did PP-Battambang). Suggest you do Poipet to Siem Reap by truck (you can get the whole of the two front seats in the aircon cab for US$10-15) and then do Siem Reap to PP by fast boat. This premium over sitting on a backpack in clouds of dust at the back will be the best $10 you ever spent! To do the whole stretch Bangkok to PP without a break would be utterly exhausting. [Mon 12 Feb, 07:54] I do not think that anyone did it in the last 30+ yrs. And believe me: taking into account all the dust you will otherwise eat, various "taxes" you will have to pay to the corrupt border officials, etc., ... flying becomes much less expensive. [Mon 12 Feb, 09:35] i'm sure the train to poipet (or arranyapethet) from bangkok is of the same standard of all thai trains, which are nice... the train in cambodia is a completely different story... it's very, very slow, very very overcrowded and, especially at this time of year, very, very hot... you will no doubt end up sitting outside on the roof under a blazing sun for the time it takes to go from battambang to PP... i'm not sure if it runs all the way to poipet; i don't think so... [Mon 12 Feb, 10:56] #3 - Overland is much much chaeper than flying. Period. [Mon 12 Feb, 11:15] If you just want to get from Bangkok to PP the best way is to go via Koh Kong on the south coast. Good roads ---------------------------------- Hi Raj. I just came from there a week ago. It's no problem at all to No, at Poipet, they accept Thai Baht exclusively, not dollars. It's Also, about the taxis leaving from Poipet into Cambodia... When you say It's not a big thing, but what happens is that the drivers from Poipet So when you talk with the drivers in Poipet, it may be a good idea to Also, you may be interested to note that conditions in the area have ------------------------------------------- [Sun 11 Mar, 20:21] What airlines and what are the prices (US$) to fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap one way. [Sun 11 Mar, 22:45] Bangkok Airways has 3-4 flights a day to Siem Reap, I just booked Chiang Mai-Siem Reap-Bangkok and the cost was about $280 so probably will be $150 one way. There is a good Bangkok Airways site whose address escapes me at present, with full flight times and prices. [Mon 12 Mar, 00:16] 137.50 from Bangkok to Siem Reap [Mon 12 Mar, 05:53] Bangkok Airways website at www.bangkokair.com . 6040 bht about $140. You can fly a bit cheaper with Royal Air Cambodge but their acft is a 32 year old B737, so I'd go Bangkok Air. ------------------------------------- [Mon 12 Mar, 23:23] I will arrive in Bangkok tomorrow and plan to go on to Cambodia as soon as possible. I would like to fly to Pnom Penh, then take a boat to Siem Reap, visit Angkor Wat for some days and fly back to Bangkok. Do you have any recommondations where to get cheap flights, good hotels etc? Is anybody doing the same route, maybe we can go together? [Mon 12 Mar, 23:48] Sounds like a blast, went on the same trip myself last August, only I stated in SR. Talk to Thai air or Bangkok air, they have flights leaving several times a day for SR and PP. [...] The boats great but ride not he roof, trust me, if it should go down, it's safe but so was the Titanic, you will have a fighting chance, if inside...well you saw Titanic. [...] [Tue 13 Mar, 00:35] Poster# 1, got it right and wrong. I just got back from Siem Reap (Angkor) and had my fifth stay there in as many years. There are two good ways to go cheap overland from thailand. Aranyaprathet/Poipet; Hat Lek/ Kompong Som (by boat). Or fly to Phnom Penh or directly to Siem reap from BKK for 10 to 12 000 Baht return. All the options have visa on the border for 20USD, airport departure tax from PP: 20$; from SR: 8$; overland: none.The boat PP to SR is a wonderfull trip and best enjoyed on the roof, and costs 23 USD. All you do on the tourist trail is safe, riding the motorbikes is fun and OK! [...] --------------------------------------- [Mon 12 Mar, 19:57] We're planning to travel from Phnom Penh to Battambang in the next coupla months and as the roads are so bad we were wondering about flying. Has anyone out there done this trip? Is it safe to fly? Which airlines? Any other recommendations? Many thanks. [Mon 12 Mar, 22:01] Royal Phnom Penh Air flies PNH to Battambang daily $45us on Russian built AN24 aircraft. Here is their website: http://www.royalpnhair.com [Tue 13 Mar, 00:40] The road between Phnom Penh and Battambang ain't too bad. Takes about six hours to get there. -------------------------------------- |