Bangkok to Siam Reap

[Dagobert 0]

Has anyone had any recent experiences with the travel from Bangkok to Siam Reap in Cambodia? Debating on flying, but I kind of want to have the overland experience...well, since the road is paved I have heard.

Cheers,

Alvin

[tyrismagoo 0]

I went in 2009. Took Bangkok airways for a fairly cheap price.

I never took the overland rout, but the paved roads in Siam Reap were some of the roughest and pothole infested I've ever seen.

One word of advice, keep a good amount of smaller bills handy. I had a hell of a time trying to break a hundred over there. Also I think the airport tax was $25 to enter and another $25 to leave.

Have fun it's a great place to go!

[Nonchalante 3]

My experience wasn't recent (went there with my college friends on 2008) but let see maybe you will have some idea.

We took a bus from Mochit station (around 2 or 3 am, not sure about the exact time), bus arrived to the border in early morning,

waited for about an hour for a visa on arrival. As there were 5 of us, so we hired taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap, again can't remember exactly how much did it cost I think it was around 1,300 - 1,500 baht. The road was really bumpy all the way to Siem Reap but bearable. Maybe it's better now. Cheers.

Edited September 5, 2011 by Nonchalante

[ThaitoUSA 15]

First traveled there in 2005, same way as Nonchalante, from Bangkok's northern bus terminal to the boarder (left around 5 am, got there around 9:30 am). Then hired a taxi in Poi Pet, the Cambodian boarder town, for about $25. Trip took about 4 1/2 hours on a largely unpaved surface; lots of dust, pot holes, chickens, bicyclists, and even a couple of downed bridges. Did the trip again in 2008 and the road was much better, only took about 3 hours. It is now completely paved, and I believe it can be done in 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Last time I checked, round trip plane tickets were about $400 per person. If you can afford it, flying is the way to go with regards to time saved and convenience. Using ground transportation is for the more adventurous souls.

I recommend the Two Dragons Guest House http://www.twodragons-asia.com/ We stayed with them both times and the owner Gordon arranged for taxi pick up (otherwise you can get seriously gouged at the border). Gordon has a Thai wife and a young son who split their time between Siam Reap and Bangkok. He is a knowledgeable guy and was of great assistance.

You can hire a motorcycle with carriage on the back to take you to the temples for about $8-$10 a day. The driver takes you wherever you wish to go and just sits in the back sleeping while you walk around. If you want the deluxe tour, you can rent an air conditioned van with private tour guide. We enjoyed doing it on our own with an excellent guide book entitled "Angkor" by Dawn Rooney. You can purchase a copy there from one of the innumerable children selling books for about $50-$10. It has most of the major temples in photographs and maps, a brief history of the civilization, glossary of terms, etc. Helped us understand what we were looking at.

I adored exploring the temples of Angkor and would recommend it to any traveler. I must also say that I saw some of the most violent and disturbing scenes while in Cambodia, far worse than Laos. Petty theft, scams, beggars, corruption abound and thousands of children with melt your heart looks on their faces trying to sell you bracelets and other trinkets. However, the worst incident involved a government vehicle, Mercedes, rolling through a group of bicyclists and running over two of them. Never even slowed down, just left the man to die by the side of the road. Life is not valued there as it is here.

If you have any further questions, feel free to inquire.

One final piece of advice is to avoid the "Happy" pizza sold throughout the town. Being that disoriented in an unknown and potentially dangerous environment is not wise.

[Dagobert 0]

Thanks for the great replies! Not planning on traveling to Siam Reap till November...the ground trip sounds like a exciting experience. More research to do....

Cheers,

Alvin

[googled 13]

Thanks for the great replies! Not planning on traveling to Siam Reap till November...the ground trip sounds like a exciting experience. More research to do....

Cheers,

Alvin

Alvin,

My brother's and father's names are both Alvin to. I do not know of to many other Alvin's, so I like your name.

I have never taken the bus all the way to Cambodia, but my wife lives in Prachin Buri province and I have taken the bus from the Mo Chit station in Bangkok to Prachin Buri with her quite often. It is about halfway to Cambodia.

The experience for me has always been good. There are always farangs on the bus and my wife tells me that they are usually always on their way to Cambodia. So I know people such as yourself do this all the time.

Hope this helps.