Travelling around Cambodia
Quickest way to travel in Cambodia
d Posts: 13
Hi,
I am going to Cambodia in June and wanted to know the best and quickest way to travel?
Are there any trains In cambodia and how easy is it to travel around the country?
Please advise.
I have 3 weeks to see as much of Cambodia therefore need fast transportation.
Thanks Reply to this
I am going to Cambodia in June and wanted to know the best and quickest way to travel?
Are there any trains In cambodia and how easy is it to travel around the country?
Please advise.
I have 3 weeks to see as much of Cambodia therefore need fast transportation.
Thanks Reply to this
N Posts: 8
hello,
the fastest and cheapest would be to take the buses but of course be prepared because they are quite old (we didn't have any problems though when we took the buses but we met other backpackers who told us their bus broke down, aircond etc not working), bus tickets cost around US$ 5.
there are trains in cambodia but they are quite slow. which parts of cambodia are you planning on visiting?
aida Reply to this
the fastest and cheapest would be to take the buses but of course be prepared because they are quite old (we didn't have any problems though when we took the buses but we met other backpackers who told us their bus broke down, aircond etc not working), bus tickets cost around US$ 5.
there are trains in cambodia but they are quite slow. which parts of cambodia are you planning on visiting?
aida Reply to this
N Posts: 2
Hello Bally,
I was in Cambodia for a couple of months the year before last. Transportation is not particularly fast but not that expensive. Local buses are the best option but it is not that easy to devise a circular route to take in all places of interest. Roads radiate out from Phnom Penh in all directions but we found that you have to keep returning to Phnom Penh as base, before setting out to another destination. You can circumnavigate the Tonle Sap (big lake in the middle) by taking buses up one side and down the other but it is longwinded and takes ages.
Suggest you travel the north side from Phnom Penh via Kampong Thom to Siem Reap. (The suggested boat trips from phnom Penh to Siem Reap up the Tonle Sap were not running when we were there but are apparently laborious) Word of warning though:- The buses all stop at Skun - big tourist attraction where they sell large spiders as a local delicacy. We don't usually take in the 'tourist traps' but we definitely got 'taken in' here. It is only a roadstop with refreshments but whilst you are out taking photos of plates of spiders dripping with oil, some local lads will undoubtedly be crawling along the floor of your bus to rip off your rucksacks and take any cash they can find. My friend and I both got back to the bus to find our luggage had been well and quickly raided - but I have to say they only took cash. All our ID, plain tickets, passports etc were still in tact. We had to put this down to experience and calmed ourselves by thinking we had made a considerable donation to a very impoverished country. At least it is 'considerate theft' and we were not disabled too much.
Well, you will undoubtedly wish to go to Siem Reap and probably visit Angkor Wat (we didn't go to the wat, but most do). Once in Siem Reap there is an unmissable journey to take - the hightlight of our trip - the boat journey from Siem Reap to Battambang which crosses the northern end of the Tonle Sap and heads down a river past fisheries and local river communities. Well worth the trip but it leaves around 7am in the morning from Siem Reap (most guest houses will arrange early morning minibus pick up to get you to the ferry). It was very cold at this time of day out on the water - you need to wrap up, then peel off later when the sun comes out, and don't get alarmed if the boat breaks down, quite normal- our boat actually caught fire!, but it is a very interesting journey and I would not have missed it for the world.
Take another bus out from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville to sample the coast. Not as inspiring as Thailand's coasts but from there you can take a ferry north to Koh Kong and on to Trat by van if you wish to cross over to Thailand for a bit of variety; or take buses south to Kampot and Kep (well worth the visit). The crab market at Kep serves amazing food. Restaurants are more expensive but not by western standards - and look out for a local delicacy, served after food - milk fruit, only found in Cambodia; nowhere else in the world grows this exquisite fruit. If you're into cooking, bring home with you some Kampot peppercorns. Arguably one of the best peppers in the world and reputedly used in every French restaurant of note. Wonderful stuff, great flavour - I bought a kilo and am still using it.
As for local transport, taxis are cheap and easy to negotiate. Don't take a rickshaw in Phnom Penh as it would take you all day to reach your destination. Motor bike taxis are the best bet, but haggle.
Bus station in Phnom Penh is around Central market and easy to find but a lot of transport goes from Capitol Guesthouse which is probably one of the biggest backpacker places. Book buses from here (even a trip to Ho Chi Minh City in Viet nam), but the place is frenetic and the food and accommodation is crap (excuse me!).
For information, the visitor's guide books produced by Canby publications, covering seperately Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap etc. cover maps, transportation, accommodation etc and were invaluable. They are widely available around guesthouses, shops and information places.=, or try looking up www.canbypublications.com Try also 'Tales of Asia' website on Cambodia.
As a footnote, don't bother trying to look for trains. They take longer than buses, cannot be relied on, and the trainroute we looked for was no longer running.
Hope this has been useful. Just writing all this out has brought back so many memories, but I'm off to Sri Lanka in a couple of weeks for something different. Have a good trip,
Sheila Reply to this
I was in Cambodia for a couple of months the year before last. Transportation is not particularly fast but not that expensive. Local buses are the best option but it is not that easy to devise a circular route to take in all places of interest. Roads radiate out from Phnom Penh in all directions but we found that you have to keep returning to Phnom Penh as base, before setting out to another destination. You can circumnavigate the Tonle Sap (big lake in the middle) by taking buses up one side and down the other but it is longwinded and takes ages.
Suggest you travel the north side from Phnom Penh via Kampong Thom to Siem Reap. (The suggested boat trips from phnom Penh to Siem Reap up the Tonle Sap were not running when we were there but are apparently laborious) Word of warning though:- The buses all stop at Skun - big tourist attraction where they sell large spiders as a local delicacy. We don't usually take in the 'tourist traps' but we definitely got 'taken in' here. It is only a roadstop with refreshments but whilst you are out taking photos of plates of spiders dripping with oil, some local lads will undoubtedly be crawling along the floor of your bus to rip off your rucksacks and take any cash they can find. My friend and I both got back to the bus to find our luggage had been well and quickly raided - but I have to say they only took cash. All our ID, plain tickets, passports etc were still in tact. We had to put this down to experience and calmed ourselves by thinking we had made a considerable donation to a very impoverished country. At least it is 'considerate theft' and we were not disabled too much.
Well, you will undoubtedly wish to go to Siem Reap and probably visit Angkor Wat (we didn't go to the wat, but most do). Once in Siem Reap there is an unmissable journey to take - the hightlight of our trip - the boat journey from Siem Reap to Battambang which crosses the northern end of the Tonle Sap and heads down a river past fisheries and local river communities. Well worth the trip but it leaves around 7am in the morning from Siem Reap (most guest houses will arrange early morning minibus pick up to get you to the ferry). It was very cold at this time of day out on the water - you need to wrap up, then peel off later when the sun comes out, and don't get alarmed if the boat breaks down, quite normal- our boat actually caught fire!, but it is a very interesting journey and I would not have missed it for the world.
Take another bus out from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville to sample the coast. Not as inspiring as Thailand's coasts but from there you can take a ferry north to Koh Kong and on to Trat by van if you wish to cross over to Thailand for a bit of variety; or take buses south to Kampot and Kep (well worth the visit). The crab market at Kep serves amazing food. Restaurants are more expensive but not by western standards - and look out for a local delicacy, served after food - milk fruit, only found in Cambodia; nowhere else in the world grows this exquisite fruit. If you're into cooking, bring home with you some Kampot peppercorns. Arguably one of the best peppers in the world and reputedly used in every French restaurant of note. Wonderful stuff, great flavour - I bought a kilo and am still using it.
As for local transport, taxis are cheap and easy to negotiate. Don't take a rickshaw in Phnom Penh as it would take you all day to reach your destination. Motor bike taxis are the best bet, but haggle.
Bus station in Phnom Penh is around Central market and easy to find but a lot of transport goes from Capitol Guesthouse which is probably one of the biggest backpacker places. Book buses from here (even a trip to Ho Chi Minh City in Viet nam), but the place is frenetic and the food and accommodation is crap (excuse me!).
For information, the visitor's guide books produced by Canby publications, covering seperately Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap etc. cover maps, transportation, accommodation etc and were invaluable. They are widely available around guesthouses, shops and information places.=, or try looking up www.canbypublications.com Try also 'Tales of Asia' website on Cambodia.
As a footnote, don't bother trying to look for trains. They take longer than buses, cannot be relied on, and the trainroute we looked for was no longer running.
Hope this has been useful. Just writing all this out has brought back so many memories, but I'm off to Sri Lanka in a couple of weeks for something different. Have a good trip,
Sheila Reply to this