I'd like to have some information about the boat trip from Phnom Pehn to Siem Reap. I'll be in Cambodia on december 21th, people who have been in the past told me that this trip is unavalaible at the moment. Could someone confirm this information? Thanks in advance fior the cooperation.
Reply to this Hi,
Are you planning to take the 'express ferry' or a cruise boat?
Not sure about a cruise boat, but we attempted this trip on the 'express boat' only two days ago so I think this will be about the most current info available.
In short - DONT! - catch the bus. It doesnt matter how crazy the driving appears because they are, generally, safe.
The boats are not.
We were held against our will on a sinking ferry from Siem Reap for over 4.5 hours because the driver had to "save face" and not return to his original port. The boat started taking on water about 15-20 mins into the estimated 5 hour journey. There were some attempts by crew to fix the leak (a hole at the waterline) but soon our "bucket brigade" (organise by passengers not crew) were heaving water overboard at a rate of about 1 bathtub per minute. Still the captain refused to take us to land. We began preparing ourselves for the worst however (to our disgust and horror) there were approx 125 passengers and only approximately half that number of life jackets - some very difficult decisions were made. After many calls (using intermitent mobile reception) for help were made, we were finally rescued by police who seized the boat and took it to port around Kompong Chhnang. We then continued our journey to Phnom Penh by crazy taxi.
Reply to this About two weeks ago, I looked at the bus vs. boat option and chose the bus.
Time is about the same (little longer for the bus), cost is about the same (bus is a little cheaper), and it was easy to buy tickets to either choice.
I was told that the boat is cool for the first few minutes, but then you're traveling too fast to enjoy it (I'd also already done a four-hour boat trip the week prior, so I was pretty over boat travel). As for the 'availability,' I was told that the tide has a big impact on how close the shore you can get in Siem Reap.
This bus was one of the most comfortable rides of our seven month trip.
Best of luck!
Rachel
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