Taxi Poi Pet To Ankhor Wat

[nonthaburial]

A Chinese friend is taking her mother (70 yo) and two daughters to the Ankhor Wat tomorrow, via the border crossing at Poi Pet. They intend to take a taxi from there to the Wat.

This group although well travelled are in my opinion vulnerable. I do remember reading somewhere on TV a posting from someone who recommended a Taxi driver on the Cambodian side.

Does anyone have a good taxi driver contact for this trip ? OR what other alternatives are there

[Thanyaburi Mac]

A Chinese friend is taking her mother (70 yo) and two daughters to the Ankhor Wat tomorrow, via the border crossing at Poi Pet. They intend to take a taxi from there to the Wat.

This group although well travelled are in my opinion vulnerable. I do remember reading somewhere on TV a posting from someone who recommended a Taxi driver on the Cambodian side.

Does anyone have a good taxi driver contact for this trip ? OR what other alternatives are there

No recommendations except perhaps take a good pillow to sit on, have heard the road from Poi Pet, or perhaps Sisophon, on ain't in too good a condition, and this is, after all, the rainy season.

The Canby Publication guide both online and hard copy is quite good.  Below their info on land travel.  There is a map online.  

Mac

http://www.canbypublications.com/siemreap/srhome.htm

http://www.canbypublications.com/cambodia/overland.htm

Aranyaprathet, Thailand/Poipet , Cambodia 

Cambodian visas and Thai transit visas available on arrival at the border. Cambodian E-Visa accepted at this crossing. 

Open 08:00-20:00

Most overland travelers from Thailand to Siem Reap enter Cambodia through the Poipet/Aranyaprathet Border Crossing and either bus or taxi into Siem Reap. The route is popular and well-traveled though poor road conditions east of Sisophon continue to slow travel. Several other border crossing offer access to Siem Reap, but with more challanging travel conditions. Cambodian visas and 30-day Thai transit visas are available at all Thai border crossings. Cambodian authorities charge 1000 baht for a tourist visa rather than the usual US$20. Thai transit visas are free of charge. Other types of Thai visas are not available.

The Route: Bangkok to Siem Reap via the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border crossing

It’s a 465km, 9-12 hour trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap. The usual route begins with a 4-5 hour bus or a train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet (‘Aran’), the town on the Thai side near the border, then a short tuk-tuk ride the last 6 km to the border crossing to Poipet Cambodia. On the Cambodian side, National Route #5 from the border to the town of Sisophon is in good condition taking only about two hours. Much of the remainder of the route from Sisophon to Siem Reap is hardpack dirt which deteriorates during the rainy season. Dry season travel time is about 2-1/2 hours. Longer in the wet season. There are two options in planning an overland trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap: 1) buy a package ticket in Bangkok or Siem Reap, or 2) put it together yourself.

Option #1: Package Tickets

In Bangkok you can buy package tickets from travel agents. The price ranges from 400-800 baht. Regardless of the cost of the ticket, most travel agencies are sending customers to the same bus companies. When you buy your ticket, ask about the type of transportation you will be on, especially on the Cambodian side. Make sure it is a tour bus or full sized bus, not a pickup truck. 

You will depart Bangkok between 7AM and 8AM, arriving at the border crossing near Aranyaprathet 4-5 hours later. At the border, you will disembark and will be told how to locate your onward transportation on the Cambodian side of the border. The last leg of the trip to Siem Reap tends to be uncomfortably slow, due both to poor road conditions and the tendency of some bus companies to deliberately drag out the trip so that the passengers arrive in Siem Reap at night, who are then ‘delivered’ to a commission-paying guesthouse. Scam alert: Some travelers report they have purchased package tickets on Khao Sarn Road for a trip to Siem Reap via Poipet, but instead are taken through an alternate crossing point such as Pailin or O’Smach. Travel through these crossing points is longer, slower and more vulnerable to additional scams. Generally speaking, package trips going the opposite direction - from Siem Reap to Bangkok - are quicker and there’s less hassle. Arrange through your guesthouse, hotel or a travel agent.

Option #2: Do it yourself

1) From Bangkok take a bus or train to Aranyaprathet. Bus: 164-196 baht (first class), 140-155 baht (second class), 4 hours, departing the Northern Bus Terminal (Morchit), hourly from 4AM to 6PM. Train: 48 baht, 3rd class, 6 hours, departs Hualamphong Station twice daily (5:55AM and 1:05PM). 

2) From Aranyaprathet, take a moto or tuk-tuk from the bus station to the border for 50-60 baht, respectively. 

3) Cross the border - stamp out of Thailand, proceed to Cambodian immigration to get your visa and stamp in. This crossing has a reputation for scams. Touts will tell you that you need assistance to get a visa. This is not true. The process is straightforward and easy. Immigration has a reputation for overcharging travelers for the Cambodian visa, demanding 1000 - 1200 baht for a tourist visa rather than the official US$20. If you want to pay the right price, try being respectful but firm that you want to pay the official price of US$20. They may make you wait longer, but travelers report that this does sometimes work. Another way to avoid the overcharging is to get your visa in advance through a Cambodian embassy or an online e-visa for $25.  

4) On the Cambodian side, take a free shuttle bus to the transport station. From there you have options for transportation from Poipet through Sisophon and on to Siem Reap: a) Taxi; Official Bus; c) Tourist bus. Riding to the back of Siem Reap in the back of a pick-up truck is still possible, but very few people do it these days.

a) Taxi: $40-$70 for the whole car. 3-4 hours. This is the easiest, fastest, most comfortable, most expensive option. Share with other travelers and split the cost.

Official Tourist Bus: $10 for the official bus. Buses leave when full which can sometimes take quite a while. Slow. 

c) Package Tourist Buses: These are the same buses that the package ticket holders from Bangkok use. (See Option #1: Package Tickets.) Price is variable. Comfortable but often very slow. 4-6hrs. 

Taxis back to Poipet from Siem Reap should cost about the same, perhaps a bit less. Arrange through your guesthouse, hotel or a travel agent.

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