Driving To Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

[NorThai]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can  not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

Edited August 25, 2008 by NorThai

[siamamerican]

I was planning on doing the same thing in a few months. Hope someone can answer your questions.

[Soutpeel]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

Yes you can drive into Cambodia, but dont bother, I have done this once and it was a nightmare, +/-150km took 5 hours from the Thai border. The road when I went down was a 4 lane dirt road and nobody sticks to even the most basic rules of the road, cars you can handle, but when a big truck comes barrelling down on you on the "wrong" side of the road that something else. Would expect with all the rain, the road would be very muddy, so again unless driving a 4 X 4 wouldnt try it.

Have also heard stories (dont know how true) is that westerners driving vehicles run the risk of being hi-jacked by Cambodian bandits..

In summary, if you want to travel by land, go on an organised bus run, but the best way is to fly BKK direct to Siem Reip...travelled to Angkor 3 times by 3 different methods and trust me flying is the best way to go...

Whichever way you decide to go...visiting Angkor is well worth the effort

[terrier123]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT DRIVING YOURSELF. The road is unbelievably bad throughout the year. Dry season a desert; wet season a swamp. No gas stations - Gasoline is sold from jerry cans by hawks at the side of the road . Cross over the border in Arranyapatet - Poi Pet. Once in Cambodia, you must take a short bus ride about 500 meteres to the bus-station where you can hire a private or shared taxi to Angkor. Two years ago it was $35 and worth every cent. Or you can take the much cheaper and much slower bus. Be careful though as it is bandit country but safer and quicker in a taxi.

[aehn]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can  not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

Its ok, after all, you are norwegian

[Beardog]

Aww comon the taxi we took only blew 2 tires & had to blow out the fuel filter(non Diesel)& eventually had another taxi deliver yet another spare(just in case) & a new fuel filter.And the fist tire was brand new & still had the mfg. stickers on it. I would hate to see what the air filter looked like. More dust going from Poipet down to Siam Riep than I ever care to do twice. The bus only blew one tire .

I would sooner shoot my foot than waste my auto or truck on the hel_l ride. Don't even think about it on a motorcycle!

Costa Ricas back roads are charming compared to Cambos roads. If you think Pattaya sucks - your in for a real mind trip.

Just say NO . Pay a taxi or a bus or fly if you can Sispon is a dirt hole. Better to let them fix their ride than thrash yours!

Edited August 26, 2008 by Beardog

[PoorSucker]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can  not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

Its ok, after all, you are norwegian

Same as your home country. No way, No way

[night_rider]

I went overland in March and it wasn't too bad. Took a $45 taxi from Poi Pet which I split with a couple Aussies. I definitely would NOT take my own vehicle due to the abuse it will take. If you plan ahead you can fly pretty cheap. I'm not sure if Bangkok Air still has the concession on Siem Riep but if they do and flights are expensive price out flying into Phnom Penh with VIP bus to Siem Riep. All day transport to Angkor was $15. Don't recommend bus to Siem Riep as they all appeared to be designed to part you from your baht.

When you start comparing costs make sure you allow for the parts that are going to fall off your vehicle.

Tales of Asia has a good play by play on overland travel to Angkor here:

http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-overland.htm

[night_rider]

Air Asia has BKK-PNH-BKK at 1800 B if you want to fly. I don't know if you'll get a cheaper rate even from bucket shops.

[Beardog]

Air Asia has BKK-PNH-BKK at 1800 B if you want to fly. I don't know if you'll get a cheaper rate even from bucket shops.

I would have paid the Fare if I didn't have to meet Alisa's dad in Poipet!

Would have spared a hel_l ride for sure! 3600 baht round trip.....This time is priceless!

[Andrew Hicks]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can  not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

What does your 'Thai girl' think about driving into Cambodia? She must think you're mad as Thais often think it's a den of iniquity. My Thai girl and I would never even think of taking our own vehicle. Go by all means but not that way.

Friends have driven into Laos and lived to tell the tale but even then their vehicle was not insured.

Near Ankor is the Tonle Sap, the Great Lake and if there aren't enough temples at Ankor for you, go further to Banteay Srei for yet more. The journey's nice through classic scenes of rural agriculture.

Fly to Phnom Penh and take a river boat all the way to Siem Reap. A great experience.

[chrisofphoenix]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

What does your 'Thai girl' think about driving into Cambodia? She must think you're mad as Thais often think it's a den of iniquity. My Thai girl and I would never even think of taking our own vehicle. Go by all means but not that way.

Friends have driven into Laos and lived to tell the tale but even then their vehicle was not insured.

Near Ankor is the Tonle Sap, the Great Lake and if there aren't enough temples at Ankor for you, go further to Banteay Srei for yet more. The journey's nice through classic scenes of rural agriculture.

Fly to Phnom Penh and take a river boat all the way to Siem Reap. A great experience.

In July, my girlfriend and I flew to Phnom Penh and hired a taxi to take us to Siem Reap by car. For $60US O/w it was worth it. The driver was suicidal but got us to SR in just about 3 hours 20 minutes. (I think he The buses that shuttle tourists back and forth cost about $10-20US O/W per person. But the ride is an uncomfortable 5.5 hours with group pit stops along the way. Our return hired taxi driver wasn't as prompt and ambitious to get us back to PP. Took almost 5 hours and in a car without shock absorbers (it seemed). The road is horrific between PP and SR. As far as driving from the Thailand border to SR, you must be mad, crazy, or just impulsively suicidal yourself. After you spend 1 hour in Cambodia driving on their public roads, you'll understand why. "Close calls" don't even begin to describe the drivers and motorbikers on the roads. It's UNLIKE driving in BKK! In fact, i'd take out another life insurance policy if I went back!

By the way, The Angkor temples are definitely interesting and worth a visit for a couple of days. More than that, you might get bored. If I did it all over again, I would have flown directly to SR...and skipped PP entirely. I know some of the Cambodian history and the magnitude of the killing fields and prisons in PP. But it wasn't nearly impressive as Dachau in Germany. The Kingdom of Cambodia hasn't done much to preserve the memories of the atrocities that occured during Pol Pot's reign. The country has lost so much ground since then in it's developmental growth.

[aehn]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can  not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

Its ok, after all, you are norwegian

Same as your home country. No way, No way

No way!!

[aehn]

We would like to drive our car into Cambodia from Thailand. Me and my thai girl want to drive to Angkor Wat, and I would like to ask if some of you have done the same before?

Can we drive in to Cambodia?

If we can  not, can you help me with how and where to go? Where to stay for lets say 2-3 day? Other thing`s to see close to Angkor Wat?

(Sorry for my english )

Its ok, after all, you are norwegian

Same as your home country. No way, No way

No way!!

[imaneggspurt]

My advice after doing it many times on a bike and once in a 4x4 is ,unless you are an adventurist and will be prepared for anything dont bother ( with a car ), on a dirt bike for dirt bike riders its great, however ,the thais by comparison are great drivers compared to the khymers, when i am riding to pp its like a computer game ,cars ,trucks,bikes, dogs, cows, pigs,everyting you can think of out to KILL YOU,..its like the USA versus Mexico comparing Cambodia to Thailand,.and remember there are no ambulances or emergency services and all the farang i know that have had an accident there go to thailand for care,oh and i forgot an important bit of advice, avoid poi pet as a crossIng point they are HORRIBLE there, i have taken 2 hours at best to cross to 5 at worst, i only go because i like to ride rough roads /off road,but extreme caution must be used, we never ride at night, there is as much traffic without lights as with and all the animals seem to like to sleep in the road i kid you not, ,.