Pattaya To Sihanoukville, Cambodia By Harley

[AceCafe]

After a few months of false starts I finally got around to doing the road trip down to Sihanoukville on the Harley, with some pals from HOG (Harley Owners Group) Thailand…… 5 bikes in all so good ‘n’ noisy! We left the Ace Café at 7am and headed off cross country down to Rayong, then on to Highway 3 and down to Klaeng, by-passed Chantaburi, on to Trat and then down the 318 to Khlong Yai and the border. This leg took 5 hours mainly because the guys I was riding with used petrol stops as an excuse for half hour food/coffee/cigarette/chat breaks and we could’ve shaved an hour off the Thai-side journey but what the hel_l, we were on holiday!

The process of getting the bikes across the border couldn’t have been simpler, and the Thai officials were extremely helpful. All you need, at this time of writing, is your Thai vehicle registration book. People will tell you the book has to be in your name but not so….. if your vehicle is registered in another name, all you need is a letter from that person giving you permission to take the vehicle over the border.

If doing this then use a bit of grey matter and get copies of that persons ID card and get the letter, in Thai, to state their name, your name (in English so they can compare it with your passport), the vehicle registration number etc etc. If your registration book is in your name then you have no worries and do not have to show any license or insurance documents at all. The vehicle does have to have current tax..... one of the bikes had run out so a quick blat back to Trat to tax it was called for!

At the border go to window No.5 round the back of the right hand side booth and collect forms TM 2 (2 copies) and TM 3 (4 copies) and fill out the basic details, engine and frame number etc plus your passport details. The people at this booth were very helpful and filled other parts of the form in for us, the whole process costing the princely sum of 10 baht! In fact the lil darling who helped me was so helpful (and cute!) and was missing lunch I told her to keep the change from my 100 baht note and buy herself lunch on me….. the rest of the guys promptly did the same so we had a very smooth hassle free vehicle transfer from Thailand to Cambodia and she had a good day at work!

After sorting the bikes we went through passport control, totally by-passed Customs (more of that later!) and rode through no-mans-land to Cambodian Immigration. Again very smooth, no hassles, stamp stamp “1200 baht please” and we were on our way!

Now the route could not be simpler: remembering to drive on the wrong (ie. right) side of the road just keep straight on! You’ll go through Koh Khong and the first thing you’ll see is a very misleading sign telling you to turn right onto Highway 4 for Sihanoukville and left for Phnom Penh…… what it does not say is Highway 4 and said turns are about 170 kms further on down the road!! Just keep straight on!

The road, which by Khmer standards is very good (being a highway) is actually a single lane carriageway of unsealed tarmac so be careful…… there are some very deep potholes, the only saving grace being the road was laid on bright red dirt so you can see the potholes from a distance and avoid ‘em! We rode at about 110 kmph….. I dare say if you’re in a big landcruiser you can get a fair lick up but we were taking it cautious and easy.

So, 170 or so kms down the way you’ll come to a fork in the road (landmark: there’s a school on the right hand side)…. take the right fork and after 100 meters or so you’ll hit Highway 4 and be on your way to Sihanoukville. Again this road is single carriageway but there are two differences: the good one is the tarmac is sealed and so much easier on your tyres and the bad one is this is the main container truck route from the capital city to the main deep harbour port…….. overtaking is fun!

Anyway, we’re getting to the end of the journey here…… the total journey from the border to Sihanoukville is just about 260kms…. as you get into town keep an eye open for the left hand turning (Soviet Street) with two petrol stations with huge concrete forecourt aprons (you really can’t miss ‘em!) either side of the turning……. drive down there and you’ll come to the main drag called Ekareach Street….. turn left for downtown (Freedom Bar!) and the Golden Lion area (many guesthouses, bars, Serendipity and Ochheuteal Beaches etc) or right for Victory Hill, Victory and Hawaii Beaches.

(On my return I was directed to the Thai Customs Office to have my papers checked...... when I pionted out that I had totally by-passed Customs on the way out I was given a smile and a "Mai per rai" and sent on my way!)

PS. The potholes on the 170km stretch from the border to Highway 4 in Cambodia have now been repaired.

[JimsKnight]

Good trip Ace.

I expected the roads to be pisspoor heading to Snooky but it seems they've got their act together.

Cruising with that harley must of felt like being king of the road! More bells and whistles than battlestar gallactica!

[AceCafe]

^ 555! Would you believe the Pig also has a cigarette lighter!! Which is useful for plugging the iPod into!

I used to tour Thailand on a GPZ1000RX and a GSXR1100 but nothing beats the Ultra for absolute comfort! (Plus as I age I'm sure my reflexes diminish somewhat, so I now leave the sports jobbies to the young bucks!)

I've had so much fun on long (10 day, 3-4000km) road trips on the Harley I would reccommend it for touring this country in a heartbeat...... and those who reckon a big bagger is only good for straight lines should try one up the Thai/Burmese border road..... superb!

[BigBikeBKK]

Brilliant report! Thank you for sharing.

Just one question from a noob who's not yet been to Cambodia but really wants to go- You need a visa, yes? Did you arrange the visa before the trip or are you able to get it at the border? (I'm guessing that's what the 1200 Baht was for?)

Would love to try this ride before the rainy season starts- sounds like a blast!

Happy Trails!

Tony

[AceCafe]

Brilliant report! Thank you for sharing.

Just one question from a noob who's not yet been to Cambodia but really wants to go- You need a visa, yes? Did you arrange the visa before the trip or are you able to get it at the border? (I'm guessing that's what the 1200 Baht was for?)

Would love to try this ride before the rainy season starts- sounds like a blast!

Happy Trails!

Tony

Hi Tony,

Yes, you can get your visa at the border, 1200 baht, or however much they are deciding to scam you at the time! I do believe that if you get your visa elsewhere it doesn't cost as much, but it'll only be a couple hundred baht!

Don't forget if you have an annual retirement, or spouses visa etc to get a re-entry permit (1000 baht one trip or 3000 baht multi) before you go...... if you don't you'll be treated as a tourist and be given a 15 day "visa on arrival" when you re-enter Thailand!

It was a total blast..... only a 600km trip from Jomtien to Snooky but terrific riding and scenery..... I've done it twice this year so far!! Plus they have their first ever Cambodian Bike Week(end) next weekend, for anyone who's interested.

Cheers,

Martin

Edited March 21, 2009 by AceCafe

[Travelmate]

Good report.

Any more pics?

[AceCafe]

Good report.

Any more pics?

Oh yes! Sorry but I don't have the savvy to post 'em any other way so you'll just have to click on each to open up to a bigger pic!

Not very scintillating but you get the drift....... the best part of the journey is the 170km blat from the Cambodian border to Highway 4, the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville highway.

The most recent trip, we left Snooky at 6am....... not really the cleverest of strategies as by 7 the road was chock-a-block with millions of little folk going to school and bigger ones using the road side markets! Still, worth it to see a true SE Asian vista....... the early morning mist rising off the paddy fields, buffalo, wooden shacks etc...... the sort of sight you used to see up Issan way but where now there is invariably a Western style bricks 'n' mortar house with attendant SUV somewhere in the middle distance!

Snooky is also well worth it for those who like a bit of nightlife and miss the fun and fresh attitudes you used to find in LOS........ but maybe this is not the place to discuss!

[GizmoBKK]

Very nice and utmost informative report, AceCafe. Thanks for sharing!

I was also thinking about going to Cambodia, and you have reliefed my worries about the paper work. What about driving license? Do you have an international one, Thai, Western, ...?

Would also like to get a better understanding about the road conditions. I was around in Cambodia by car only in the Phnom Penh and Angkor area, and it was pretty ok there. However, I have heard that roads up-country can be quite disastrous.

Well, when you did the ride on a Harley which is not really an off-road bike it doesn't seem too bad. However, how do you think about doing the trip on a sports bike?

In particular I was dreaming of going from Bangkok to Angkor, and via Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. What about the roads on this route? Comments any one?

And what is your opinion about theft? Higher risk in Cambodia than in Thailand?

[BSJ]

Hi Ace, sounds like an interesting little trip. Although me thinks a Street Glide would allow more air flow around the body.

[Richard-BKK]

I traveled last year to Battambang by motorcycle, not so impressive trip still a good one for a good amount of fun Travel to Battambang

I found that the amount of criminals was less the the I expected.... I will surely not let my bike of any build alone for a minute at the border crossing....

But the towns I crossed I had attention of little boys, who wanted me to buy them a ice-cream, or old people who wanted to talk about the old time...

Okay, we did not do the trip on a Harley, we used a BMW X-moto and a Honda CRF-450X.....

My travel to Battambang

Edited March 21, 2009 by Richard-BKK

[Murrayh]

The proper fee for a tourist visa on application is US$20. Take a $20 note with you.

If you call the Cambodian border guards bluff they will eventually back down.

My advice is to be polite and:

*Ask for a receipt and the guys name, position etc.

*Tell them you contacted the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok who told you it was $20

*Ask if you can take their photo as you want to contact the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism.

*Basically be polite but firm and you will get through for $20 (about 700baht)

[AceCafe]

Hi Ace, sounds like an interesting little trip. Although me thinks a Street Glide would allow more air flow around the body.

Yes. it's not really a tour by any means of the word...... for me it's a days ride on my way to a long weekend with mates, plenty of beer and fun...... but of course what makes it interesting is getting out of Thailand and into Cambodia. The trip itself will probably become "old" fairly quickly....... a bit like nipping up to Udon for the w/end..... 331, 304 & 2, yawn yawn!

Street Glide? We both have the batwing fairing so the only diff is no fairing lowers on the Street...... I have mates with Electra Glides with no lowers and yes, they get a bit of a knees breeze but no biggie for me...... sometimes I'll be in heavy MotoX style boots, most times I'll be in leather riding jeans so I'm gonna get hot anyway...... just makes that beer at the end soooo much more refreshing!!

By the way if anyone wants the full trip report, warts 'n' all, just PM me...... I don't think this forum is the right place!

[Bard]

Just get the visa online from the Cambodian gov't easy...

Much more interestin is the road condition, last time I was there it was really in a bad shape. So they fixed it up a good bit now? Sounds like a Cambodian trip when I get back home then. Yohoo...

[AceCafe]

Just get the visa online from the Cambodian gov't easy...

Much more interestin is the road condition, last time I was there it was really in a bad shape. So they fixed it up a good bit now? Sounds like a Cambodian trip when I get back home then. Yohoo...

Some of us don't 'ave plastic..... Anyone know of a travel agent who'll get it on-line for you? Pretty unhelpful in Pattaya.

The road was badly potholed early January...... all repaired by late Feb. Me and the Pig knocked out an 8 hour return so I'd love to see what you and those SSR nutters chaps can blat it in!!

[JimsKnight]

The gauntlet is down!

[AceCafe]

The gauntlet is down!

Hahaha...... abso-bloody-lutely NOT! I know when I'm beaten without even trying!! Reckon you ol' boys could shave 1.5, maybe 2 hours off easily!! (Hmmmm..... now is the gauntlet down? )

[Bard]

I'm on ready for that one, gauntlet oh should be a fast blast that short trip there

Anyone of you others up for a Cambo ride? I am keen but will probably stay overnight for some local cultural experiences.

Sounds like a weekend trip to me if anyone else joins...

Cheers Bard

[barrybike]

there is a biker bar in sihanoukville.run by a club called the lone brothers mc...............

[Bard]

Thanks for that one Barry, guess there is friendly locals there as well

[wrathfultalon]

After a few months of false starts I finally got around to doing the road trip down to Sihanoukville on the Harley, with some pals from HOG (Harley Owners Group) Thailand…… 5 bikes in all so good 'n' noisy! We left the Ace Café at 7am and headed off cross country down to Rayong, then on to Highway 3 and down to Klaeng, by-passed Chantaburi, on to Trat and then down the 318 to Khlong Yai and the border. This leg took 5 hours mainly because the guys I was riding with used petrol stops as an excuse for half hour food/coffee/cigarette/chat breaks and we could've shaved an hour off the Thai-side journey but what the hel_l, we were on holiday!

The process of getting the bikes across the border couldn't have been simpler, and the Thai officials were extremely helpful. All you need, at this time of writing, is your Thai vehicle registration book. People will tell you the book has to be in your name but not so….. if your vehicle is registered in another name, all you need is a letter from that person giving you permission to take the vehicle over the border.

If doing this then use a bit of grey matter and get copies of that persons ID card and get the letter, in Thai, to state their name, your name (in English so they can compare it with your passport), the vehicle registration number etc etc. If your registration book is in your name then you have no worries and do not have to show any license or insurance documents at all. The vehicle does have to have current tax..... one of the bikes had run out so a quick blat back to Trat to tax it was called for!

At the border go to window No.5 round the back of the right hand side booth and collect forms TM 2 (2 copies) and TM 3 (4 copies) and fill out the basic details, engine and frame number etc plus your passport details. The people at this booth were very helpful and filled other parts of the form in for us, the whole process costing the princely sum of 10 baht! In fact the lil darling who helped me was so helpful (and cute!) and was missing lunch I told her to keep the change from my 100 baht note and buy herself lunch on me….. the rest of the guys promptly did the same so we had a very smooth hassle free vehicle transfer from Thailand to Cambodia and she had a good day at work!

After sorting the bikes we went through passport control, totally by-passed Customs (more of that later!) and rode through no-mans-land to Cambodian Immigration. Again very smooth, no hassles, stamp stamp "1200 baht please" and we were on our way!

Now the route could not be simpler: remembering to drive on the wrong (ie. right) side of the road just keep straight on! You'll go through Koh Khong and the first thing you'll see is a very misleading sign telling you to turn right onto Highway 4 for Sihanoukville and left for Phnom Penh…… what it does not say is Highway 4 and said turns are about 170 kms further on down the road!! Just keep straight on!

The road, which by Khmer standards is very good (being a highway) is actually a single lane carriageway of unsealed tarmac so be careful…… there are some very deep potholes, the only saving grace being the road was laid on bright red dirt so you can see the potholes from a distance and avoid 'em! We rode at about 110 kmph….. I dare say if you're in a big landcruiser you can get a fair lick up but we were taking it cautious and easy.

So, 170 or so kms down the way you'll come to a fork in the road (landmark: there's a school on the right hand side)…. take the right fork and after 100 meters or so you'll hit Highway 4 and be on your way to Sihanoukville. Again this road is single carriageway but there are two differences: the good one is the tarmac is sealed and so much easier on your tyres and the bad one is this is the main container truck route from the capital city to the main deep harbour port…….. overtaking is fun!

Anyway, we're getting to the end of the journey here…… the total journey from the border to Sihanoukville is just about 260kms…. as you get into town keep an eye open for the left hand turning (Soviet Street) with two petrol stations with huge concrete forecourt aprons (you really can't miss 'em!) either side of the turning……. drive down there and you'll come to the main drag called Ekareach Street….. turn left for downtown (Freedom Bar!) and the Golden Lion area (many guesthouses, bars, Serendipity and Ochheuteal Beaches etc) or right for Victory Hill, Victory and Hawaii Beaches.

(On my return I was directed to the Thai Customs Office to have my papers checked...... when I pionted out that I had totally by-passed Customs on the way out I was given a smile and a "Mai per rai" and sent on my way!)

PS. The potholes on the 170km stretch from the border to Highway 4 in Cambodia have now been repaired.

Great break down. Makes me want to give it a try!

[Bard]

Wrathfultalon, we're doing this one in May 8th if you're keen join. It's under SSR planning stage topic

[wrathfultalon]

Wrathfultalon, we're doing this one in May 8th if you're keen join. It's under SSR planning stage topic

Unfortunately i wont be with my bike until the 14th. I land in BKK the 11th and will be spending our anniversary there for a couple days.

But if a delay comes up i might chase you all down.

[Bard]

Will be good if you can join the end of the trip, at least you'll have a good laugh for a while.

Cheers Bard

[siamjimi]

After a few months of false starts I finally got around to doing the road trip down to Sihanoukville on the Harley, with some pals from HOG (Harley Owners Group) Thailand…… 5 bikes in all so good 'n' noisy! We left the Ace Café at 7am and headed off cross country down to Rayong, then on to Highway 3 and down to Klaeng, by-passed Chantaburi, on to Trat and then down the 318 to Khlong Yai and the border. This leg took 5 hours mainly because the guys I was riding with used petrol stops as an excuse for half hour food/coffee/cigarette/chat breaks and we could've shaved an hour off the Thai-side journey but what the hel_l, we were on holiday!

The process of getting the bikes across the border couldn't have been simpler, and the Thai officials were extremely helpful. All you need, at this time of writing, is your Thai vehicle registration book. People will tell you the book has to be in your name but not so….. if your vehicle is registered in another name, all you need is a letter from that person giving you permission to take the vehicle over the border.

If doing this then use a bit of grey matter and get copies of that persons ID card and get the letter, in Thai, to state their name, your name (in English so they can compare it with your passport), the vehicle registration number etc etc. If your registration book is in your name then you have no worries and do not have to show any license or insurance documents at all. The vehicle does have to have current tax..... one of the bikes had run out so a quick blat back to Trat to tax it was called for!

At the border go to window No.5 round the back of the right hand side booth and collect forms TM 2 (2 copies) and TM 3 (4 copies) and fill out the basic details, engine and frame number etc plus your passport details. The people at this booth were very helpful and filled other parts of the form in for us, the whole process costing the princely sum of 10 baht! In fact the lil darling who helped me was so helpful (and cute!) and was missing lunch I told her to keep the change from my 100 baht note and buy herself lunch on me….. the rest of the guys promptly did the same so we had a very smooth hassle free vehicle transfer from Thailand to Cambodia and she had a good day at work!

After sorting the bikes we went through passport control, totally by-passed Customs (more of that later!) and rode through no-mans-land to Cambodian Immigration. Again very smooth, no hassles, stamp stamp "1200 baht please" and we were on our way!

Now the route could not be simpler: remembering to drive on the wrong (ie. right) side of the road just keep straight on! You'll go through Koh Khong and the first thing you'll see is a very misleading sign telling you to turn right onto Highway 4 for Sihanoukville and left for Phnom Penh…… what it does not say is Highway 4 and said turns are about 170 kms further on down the road!! Just keep straight on!

The road, which by Khmer standards is very good (being a highway) is actually a single lane carriageway of unsealed tarmac so be careful…… there are some very deep potholes, the only saving grace being the road was laid on bright red dirt so you can see the potholes from a distance and avoid 'em! We rode at about 110 kmph….. I dare say if you're in a big landcruiser you can get a fair lick up but we were taking it cautious and easy.

So, 170 or so kms down the way you'll come to a fork in the road (landmark: there's a school on the right hand side)…. take the right fork and after 100 meters or so you'll hit Highway 4 and be on your way to Sihanoukville. Again this road is single carriageway but there are two differences: the good one is the tarmac is sealed and so much easier on your tyres and the bad one is this is the main container truck route from the capital city to the main deep harbour port…….. overtaking is fun!

Anyway, we're getting to the end of the journey here…… the total journey from the border to Sihanoukville is just about 260kms…. as you get into town keep an eye open for the left hand turning (Soviet Street) with two petrol stations with huge concrete forecourt aprons (you really can't miss 'em!) either side of the turning……. drive down there and you'll come to the main drag called Ekareach Street….. turn left for downtown (Freedom Bar!) and the Golden Lion area (many guesthouses, bars, Serendipity and Ochheuteal Beaches etc) or right for Victory Hill, Victory and Hawaii Beaches.

(On my return I was directed to the Thai Customs Office to have my papers checked...... when I pionted out that I had totally by-passed Customs on the way out I was given a smile and a "Mai per rai" and sent on my way!)

PS. The potholes on the 170km stretch from the border to Highway 4 in Cambodia have now been repaired.

HEY GUYS - I HAVE NOT POSTED HERE OFTEN

I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN WITH YOU GUYS OR ANY OTHERS FOR FUTURE RIDES CROSS THAILAND OR GO ACROSS BORDERS

I HAVE A HARLEY IN THAILAND AND HAVE YET TO RIDE CROSS COUNTRY OR INTO ANOTHER COUNTRY SUCH AS CAMBODIA

CHEERS AND RIDE HARD LIVE FREE - JIMI

Edited April 22, 2009 by siamjimi

[soundman]

HEY GUYS - I HAVE NOT POSTED HERE OFTEN

I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN WITH YOU GUYS OR ANY OTHERS FOR FUTURE RIDES CROSS THAILAND OR GO ACROSS BORDERS

I HAVE A HARLEY IN THAILAND AND HAVE YET TO RIDE CROSS COUNTRY OR INTO ANOTHER COUNTRY SUCH AS CAMBODIA

CHEERS AND RIDE HARD LIVE FREE - JIMI

Next time you post can you please unlock the caps key and post in the default font otherwise it appears that you are screaming at everyone. Netiquette.

[BigBikeBKK]

I want to DO this!