Surin - Siem Reip

[songhklasid]

done this trip last month, all o.k. 4 half hours surin to 2 dragons, hotel siem riep, although I had a taxi waiting for us @ the border ( can be arranged @ 2 dragons ) using local o/smach taxi, border quiet, but they insisted on thai baht, as I thust u.s. dollars at them,anyway good crossing if anyone is considering.

regards songhklasid

[Thanyaburi Mac]

How many baht, or $$$, is an obvious Q? A whole bunch?

Mac

[ericthai]

I have been considering going to Siam reap for some time now. Can you advise the cost of the taxi from Osmach to Siam Reap?

You said you used a taxi at the boarder so are taxis always waiting there? Please give us some more info Hotel cost, how was teh hotel good, bad etc. You make a post but vauge.

[phusingpete]

I have been considering going to Siam reap for some time now. Can you advise the cost of the taxi from Osmach to Siam Reap?

You said you used a taxi at the boarder so are taxis always waiting there? Please give us some more info Hotel cost, how was teh hotel good, bad etc. You make a post but vauge.

I have just returned from a 7day trip to Sien Riep. I went via Osmach bloody awful dirt road, we had a car arranged to meet us at the border $125 per day sure it can be done cheaper. I returned via Chonsangam (sp) near phusing, a good paved road all the way, took 2 hours from our Hotel to border, but you would need to be met at the border, nothing much exists here. I stayed at Reaksmey Chanreas Hotel right in the nightlife

, good bars and restaurants in abundance, good Hotel friendly and clean, $15 per night. Taxi back to border cost 2500 baht, I cannot recall name of taxi firm but I can get it if you are interested.

[Chinavet]

I have been considering going to Siam reap for some time now. Can you advise the cost of the taxi from Osmach to Siam Reap?

You said you used a taxi at the boarder so are taxis always waiting there? Please give us some more info Hotel cost, how was teh hotel good, bad etc. You make a post but vauge.

I took an Osmach Camry from Osmach-Anlong Veng-Sienm Reap in April 2009 and return. We set up the deal with the driver on the Thai side of the border the day before. Cost Baht 2800 one way. But we were explicit that we would not pay any additional fuel costs or accept additional passengers. Actually we kept the guy on hire for three days in Siem Reap. On the return trip, he picked up another passenger as we were leaving Siem Reap. I told him I would not use him again.

The trip then was 3 hours. A few weeks ago I sent 6 visitors from Osmach to Siem Reap in a pre-arranged van, organized from Siem Reap. I can't remember the cost. As the poster says, the trip is now about 4 1/2 hours.

I don't think you would have a problem to arrange a car from Osmach by just turning up. But business is bad now, it is a very quiet border crossing. Read up on old threads for all/any scams you might expect.

[ericthai]

Thanks for the info guys...

Wow $125 per day is really high. I will check to see if I can take my car into Cambodia. Never thought about going via Phu Sing, that might be the way to go. The hotel sounds good $15 a night, I usually like staying in a hotel for 1000 baht or 1500 baht so it's nice, but $15 is ok. Will have my wife check on taking my car into Cambodia, if not then have her check on a taxi, she is so cheap there is no way she would let me pay $125 per day, dont think she would be happy about 2800, but then again it is a 4hr drive.

I'm going to talk to her about this as I have been wanting to go for some time.

One of my friends told me he flew into Phnom Phen and then rented a motor bike and drove to Siam Reap, it took him all day and he said he would get a flat tire every 30-40km and of course someone would be on the side of the road all ready to fix the flat, swears they had nails on the road to get people to have flats. LOL

However since Im now living in Surin it's not so far. Again thanks guys, will need to check into this.

[Dave the Dude]

Thanks for the info guys...

Wow $125 per day is really high. I will check to see if I can take my car into Cambodia. Never thought about going via Phu Sing, that might be the way to go. The hotel sounds good $15 a night, I usually like staying in a hotel for 1000 baht or 1500 baht so it's nice, but $15 is ok. Will have my wife check on taking my car into Cambodia, if not then have her check on a taxi, she is so cheap there is no way she would let me pay $125 per day, dont think she would be happy about 2800, but then again it is a 4hr drive.

I'm going to talk to her about this as I have been wanting to go for some time.

One of my friends told me he flew into Phnom Phen and then rented a motor bike and drove to Siam Reap, it took him all day and he said he would get a flat tire every 30-40km and of course someone would be on the side of the road all ready to fix the flat, swears they had nails on the road to get people to have flats. LOL

However since Im now living in Surin it's not so far. Again thanks guys, will need to check into this.

Hi eric

I too live in Surin and have done this trip. Its fantastic.

I booked my hotel in Siam Reip via Asiarooms (Casa Ankor, great place). drove to the Chong Chom border (3/4 hour drive) parked the truck there, near to police and said I would tip them to look after it. Taxi's wait at border for 3 1/2 hr hair-raising ride(Good fun) for I think 2k baht. Its not worth all the hastle of getting visa for car and the dirt tracks are better for taxi use IMHO. Siam Reip has an Airport so why go to Phnom Phen from BKK??

Dave

[ericthai]

Thanks for the info Dave, this helps allot. 2K is more like it.

As for my friend well he was in PP visiting friends and then decided to head up that way. If I where in BKK and going to fly I would do the same, spend a few days in PP visiting my friend that owns a bar there and then head up. But since it's not far from Surin I will need to this.

Cant believe I have been living in Thailand for 10yrs and still have not made it there, I keep saying I want to go I want to go, but then it's always something comes up etc. This time I will need to put my foot down and just do it..

Again thanks Dave that was the information I was looking for.

[Andrew Hicks]

I have been considering going to Siam reap for some time now. Can you advise the cost of the taxi from Osmach to Siam Reap?

You said you used a taxi at the boarder so are taxis always waiting there? Please give us some more info Hotel cost, how was teh hotel good, bad etc. You make a post but vauge.

I have just returned from a 7day trip to Sien Riep. I went via Osmach bloody awful dirt road, we had a car arranged to meet us at the border $125 per day sure it can be done cheaper. I returned via Chonsangam (sp) near phusing, a good paved road all the way, took 2 hours from our Hotel to border, but you would need to be met at the border, nothing much exists here. I stayed at Reaksmey Chanreas Hotel right in the nightlife

, good bars and restaurants in abundance, good Hotel friendly and clean, $15 per night. Taxi back to border cost 2500 baht, I cannot recall name of taxi firm but I can get it if you are interested.

I have just written a blog account of my trip to Angkor with Phusingpete, including how a pickup ran over his toes.

It sets out in detail how to do the whole trip, including all phone contacts etc. The pictures are on my blog but since I think I'll be stoned to death if I mention the blog address here, I'll paste it in below.

ISAAN TO ANGKOR WAT - WHERE, WHY AND HOW!

"I’ve just boldly been to Angkor Wat and I’m amazed because it now takes only two hours by the new road from Thailand’s Si Saket border crossing.

So why did I want to go to Angkor in Cambodia?

Because it’s so close to home here in Surin province, because it’s one of the greatest ancient temple complexes in the world and because it haunts my mind and I just can’t keep away.

The trouble is that it’s been hard to get there as the roads have been so bad. My map shows the main access road from Aranyaprathet/Poipet to Siem Reap as ‘impassable in the wet season’ and I well remember in the dry season of January 2002 bumping along it at walking pace, the old pickup dropping down into the water courses where the bridges were broken and slowly negotiating the deep pot holes and craters. We’d paid extra to be in the cab and not outside in the dust and sun. Trouble was another six people had paid to be in the cab and with the windows jammed closed and with no aircon, it was more than hot!

In my novel, the girl in a travel agents shop in Khao San Road, (Bangkok’s backpacker centre), tells Ben and Emma about taking an open truck from Aranyaprathet to Angkor. “Road no good but very cheap. Twenty people in the back, hot and dirty… nine hours, maybe twelve. Better you fly aeroplane if you care your ass.”

That time I took her advice and flew from Bangkok into Siem Reap but suddenly everything has changed. The major routes are now in good condition and the 150 kilometres from Aranyprathet/Poipet toSiem Reap for Angkor can be done in under three hours. Another time I went from Trat to Koh Kong in Cambodia, took a boat to Sihanoukville, a bus to Phnom Penh, a boat six hours up the river and to the end of the Great Lake and then a motorbike into Siem Reap. It took five days. Now I’ve just got back to the Surin border in exactly two hours.

For me now living in Surin province in Isaan, there’s no more any need to travel two sides of a triangle five hours westwards to Aranyaprathet and then three hours east again to Siem Reap. These great temples lie directly to the south of us, perhaps only 100 kilometres from the Thai border and now it’s possible to get to them that way. Or is it?

I’ve found it extraordinarily difficult to find out about the roads, but having just gone in a circle, crossing the border from Surin, going anti-clockwise to Angkor and returning to Si Saket, I’ll now tell you what I’ve learned.

The major border crossing across the massive natural barrier of the Dongrak Mountains in southern Isaan has always from Surin’s Chong Jom to O’Smach in Cambodia. Here on the Thai side there’s a huge market and a four lane highway sweeps you smoothly up to the border. As you cross, there’s a glitzy casino and a big resort and it’s all horribly slick and impressive.

After that though as you enter Cambodia, it’s all downhill in more ways than one. The unsealed road plunges down the Dongraks in a series of bumpy hairpins, the dust billowing and the car plunging wildly. It’s hard to think this moonscape of a road can be passable in the wet season, except with four wheel drive. The next 100 kilometres or so is then a reasonable dirt road, before it reaches the Poipet road and you turn left in a dog leg eastwards to Siem Reap.

To promote international friendship and cross border trade, a new route has now been developed from Chong Sanggam in Si Saket province with substantial Thai money being spent on good sealed roads. On Thailand’s Route 24 at Ban Lalom just west of Phusing the big blue signs now show the turn off to Angkok Wat. The road across the border on both sides is so new, it probably doesn’t appear on your map but it is thus well signed from Route 24.

Once in Cambodia the road is direct and fast and coming back and completing our circle we covered the fast road from Siem Reap to the border in exactly two hours. The only problem is that, unlike Chong Jom, the border crossing itself is totally undeveloped, a dusty road through the dry jungle with a few barriers, push carts and portakabins.

Using either entry point, you’ll have to be dropped at the border as leaving your vehicle there would be more than risky. You also ideally need to have booked a Cambodian car to meet you and to take you to Siem Reap, though I’m not sure about mobile phone coverage across the border. (My well-connected friend had booked a car and our 4WD arrived twenty four hours early just in case!)

We were charged 2,500 baht by Keo Sotheara for a comfortable return trip from Siem Reap to Chong Sanggam. He is near Chong Sanggam at Anlong Veng and speaks good English. His card shows (855) 1267-7544 (Cambodia phone) and 086-343-7091 (Thailand phone).

Alternatively Chan Sovan of Siem Reap is on 012-843992 or (855) 92-89-0005 (though another card says 374-374 prefixed either by 011 or 012 or 013 or 090. Confused? So am I!).

We used a nine seater mini-bus to take us round the temples and between the three of us paid US$25 per day for the vehicle. (Dee, our delightful driver was great value too.) See www.angkorguide.asia/phansy and [email protected]. (Email him perhaps and ask him to send a car to Chong Sanggam?) See also www.siemreaptaxidriver.webs.com. Sorry if I’m a bit vague on all this as I didn’t do the phoning for cars.

Alternatively, on crossing the border at Chong Jom, there could be some cars waiting for business or not far away. At Chong Sanggam it would also be possible to get someone to call a car from Anlong Veng (twenty minutes away), or even from Siem Reap. People are always friendly and helpful especially when it opens wallets.

One small thought… returning to Chong Sanggam by car, arrange to stop off at the exquisite small temple of Banteay Srei and also at Kabal Spean to see the ‘River of a Thousand Linggas’ as they are en route and well out of town. (For Banteay Srei, you’ll need to have bought an extra day on your temple access card, available at the main entry to the temple park. It’s US$20 per day, US$40 for three days and US$60 for seven days. It seems you can opt for the days not to be consecutive… six days running could cause total exhaustion.)

To get round the temples most visitors use a tuk tuk which is a motorbike towing a covered trailer that seats two in comfort and costs US$10 to 15 per day according to how far you want to go.

Pick up a “Siem Reap Visitors Guide” (‘Canby guide’) in a hotel or restaurant when you arrive. See www.www.canbypublications.com. It’s a remarkably good free guide book with coverage of the history of the Khmer empire and of each temple, as well as the usual comprehensive tourist information on everything you can possibly think of.

As to accommodation, there’s a huge range of choice from US$5 a night. We paid US$15 a night (yes, 500 baht!) for the Reaksmey Chanreas Hotel which is on the right at the bottom end of Sivatha Boulevard, the main drag in town. It had beautifully appointed rooms with fridge and TV, all to a very high standard. There were excellent baguettes and breakfasts and pleasant staff whose aim in life is proving that cleaning rooms and serving the ‘barang’ is the most fun thing you could ever do. Highly recommended! Most of the expensive hotels are stuck out on their own but this one is right between the old market and the tourist night market and all that the town has to offer.

And Siem Reap certainly has a lot to offer. Ten years ago when I was first there, it was a dusty little provincial town trundling with ox carts and amputees, but now it’s a dusty big town with many attractive bars and restaurants and more cotton scarves for sale per acre than anywhere in the world. Something of its innocence has been lost though but that’s ‘progress’’ and at least it has been well done. If only the Thai tourist traps could manage a fraction of the style and good design that seems to be second-nature to the Cambodians.

As for money, my Kasikorn card produced US dollars from an ATM machine in town and I didn’t have to use it too often. Thai baht are widely accepted but when spending either currency you end up with handfulls of Riel as change which at 4,000 to the Dollar is a pain. With three currencies and a pocketful of zeros, it’s exceptionally hard for the numerically challenged such as me.

After some great experiences, on getting back by car to Chong Sanggam, I called Cat and we arranged to meet at our favourite Thai restaurant by the lake. The pickup we hired to take us there from the dust and mess of the border then ran over Peter’s toes as we were loading our stuff into the back, but that was the only disaster in the whole week.

If I now review the best weeks of my life, this one would have to be high on the list. Angkor and all that the ancient Khmers have left behind is truly magnificent.

My next posts on this blog will tell you all about what we did, including seeing the ‘lost temple city’ of Banteay Chmar, wading through the swamp to the temple on the island in the middle of the Lake, photographing a thousand devatas at Angkor and meeting ‘Miss Saigon’ in the Zanzy Bar in Siem Reap. Well some of it anyway!

It was non-stop action and now I really think I need a holiday.

Finally, do please post a Comment with any questions on all this and with additional info (or corrections) that could be helpful, especially for other Isaan resident travellers.

There’s nothing much to do around here in my Surin village, but I’ve just discovered that one of the world’s greatest religious monuments is now only a few hours from home. It wasn’t that easy to find out though.

Andrew Hicks The “Thai Girl” Blog December 2009

[ericthai]

Andrew this great!! thank you.

One thing, on the car you said between the three of you that you paid $25 per day for the car. Is this $25 each per day or $25 total.

I'm going to do this for sure!!! DO you guys ever go to Martins place (Falang connection) ? If so maybe you give the car hire numbers to Martin to help out others.

Now I cant wait to go!!!!

[songhklasid]

Hi again, just to clear a few details,The official fee for a entry visa is $20u.s. into cambodia, however if they manage to get 1000 baht out of you, they make about 9-10 $u.s. its a scam, & they try it on @ this crossing,about the taxi, I priced the hotel's taxi to come from siem riep, pick us up then return to S.R. price was $120 U.S., however the hotel arranged a o'smach taxi (town close to border crossing camb. side) to pick us up @ border even had my name written down & held up & drop off @ guesthouse (2 dragons) for $60 U.S. I guess he picked up a return fare, I used the same taxi for return trip, 2 dragons is run by gordon sharples who has the tales of asia website, clean reasonable rooms, good food,cold beers, no hasle tuk-tuks for temple trips. I hope the above info helps you.

regards songhklasid.

[Andrew Hicks]

Andrew this great!! thank you.

One thing, on the car you said between the three of you that you paid $25 per day for the car. Is this $25 each per day or $25 total.

I'm going to do this for sure!!! DO you guys ever go to Martins place (Falang connection) ? If so maybe you give the car hire numbers to Martin to help out others.

Now I cant wait to go!!!!

We paid $125 per day for a very fine 4WD to take the rough road from Chong Jom. No need to pay so much.

We paid a total of $25 a day for a 9 seater mini-van to take us round the temples.

We paid 2,500 baht for a Camry to bring us back two hours from Siem Reap to Ching Sanggam.

Sure we go to 'The Connection'. All the numbers etc can be found on my blog whose address can easily be Googled.

Andrew Hicks

[SantiSuk]

Many thanks to Andrew - v useful as I am planning to take my UK family visitors to Angkor Wat from near Si Saket in a couple of weeks time.

I had already figured to use the closer Chong Sangam border and had reccied the Thai side already and booked my sister in law to drive us to the border. The Thai border guards said you can always hire a taxi on the Cambodia side, but maybe I will pre-book your Siem Reap guy. Wonderful to ear it is only 2 hours - I was mentally prepared for most of a day.

Cannot believe how many farang live in this part of Isaan and have never been to Angkor Wat - probably the second most amazing ancient site in Asia (after the Great Wall). The locals of course think you are off your trolley wanting to go into Cambodia.

[beeeater]

Hi, I'm just wondering about the routes you all took to Siem Riep. Does it bring you to or pass by the Goh Gerr ruins? I visited Prasat Thom about six years ago but via the dirt road from Siem Riep. Actually it was rather a buffalo track or worse with mines clearing being very active. From what you said the northern route seems much better and shorter to travel from Korat. I wish I could revisit Goh Gerr and see more then. Thanks everyone.

[SantiSuk]

Hi, I'm just wondering about the routes you all took to Siem Riep. Does it bring you to or pass by the Goh Gerr ruins? I visited Prasat Thom about six years ago but via the dirt road from Siem Riep. Actually it was rather a buffalo track or worse with mines clearing being very active. From what you said the northern route seems much better and shorter to travel from Korat. I wish I could revisit Goh Gerr and see more then. Thanks everyone.

Sorry - I missed your posting when it mattered, but will answer it 10 months later in case anyone else is searching. The answer is 'Probably not'. www.canbypublications.com, a mine of great information to any tourist visiting Cambodia, reports "To get there take Route #6 east from Siem Reap to Damdek. Turn north and follow the signs. Part of the way is a toll road. Check road conditions before leaving Siem Reap, especially in the wet season. $5 entrance fee to Koh Ker". I.e. don't bother in the wet season unless you have a robust 4X4 - I was on a bus tour with a load of mates 4 years ago that tried out that dirt road - we got pulled out of mud twice before abandoning that idea. It looked like it is still a dirt road when I went past the end of it again on Route#6 last month.

I cannot see a road on my maps that go across that way from the North-South routes toward Siem Reap from the Isaan border crossings of Chom Jom/O'Smach or Choam SaNgam/Anlong Veng.

I use the latter border to get to Siem Reap. You can hire a Cambodian taxi at the Cambodian side ($50 is the cheapest I have got it down to) which will whistle you down to Siem Reap in not much more than 90 minutes on an excellent all-seasons road. It is worth spending a few dollars more and a bit more time for the taxi to wait at Banteay Srey - one of the prettiest wats in the Angkor area and it's conveniently en route if you use the Choam SaNgam/Anlong Veng crossing. Backpackers can hole up in Anlong Veng, near the Thai border, overnight and catch an early bus or share taxi - all-in cost from border to SR, of motodup, hotel and bus/share taxi one way would be $20-$30.

Anyone can PM me if they want more info - I have nothing to sell and no axes to grind, but happy to help.

[SantiSuk]

Hi, I'm just wondering about the routes you all took to Siem Riep. Does it bring you to or pass by the Goh Gerr ruins? I visited Prasat Thom about six years ago but via the dirt road from Siem Riep. Actually it was rather a buffalo track or worse with mines clearing being very active. From what you said the northern route seems much better and shorter to travel from Korat. I wish I could revisit Goh Gerr and see more then. Thanks everyone.

Sorry - I missed your posting when it mattered, but will answer it 10 months later in case anyone else is searching. The answer is 'Probably not'. www.canbypublications.com, a mine of great information to any tourist visiting Cambodia, reports "To get there take Route #6 east from Siem Reap to Damdek. Turn north and follow the signs. Part of the way is a toll road. Check road conditions before leaving Siem Reap, especially in the wet season. $5 entrance fee to Koh Ker". I.e. don't bother in the wet season unless you have a robust 4X4 - I was on a bus tour with a load of mates 4 years ago that tried out that dirt road - we got pulled out of mud twice before abandoning that idea. It looked like it is still a dirt road when I went past the end of it again on Route#6 last month.

I cannot see a road on my maps that goes across that way from the North-South routes from the Isaan borders towards Siem Reap.

I use the Choam Sa Ngam/Anlong Veng border (south of Si Saket) to get to Siem Reap. It's the cutest rustic border crossing you can imagine and you get through it in 10 minutes, unless it's 8am and they have to wake up the Cambodian visa guy! You can hire a Cambodian taxi at the Cambodian side ($50 is the cheapest I have got it down to) which will whistle you down to Siem Reap in not much more than 90 minutes on an excellent all-seasons road - probably the easiest road journey in the whole of Cambodia with very little traffic. It's worth spending a few dollars more and a bit more time for the taxi to wait at Banteay Srey - one of the prettiest wats in the Angkor area and it's conveniently en route if you use the Choam Sa Ngam/Anlong Veng crossing rather than the Chong Jom/O'Smach (south of Surin) alternative.

Backpackers can hole up in Anlong Veng, near the Thai border, overnight and catch an early bus or share taxi - all-in cost from border to SR, of motodup, hotel and bus/share taxi one way would be $20-$30.

Anyone can PM me if they want more info - I have nothing to sell and no axes to grind, but happy to help.

Edited November 30, 2010 by SantiSuk