Cambodia Open From The North By Public Transport?

[tamesisfwp]

I want to get some travelling in before knuckling down.

I am currently based in Nakhon Phanom but want to visit Cambodia and do the sights, especially Siem Riep temples.

The long haul south from NP to Ubon is well catered for by 4/5 buses a day but from there I need real guidance.

Is the border open to a Brit and travelling on a bus? Of course with all the visa services there?

As I am so close to Laos would an alternative be to travel down through Laos (from Thakhek) and cross what I am told is a much friendlier boder into Cambodia?

any guidance much appreciated.

Expect to travel within the week and hope to be away for 3 weeks.

Thanks muchly

Stephen

[angsta]

There are a couple of borders near Surin and Sisaket that you can access.

Why spend all that money on a Laos visa and then have the pain that Laos transport brings.

What do you mean by friendly?

Your problems will begin getting from the border to for example Siam Reap but I know it's possible and relatively stress free. I've seen this topic here before and I've researched it maybe on LP Thorn tree last October.

[craigt3365]

I'd get an evisa for Cambodia. No hassles or scams at the border that way.

[tamesisfwp]

Thanks for the great replies.

By friendly I suppose I mean not being shot at.

The Laos route was to incorporate doing Laos other than Thakhek on a visa run last year over the Friendship Bridge Number 3. I recall while waiting for the return bus in the PM seeing a beaten up old bus staggering into the bus station and droves of weary travellers staggering cross legged to the toilet. I last witnessed the stench from inside the bus in Jugoslavia while chasing war criminals and being returned a truck load of that week's sport. So I was reluctant to contemplate this route.

The routes via Surin and Sisaket seem easipeasy and the e-visa I will get onto now.

Thanks guys

Stephen

[khwaibah]

urin bu

I'd get an evisa for Cambodia. No hassles or scams at the border that way.

Evisa can not be used at the SiSaket or Surin crossings only cash.The Chong Chom boarder crossing has the best transport system from Surin to Siem Reap. Surin bus station to the border 60 baht (70km). Chong Chom to Siem Reap 2000 bhat by taxi, black top road 2 hours.

[ericthai]

Chong Chom is a good crossing point. Easy to get on going travel. I have a Cambodian guy that works the boarder helping guys with whatever they need help with. If you want to call and pre-arrange things. You can PM me. I think last time I spoke to him about going to Siam Reap it was about 1500B. Crossing is not a problem. You can get a visa at the boarder when entering Cambodia. Best if you have US dollars and then you only pay $20, if not then they want I think 1200B cant recall as I have not done this in a long time. Actually I think I was only paying 1000B, cant recall as it has been more than 1 year.

[phuketrichard]

surin south( less than 1 hour) to Kep Choeng/ Osmach in Cambodia an than 2 hours by taxi to sr, have driven it before twice ( last time was last July) and will be doing this crossing again in July

Make sure u have the $20 an 1 photo

[draftvader]

We crossed the border south of Surin in 2007. We took a Saengthaw (never spell that right) to the border with a bunch of workers. Once there we walked across (with a little attempt at extortion...public holiday rubbish...sadly he had a calendar behind him and it was easy to see that the next public holiday was in 2 weeks so that fell flat) and had to haggle a taxi that we shared with a couple of Cambodians heading back home. The usual tourist rubbish started when we entered Siam Reap and were man-handled out of the taxi with the "taxi can't enter the city lie". We told the man with the TukTuk that we did not need a hotel but he insisted on driving us to the centre and to his choice of hotel. No problems we simply said that we did not like this hotel as much as the one we had booked. Absolute rubbish, but no guilt as they lied to us from the off and we knew it. Just walked away with him protesting.

The biggest obstacles on that crossing are the lack of public transport options (i.e. none). If you fancy a bit of adventure, however, then it will give you more of that than the usual crossings.

[Chivas]

I'd get an evisa for Cambodia. No hassles or scams at the border that way.

I thought we had established previously that this its not accepted at every border whether via Land or Air.....??

[craigt3365]

I'd get an evisa for Cambodia. No hassles or scams at the border that way.

I thought we had established previously that this its not accepted at every border whether via Land or Air.....??

Here's a listing of the ports that support the evisa:

http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/

[draftvader]

I'd get an evisa for Cambodia. No hassles or scams at the border that way.

I thought we had established previously that this its not accepted at every border whether via Land or Air.....??

Here's a listing of the ports that support the evisa:

http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/

Thanks for that list. O Smach....how could I forget that stamp in my passport Sounds very different now. Casinos? http://wikitravel.org/en/Samraong

[phuketrichard]

note , if u can swing it ; no public transport

Unpaved highway 56 runs west to the temples of Banteay Chhmar and then continues south to Sisophon.

I went this way once, temples are amazing,and get very very few tourists. they charged me $5 to enter and we were the only people there for a few hours,

'dirt roads all the way

[asanee]

go to this site for all relevant info re enter Camb: talesofasia.com, also lists possible transport options from most border posts. Be also aware, tat quite a few even lack buses on the Thai side too!

Promised for later on is a direct bus Ubon-Siem reap via Anlong veng.

Your views of a single Lao bus should not lead you to conclude there is no better: there certainly is, with new Chinese built sleper and VIP buses to the best of Thai standards. The most used PoiPet/Aran crossing has recently many reports of waits of up to 3-4 hrs to only be able to get an exit/entry stamp-even/also on a preorderwed e-visa.