Driving Into Cambodia

[wilko]

I want over the Xmas hols to drive my pickup to Siem Reap, but have still to hear from anyone who has actually done it.

So I hoping to hear from someone who has taken a private vehicle (Thai registered) from Thailand into Cambodia and back.

What documents did you need, what formalities and costs did you incur on the border - both ways and what hassles if any did you encounter with Cambodian authorities whilst in the country?

What about insurance, where are you allowed to go? Is there private vehicle access into the Ankhor Wat compound? How much?

What extra things should I take for the journey/truck?

Also is anyone interested in forming a convoy?

Thanks in advance......

[Sebastienenchine]

Same for me. I also want to know about insurance, and if you can drive in more than 1 province in Cambodia. I read that you are allowed to drive only in the province you entered.

Thanks in advance.

[percy2]

I want over the Xmas hols to drive my pickup to Siem Reap, but have still to hear from anyone who has actually done it.

So I hoping to hear from someone who has taken a private vehicle (Thai registered) from Thailand into Cambodia and back.

What documents did you need, what formalities and costs did you incur on the border - both ways and what hassles if any did you encounter with Cambodian authorities whilst in the country?

What about insurance, where are you allowed to go? Is there private vehicle access into the Ankhor Wat compound? How much?

What extra things should I take for the journey/truck?

Also is anyone interested in forming a convoy?

Thanks in advance......

Talk to the 4x4 clubs.

They used to organize trips from Thailand > Cambodia > Vietnam > Laos and back to Thailand.

Though these stopped after Vietnam stopped the entry of Lefthand drive vehicles.

They still go into Laos and Cambodia I believe.

[wilko]

I want over the Xmas hols to drive my pickup to Siem Reap, but have still to hear from anyone who has actually done it.

So I hoping to hear from someone who has taken a private vehicle (Thai registered) from Thailand into Cambodia and back.

What documents did you need, what formalities and costs did you incur on the border - both ways and what hassles if any did you encounter with Cambodian authorities whilst in the country?

What about insurance, where are you allowed to go? Is there private vehicle access into the Ankhor Wat compound? How much?

What extra things should I take for the journey/truck?

Also is anyone interested in forming a convoy?

Thanks in advance......

Talk to the 4x4 clubs.

They used to organize trips from Thailand > Cambodia > Vietnam > Laos and back to Thailand.

Though these stopped after Vietnam stopped the entry of Lefthand drive vehicles.

They still go into Laos and Cambodia I believe.

I guess you mean "right hand drive"....

Do you know the names of any of these companies? I found one but it was in Thai and I'm ashamed to say I can't read it

[percy2]

I want over the Xmas hols to drive my pickup to Siem Reap, but have still to hear from anyone who has actually done it.

So I hoping to hear from someone who has taken a private vehicle (Thai registered) from Thailand into Cambodia and back.

What documents did you need, what formalities and costs did you incur on the border - both ways and what hassles if any did you encounter with Cambodian authorities whilst in the country?

What about insurance, where are you allowed to go? Is there private vehicle access into the Ankhor Wat compound? How much?

What extra things should I take for the journey/truck?

Also is anyone interested in forming a convoy?

Thanks in advance......

Talk to the 4x4 clubs.

They used to organize trips from Thailand > Cambodia > Vietnam > Laos and back to Thailand.

Though these stopped after Vietnam stopped the entry of Lefthand drive vehicles.

They still go into Laos and Cambodia I believe.

I guess you mean "right hand drive"....

Do you know the names of any of these companies? I found one but it was in Thai and I'm ashamed to say I can't read it

Yes I meant right hand drive!

They all seem to be in Thai , but when I've had questions for them I've sent and email or posted a question on their forums in english.

Somebody always answers in english eventually.

Or get a Thai friend to ask for you.

[lampard10]

One of our South African customers took his Suzuki Jeep across. No problem. And an Ozzie took his beat-up old toyota. The road from Chong Chom/Osmach to Siem Reip is only about 150 km's but very bad at this time of year. Over the christmas period it is normally quite good.

[Sebastienenchine]

Thanks. Now, I know it's possible. If someone has information about INSURANCE, what is the price in Cambodia, where to get them and all the formalities to cross the border with a car. I know in Lao, you need stickers... I read that on the forum.

[pop3]

If you have an expencive car your a brave chap !

[wilko]

If you have an expencive car your a brave chap !

I hgave run a few threads on this over the last couple of years and have yet to hear from anyone who has ACTUALLY done the trip to ankhor Wat, infact I've only heard of aabout 2 people who have driven into cambodia. Maybe it's because they're too busy doing interesting things to be concerned with a web site....however I've had lots of comments like the one above...totally without any purpose whatsoever.......do you seriously tthink we haven't considered the insurance aspect and weighed up the risks.......a complete bozo!

Please if you have ACTUAL experience or sound knowledge of the requirements I'd love to hear your comments but ones like the negative one above are just a complete waste of time....what are you trying to achieve?

[wilko]

One of our South African customers took his Suzuki Jeep across. No problem. And an Ozzie took his beat-up old toyota. The road from Chong Chom/Osmach to Siem Reip is only about 150 km's but very bad at this time of year. Over the christmas period it is normally quite good.

Do you have any contact details for this guy....I'm still waiting for some first hand experience of the journey....e.g. how do you get over the limitation to one province only...perhaps he could send me a PM?

[pop3]

My bozo comment was made from experiance of living and working in Cambodia over many years, it is my personal belief you are far more likely to get your car stolen or damaged in Cambodia than in Thailand, simple as that.

[asiaworld]

One of our South African customers took his Suzuki Jeep across. No problem. And an Ozzie took his beat-up old toyota. The road from Chong Chom/Osmach to Siem Reip is only about 150 km's but very bad at this time of year. Over the christmas period it is normally quite good.

Do you have any contact details for this guy....I'm still waiting for some first hand experience of the journey....e.g. how do you get over the limitation to one province only...perhaps he could send me a PM?

Very interesting topic ! sorry can't b of much help .. only drove upto S'pore, into Myanmar , but would b nice 2 drive upto Phnom Pehn one day can't wait for them 2 build the proper road.. Apparently driving upto Siem Reap, shouldn't b big deal, because few vans supposedly go there from Kaosarn rd. daily !

[jcgodber]

A while back, about 2 years ago, my wife and I joined up with a touring caravan sponsored by Tri- Petch Isuzu in Bangkok. We made the trip starting from Surin and then made our entry into Cambodia at Chong Chom. Isuzu organized everything. We had a Cambodian military liaison that lead the convoy and made everything smooth. Speaking of smooth, nothing else was. The road to Siem Reip is one of the worse I have ever seen. At first we tried to avoid the bumps but soon understood that the entire road is all a big bump. The best plan was to adjust your speed so that you would “fly” over most of the bumps. I kid you not, I know people that placed a pillow on top of their head to soften the blow with the roof.

We have traveled just about everywhere in Thailand and even into Laos with Isuzu. Isuzu “Tri Petch” is very, very good. They took care of all the permits, insurance and supplied the caravan with an Ambulance and medics and a complete break down truck with an expert mechanic. The trip is a full day and we arrived at out hotel before dark. I should mention that we all had 4-wheel drives. I would like to go again. After the first of the year we will be driving into and around Viet Nam.

Jim

[VTR1000]

Try these guys

I met up with some of them in Genting , Malaysia the other day. Nice people too.

[wilko]

My bozo comment was made from experiance of living and working in Cambodia over many years, it is my personal belief you are far more likely to get your car stolen or damaged in Cambodia than in Thailand, simple as that.

And your constructive comment is?

[pop3]

Well I surpose for a constructive comment what about not being too quick to jump on someone ? some of the comments on the forum are ment to be taken lightly, unfortunatly without being able to see peoples facial expressions as they make these comments we sometimes take it the wrong way, Ive done it myself.

[The Skipper]

If you drive on the road in Siam Reip that I was on, your car will be ruined.

[wilko]

If you drive on the road in Siam Reip that I was on, your car will be ruined.

Would you care to elucidate?

[wilko]

Well I surpose for a constructive comment what about not being too quick to jump on someone ? some of the comments on the forum are ment to be taken lightly, unfortunatly without being able to see peoples facial expressions as they make these comments we sometimes take it the wrong way, Ive done it myself.

I'm asking for advice from people who have first hand experience of taking their own vehicle to Siem Reap from Thailand. You haven't, so I can't see anything in your postings of any use. I suspect you think that because you have spent some time in Cambodia you should post a comment, regardless of it's relevance.

[The Skipper]

If you drive on the road in Siam Reip that I was on, your car will be ruined.

Would you care to elucidate?

I didn't drive from Thailand into Cambodia but in the Siam Reip area we had a driver and a rented car.

Some roads were excellent and some were the worst I've seen.

I would never take my car there or would I even take a rental. Just too rough.

Flying is the ONLY way I would go.

If you do take your car in there, it will probably make a good story down at the Pub sometime.

[pop3]

You seem to be a very awkward dogmatic person, everything is useful or not usefull, black or white, I hope you do make it to Cambodia, then mabe you'll see my comment about getting your car stolen wasen't as irelevent as you thought.

[wilko]

Skipper & Pop - or is that Waldorf & Statler?

Skipper - how or what part of my car will be ruined and why...are you an engineer.??? What have I missed???? I'm a pretty good mechanic myself and I've owned cars all over the world in desert and ice and not one has ever been "ruined" or are you just worried that my interior might get muddy? If so relax...I don't care!

I've already flown to Cambodia (twice)...I've been driven on the roads and I know what they're like....I also am familiar with off-roading (yes I know about mines and I'm not going to go "off-road" in Cambodia!) I have a 4wd and like the idea of a bit of a challenge....if I wanted to fly to Cambodia I would have put a posting about flying to Cambodia but I'm NOT - I'm taking my f**king car!

POP - I'm aware of the risks in Cambodia that's why I'm seeking useful advice not vague "I-wouldn't-do-that-if-I-were-you" type comments...what a misery you are!

You 2 are so negative it's a wonder you ever got out your front room!

So - if you haven't got anything helpful to say why don’t you..........I'll leave that up to your apparently rather diminutive imaginations!

[taxexile]

it seems as if you want to ignore most of the useful advice that is being given , that is not to drive because it is more hassle than it is worth.

but you already know about the risks and hassles of taking a vehicle over there , so why not just go ahead and go.

it doesnt appear as if anybody here has actually done the trip yet , so all you will get here is hearsay and second hand reports.

i would contact

www.indochina.com

they are a company who organise driving trips to cambodia , they speak good english and will , i'm sure , be only too pleased to give you first hand , up to the minute advice on how to do this trip alone as opposed to doing it in a group.

have a good trip , and let us all know how you got on so we can all post

"i told you so ..." type comments.

[wilko]

Thanks for the web site. Although I can't access it at the moment.

What is the matter with people on this post? How much hassle and how much risk is for ME to decide....I've also had a lot of time to assess that aspect....

More hassle than it's worth? How can you know how much I weigh the hassle versus wanting to do it? If you haven't done it how do you assess how much hassle...why take a negative stance? I'm trying to get something together...are you worried just in case someone has a good time or an interesting experience...

"I told you so" well that just sums up some of the comments we've had....it's like the people who go and picnic by air crashes or other disasters

I'm planning something that none of you lot have done....if you want to sit there on your spotty behinds that's "up to you" but I have something less sluggish to do and I'm trying to find out something about it...imagine what kind of a world we would be in if everyone just sat back and said it's too much hassle......never mind...I'm not dead yet, I can still walk and talk at the same time.....and when I'm in prison in Cambodia with my car confiscated...you can all sit back and confidently say "I told you so" and what a huge feeling of satisfaction you'll get as you think of all the things you haven't done in your life!

[Khutan]

..... how or what part of my car will be ruined and why...are you an engineer.??? ....

Going on my experience on unsealed roads this side of the boarder and also driving for more than 2 years inside Cambodia also on up-country roads I think I am qualified to make a comment or two.

Firstly NO I have not driven a car from Chom Chon to Osmasch, which is 20 meters, I did once drive when I was in the Army up to Osmasch from Phnom Penh and also I srive from Bangkok to within 9 km of Chom Chon every month.

So not withstanding that missing 20 meters of sealed roads lets cut to the chase.

In the "Rainy Season" it is foolhardy to attempt that road. You will get Bogged and you will be digging and winching your vehicle out. I have heard of Unimogs and other 6WD military vehickes up to their axels in the mud.

If you are a skilled off-road motorcycle rider and have the bike prepared for several hunderd km of mud then it could be an interesting challenge.

In the intermediate seasons before the road is graded / attended to which is not every year, the pot-holed created by the larger vehicled pushing through the mud can become large and you can get the axeld jammed as the momentum of the vehicle carries you into the wheel ruts, leaving you with insufficient traction to perform the exercise.

Once the road has dried and some of the pot-holes are filled you can attempt the trip in a regular street car. A Pickup would be my preference as the better ground clearence will be useful.

The main mechanical problem you will have is excessive and repetitive force on the seals in your shock absorbers, particularly the front pair. Further is the Suspension bushes and then your steering alingment. Driving this road would be like constantly hitting the kerb of the road and then hitting speed humps.

As the forces from pot-holes are not directly in-line with the direction of travel, you can expect that these forces will alter the alignment of the front end.

Apart from that you can probably expect some twist in the chassis of your vehicle. To get an idea of how much stress will be constantly on the chassis of the vehicle, drive up and down a kerb or diagonally across a large speed hump with the drivers door slightly open and see the result.

Hope that helps.

[asiaworld]

hmm.. Wilko, by this time i doubt you are even serious about the whole thing .

simple as 1,2,3, u r in Chonburi.. fill up ur tank, 2 hour drive gets u to the border, visit customs office before immi.!. they'll give u piece of paper allowing u to take the car out of Thailand..

drive throu immi..

stamp urself into Cambo. ask , what you need to, pay//fill form 2 drive there .. drive around ,,

heck , when u get home in a day or 2, you can be the one posting the " Field report " ! simple as that !! i recon u can drive 2 Siem Riep & back same day on a 4 WD .. just keep a few small USD bills 2 keep cops happy along ur way

it's not like you're planning to drive to Sibearia.. it's barely 300 km away on any map !

thats how i'd do it myself anyway

[percy2]

So what documents are required to exit Thailand?

1. Passport.

2. Non-Imm Visa?

3. Rentry Permit?

4. Car Registration Booklet.

5. Tax Certificate?

6. 3rd Party Insurance?

7. Driving License?

What documents are required to enter Cambodia?

1. Passport.

2. Visa?

4. Car Registration Booklet (Thai)?

6. 3rd Party Insurance?

7. Driving License?

So what documents are required to exit Cambodia?

1. Passport.

2. Visa?

3. Car Registration Booklet (Thai)?

4. 3rd Party Insurance?

5. Driving License?

So what documents are required to enter Thailand?

1. Passport.

2. Non-Imm Visa?

3. Rentry Permit?

4. Car Registration Booklet.

5. Tax Certificate?

6. 3rd Party Insurance?

7. Driving License

Cany anyone confirm the items with ? mark.

I'm sure there are other documents required.

It would be nice to put together a comprehensive list to help anyone who wants to take their car outside of Thailand. Even if its only to somewhere safe like Malaysia / Singapore.

Cheers

[taxexile]

I'm planning something that none of you lot have done....if you want to sit there on your spotty behinds that's "up to you" but I have something less sluggish to do and I'm trying to find out something about it...imagine what kind of a world we would be in if everyone just sat back and said it's too much hassle......never mind...I'm not dead yet, I can still walk and talk at the same time.....and when I'm in prison in Cambodia with my car confiscated...you can all sit back and confidently say "I told you so" and what a huge feeling of satisfaction you'll get as you think of all the things you haven't done in your life!

the last thing anybody who has posted on this topic needs is a lecture from a wannabe action man hero who seems to thinks that driving a muddy pick up truck along cambodias busiest road amounts to an adventure , in order to put some stubble on his chin , hairs on his chest and gain kudos from his readers.

you remind me of those hindu pilgrims who dream up almost impossible tasks (like walking from delhi to calcutta on their hands and knees) to do to show devotion to their faith.

if it was such a great trip to do dont you think that hundreds of others would have already done it on their own. want to drive to siam reap? then hire a car and driver at the border , its the same experience exactly with no paperwork hassles , no border hassles and no breakdown hassles.

want some roadtrip adventure in cambodia ? then get out of your airconditioned vehicle and do it by motorbike , you will be more mobile and much more in touch with your surroundings and the people there.

or maybe you are just so much in love with your truck.

most people just dont see driving from pattaya to siam reap as much of an achievment , its no big deal , thats why nobody does it , unless they have to.

[asiaworld]

So what documents are required to exit Thailand?

1. Passport.

4. Car Registration Booklet. visit customs office, they'll give you piece of paper, which u give back to them on your return 5 min !!

What documents are required to enter Cambodia?

1. Passport. > it this a question

2. Visa? > buy one on arrival !

4. Car Registration Booklet (Thai)? > u'll have it to exit Thailand ( your name !!)

6. 3rd Party Insurance? > ??buy on border if required !!

7. Driving License? > hmm...

So what documents are required to exit Cambodia?

So what documents are required to enter Thailand?

hmm... dun forget 2 return the paper to customs...

Cany anyone confirm the items with ? mark.

I'm sure there are other documents required. ...>>... life's only as complicated, as you wish it to be

It would be nice to put together a comprehensive list to help anyone who wants to take their car outside of Thailand. Even if its only to somewhere safe like Malaysia / Singapore.

Cheers

on a serious note.. i drove throu all THOSE borders, on both malaysian & thai cars <BOTH MY OWN>>

ONLY 1 requirement, CANNOT drive rental car !

sweeter, than flying

ps: sorry 4 editing inside quote, not sure how 2 do it >> pls re-read original above !

Edited October 11, 2006 by asiaworld

[percy2]

on a serious note.. i drove throu all THOSE borders, on both malaysian & thai cars <BOTH MY OWN>>

ONLY 1 requirement, CANNOT drive rental car !

sweeter, than flying

ps: sorry 4 editing inside quote, not sure how 2 do it >> pls re-read original above !

Thanks for the most informative post so far.

Could you be more specific about where to buy insurance in the various countries or can you do it through your Thai insurance company.

Is it required for Cambodia , Laos , Malaysia , Singapore?

I know I was stating the obvious with a couple of the documents required ,just wanted to cover all

Cheers