Help with Cambodia - Sihanoukville or Battambang
 

Hi to the good folks of Fodor once again. Seven weeks until I hit Cambodia, and I need your help. After a few days of research on the forums and elsewhere I have a tentative itinerary that I would like you feedback on, but first a bit of background.

Last October we (2 adults and 2 kids 9 and 11) spent almost a month in Vietnam and had a great time there. At that time we did a Mekong Delta cruise - the usual 3 days/2 night job, Can Tho, Chau Doc etc Elephant fish lunch, coconut candy factory etc - you know the drill. Anyway, at that time we got to Chau Doc and thought 'wouldn't it be great to keep going up the Mekong and into Cambodia'.

So that's what I have planned. We are landing in HCM after 3 days in Brunei (cheap tickets you see). I want (if at all possible) to travel by boat right from Saigon to Phnom Penh, perhaps with an overnight stop along the way. So far I have only found organised tours that are either very expensive or repeat the Mekong trip we already did (or noth). Anyone who has any information at all on ideas for this, I would be most grateful.

So, after ariving in Phnom Penh I have a couple of options that I would like some feedback on. First, we like to soak up the atmosphere so are not the "it's Tuesday this must by Siem Reap" kind of people. Having said that, we only have 11 days in Cambodia and would like to see a bit of it if we can.

I was thinking of one of these options:

Option 1:
Phnom Penh (3 nights)
Sihanoukville (2 nights)
Battambang (2 nights)
Siem Reap (4 nights)

Option 2:
Phnom Penh (4 nights)
Battambang (2 nights)
Siem Reap (5 nights)

Option 3:

Phnom Penh (3 nights)
Sihanoukville (3 nights)
Siem Reap (5 nights)

Your thoughts would be very gratefully received. TIA.

Guy

Hi,

I did some research on a Saigon to PP journey by boat not so long ago. Didn't go in the end but from my sketchy notes:

There's no regular for all-comers passenger service any more between SGN and Chau Doc. You can bus it - takes 6 hours.

Daily boat from the Cambodian side of the border to PP - takes 6 hours. And you get to the Vietnamese border from Chau Doc and from border to border by boat too.

Re itinerary: have only been to Siem Reap and Battambang (on an earlier one week visit from Thailand) so can't comment on whether to go to Sihanoukville or Battambang. But I would look carefully at how you can get to anywhere at all other than Phnom Penh from Sihanoukville. Like it will be possible but how logistically complex will it be, and how long will it take?

Loved the little of Cambodia I have seen so far!

Cheers.

Back in '02 I did the Saigon to PP trip with www.deltaadventuretours.com - not the most comfortable, perhaps, but a fascinating trip. However, they don't offer a one day trip - but you might be able to arrange something with them. Have you tried asking on Lonely Planet's thorntree?

I've been to both Battambang and Sihanoukville, and found Battambang much more interesting. For a recent discussion on beach time in Cambodia see http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35147561. For my TRs on my first trip to Cambodia see www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2002.

Thanks afterall and thursdaysd for those replies. I had spotted the delta tours people and it seems that this might be as close as I will be able to get. sincafe (http://www.sinhcafevn.com) offer something similar but once again the trip starts and ends with a bus trip. Perhaps it's just too hard logistically to go the whole way by boat. Hard but mroe romantic...

I think you will find that most bus/boat tours from Saigon to Phnom Penh are fairly expensive and cover the same ground to Chau Doc as you already did. From CD there are a couple of boat lines that do the trip in a day

1 The Victoria Hotels group offer you a comfortable boat for the 4-5hrs trip. Leaves at 7am and cost around $90net.

2 There is a new fast boat service from that takes around 4 hrs and cost $35. These are new boats, quite comfortable and are equipped with a toilet. They are much better than the regular fast ferries (not recomended) and just about as good as the Victory Hotel ferry. Email: [email protected] check this site http://www.bluecruiser.com/ The cost last year was about $35 but probably has gone up

Note: that both these boats makes a stop at Vinh Xuong Gate in Vietnam to do exit visa. Then stop again at Khau Kaam Samnor Gate in Cambodia for immigration procedure. Visa into Cambodia is available here - $20 plus 2 photos. The staff on the boat will look after your procedures.

If you are not that set on taking a boat then you can actually do this quicker by taking a bus via Moc Bai to Phnom Penh. The Mekong Express is the best, large, comfortable, air-conditioned and with hostess. Leaves around 11am and takes about 6 hours including border formalities which are easy and helped with by the hostess. Visa can be obtained at the boarder for $20+photos. The road is paved the entire way, except for a couple of short, rough dusty patches where new bridges are under construction in Cambodia (they should be finished by now) and of course the Neak Luong ferry crossing. Cost about $13-15

Or you can splurge and take a taxi all the way. From HCMC to Moc Bai the cost is around $30 for the 2hr trip. From here to PP cost will be $30-40 depending on your negotiation skills and take 3.5 hours.

Going to the beaches in Sihanoukville will depend when you plan to visit. Beach life is not that pleasant during the rainy season. If you go then you might consider going directly from Saigon providing you are a little adventurous. The Xa Xia, Vietnam/Prek Chak, Cambodia (Ha Tien crossing) is about 10kms south of Chau Doc (again visa is available here). Once across the boarder there will be either some motorcycle taxis or tuk-tuks or if you are lucky a taxi. The road to Kep/Kampot is in fair condition and taking about 11/2hrs. Cost will vary with mode of transportation from $15 to 30. From Kampot a taxi will cost about $25 (for the whole car) to Sihanoukville. Think about staying in Kep or Kampot at least a couple of days. See if the tours are running up Bokor Mountain (the kids would enjoy this) and sample the best seafood in Cambodia. From Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh you can take a bus or taxi

If the weather is good (Nov-Mar) then option 3 is good but changed as
Kep/Kampot/Sihanoukville (4 nights)
Phnom Penh (3 nights)
Siem Reap (4 nights)

If rainy season then
Phnom Penh (3 nights)
Siem Reap (5 nights)
Battambang (3 nights)

Remember travelling in Cambodia takes time as mostly will by road. The only flight would be Phnom Penh/Siem Reap if you opted rather than by bus or taxi.

I've done the Chau Doc to Phnom Penh trip as part of a package tour which was fun but the Mekong is wide and it is not as visually exciting as boating in the delta.

I have not been to Sihanoukville so cannot comment on that but I recently spent two nights in Battangbang. The highlight of this was a moto tour of the district, Wat Phnom Sampeau, Wat Banan, rural villages, rice planting, fruit bats and finally a ride on the bamboo train. The tour was conducted by one of the moto drivers who hang out at the Royal Hotel. Quoted $12 for about 5 hours. The bamboo train was an extra $8 as we had to hire an entire train for the 7 km ride. The driver was a girl who looked about 9 years old with two smaller assistants. If you are worried about safety I'll warn you in advance that a helmet was not offered but may have been available. There was no speeding and I felt perfectly safe. The driver had good English skills and was an interesting guide.

From there I took the boat to Siem Reap which provided probably a better view of river village life than the Mekong run. At first the villages are on land but on the latter half of the trip you pass lots of floating villages, finally entering Lake Tonle Sap and a final village (Chong Kneas)where the trip ends. This was an 8 hour trip though and I appreciate your time is limited.

guykb, I haven't been to Battambang or Sihanoukville, although I have been to Siem Reap and Phom Penh.

I would opt for Option 3. I know a mother and daughter who did Siem Reap, flew to Phom Penh, and then took a chauffered car to Sihanoukville. They rated Sihanoukville very highly, especially the hotel, pool and beach.

They thought Siem Reap was fabulous, and in hindsight would have spent more time there; Phnom Penh took a little getting used to, but was great; And Sihanoukville an excellent way to have some R & R at the beach.

They flew into Siem Reap via KL, and had to drive back to Phnom Penh to get the flight out.

They simply adored it.

However, you might find you have to overnight in Phnom Penh on your return journey to make a flight out (depends which airline you are using).

I can't comment on Battambang.

Personally, I loved both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Two years ago I travelled from the Mekong Delta to Suiem Reap by boat travelling aboard the MV Pandaw, but that took 8 days. It might be too expensive, but it was a stunning way to get off the beaten track. When and if you check the Pandaw prices (www.pandaw.com) you should bear in mind that the cost covers virtually everything (accommodation, all meals, tea and coffee, soft drink, bottled water, guides and on-shore excursions - there are generally 2 per day). So it's not really as expensive as it appears at first sight.

Thanks heaps everyone for your replies. Just letting you know that I have decided as follows:

1 night in HCMC
1 night overnight in boat to Phnom Penh (using Delta Adventure Tours)
3 nights Phnom Penh then car to
2 nights Battambang then boat to
5 nights Siem Reap then fly to
1 night HCMC then back home

I'll let you know how it goes...

Guy

Looks good - have a great trip. Don't miss the bamboo express when you're in Battambang. I think you're doing this when there's still enough water to make the boat trip from Battambang to SR possible - have you checked? (The water level in the Tonle Sap fluctuates by a great deal - half the year water flows IN and half the year it flows OUT.)

Guy

In the event you'd like to hire a driver in Battambang to take you around to some of the sights described in silverwool's post, get in touch with this guy:
[email protected]

Of course, there are guys on every corner who can take you, but I can't vouch for them!

He is a moto driver but can arrange other forms of transportation. Speaks great English, dependable and a fun guy. Have whomever take you out to the bamboo trains. It's not to be missed. Your kids will love it. Here is a really bad video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjBYjAookl4

BTW frogs cooked every kind of way are a specialty in Battambang. Please try them while you are there. Amazing. Mr. Kim knows some good/cheap local places.

Enjoy your trip!

I preferred you choice option 2. Check this out (http://www.a4blog.com/2008/08/food-y...s-at-cambodia/), you may know some food information.
The guide book I bought were so good while I was searching information of Cambodia and discovered a website (http://www.a4trip.com/cambodia/phnom-penh). This guide book is know you need and help plan your travels. My tour was a fantastic experience – I hope you enjoy yours too!

I'd cut Battambang. But I'd make Kep and Cambodian coastline a priority. Enjoy it now. Its "viriginal" status is soon to come to an end.

If you'd like recommendations re dining, I recently wrote a review.

http://www.luxepacker.com/files/best..._cambodia.html

Hi there,
I did Siem Reap with Hubby and two children 9 and 6, 3 days was enough of the temples, and my suggestion is get a guide, Angkor Watt is huge and I think takes a day to get around, and the guides really can share with you the history which is very interesting. Enjoy and the food places in Siem reap are great.