tominrm

I am thinking about a quick stop at Siem Reap for two nights in April to visit Angkor Wat. Are there metered taxi or Uber/DiDi? Don’t feel like to be hustled as soon as I touched down for the first time. Also is two nights enough to see the temple? I don’t have time to visit Phnom Penn.

kja

You can definitely pre-book a car or tuktuk in Siem Reap and you can negotiate the price in advance. I can recommend an English speaking driver with a car in Siem Reap; send me a private message if you want his contact information. If you prefer a tuktuk, consider contacting your hotel, but note that the new Siem Reap airport is an hour's car-ride out of town.

By "the temple," I assume you mean Angkor Wat? You can see it in a few hours. But it's only one of MANY magnificent temples in the area. If visiting for just one day, I believe most people combine it with Angkor Thom and perhaps one other small temple; you have many options. FWIW, I'm glad I had much more time in the area.

You plan to stop on your way to China? I hope you decided to include Xi'an -- the terra cotta warriors are remarkable and there's much more to see in that city. I believe you were worried about visiting China without a tour guide? You might find some value in my old trip report -- click on my name and then scroll down (way down!) the trip report section to find it. Or let me know and I'll link it into this thread.

crellston

I doubt you will feel "hustled" by anyone. IME of many visits to the country, the Cambodian people are generally are just not like that. You can visit a selection of the temples in several different ways; a car with driver (with or without a guide) or a tuk tuk with just a driver. Each has there advantage and disadvantages. We have visit three times , each emptying different method. Some advocate engaging a guide, I don't as the two that we have used were interminably boring, virtually reciting from the prepared script produce by the official guide organisation . I dont like that style and much preferred a tuk tuk driver who knew where to go and when and left us to our own devices when there.

Not sure what the going rate is for each option in these post pandemic, post inflation days but the goingpre diem rate a few year ago used to be $20 for a tuk tuk only, $60 for a car /driver and around $80 for a car with driver and guide. I expect current rates to be higher. A car with driver and guide should be arranged in advance, the other options can be sourced on arrival either directly with a driver or via your accommodation. Whichever you choose , within reason you will have their services for the day.

PS shame you dont have time for PP. it is one of my favourite Asian cities. Indeed , it would figure higher on my list than Siem Reap!

Unlikley that you will be able to find a meter taxi or app based ride for the temples but may be possible form the airport. Personally I doubt that either would save either cash or hassle.

On the subject of tipping. My baseline is that I am anti tipping unless cultural norm. In Cambodia I make an exception. I had a long chat with one tuk tuk driver we used in Phnom Penh once who explained to me the economics and corruption both from police and criminal gangs who effective run the tuk tuk rental business in Cambodia and ended up writing an article about it. These guys operate on very thin margins and the daily rate leave them virtually nothing so I do tip to a level I feel is fair and appropriate.

kja

What crellston said about tips! I also follow local custom insofar as possible when it comes to tips (for example, I did not tip in China), but in Cambodia, I tipped -- generously. Siem Reap is almost completely dependent on tourism, and so COVID hit it's people very hard. Those who remained in the area are just getting back on their feet. Even a token amount (by my standards) meant a great deal to the recipients.

hewholovestravel

It appears that either a driver or tuk-tuk is the way to go from the airport. I'd get a few temple days recommended and book a car/driver in advance - they'll know the best spots to visit. Two nights should be enough to see the highlights if you get an early start.

Larsay

The problem of a taxi is that you see everything only through a window or if you stop and get out. The best for Angkor is a tuk-tuk (many drivers speak good English) or a bicycle, regular or electric