Smeagol

Still in the early planning stages of my Cambodia trip in November. I am unable (at the moment )to get flight details for PP to SR (or visa versa) my question is, is it worth considering a private car transfer? how long does it take and is the journey nice?. If possible i am looking to cut out the flight but if ithe road journey is horrendous i will of course fly.

Any info would be gratefully received .
Ta
S

crellston

It took us 6 hours by bus (lux. double decker)including a stop for lunch. The journey was by no means horrendous (apart from the occasional karaoke interludes!!)but was a tad boring as there was not a great deal to view along the way. A private transfer may be a little quicker. I think we paid circa $7-8 each so for two a car may not be much more expensive. When transferring from Poipet on the border to Siem Reap we arrange a car in advance with our guesthouse. It took about the same time and cost $25.

Smeagol

Thanks for the useful info Crellston. Do you think i should save the time and fly? (i think ££ wise it would be cheaper to drive but it's not just about the ££) I was kind of hoping for a bit of interesting scenery!!!
May also look into the lux bus but if it's a lot quicker by private car i think i will go with that.

thursdaysd

Actually, I found the drive quite interesting! I don't remember it taking as long as six hours, but maybe that's because I wasn't bored. If you can afford it, certainly do it by car - the cost is driven by the price of gas (petrol). In no way would I say it was "horrendous".

thursdaysd

More on the drive - the first time I was with an Intrepid tour group, and the second I went on the public bus. If you have a car and driver you could consider a stop at Sambor Prei Kuk - temples in a forest, very old, very quiet, very atmospheric. For my TR see http://wilhelmswords.com/asia2002/index.html and for photos from the Intrepid trip (still unedited, sigh) see http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/Asia2002 password "cambodia", the photos from the 2004 trip on the same site are mostly boat races in Phnom Penh and Angkor (same password).

Scotters

The road between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is good and now takes around 4 hours by car and 5-6 hrs by bus.The scenery while not spectacular is interesting and you can observe the small villages and rural life. In my opinion much better than flying.


The best bus is the Mekong Express. My clients travelled this way a month ago and said the service is excellent and the seat pitch was good,leaving enough space from the seat in front. You are served two pastries and a bottle of water. Leaves PP at 7.30am and 12.30pm, takes around 5-6hrs with one stop. Cost $12. They will come and pick you up at your hotel if you call them - Tel: 023-427-518
The bus departs from the boat pier on Sisowath Quay.

If you deceide to take a taxi the cost for a whole car is around $50 (09). The advantage of a taxi over the bus is that you can stop along the way if you see places that interest you.

If you fly Cambodia Angkor Air is the only airline flying this route, a joint venture with Vietnam Air, Cost is now around $97.

Smeagol

Thanks for the amazing info. I figure we will go the private taxi route, we can live with 4 hours and as you say stop off along the way and seems like we will save ££ also.

thanks again all
Now, does anone know a decent private hire car firm??

Scotters

Thyere are 3 possible ways.

1 - If you are flying in to PP and get a taxi to your hotel, then if the driver speaks fair english,seems a good driver and the car is okay, see if he will drive you to SR. If he says no then he might know a driver that will take you. See if you can met this driver before hand to check everything out.

2 - Go to the southwest corner of Central Market where you will find taxis to SR.

3 - Have your hotel or guesthouse arrange a taxi for you. This will normally cost more than arranging one yourself

Note that you may have to negioate the price as they will ask nore than the normal fare. I hear some are now asking 70-80 bur you should be able to get down to between 50-60

Smeagol

Great advice, i will email the hotel to get a handle on their costs but may wait until we get there and check out the drivers we use.

Thanks again

rhkkmk

wait a minute... david on a PUBLIC bus????

Smeagol

I know Bob, but he just might!! (especially if i didnt tell him till it was too late!) but no we are going the private taxi route.

Jen

As mentioned above, the road is good, and I also found the scenery very interesting. I took the bus, which was fine. Angkor Express was the one I used, not quite as nice as what I understand the Mekong Express to be, but it was just fine. Took almost 7 hours, but that was because of construction on the road into Phnom Penh... I doubt it would be more than 6 hours normally. The time flew by for me, because there was so much to look at out the window. You go through a lot of villages, and I thought it was a great way to see some of rural Cambodia. Tip: bring a little toilet paper from your hotel on the trip!! It's squat toilets all the way anywhere you stop.

vinovino

I paid $50 for a taxi and it took about 4 hours.

rhkkmk

$50 seems very reasonable....

Santatravel

Taxi is faster than bus, approximately more than 4 hours, US$50 is reasonable price you should get or may be a bit more depend on the place you find. Make a stop at Skun if possible to check Tarantula Eater and other insect fried.
For bus (PP-SR) Mekong Express Bus is reliable one just more expensive than others about US$10 per person, good driver, clean toilet, high class service.