Getting To and From Cambodia
By plane
From both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, a fairly hefty international departure tax is levied, so have some cash set aside for it. Cambodia has international airports at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Direct flights connect Phnom Penh International Airport (previously Pochentong International Airport) with China (Guangzhou | Hong Kong | Shanghai), Laos (Vientiane), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Singapore, Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City). Direct flights connect Siem Reap - Angkor International Airport with Laos (Pakse | Vientiane), Singapore, Taiwan (Kaohsiung | Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok | U-Tapao (Sattahip/Pattaya)) and Vietnam (Danang | Ho Chi Minh City). Travellers going specifically to visit the Angkor temple ruins may prefer to use Siem Reap as it's only a few minutes away from the main sites; however as Bangkok Airways has a monopoly on direct flights between Bangkok and Siem Reap, it's a lot cheaper to fly to Phnom Penh and to take the bus (or cross overland from Bangkok). Low-cost carrier Air Asia have introduced flights from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, while Jetstar Asia has begun flying between Singapore, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Other airlines operating flights to/from Cambodia include Asiana Airlines, Bangkok Airways, China Southern Airlines, Dragonair, Eva Airways, Lao Airlines, Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Shanghai Airlines, Siem Reap Airways (a subsidiary of Bangkok Airways), SilkAir, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International, and Vietnam Airlines.
By bus
Scam alert: Beware of scams when entering Cambodia overland. Most common is the inflation of the visa fee. To avoid this, get your visa in advance - either from a Cambodian embassy/consulate (via an agency if necessary) or from the e-Visa website. See the Visas section for full details. In Poipet, the guide in the minibus from the border to the bus station will explain that you should have Riels (the local money) to avoid paying inflated prices in US Dollars. He will suggest changing money at the bus station at terrible rates. Don't fall for this: riel are only used as small change, all the prices in the country are in US$, and there are plenty of ATMs in Siem Reap. Past scams have included fines for not presenting a vaccination certification (even though this is not mandatory), charging 50 baht for a (bogus) SARS health form, and enforcing an imaginary US$100 to Cambodian riel exchange requirement (at lousy rates).
There are no direct bus services from Thailand, but there are good Thai bus services to the main border crossings. On the Cambodian side, more basic and less frequent bus services are available from Poipet and Koh Kong. There are direct bus services from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh.
Bangkok - Siem Reap: This route is in better shape than it once was but still a bit of a hassle, particularly when entering Cambodia. On this route, tourist bus employees often take kickbacks from restaurants and guesthouses they suggest, and tourist buses will stay at rest stops for 2-3 hours or feign mechanical problems, extending the travel to 12 or more hours, which usually makes tourists too tired to argue when arriving at an overpriced guesthouse.
Bangkok – Sihanoukville: Starting in Bangkok, catch a bus to Trat, and from there a minibus to the border. After crossing into Cambodia there are two possibilities - the once-daily boat to Sihanoukville (can be unpleasant in adverse weather), or else a minibus or taxi to either Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh.
Ho Chi Minh City - Phnom Penh: Through bus tickets are not cheap, bus passengers must walk between the Cambodian and Vietnamese checkpoints and transfer between the two buses that travel the Cambodian and Vietnamese legs respectively. At this crossing only one passport photo is required for a Cambodian visa. Alternatively, it can be interesting to join a Mekong Delta tour (2-3 days) that travels between the two cities.
Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap: Mai Linh Taxi Company in Ho Chi Minh City provides bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap directly from beginning of 2007.
By boat
To/from Laos - There is one border crossing for tourists on the Mekong, a 90 minute speedboat ride north of Stung Treng. The border guards have few opportunities for "alternative" income, and will usually try to make a few extra dollars from scamming tourists.
To/from Thailand - There are no ferry services between Cambodia and Thailand. However it is possible to cross the border from Thailand to Koh Kong on foot, take a 15 minute share taxi or motodop (motorbike taxi) ride, and then proceed to Sihanoukville by ferry from there (or vice-versa).
To/from Vietnam - It's possible to travel between Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh by boat, or by combination of road and boat. Fast boats leave daily from Chau Doc in Vietnam's Mekong Delta and take 5 hours to reach Phnom Penh. Chau Doc is a four hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City. A popular overland route is to make a three day trip, stopping at Can Tho and Chau Doc before taking the boat to Phnom Penh.
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Cambodia Travel Information has been extracted in part from ‘http://wikitravel.org/en/Cambodia’ and is based work by Has Kosal, Jani Patokallio, Michele Ann Jenkins, Felicity T, Maïte Romand & Hugues De Keyzer and Aneel Nazareth, Wikitravel user(s) Texugo and Episteme, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.
