Hullo All!! Travel to Cambodia?

bv.karthik

Hey ppl...

Just joined.. so thought i'll do a bit of an intro. Am Karthik, from Chennai and yeah you'd already figured out that I am interested in travelling. I just graduated out of college and am working in a software company.

I have done a bit of travelling, which includes travels to most of the major places in TN, bit of kerela & karnataka.

Hope to learn a lot n have good fun writing n interacting with you Pro's

ebby

Welcome karthik !

bv.karthik

Well..here's my first question..

Am planning to go to Cambodia at the end of this year!! Am planning to visit the Angkor, maybe do the sihanoukville beaches. Initally planned on Yak loum lake alsp but due to time constraints, dropped it.

I'd want to know the way to reach Cambodia first. Are there any direct flights to cambodia from india? if not going to bangkok and then to siem reap.. is this the best way?

In general how much will an economy trip cost?

Any inputs, experiences on earlier travel to cambodia & any advice is utmost appreciated

brownboy66

Hi Karthik and Welcome to IM!

Its been a while since I last visited Cambodia, so most of my answers will be ancient history. I very much doubt there is a direct flight to Cambodia from India - so going via Bangkok will be a good idea. From Bangkok you'll have the option of either Thai, Bangkok Airways, etc - either direct to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh. Of course going to Phnom Penh means an extra hop to get to Angkor Wat - but there are some interesting things to do in the national capital - and some pretty...how should we say.....eye opening sites as well (such as the genocide museum and the killing fields momument just outside of town).

Not sure what flts there are to Sihanoukville - but a lovely location all the same (great beaches). Best bet will be to do a search of flights via Thai or similar - see what travel options they have. There are any number of packages out of Bangkok into Cambodia.

good luck.

Kingstonian

Hi Karthik
Welcome to IM - we're not all Pros, here!
Happy travelling.

tstan

Hi Kartik
Suggest you fly to Singapore (doesn't Tiger operate a cheap return flight to Singapore?) travel by bus to KL(3 hours) and fly Air Asia from KL low cost airline airport to Seam Reap (close to Angkor Wat) for $US50. It is a bit expensive flying from Thailand to Cambodia.

freenote

Hi Karthic ,as brownboy says ,Bangkok is your transport hub for the area and from there catch a plane to Siem reap..From there you can catch a "Mekong express" bus down to Phnom Penh & Sihanoukville . The bus company & buses are Excalent and you can travel in style !!! Cost if i remember correctly was $12 to Phnom Penh and a further $12 down to the coast .It is possible to do the complete trip in one day but the possibility of a day or two in Phnom Penh is not to be missed .I was there last year and found the area well worth a visit .....Enjoy

dumb_bacchus

Hi BV

Welcome to the forum. Well I went to Cambodia in Nov 2006 and boy i loved that place. There are plenty of flights operating from Bangkok. You can fly into Phnom Phen or to Siem Reap from Bangkok. Well Cambodia is a back packers paradise, its a beautiful country. The Angkor temples are magnificent, and the sand of the white sand beaches of Sihanoukville is soft as cotton. I picked the lonely planet for Cambodia during my visit and it was of great help. It got all the prices n time tables...

Mickey S

It's not difficult to get from Bangkok to Angkor Wat overland. Basically, you get a train to the border, cross on foot and take one of the many trucks, buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws waiting on the other side. I think it's about a 3-hour ride from the border to Siem Reap and costs almost nothing (in western terms). Any guide book - Rough Guide and Lonely Planet are particularly good - will have all the details.

I agree with the person above who said that flights are expensive between Bangkok and Siem Reap - it's a very busy and popular route, and the airlines can charge almost whatever they want. I think we paid about £100 ($200; 8000Rs.) one way last time we went. But it is very quick.

The best way to get to Sihanoukville is by bus. They're easy to get in Siem Reap.

Have you thought about crossing into Laos? It's a beautiful country, by far my favourite of all the Asian countries I have ever visited.

obione980

Go through Kuala Lumpur!

You can do it on Malaysia Air all the way - which is cheapish! OR get to KL as cheaply as possible, then through Air Asia to Cambodia, which is dirt cheap.

bv.karthik

Thanks a million people.. to be frank, i didn't expect so many replies.. am already beginning to love this site ...

will check out all the options.. thanks once again.

steejo

Check out Intrepid Travel. They do a great basic trip from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City over 2 weeks. Taking in the places you want to see plus the Mekong and Ton Le Sap. I did this trip in December 2006 and it was fantastic. Basic and cheap but well worth it. Groups of 10 and all keen travellers. If you got another 2 weeks you can carry on with the group up through Vietnam.

Scandojazzbuff

From Chennai, I would imagine the cheapest ticket would be to Bangkok, on Indian Airlines. From Bangkok, Air Asia is your best bet, if you are going to fly to either Siem Reap or Phnom Penh. Thai and Bangkok Airways are quite expensive. Check out www.airasia.com When you plug your dates in, check the fares for a few days before and after your target dates. Prices vary a lot and sometimes you can get something super cheap.

The cheapest way from Bangkok is by bus as others have suggested. I would start by going to Sihanoukville and working your way up to Siem Reap via Phnom Penh. 2 days in PP is enough. Don't miss Banteay Srei when you are in the Angkor area. It is one of the best temple complexes in the area, about 35kms outside of Siem Reap. Try to avoid rainy season. Lots of Dengue fever and mud. It's getting hot here, but, living in Chennai, you are probably used to it.

Madhu10

what is your total numbers of days for travel...are you bound by x number of days as that will make a huge difference.

I made my way to Cambodia through Laos. Went overland from Bangkok to Laos and then from Laos you can actually cross into Cambodia into Stung Treng from where you can take a bus to Siem Reap.

Another way is Bangkok to border crossing to Cambodia...you can take a ferry across to Sihaouville and then go to Siep Reap through PP. I think you can take the ferry over Tonle Sap to Siem Reap.

Tourist transport in Cambodia is expensive but if you do what the locals do you will save money.They don't take the ferries anymore..they better roads and thus buses are faster. Also they have these little mini buses and also toyoto camry taxis..just don;t expect only 4 passengers :-)

Siep Reap...def take the 3 day pass or even the 7 day if you are really really into the temples. You can hire a moto driver (i don;t think they allow motorbike hires...did'nt when I was there). You can also rent a bicyle.

http://www.talesofasia.com/
This is a very helpful website for Cambodia..check it out.

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