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| Home » Cambodia Travel Guide »
Siem Reap » Siem Reap Town |
| DESTINATION CAMBODIA |
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SIEM REAP
GUIDE |
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 ATRACTIONS IN
SIEM REAP |
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| HIGHLIGHTS IN
SIEM REAP |
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| QUICK GUIDANCE |
| The breathtaking landscapes, beautiful coastlines, cultural delights and historical significance, make Cambodia an enjoyable stop in Asia travel map. To help you plan a trip in Siem Reap - Cambodia, we provide the useful guide of hotel options, package tours, transport, attractions, shopping and entertainment. You just click the sections below for helpful information. |
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SIEM REAP
OVERVIEW |
| Nestled between rice paddies and stretched along the Siem Reap River, the small provincial capital of Siem Reap Town serves as the gateway to the millennium-old temple ruins of the Khmer Empire. Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In town, there are Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake.
At the turn of the millennium Siem Reap was a Cambodian provincial town with few facilities, fewer surfaced roads and little in the way of nightlife. The tourism industry catered largely to hardy backpackers willing to brave the tortuous road from the Thai border on the tailgate of a local pick-up truck. There were a couple of large hotels and a handful of budget guesthouses. Tuk-tuks and taxis were non-existent and the trusty motodup was the chosen means of touring the temples of Angkor.
The proximity of the Angkorian ruins turned Siem Reap into a boomtown in less than half a decade. Huge, expensive hotels have sprung up everywhere and budget hotels have mushroomed. Property values have soared to European levels and tourism has become a vast, lucrative industry. The Siem Reap of today is barely recognizable from the Siem Reap of the year 2000. Though some of the town’s previous ramshackle charm may have been lost the developments of the last few years have brought livelihoods, if not significant wealth, to a good number of its citizens. This has been at a cost to the underprivileged people living within and beyond the town’s limits that now pay inflated prices at the more central markets and continue to survive on poorly paid subsistence farming. If Cambodia is a country of contrasts Siem Reap is the embodiment of those contrasts. Despite the massive shift in its economic fortunes, Siem Reap remains a safe, friendly and pleasant town. There is an endless choice of places to stay or dine and a host of possible activities awaiting visitors.
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SIEM REAP TRAVEL TIPS |
*Climate
Generally Cambodia has four seasons. The cool and dry season is from November to February. The hot and dry season is from March to May. The hot and wet season is from June to August. The cool and wet season is from September to October.
The hottest days of the hot season rarely climb above 35oC though the sun can be quite intense. The cool season may push the mercury as low as 20oC. The monsoons between June and October follow a regular pattern, clear mornings with 1-3 hour rains in the afternoon. The cool dry season is more comfortable but the regularity of the wet season rains make them easy to plan around.
*Medical Emergency
The Angkor hospital for children is equipped to deal with minor medical problems, Tel: 063-963409 . The Naga International Clinic International-standard medical services with 24-hour emergency care, ambulance, translation, evacuation. On Route #6 (Airport Road) Tel: 063-964500. The Siem Reap provincial hospital, 200m from the Old Market, very rudimentary facilities. Tel: 063-963111.
*Visa
The visas of Cambodia is available at overseas Cambodian embassies, on arrival at all international airports and most international border crossing checkpoints, and through the new online E-Visa procedure. A passport with at least four month validity is required. A visa is required for most nationalities. (Philippine and Malaysian nationals do not require tourist visas for a stay up to 21 and 30 days respectively. Singaporean nationality is also exempt from the usual visa requirement.) No special permits are required.
One-month tourist visa (Type 'T'): US$20. Business visa (Type 'E'): US$25. Diplomatic, Official, Courtesy, and Special (Cambodian) visas are issued free of charge. One 4x6 photo is required. Visa prices are often higher at Thai overland crossings.
*Border Crossing to Siem Reap
+The gate of Aranyaprathet, Thailand - Poipet. Cambodia is the most convenient borer crossing for anyone to plan an overland trip from Thailand to Siem Reap. The border gate is open from 8h00 to 20h00. The Cambodia visas and Thai transit visas available on arrival at the border .
+The gate of Chong Jom, Thailand - O'Smach. Cambodia is a remote border crossing north of Siem Reap in Oddar Meanchey province. The Cambodian visas and Thai transit visas are available.
The gate of Chong Sa Ngam, Thailand - Anlong Veng. Cambodia is a remote border crossing northwest of Siem Reap in Oddar Meanchey province, opposite Thailand's Si Saket province. The Cambodian visas available and Thai transit visas are available.
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GETTING IN - OUT
SIEM REAP |
* Plane: The town of Siem Reap is accessible by direct flight from Phnom Penh, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Vientiane, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Taipei. The airport sits 6km from town, close to the temples, occasionally affording spectacular views of Angkor Wat during landings and take offs. Outside the terminal is a ticket booth for registered taxis into town. Independent taxis and motorcycles wait just outside the airport.
* Boat: The daily ferries ply the Tonle Sap river and lake between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The end of the trip is marked by a hill, Phnom Krom, near the ferry dock at Chong Khneas 12 km south of Siem Reap. During the dry season, the ferry stops short of the dock and passengers transfer to smaller boats to traverse the final few hundred meters. The ferries usually depart at 7 A.M from the Phnom Penh Port on Sisowath Quay to Siem Reap and also at 7A.M from the dock at Chong Khneas for the journey Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. The ferry tickets can be purchased through hotels and travel agents cheaper than at the ferry offices. Though generally safe, these ferries are ‘local transport’ and have experienced breakdowns, groundings and other difficulties. Travel is best during the wet season (June-November). In dry season, low waters can mean smaller, less comfortable boats and occasional groundings.
The ferry to Siem Reap arrives at Chong Khneas near Phnom Krom, 12km south of Siem Reap. There is always transportation waiting at the dock, including motordup and taxi.
* Road: The town of Siem Reap is located 314 km northwest of Phnom Penh and can be reached by land from Phnom Penh. There are several guesthouses, travel agencies and bus companies which offer daily bus transport between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. This is a smooth 314 km, 5-7 hour trip. The bus makes at least two stops along the way (at Skun and Kampong Thom). The earliest buses depart starting at 6:30AM and that last buses between noon and 1PM.
*Thailand to Siem Reap: The Thai crossing at Poipet is the most accessible to Siem Reap. The route Bangkok to Siem Reap via the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border crossing is a 465km, 9-12 hour trip. The usual route begins with a 4-5 hour bus or a train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet (‘Aran’), the town on the Thai side near the border, then a short tuk-tuk ride the last 6 km to the border crossing. Cambodian visas are available at the border. There are two options in planning this trip, 1) buy a package ticket in Bangkok or Siem Reap, or 2) put it together yourself.
* Siem Reap to Battambang: The baily ferry departs Siem Reap for Battambang at 7:00am. and take 3 - 4 hour journey across the Tonle Sap and up the Sangker River in the wet season, but can be considerably longer in the dry season due to low water. The boats in no way meet international safety standards. There is no direct boat from Phnom Penh.
The road from Siem Reap to Battambang (National Routes #6 and #5, via Sisophon). The first leg from Siem Reap to Sisophon is in poor condition. The road from Sisophon to Battambang is in good condition.
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GETTING AROUND
SIEM REAP |
The town of Siem Reap is almost small enough to get around on foot but the nearest temples are several kilometers from town. Motorcycle taxis and moto-romauks ('tuk-tuks') are the most common form of transport for short trips around town. Transportation to the temples is usually hired by the day.
* Motor Taxis: Two person motorcycle trailers (moto-romauks) have surpassed motorcycle taxis (motodups) as the most popular form of transport. Tuk-tuks are covered offering some protection from sun nd rain. In Siem Reap most drivers speak some English.
* Cars: They are usually hired on a daily basis. You are suggested to rent car if you want to go to Banteay Srey, Kbal Spean or other distant temples.
* Bicycle Rental: Bicycling is quickly becoming a popular way to visit the temples. The roads between the main temples are paved and the distances are about right for a bicycle touring. Bring sun screen, a good hat, water and a Cambodian scarf to keep the sun off your neck. Many of the guesthouses, hotels have bicycles for rent. The rental is depending on the type and quality of the bike.
* Transfer to Angkor Temples: The temples are too far apart to make foot travel practical (though some hearty visitors are hiking it anyway). The transfer options include: two-person motorcycle trailers average , car taxis , motorcycle taxi , bicycles . The prices go up for distant temples to Banteay Srey, Phnom Kulen, Kbal Spean and Koh Ker. The other way to explore the temples is by bike, which is now becoming more popular. The roads are good and the distances are about right for a bicycle.
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SIEM REAP FOODS |
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ENTERTAINMENT |
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| Northern Cambodia |
| Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Oddor Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Siemreap - Angkor Temples |
| Central and Eastern Cambodia |
| Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Kandal, Pursat, Kampong Cham, Kratie, Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri, Stung Treng |
| Southern Cambodia |
| Phnom Penh, Kampot, Kep, Koh Kong, Prey Veng, Kampong Speu, Sihanoukville, Svay Rieng, Takeo |
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