siem reap overland

[aot871]

On my next trip to los , I want to take a thai friend to siem reap , As the air fare for the 2 of us is a bit steep. can any tell me if its possible to get there from pattaya by bus and if so how does one go about it

[Nirish guy]

??? Are you sure you've checked all the available flight options as whilst I'm not sure when you intend to fly but on checking a random date next month, that being the 20th July, the return fare from Bkk to Seim Reap on sky scanner is only around 1700 baht, which considering the nightmare road journey is would have thought that wasn't too much to spend ?

[Mancs]

Are you sure the above aren't single fares?
The cheapest flight return I can find on Kayak, going on 20/7 and returning 22/7 is ┬г72 (about 3,800 baht)
DMK REP 20 Jul Monday 22 Jul Wednesday
Thai AirAsia 20:00 DMK 21:00 REP 1h 00m non-stop 21:45
REP 22:45 DMK 1h 00m non-stop Economy Fares
┬г72 Expedia ┬г82ebookers ┬г85KAYAK ┬г89Bravofly ┬г89BudgetAir

[aot871]

With the dates I want in nov the price for two of us is 7592 with out any checked baggage

[Nirish guy]

Sorry ( Manc and the Op) you are absolutely right, that IS just one way, I normally very rarely ever fly one way but had my phone set to that for one flight I'd bought just the other day.

And apologies for the size of the attachment above ! not my doing, when attached from my phone thats the size it seems to have selected and it's too late to edit it ( Surfcrest feel free to delete if it's too annoying ) :-(

[Mancs]

A report of doing the trip by minibus in Feb 2014, booked with a travel agency, here-but it sounds fairly grim

http://forum.virtualtourist.com/Pattaya-1449746-5-10156737/Bus-from-Pattaya-to-Siem-Reap-Cambodia.html

[jimnbkk]

Try Cambodia Angkor Air at this website: http://www.cambodiaangkorair.com/en/. The prices vary widely depending upon when you want to fly.

Many years ago, I went to Siem Reap by road. It was a horror ride, but the fact is you get to see the country which of course you don't get to see when you fly over it at altitude. I remember stopping for lunch at a little restaurant by the side of the road and it was delicious. We also stopped at a place where the government was teaching villagers to get into the silk business, from raising the insects to making the final fabric. It was fascinating. I understand the road is much improved now, but it will take a full day I'm sure for the ride. I say give it a try. We went through a travel agency, and I cannot remember it's name.

[corky]

With the dates I want in nov the price for two of us is 7592 with out any checked baggage

Seriously, if you think that amount is too expensive to spend on the airfare what type of trip do you expect? What will you spend on accommodation; what will you spend on food and tours and enjoying yourself? If Baht 7592 for two people is too much then stay at home and save up for a decent holiday.

With the dates I want in nov the price for two of us is 7592 with out any checked baggage

Seriously, if you think that amount is too expensive to spend on the airfare what type of trip do you expect? What will you spend on accommodation; what will you spend on food and tours and enjoying yourself? If Baht 7592 for two people is too much then stay at home and save up for a decent holiday.
The Thai would have to be a good root to justify the expense!

[christianpfc]

You probably can go from Pattaya by bus (although I don't know schedules, prices and location of bus station - there are several scattered around Pattaya, probably one of those near Sukhumvit / Central Pattaya Road intersection).

That would be Pattaya to Aranyaprathet (more precisely: Rong Kluea market which is directly at the border crossing, whereas Aranyaprathet town and railway stations is kilometers away), and then Poipet to Siem Reap.

Check the internet for Bangkok to Siem Reap, there are plenty of scams around, mainly at the border crossing.

(I traveled the other way: from Siem Reap to Poipet for 7 USD, 11:32 to 13:58 roundabout on Cambodian side of border.)

I have read somewhere (citation needed) that there is a monopoly for Siem Reap airport, hence high fares compared to other similar trips (e.g. I got DMK to PNH for 37 Euro last year, which is a longer distance).

[christianpfc]

See here as well:
http://www.travelfish.org/transport/tha ... rathet/all (http://www.travelfish.org/transport/thailand/central_thailand/sa_kaeo/aranyaprathet/all)
(if there are buses Aranyaprathet to Pattaya, they probably have P to A as well)

[paulosussex]

I have read somewhere (citation needed) that there is a monopoly for Siem Reap airport, hence high fares compared to other similar trips (e.g. I got DMK to PNH for 37 Euro last year, which is a longer distance).

It used to be the case that Bangkok Airways had a monopoly on BKK-REP flights and so prices for the 45 min flight were high. A few years ago the agreement ended and both Cambodia Angkor Air and Air Asia started direct flights from Bangkok bringing the prices down.

There is another bus option which is a 'direct' service from Mo Chit using the Transport Company bus that leaves at 09:00, they guide you cross the border and you arrive in Siem Reap around 16:00. I think the cost of a one way ticket is $25. This is probably the most pain free bus option, but it's possible to do it from Pattaya as detailed above.

Cheers

[thaiguest]

I would take the option outlined above by paulosussex above if it's genuine.
I took a mini-bus "all-in" from a bar in soi Diana costing 2800 B. 3 years ago. The bus unloaded all of us 3 miles from the border at an obviously "in house" restaurant. Then they demanded our passports plus 300 baht per head for "registration."
We all stupidly gave up our precious passport to them and they headed off towards the border coming back later with the normal, free, documents that everyone fills in. They then released us from captivity and when we got to the border we simply lined up like everyone else to find that our tour group organiser had done no prior registration. Those fucks are still opperating on Soi Diana.

[Nirish guy]

To be fair thats a very common scam and isn't the worst one I guess as they ARE at least getting you the docs and pointing you in the right direction and yes of course you can do ALL of that yourself and you would realise that once you get there but at least it's a start, the most annoying part I found when that happened me was the police and customs guys also pulling the same scam except using their uniform to make it look like it was a requirement, I'd already been warned not to entertain them and to go straight to the pay desk with my own paper work ( which i did much to their disgust) only for a sergeant to come out after me and growl "you pay him" as he pointed to one of his officers who had tried to scam me in the first place as no doubt the sergeant was due his cut too, so figuring it really wasn't worth the crap I paid up but only after giving him my very best " you should be ashamed of yourself" look - which I'm sure shook him to his very core ! lol

[lonelywombat]

You are quoting the fares but not getting the real fare including the tax

The lowest fare I could find on Cambodia Air was $US35 each way total $US 70

Trip Summary Modify Search

Total: 187.80 USD
PRICE SUMMARY:
Fare view 70.00 USD
Taxes view 117.80 USD

the lowest fare x 2, however can fares can be much higher, in some cases $US155 each way

Trip Summary Modify Search

Total: 427.80 USD
PRICE SUMMARY:
Fare view 310.00 USD
Taxes view 117.80 USD
Discount
DEPARTING
Economy Flex
Flight: K6700
Depart: Siam Reap (REP)
departure:
12:25pm Mon. 06/07
Fare Basis: YR1YWB
Economy
Arrive: Bangkok (BKK)
arrival:
01:30pm Mon. 06/07

[thaiguest]

To be fair thats a very common scam and isn't the worst one I guess as they ARE at least getting you the docs and pointing you in the right direction and yes of course you can do ALL of that yourself and you would realise that once you get there but at least it's a start, the most annoying part I found when that happened me was the police and customs guys also pulling the same scam except using their uniform to make it look like it was a requirement, I'd already been warned not to entertain them and to go straight to the pay desk with my own paper work ( which i did much to their disgust) only for a sergeant to come out after me and growl "you pay him" as he pointed to one of his officers who had tried to scam me in the first place as no doubt the sergeant was due his cut too, so figuring it really wasn't worth the crap I paid up but only after giving him my very best " you should be ashamed of yourself" look - which I'm sure shook him to his very core ! lol
Now when I go I put on a very stern face and walk with long strides ignore everyone on both sides do all my own paperwork and usually get through in about 15 minutes.There is a cheap bus service to Siem Reap from a depot about 3 miles out. A free shuttle is laid on at the border in the little store on the right. However the arrival depot in SR is also 3 miles out so you take a tuk tuk for about $3.The tuk tuk guy will try to bring you to different hotels but be firm about where YOU wish to go.

[christianpfc]

There is a cheap bus service to Siem Reap from a depot about 3 miles out. A free shuttle is laid on at the border in the little store on the right. However the arrival depot in SR is also 3 miles out so you take a tuk tuk for about $3.The tuk tuk guy will try to bring you to different hotels but be firm about where YOU wish to go.
I read about that cheap bus from Poipet to SR. The shuttle from border crossing might be free, but once you are at the bus station, there is nowhere to go as it's out of town and you at their mercy (overpriced food, fake breakdowns of the bus near an overpriced hotel, delays and so on - no personal experience, all from internet).

Going from PP to SR, the bus stop is a few km out of town ( I guess by purpose), if it had been day I would have walked, but at night and without hotel booking I took one of the many mocy who waited).

I read somewhere that all services from Khao San to SR are some kind of scam (similar to the one from Soi Diana described above). I spotted regular buses Bkk-SR in Aranyaprathet, they might run without scams, but you have to inquire if they wait at the border for visa or accept only passengers that have a visa already (or rather the bus doesn't wait; similar to crossing at Vientiane Lao).

[thaiguest]

There are free Gambling Buses from BKK. I took one once from near Lumpini Park I think. I went into the Casino in Poi Pet for 5 minutes out of interest but there was no obligation to do so. I've taken the cheap bus from Poi Pet to Siem Reap twice with no serious drama.
On one trip we were brought for 30 minutes to a large restaurant about half way on the right but I bought nothing but no problem.