Overland Travel Between Bangkok and Siem Reap by way of Poipet / Aranyaprathet

#4 - Conclusion

Information current as of March 26, 2008

INTRODUCTION  /  ON A PACKAGE  /  ON YOUR OWN  / CONCLUSION  / ROAD CONDITIONS / SUMMARY / TRAVELERS' REPORTS: BANGKOK - SIEM REAP  /  OVERLAND INDEX

The Future of Highways 5 and 6 in Cambodia

The future is that after much dawdling and delaying this road is finally being constructed into the proper fully paved highway it was supposed to have been back in 2002.

The first attempt never even got off the ground, while the second attempt at least progressed to the point of putting the work up for bids when on November 27, 2002 a US $50 million loan from the ADB (Asian Development Bank) to complete this road was approved.

The Cambodia Road Improvement Project was to rebuild the enture road from Poipet to Siem Reap, build all new bridges, and construct a loop up to and back from Samrong.

The total cost of the project was placed at US $77.5 million with the Cambodian government putting up US $17.5 million and the remaining US $10 million coming from the OPEC fund for International Development.

The bids went out in June 2003 with four separate projects up for grabs. One, Highway 5 from Poipet to Sisophon. Two, Highway 6 from Sisophon to Kralanh. Three, Highway 6 from Kralanh to Siem Reap. And four, bridge and culvert work on the northern loop to Samrong.

The completion date was set for 2006. But work didn't start until October 2005 when the Cambodian government announced that additional funding from the governments of Thailand and Japan was forthcoming and the long-awaited construction would finally begin (what happened to the original funding???). PM Hun Sen attended a ceremony some 35 kilometers west of Siem Reap, up went some large billboards announcing the project and for awhile well, there were large billboards announcing the project. But starting with a trickle in 2006, work did indeed begin and now into 2008 they've managed to pave nearly half the section between Poipet and Sisophon and the rest of the project is well underway.

Although the latest announcement said the road would be finished in 2008 it will in fact be 2009. Why? That's the year the 12-year Bangkok Airways monopoly on the Bangkok - Siem Reap air route is set to end. Imagine that.

Conclusion

Still not sure which way to go?

Bangkok to Siem Reap on a Khao San Road purchased package

ADVANTAGES
-Other than possibly being cheaper for a solo traveler if you can avoid the scams, it's quite difficult to think of any advantage with choosing this option.

DISADVANTAGES
-Slow  - up to eighteen hours (even twenty!) - you won't get to Siem Reap in time for a free sunset at Angkor Wat or Phnom Bakheng, but you might make sunrise...(although better road conditions as of late are seeing better arrival times now, still late but well before midnight is normal)
-Ripped off on visa.
-Change money scam.
-Numerous pointless delays.
-May not even be taken through Poipet but to a more remote and distant border crossing such as O'Smach or Pailin (Daung) and then tossed into the back of a pick-up truck for seven hours on a bumpy dirt track at night. (This isn't so much of a problem now).
-Dumped at a guesthouse you may not like and possible difficulties leaving it.
-Traveling with foreign tourists. Not a "local" experience.

Bangkok to Siem Reap on your own

ADVANTAGES
-Fast. As little as eight hours - very possible to get to Siem Reap in time for a free sunset at Angkor Wat or Phnom Bakheng.
-Freedom to travel when and how you want.
-Freedom to stay anywhere in Siem Reap you want.
-More "local" experience.
-Is no more expensive if you are traveling at least as a pair or more.

DISADVANTAGES
-Compared to the KSR scam tickets, none really, except it can be more expensive for solo travelers (as much as $60).
-Poipet taxi mafia has gotten completely out of hand and getting a reasonably priced taxi is quite difficult these days.

Bangkok to Siem Reap on your own - CHEAP AND ADVENTURESOME!!!!

Want to go cheap and have an adventure? Take the early morning train to the border and than ride in the back of a pick-up truck all the way to Siem Reap. Though not as fast as the above way due to the train ride, you can do the whole trip for about 200 baht and you will have a much more interesting ride than the folks riding in the bus.

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But in closing... Why did you come/are you coming to Asia in the first place? To Cambodia? Hopefully not just to see Angkor Wat but also to soak up a bit of local culture, interact with locals, that sort of thing, right? Well, here you have a golden opportunity. Take the local pick-up trucks across Cambodia. Spend a few hours traveling as the Cambodians travel. Why do you want to sit in a bus with nothing but other tourists? In the local trucks it's more than likely that you (and your travel companions) will be the only foreigners in the truck. The Khmers, most very friendly, will certainly enjoy having you along. So join them. It might not be the most comfortable way to travel, but you'll certainly have a better experience to tell your friends back home about than if you traveled in one of the tourist buses.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy your travels - hopefully stuffed in a pick-up truck with twenty friendly Khmers.

And please, If you'd like to share your experiences, good or bad, either from traveling independently or on a tourist bus, e-mail me your overland travel stories: or just e-mail me anyway.

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INTRODUCTION  /  ON A PACKAGE  /  ON YOUR OWN  / CONCLUSION  / ROAD CONDITIONS / SUMMARY / TRAVELERS' REPORTS: BANGKOK - SIEM REAP  /  OVERLAND INDEX

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All text and photographs © 1998 - 2008 Gordon Sharpless. Commercial or editorial usage without written permission of the copyright holder is prohibited.