Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Thailand
There are currently six border crossings between
Cambodia and
Thailand
open to foreigners. All are
open daily (7am-8pm) with visas being issued on
arrival at all points;
although
e-visas
(see p.48) are
currently only accepted at Poipet and Koh Kong.
Far and away the most popular of the six
crossings is the mildly infamous crossing at
Poipet
,
on the main highway between Bangkok and Siem
Reap (see p.130). The Trat/
Koh Kong
crossing
further south (see p.264) is good for Sihanoukville
and Phnom Penh. There are two further crossings in
the east at Ban Pakard/
Pailin (Psar Pruhm)
, an
hour by road to Battambang, and at Ban Leam/
Daun Lem
(although this crossing is basically a
casino development in the middle of nowhere, and
of zero practical use unless you're on a visa run from
Bangkok). Finally, there are two remote and little-
used (by foreigners at least) crossing points in
northern Cambodia at Surin/
O'Smach
, and Chong
Sa Ngam/
Anlong Veng
- both 150km north of
Siem Reap (2hr by taxi). These are not busy crossing
points though, so your transport options on the
Cambodian side will be limited.
specialist tour operator
. However, although
Cambodia is well covered, many tour companies
still include it only as part of a visit to another
Southeast Asian country. Tour prices start at around
£500 for land-only options; those that include
international flights tend to be £1200 to £1500,
while choosing luxury accommodation and
specialist activities, such as golfing, can set you
back more than £4000.
Agents and operators
AGENTS
North South Travel
UK
T
01245 608 291,
W
northsouthtravel
.co.uk. Friendly, competitive travel agency, offering discounted fares
worldwide. Profits are used to support projects in the developing world,
especially the promotion of sustainable tourism.
STA Travel
UK
T
0333 321 0099, US
T
1800 781 4040, Australia
T
134 782, New Zealand
T
0800 474 400, South Africa
T
0861
781 781,
W
statravel.co.uk. Worldwide specialists in independent
travel; also student IDs, travel insurance, car rental, rail passes, and more.
Good discounts for students and under-26s.
Trailfinders
UK
T
0207 368 1200, Ireland
T
021 464 8800,
W
trailfinders.com. One of the best-informed and most e
cient agents
for independent travellers.
Travel CUTS
Canada
T
1800 667 2887,
W
travelcuts.com.
Canadian youth and student travel firm.
USIT
Ireland
T
01 602 1906,
W
usit.ie. Ireland's main student and
youth travel specialists.
From Vietnam
There are currently seven border crossings open to
foreigners travelling overland from
Vietnam
(daily
7am-5pm); Cambodian visas are issued on arrival at
all points, although heading into Vietnam you'll
need to have acquired a visa in advance. The
busiest crossing is at Moc Bai/
Bavet
(see p.103),
200km southeast of Phnom Penh on the main road
to Ho Chi Minh City. Also popular is the crossing at
Chau Doc/
K'am Samnar
(see p.103) on the Bassac
River. There are two further border crossings in the
south at Tinh Bien/
Phnom Den
near Takeo, and at
Hat Tien
/Prek Chak
east of Kep, plus three little-
used crossings in eastern Cambodia (see p.211) at
Xa Mat/
Trapeang Phlong
east of Kompong Cham;
Loc Ninh/
Trapeang Sre
, southeast of Snuol, and Le
Tanh/
O Yadow
, east of Banlung.
SPECIALIST TOUR OPERATORS
Adventure Center
US
T
1 800 228 8747,
W
adventurecenter
.com. Wide range of competitively priced Cambodia tours.
Audley Travel
UK
T
01993 838000,
W
audleytravel.com.
Off-the-peg or customized tours, plus an interesting choice of escorted
group tours.
Cambodia Community Based Ecotourism Network
W
ccben
.org. Cambodian organization offering homestays and visits to
ecotourism sites throughout the country.
Exotissimo Travel
Cambodia SSN Center no. 66, Norodom Blvd,
Phnom Penh
T
023 218 948,
W
cambodia.exotissimo.com.
Long-standing operator offering a range of soft adventure tours and
visiting places other tour companies don't usually reach.
Explore!
UK
T
0843 634 5321, US
T
1 800 715 1746, Canada
T
1 888 216 3401, Australia
T
1300 439 756, New Zealand
T
0800 269 263,
W
explore.co.uk. Small-group operator offering a
good selection of tours including soft adventure trips.
Gecko's
UK
T
0808 274 5981,
W
geckosadventures.com. Grassroots
trips using local guides with plenty of competitively priced tours starting
at less than £500 for twelve days.
Geographic Expeditions
US
T
1 800 777 8183,
W
geoex.com.
Luxury customized and small-group tours including Angkor jaunts
alongside more off-the-beaten-track offerings including Cardamom
Mountains village homestays.
From Laos
There's just one border crossing with
Laos
, at Nong
Nok Khiene/
Trapeang Kriel
(see p.224) in the far
north of Cambodia, 57km beyond Stung Treng. The
border is open daily (7am-5pm) and both
Cambodian and Lao visas are available on arrival.
Tour operators
If you want to avoid the hassle of making your own
arrangements you might consider travelling with a
