Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Intrepid Travel
UK
T
0808 274 5111, US
T
1 510 285 0604,
Australia
T
1300 364 512,
W
intrepidtravel.com. Southeast Asia
specialist with an impressive choice of Cambodia offerings and an
emphasis on low-impact tourism.
Khiri Travel
B-Ray Tower, 166 Norodom Blvd, Tonle Bassac, Phnom
Penh
T
023 215 970,
W
khiri.com. Indochina specialists offering
many unique Cambodian experiences including visits to the Kep crab
market and elephant trekking in Mondulkiri.
Noble Caledonia
UK
T
020 7752 0000,
W
noble-caledonia
.co.uk. Pricey boat tours boarding in the Vietnamese Delta, cruising the
Mekong to Phnom Penh and Kompong Cham, exploring the Tonle Sap
and finally disembarking at Siem Reap for the temples of Angkor.
Peregrine
UK & Republic of Ireland
T
0808 274 5438,
W
peregrineadventures.com. Reasonably priced Southeast Asian tours,
mostly combining Cambodia with a neighbouring country - one
interesting option is the Saigon to Angkor Cycle. Pedalling through
Cambodia may be challenging, but you'll get fit and see plenty of local
life along the way.
Responsibletravel.com
UK
T
01273 823 700,
W
responsibletravel.com. Online travel agent with an extensive range
of Cambodia tours from different companies, all with an ethical emphasis.
See Cambodia Differently
T
0208 150 5150,
W
seecambodiadifferently.com. Cambodian specialists offering
moderately priced group and customized tours, including an excellent
selection of wildlife-themed trips.
Silk Steps
UK
T
01278 722460,
W
silksteps.co.uk. Bespoke,
reasonably priced tours to Cambodia with suggested itineraries to help
you build your own trip.
Trans Indus
UK
T
0208 566 3739,
W
transindus.co.uk. Leading
Asia specialists with a choice of private and group tours including fine
Mekong river cruises and a wider-than-average range of destinations.
Travel Indochina
UK
T
01865 268 940,
W
travelindochina.co.uk.
Affordable group tours lasting from five to eighteen days - the Highlights
of Cambodia tour offers a handy and affordable introduction to the
country in just seven days.
Urban Adventures
T
0788 570 8828,
W
urbanadventures.com.
Part of the Intrepid travel group, offering a number of well-guided city
tours from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
(see p.38). On New Year's Eve everyone heads for
their home village and all available transport heads
out of town - even more packed than usual.
Phnom Penh in particular becomes very quiet, with
hardly a moto or tuk-tuk available, and the few that
remain make a killing by doubling their fares.
By plane
Cambodia Angkor Air
(
W
cambodiaangkorair.com)
is the nearest thing Cambodia currently has to a
national airline and operates the country's only
domestic flights, with services between Phnom
Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville (around $70
return), from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City, and
also from Phnom Penh to Hanoi, Saigon and
Bangkok. Note that from Phnom Penh and Siem
Reap there's a $6 departure tax for domestic flights.
By bus
Buses
(
laan tom
) are the cheapest - and also
usually the most convenient and comfortable -
way to get around Cambodia, connecting all major
cities and towns (although some smaller places
aren't yet on the bus network, and others -
Banlung, Sen Monorom and Pailin, for example
- have only one or two services a day). Many
services start in Phnom Penh, meaning that you'll
most likely have to go through the capital if travel-
ling from one side of the country to the other.
All buses are
privately run
, operated by a
growing number of companies. Phnom Penh
Sorya is the biggest; others include Rith Mony,
GST, Paramount Angkor and Capitol Tours, while
other companies such as Giant Ibis and Mekong
Express operate luxury express buses on the most
popular routes.
Buses generally arrive and depart from their
respective
company o
ces
. Unfortunately, this
means there are no bus stations or suchlike in
which to get centralized information about
timetables and fares. Some guesthouses or tour
operators can provide this information; otherwise
you'll have to visit all the individual To
ces. To
guarantee a seat, buy your
ticket
the day before;
no standing passengers are allowed, so if all the
seats have been sold you'll have to wait for the
next bus with space.
Fares
are very reasonable, starting from just $4
from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville and $6 to Siem
Reap, and are generally much of a muchness on all
but the most-travelled routes. All buses are reason-
ably comfortable, while on popular routes you'll
Getting around
Getting around Cambodia is all part of the
adventure. Massive improvements to the national
highway network in the past few years have made
getting around the country much easier than it
once was, with many formerly dirt roads now
surfaced and new highways built. Even so, getting
from A to B remains time-consuming: roads are still
narrow and bumpy, while regular wet-season
inundations play havoc with transport (and often
wash away large sections of tarmac in their wake).
Note that travel can be di
cult over
public
holidays
,
especially
the
Khmer
New
Year
