Phnom Penh Siem Reap by boat

April 29, 2007 7:58 AM

Anyone got experience of travelling from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by boat? Seems like a great way to see rural Cambodia. Is it fun? Is it safe? I'd be travelling in August, so in wet season.
posted by Pericles to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

I did it in the opposite direction a couple of years ago. We sat on top of the boat most of the way because the weather was decent (not too hot and not raining). It was an OK trip. As for safety, I'm not sure. Probably a toss up between the roads and the lake. Here's what tales of asia has to say. It is a site worth checking out for this and many other questions about the area:

Siem Reap/Phnom Penh : A complete waste of time and money. It's nearly three times more expensive than any bus and you really don't see much. Half the trip is in the middle of the lake, "Oh, look dear, all the brown water, it goes on forever." And the rest is spent rushing down a river for a couple of hours passing endless houses on stilts with naked kids running circles around them - the same view you get from the bus. And you can sit downstairs with blasting karaoke, frigid A/C, and puking Khmers. Or ride on the top and get burned to a crisp. Unless it rains. Then you just get wet. Take my advice: there are better ways between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap - the bus. And better ways to see the lake - book a half day trip to Kompong Phluk or Kompong Khleang while you are in Siem Reap. One early morning departure per day. Prices fluctuate from $22-25.
posted by Cuke at 9:25 AM on April 29, 2007

By way of contrasting opinion I can advise that, although it can get a bit monotonous (and what long trip isn't) and was pretty damn noisy, it remains one of the highlights of my time in Cambodia.

Experiences like this are often etched out by forces beyond the romantic notion or control. I personally don't see weather as a problem much: these cigar-shaped boats really fang along like the clappers so heat is not going to be much of a factor. Sun cream as usual. My hat remains in the middle of Tonle Sap so don't be thinking you can get away with headwear. You can move around the outside of the boat and there's a handrail but I'm not sure what you can regard as 'safe' in Cambodia. I don't recall being shown where the lifejackets were kept but I'd be thinking they are there (yeah, I might be wrong). I wouldn't want the damn thing breaking down in the middle of the lake, but that can just as easily happen with a bus or a motorcycle.

But this is Cambodia. It's a frontier. You're not there because you're seeking 5-star jacuzzis and little pink umbrellas in your drinks served by uniformed minions are you? It's a godamned crazy (not too crazy) not-to-be-missed experience in my opinion.

But as I say, this is a fantastic memory for me. I would absolutely do it again. I was transfixed with all the human (and wildlife) water life, I don't recall being bored for too long. I was most pissed off because it was hard to light up a ciggie. I did my trip (took about 4 hours if memory serves me well) 2 years ago going south. (And I love love love Siemp Reap, apart from the heat - do the Angkor Wat sightseeing/walking at 6am and quit at about 10am -- it's seriously crazy hot otherwise and will kill the enjoyment.)
posted by peacay at 10:23 AM on April 29, 2007

Having used both modes of transit (water & land), I can say that I highly, highly prefer the former to the latter. Particularly if the roads get washed out because you failed to take into account the rainy season, then find yourself in the back of a pickup truck squeezed together with 20 other travelers sitting on your rucksack doing everything you can to ignore the enormous ass-pain every time you drive over anything more than a rock (which, when the roads are washed out, can mean a near-constant wave of 3-ft. dips in the road) at the blistering speed of 25 miles an hour which means you end up taking three times as long as you planned, and get three times as much ass-smacking as you planned.

Compared to that, a leisurely boat ride is a fucking godsend.

Just make sure it's the slow-boat and not the fast-boat. The twin-turbo Mugen-powered you-better-wear-this-crash-helmet style boats are fun for about two minutes, which is about how long it takes for it to sink in your head that at the insane speeds your vehicle is traveling, any mistake from the Yaa-Baa-fueled driver will probably mean your neck.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:39 PM on April 29, 2007

Thanks all!
posted by Pericles at 1:04 PM on April 29, 2007

I recommend going on the boat one way and flying the other. That's what I did in 2002, and I found each was a great experience. Spend as little time on the roads as you can!
posted by Lucie at 11:39 PM on April 29, 2007

I took the fast boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, and agree that it's not much fun, but then I don't have any experience of the bus journey to compare. One thing to be prepared for is the scrum of tuk-tuk drivers waiting at the end of your trip. They'll want to be your driver for the duration of your stay in Siem Reap, not only for the trip into town, and will charge you a reduced fee on that understanding. I still have the details of the very nice bloke who drove us around the temples, and if you want you could email me for them - but part of the fun of Cambodia is not planning everything in advance.
posted by liquidindian at 2:29 AM on April 30, 2007