The Best of Cambodia & Laos

3 GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
GETTING TO CAMBODIA
By Plane
There are two international airports: Phnom
Penh International Airport (PNH) and
Siem Reap (REP). Both are served by flights
from all neighboring Asian destinations
although the airlines flying the route change
often. When coming from Europe, Australia,
or America it is usually best to book a
flight to Bangkok or Singapore and make
your travel arrangements for the short distance
to Cambodia from there. International
carriers flying into Phnom Penh
include: Air Asia (www.airasia.com), Asiana
(www.flyasiana.com), Bangkok Airways
(www.bangkokair.com), China Airlines
(www.china-airlines.com), China Southern
(www.flychinasouthern.com), Jetstar (www.
jetstar.com), Korean Air (www.koreanair.
com), Lao Airlines (www.laoairlines.com),
Silk Air (www.silkair.com), Thai Airways
(www.thaiair.com), Malaysia Airlines (www.
malaysiaairlines.com), and Vietnam Airlines
(www.vietnamairlines.com).
It’s worth noting that if flying directly
to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat, Bangkok
Airways has a monopoly on all direct
flights between Bangkok and Siem Reap.
If you’re on a budget, it is cheaper to fly to
Phnom Penh and to then take the bus or
boat to Siem Reap, or travel overland from
Bangkok via Poipet/Aranyaprathet.
Important: When leaving Cambodia
by air, there is a $25 departure tax.
Getting into Town
from the Airport
Taxis make the 30-minute journey into
Phnom Penh from the airport for a flat
rate of $9. They are monitored and ticketed
on entry and exit to the airport and
you pay at a desk in the arrivals area. Tuktuks
(motorcycles with a trailer attached)
cost $7 for the same trip and can be
booked at the same desk. Motorcycle taxis
are not allowed to pick up passengers
within the airport complex.
BY LAND
It seems that every year another border
crossing from a neighboring country is
opened up and another road is built or
improved. Now with the road from Koh
Kong completed and the border crossing
with Vietnam open at Ha Tien (Xa Xia in
Vietnam to Prek Chak in Cambodia), it is
possible to travel the coast road from Trat
and Koh Chang in Thailand all the way to
Vietnam. Although Cambodian visas are
officially available at the border, some travelers
have reported problems and it is safer
to have a Cambodian visa in advance. Here
are some of the major border crossings.
From Laos
From Voeung Kam in Laos to Dom Kralor in Cambodia
There are actually two border crossing
points, relatively close to one another. The
first crossing is at Koh Chheuteal Thom
on the Mekong River. The second is the
road crossing at Dom Kralor to Ban Nakasang.
If traveling from Laos to Cambodia,
you are strongly advised to book a through
tour with a travel agent in Pakse since the
border crossings here are complicated and
subject to change.
From Thailand
From Aranyaprathet in Thailand to Poipet in Cambodia
This was the first crossing to open in
the late 1990s and these days it still
remains the principal crossing point from
Thailand. Open 8am to 8pm, this is the
main route to get to Siem Reap and Angkor
from Bangkok as well as to Battambang
and Phnom Penh.
From Had Lek in Thailand to Koh Kong in Cambodia via
Cham Yeam Checkpoint Now that the brandnew
road from the Cambodia/Thai coastal
border to both Sihanoukville and Phnom
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PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO CAMBODIA 3
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND