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