Asia - speedboat from phnom penh to siem reap

anyone taken the $subject lately? looks to be the best option.

A flight is the best option.

A flight is the best option.care to share a clue as to why? boat would seem to be scenic. and we fly a bit much.

I believe the speed boats do not have a very safe reputation, IIRC.

Nothing is very safe in Cambodia. But that's for another discussion.

The speedboats would be expensive and risky. While not sure of their price, the slow boats are $35 per person, so you can figure it's likely to be more. And my guess, based upon speedboats in Laos on the Mekong, is this will be a cramped little space for you to sit for 4 hours.

I took the slow boat 8 years ago when they were more appropriately priced and it was interesting. The question you need to ask is: How interesting will things be as you zip by them?

Flying is a good option as it getting a van or shared taxi which you just take over.

Boat as an option also depends on time of year you are going. In the dry season, low water may make things hazardous and/or ultra slow. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap can get so big that out in the middle of it, you can't see anything of interest, just lots of muddy water.

If you don't want to fly and have the time, my recommendation would be either:
1) Car/share taxi to Siem Reap, possibly breaking up the journey roughly halfway at Kampong Thom to see Sambor Prei Kuk ruins, maybe some villages.
2) Take a public bus up the other main road to Battambang (about 5 hours) and stay a couple of nights there, then get a bus or private car around the top of the lake to Siem Reap (3 hours).

we'll be going 31 august, after a week of boring meeting in phnom penh. but i am getting the hint, bus or car share if one wants to see it from a low elevation, otherwise bangkok air. thanks.

we'll be going 31 august, after a week of boring meeting in phnom penh. but i am getting the hint, bus or car share if one wants to see it from a low elevation, otherwise bangkok air. thanks.

You don't need to tackle the awkwardness of a car share. Just arrange a taxi. The whole car should cost less than two tickets on the boat, you can stop and see/eat whatever you want and you'll get five hours or so of the thrills of Cambodian driving. Road one-way, fly the other or just start the trip home from SR.

The bus is straightfoward. Mekong Express make the trip 4 or 5 times a day, taking around six hours and charging you $12. There are other bus companies.

You'll miss the fun of the boat, but this wears off after the first five minutes. For waterborne sight-seeing, you can arrange a relaxed trip on the lake and round the "floating" vilages while you are in SR

well, in normal life, we are on the water a fair bit. so hint accepted about skipping the boat. though it did look cool.

so any reccos for where to have lunch en route? and where to stay (not silly expensive but nice) in siem reap?

after siem reap, we go back to bkk, where i have to teach for a few days before heading back home to tokyo. we're united milers, so flying ua out of bkk is our cup of tea, even if it is an 06:00 flight.

If those long cigar shaped boats are the 'slow boats', they ain't slow at all (for a boat). Seemed like it was going like a 'bat outta Hell' to me. Not much to see honestly, except in the river near PP. You can rent a tour-boat in PP for an hour and take care of that. I took it up and back and it broke down on the way back to PP. We were towed back to SR & went w/a cab. If you do it, sit on top. Inside is a noisy dieselly tube w/smudgy windows. Since they've raised the prices so much - I'd take a bus or cab-share. Flying is the best, but pricey. wj

we'll be going 31 august, after a week of boring meeting in phnom penh. but i am getting the hint, bus or car share if one wants to see it from a low elevation, otherwise bangkok air. thanks.

You won't share the car, you'll take it over. Typically the Camrys that ply the route will go for $60-65 one way total. You just pay for the whole car and off you go. Just make sure it's relatively new and in good condition. The roads are rough, there's lots of construction outside of PNH and if a/c is broken you will not be a happy lot.

It has been a few years but I took the boat. It was, admittedly, not that scenic, but it was certainly more "enlightening" in terms of scenery than flying. That said, the hull of the boat was cramped, dark, and borderline scary (where the seats are) and within about 20 min. of leaving PP, almost all westerners had moved to the roof. Aside from the unbelievable sunburn we got, the ride was ok. Long but ok. If you've not seen a lot of Cambodia, I'd probably take the boat but I sure wouldn't take it a second time.

If you've not seen a lot of Cambodia, I'd probably take the boat but I sure wouldn't take it a second time.

I am very glad I did it but like root canal work after the first time, i now do it another way