Originally Posted by
Braindrain
Just to compare apples to apples, Kim San's price includes a SUV. The $35 for a guide isn't inclusive of that - at least, not the last time I checked.
Not sticking up for Kim San as it was my colleague that got fobbed off to another guide but there the prices quoted aren't always similar.
Whether someone thinks a driver is worth $20/day is another discussion. I've seen people doing it in tuk-tuk but the afternoon heat is pretty unbearable. (A bicycle will be almost lunacy.) Tuk tuks are fine for the 2 min ride into town, but that's about it.
I don't entirely agree. I did the tuk-tuk + driver thing in rainy season, when it's glorious and not that hot. It's a much different "up close and personal" feel than being in an enclosed vehicle. I've decided I much prefer doing this and being in a constant temperature, even if a little bit on the warm/humid side, vs jumping from a/c car to hot outdoors, back to a/c car, rinse & repeat. Gives me a headache. I am an avid cyclist but given distances and roads being a bit too crowded without safety lanes for bikes, forego this method of self-transport around Angkor. Usually it's either too hot or too wet for cycling, IMO.
Neither Cycling nor tuk-tuk will come with a guide however, so while cheaper, perhaps best used by those who prefer to study a good guidebook in advance (i.e. Dawn Rooney's book) and self-guide, or have been to the monuments before.