Angkor Wat Travel Forum

Hi everyone,

I've never been to Cambodia so I have a bunch of qeustions.

First, what is the best way to get to Angkor from Siem Reap? Can one rent a taxi and a guide for several days? If so what is the average cost? Or is there a bus that I can take to Angkor from Siem Reap and then I could walk arooud on my own?

My second question has to do with access to money. Is the use of credit card prevalent in Siem Reap? If not, how common are ATM machiens in town? Would using U.S. dollars instead of the local currency, riel, be easier?

I assume you are talking about Angkor wat temple, which is the main temple to visit in Siem Reap temple complex. There are other temples as well, like Angkor Thom, Pra Thom etc. Generally, visitors would like to visit all main temples and there are 10-15 such temples which you would like to visit. Most of these temples are close to Siem reap town, where you would be staying in all probability. Hence they can be visited by taxi or TukTuk (a cheaper variety of taxi). Once you make arrangement for accomodation in Siem Reap, your hotel would almost always make arrangement for your airport transfers. Once you reach the hotel, you can ask the reception people to arrange for the taxi/tuktuk. Alternatively, you can just walk on the street and the taxi drivers will stop you to enquire about your taxi needs. You dont have to search for them. Before you walk on the street to flag down the taxi/tuktuk, do your homework well. Enquire about the taxi rates for the full day, before you embark on your mission. Once you have picked up a driver, he can be your guide for your entire stay in Siem Reap, if you so wish. Most of the drivers are able to speak English, although it may take some time to understand their accent.
ATM's are fairly common in the bank premises. If you are carrying USD, then you don't have to worry, as almost all establishments accept USD. There are money changers too, on the streets of Siem Reap, specially around the central market area. You should know the prevailing exchange rates before you enter these exchanges, to makeure you dont get poor rates.
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I was in Siem Reap in April 08. You can get a taxi for the day for $25US. (maybe more now with the price of gas) He'll take you to Angkor and pick you up whatever time you want, then take you over to Angkor Thom and the Elephant Terrace. Most hotels can arrange this for you. Angkor is a National Park and you have to buy a ticket for entry. If you buy a ticket after 3 or 4 in the afternoon you have entry for that day plus the next. You can walk up a hill in the park that afternoon and watch the sunset over the lake. Easy walk up and back.
You can also take a motu from SR to Angkor. Don't know the cost, I'm sure it's cheaper but will take a lot longer to get around. Angkor Wat covers a very large area.
There are a few ATM's, they dispense US dollars everywhere in Cambodia. Everyone takes US currency and if the change is less than $1 they give you Riel. 4000 to the dollar. SR is really small, no need for taxi's or motu's in town.

Your hotel can arrange a driver & guide the cost is generally $US20 each per day alternatley you can hire a tuk tuk for approx $US10 a day and take yourself around. Again I would suggest $US they are accepted everywhere you will be givne your change in local currency

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I give advice on both of these questions.

There is a slight difference between the cost of a taxi and the cost of a guide with car. Taxi drivers seem to park and let you explore yourself. I dont think they are allowed to go onto the site. The cost of a taxi with driver seems to be about 25-30 dollars a day, variable a bit on how far you travel. Last year my guide cost me about 30 dollars a day, a bit more for the more far flung temples. He accompanied me on site and if you are a novice to the temples, the extra cost of a guide for at least one or two of your days there is probably worth while. There is also a seasonality to cost and at the moment it is low season. I used a taxi driver this week instead of a guide and in retrospect I regretted it. My guide I have previously used is kimrieng@yahoo.com You can find a few on the net and if overseas you can usually email them or send them sms and they will usually reliably reach you at the aiport. Its easy to use us dollars. If you use credit cards, you may want to check with you banks regarding the foreign currency transfer rates they add. I have never had trouble using credit cards when I wish to, but the add on costs in home country can be a problem. Good luck and enjoy...you will have a great holiday

02 Knobby has nailed it. A taxi driver/ tuk tuk driver is not tha same as a temple guide and it can be worth worth paying the extra for the knowlege provided by a professional guide. The guide I use charges around $60 per day and you do get a full day with a driver. He will help with the best spots to take photos and give you a great insight into the meaning behind the temples architecture, statues and carvings etc. His name is Borin and you can email him on borin_bun@hotmail.com. Good luck with it all.

Oh yeah, US dollars is the way to go. You pay in US dollars and get any small change in Riel in the shops. There are ATM's in Siem Reap but I never needed them as I had changed my cash to US dollars. You can use Visa and otehr credit cards for larger purchases in places like the hotels and Artisans d'Angkor but mainly cash.

Enjoy.

EB