Siem Reap Transport

Cambodia’s favourite tourist city has its own international air hub, Angkor International Airport, with connecting flights throughout the region that increase by the month. Services now operate from destinations in China, South Korea and Taiwan as well as from numerous Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Angkor Airways is the airport’s chief carrier, a small local airline started in 2002 that flies scheduled services to Kunming in China, Taipei, Phnom Penh and Bangkok with chartered services to Tokyo, Seoul, Kaohsiung in South Korea and Chengdu in China. With its slogan ‘Bring the World to Angkor Wat’, Angkor Airways has slowly expanded although still only maintains a fleet of two aircraft. Siem Reap Airways is a subsidiary of Bangkok Airways of Thailand that flies to Bangkok and Phuket as well as a handful of other regional destinations like Hong Kong.

Other airlines that fly into Siem Reap Airport include Cambodian-owned PMT Air and Royal Khmer Airlines, Australian budget carrier Jet Star and the likes of Singapore’s Silk Air, Malaysian Airlines and China Eastern Airlines – among the 20 carriers that fly here. Korean Air became the latest carrier to jump on the Siem Reap bandwagon in November 2006 with its inaugural flight to Seoul.

Just eight kilometres from the city, Angkor International Airport consists of two terminals – one domestic and one international – that handled more than one million passengers in 2006, a figure that will almost certainly rise year-on-year. This makes it the second busiest airport in Cambodia after Phnom Penh International Airport. Nearly a third of all passengers either originate or are heading to Ho Chi Minh City and half connect with Vietnam.

The new international terminal was opened at the end of August 2006 in preparation for the coming tourist season and boasts modern facilities but with a traditional Khmer-style façade. Numerous international restaurants and cafés are available in the terminal building, along with ATM and money exchange services, telephone and internet and well-stocked duty-free stores. Passengers are required to pay a departure tax in US dollars so don’t forget to keep some money aside.

The airport also offers a visa-on-arrival service at the international terminal so you won’t have to worry about getting a visa at a Cambodian embassy beforehand. Make sure to bring a colour passport photo or prepare to be fined on top of the visa fee. Fees must be paid in crisp, clean US dollars.

Getting between the airport and Siem Reap city is a straightforward affair that takes about 15 minutes by car taxi or motodop. For foreigners, these two options represent the only forms of transport when leaving the terminal building; although some of the smarter hotels in the city provide a free airport pickup. Make sure to double-check airport pick-ups in advance of your arrival in Siem Reap.

Options for getting around Siem Reap, Angkor and the surrounding area are fairly limited but are often fun.

Getting around on foot remains one of the best ways to get around as although the city is rapidly expanding outwards it is still small enough to be navigated on foot. Walking is also a possibility when it comes to reaching Angkor Wat but the journey takes about an hour and a half from the city followed by lots more walking around the temples themselves so only the fit and hardy are likely to consider this option.

Tuk-tuks are readily available around all parts of the city.  Private motorbike owners will also offer foreign tourists rides as a way of making a bit of extra foreign currency even if a trip is usually no more than US$1.

Foreign tourists are not permitted to ride motorcycles themselves in Siem Reap. Instead, it is possible to hire a motorbike with a rider, an absolute bargain even if your clothes are likely to be caked in dust afterwards.

For a slower-paced way to get round the city, hire a bicycle, a popular method for getting to and from Angkor Wat from Siem Reap and travelling around the temples once you’re there.  Other ways to get around Angkor include elephant and horse rides, which can be arranged at the temple complex once you get there.