Bangkok to Siem Reap by direct bus: trip report
The following trip report covers the new direct bus service between Bangkok and Siem Reap, which has been operating since a couple of months. The big advantage of this service is that you don’t have to switch transportation at the Thai – Cambodian border in Poipet, saving oneself the experience of having to find a trustworthy driver offering a comfortable ride and an honest fare from the border to destination; Plus, you can leave your luggage on the bus as you walk through both immigration stops and passport control.
This trip report is written by Vivien de Block, who was so kind to share her experiences with us. All text and images belong to her, so please don’t copy anything without her permission. You can contact us and we’ll make sure to pass on your request to Vivien.
THAI-CAMBODIAN INTERNATIONAL BUS (direct bus Bangkok – Poipet – Siem Reap)
Duration of the trip: We left Bangkok Bus Terminal in Chatuchak at 9am and arrived at the office of the bus company in Siem Reap (beside Bangkok Airways – #22 Sivutha Rd.) around 4:45pm…
Step by step:
1. Transportation to Bangkok’s Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit): taxi cab or tuk tuk from Udee Bangkok Hostel (http://www.udeebangkok.com/, overnight room for ฿1000) cost more or less ฿60 and took about 15mins to get to the terminal.
2. Arriving at Bangkok Bus Terminal in Chatuchak (aka Mo Chit or Northern Bus Terminal): the receptionist at the hotel gave us a small piece of paper that had the name of the terminal in Thai to show to the taxi driver – very convenient
3. At the bus terminal: These counters outside sell tickets for local trips I think since I saw BKK-Chiang Mai, etc. Proceed to counter 22 inside for the BKK-SR ticket counter…
4. At the bus terminal: We bought the tickets from the counter with the blue screen above it. My husband there’s trying to sweet-talk the lady into giving us the best seats 😉
5. Before departure: Photo with the friendly bus attendant. He helped with the luggage and showed us to our seats.
6. The official bus tickets: ฿750 or 25usd each – bring your passport when you buy your ticket!
7. Inside the comfortable bus (40-seater): The TV was turned off all throughout so it was quiet enough to doze off. There’s also a little door beside where the tv is which is kept closed during the trip so no smelly fumes and other smells from the road get through even when they have to open the main door at driver’s compartment.
8. On the road: As soon as the bus departs, you get this nice little box of treats (complimentary). You also get a free bottle of water and a cup of coffee.
9. On the road: There’s also a toilet on the bus!
10. A first break: 1st stopover at about 11:45am. After they counted the passengers and saw that everyone was back on the bus, we left after 7 minutes. Didn’t bother to ask how long was the max stay.
11. A second brief stop: Around 12:45pm – where I think I saw them load the packed lunch through a side door in the back of the bus.
12. Back on the bus: Another friendly staff came on board at the 2nd stop to distribute these tags for everyone… made it easier for them to find who belonged to the group at the border stops.
13. Lunch time: It was yummy (i’ve already eaten one of the two sausage slices before i remembered to take a pic).
14. Visa application: This is the place where passengers who needed a visa were asked to get off to purchase inside. the rest of us remained in the bus or got out to stretch… It was too hot to stay out long though. A couple of the staff also came on board to distribute arrival/departure cards and pens.
15. Filling out the arrival / departure card: Our multiple entry visa was still valid so we only had to fill out the Cambodian Arrival/departure card on the right. The departure card you see on the left were given to us at the Malaysian-Thai border as we had crossed with the trains through KL-Butterworth-BKK 🙂
16. Arrival at the border and departure from Thailand (Aranyaprathet): Then we got off in front of the Thai immigration building: air-conditioned, no long queue, fast moving (our experience at least).
17. Walking to passport control: After we’re done at the Thai immigration counters, we were asked to keep walking straight ahead towards the passport control section, about 300m further.
18. Cambodian passport control: Left in red points to where the passport control bldg is. And on the right is where the bus parked waiting. @passport control – no ac so you might wanna bring a lil hand fan. practically got tickled a number of times with the feel of my sweat trickling down my spine against my shirt. there was a big industrial fan and a wall fan but the room was small and a bit crowded with the queues to all four attending counters
19. Onwards travel to Siem Reap: Afterwards, we headed back to the bus and waited for everyone else to join us. on the way to SR, we stopped for about 5mins in Pouk – just not sure if that’s cos somebody had to get off. I was dozing off when a nudge from my seatmate woke me up.
20. Arrival in Siem Reap: Arrived on Sivutha Boulevard in the center of town between 4:30 to 4:45pm.
It’s also possible to make the return trip from Siem Reap to Bangkok by direct bus. For more information and reservations, visit the bus company’s offices on #22 Sivutha Boulevard in the center of Siem Reap. The bus company is called “Nattakan Cambodia”. See below a picture of their Siem Reap office.
They’re also available by phone: (+855) 97 33 33 817 or (+855) 10 40 77 63.
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