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August , 20 2008

TESTIMONIALS

This my letter is importance for all tourisms for visiting in Cambodia especially at Siem Reap province. So i wrote to thank you Mr. Loum Phally that force all his...

Mr. Chet Chay

Where the place good service is Cambodian Hotel service providing all services that staying in Cambodia.

Loum Phally
012 516 103

TRAVEL INFORMATION
Note: please note that the information contained herein is current as of the date of publication. However, things do change, especially concerning visas and border crossings. It is always advisable to verify the information before you travel.
Travel Advice International Borders and Crossing Points
Cambodia shares international borders with the following countries:
Thailand: there are border crossings with Thailand at Poipet, Koh Kong, O'Smach, Pailin, and Kamreang. Cambodian visas and 30-day Thai transit visas are available are available at each of these crossings. The Thai crossing at Poi Pet is closest to Siem Reap while Koh Kong is closest to Sihanoukville. At Poipet and Koh Kong Cambodian immigration is charging 1,000 Baht for a Tourist Visa and 1500 Baht for a Business Visa and making a profit on the exchange rate.
Vietnam: the principal border crossings are at Moc Bai and Chau Doc. Cambodian visas are available if you are travelling from Vietnam. However, if you are travelling from Cambodia to Vietnam you must obtain a visa before you leave. Vietnamese visas are best arranged through an agency in Phnom Penh. They are not available at the border.
Laos: there is a land border crossing at Voeung Kam but border policy is not yet stable. Cambodian and Laotian visas are not supposed to be available at the border but this situation could change very rapidly. Travellers have crossed between the two countries and a formal crossing point on the Mekong is almost inevitable. There are security problems for travellers Kratie and Stung Treng and banditry is more common in this part of Cambodia than in others. Check the current border situations with a reliable agency or Embassy before you leave.
Visas
Visas are available upon arrival at most border crossings and international airports. The visa fee is $25 for a Business Visa and $20 for a Tourist Visa. A visa is required for most nationalities. Vaccination certificates are not required. A one-month Tourist Visa is available on arrival at the airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. A Tourist Visa obtained at the airport requires 1 passport photo. Visa application forms are provided on inbound flights. Visas are also available at Thai/Cambodian or Vietnamese/Cambodian overland border crossings.
Travel Information
A passport valid for at least six months beyond the end of your visit is an entry requirement. A Cambodian visa is issued officially at the following ports of entry:
By Flight: Pochentong Airport in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap Airport (Angkor Wat Region).
By Land: Travelers can journey to and from Cambodia by land via the Poipet and Trat / Koh Kong border crossings with Thailand; and to Vietnam via the Moc Bai-Bavet border crossing.
For the times and prices of bus, boat and train journeys within Cambodia see the travel advice in the relevant Town Guides section of this web-site.
Advice for Backpackers
Khoa Sarn Road (Bangkok) to Cambodia: What the other guidebooks do not tell you
If you are currently in Bangkok and thinking of heading to Cambodia on a Khoa Sarn Road bus package, here is what to expect from the journey and some advice on how to avoid scams. Please be assured you are heading for a fascinating, friendly country with a diverse culture. This information is designed to help you get you to Cambodia safely and with a minimum of stress.
• Avoiding Potential Scams #1: Visas
The highest overcharge you will face will be on a visa purchased at the border. Buy your visa through an agent in Bangkok and pay around 900 Thai Bhat. Cambodian visas purchased at the border currently cost 1100-1300 Thai Bhat. The true price of a Cambodian tourist visa is $20. Check the exchange rate at the time you buy the visa to make sure the Dollar/Bhat conversion is acceptable.
• Bangkok to Poipet
You will be taken to your bus in Bangkok between 6.30am-7.30am, though it probably won’t leave the pull-in near Khoa Sarn Road until 8.00-8.30am. The trip to the border takes about four hours but you will stop for one hour at a restaurant near Arranyaprathet. Anyone without a visa will be offered one for around 1200 Bhat. The bus will then drop you at the Poipet border crossing between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. As all the tourist buses arrive at once you may take over an hour to clear Thai Emmigration.
• Avoiding Potential Scams #2: Visa Touts
Pay no attention to anyone attempting to sell Cambodian visas that is not clearly an Immigration Official. The visa may not be valid and will probably be overpriced. There are signs on the Thai side of the border informing tourists to report such touts to the authorities.
• Avoiding Potential Scams #3: Inoculation Certificates
Cambodian Immigration has previously run an Inoculation Certificate scam. This entails the visitor paying a 50 Bhat fine for not being able to produce an Inoculation Certificate. Having an Inoculation Certificate is not an entry requirement for Cambodia and you are not obliged to pay the fine. Politely stand your ground and refuse to pay.
• Avoiding Potential Scams #4: Cambodian Currency Exchanges (Poipet)
Prior to a long wait at a Cambodian Bus Company Office (see below) a representative may board your bus and give you some questionable advice on changing money at the border. He may very well be aggressive in his approach. Do not change money at the border. The rate of exchange is truly awful and you will certainly lose money. American Dollars are the de facto currency in Cambodia and any information to the contrary is untrue.
• Time Wasting
Cambodian Immigration can take 1-2 hours to process all the tourists queuing for entry. This can be the beginning of a long wait at Poipet. Once through Immigration Control you will no doubt be hoping to continue your journey to Siem Reap. Hope on! The Bus Company will drive you half a mile down the road (possibly with a trip to a currency exchange thrown in) and drop you at a cafe or bus terminal for another hour or more. You may or may not be given information about why your bus isn’t ready and you may well ask why you can’t depart on the bus that brought you from the border.
• Journey Time
The overall journey time from Bangkok to Siem Reap is generally at least 12 hours in the rainy season and little better in the dry season. There is a purpose to the interminable time wasting on the Cambodian side of the border. When you finally reach Siem Reap your bus will take you to a pre-ordained hotel that has paid the Bus Company to drop you there. This is not a scam: if you choose not to stay at the hotel, the hotel loses money. It will be evening at best or late at night at worst when you arrive and you will be tired, disorientated and will not have time to seek another hotel. Budget hotels in Siem Reap are that desperate for business.
The irony is that the hotel where you get dropped will probably be good value, friendly and able to organise trips to the Angkor Temples at competitive rates. The budget guesthouses in Siem Reap are much the same and switching hotels is unlikely to save you money. You, however, will be exhausted and irritated and will probably want to check out at the first available opportunity.
• Pity the Poor Hotel Rep
There will be a representative of the designated hotel on your bus. He has no control over the stops at the currency exchange or the string of over-priced restaurants en-route. Please be nice to him: he has one of tourism’s most thankless jobs. Once you have been cheated, delayed and bounced up and down for 5 hours on Highway No.6 the young man on your bus has to try to convince you to stay at his hotel. Put yourself in his position! Hotel reps. are generally very polite and you can believe most, if not all, of what they tell you. Out of courtesy have a look at the rooms in his hotel. There is no obligation to stay. Many budget guesthouses will drive you to another hotel for free if you decline their services politely.
• One Final Tip
you may be very tired and even angry at the end of your journey. However, the above advice on courtesy is important. This is Cambodia, an Asian country whose citizens are generally very polite and friendly. ‘Loss of Face’ or losing your temper are serious social faux pas here and you will enjoy your time in Cambodia far more if you conduct yourself in a similarly polite and friendly manner.