Passage through Cambodia

Early this morning, you'll kick-start your journey from Thailand to Cambodia as you're picked up at your Bangkok hotel for a 5 hour trip by comfortable minibus through lush green countryside and rural villages. When you arrive in Aranyaprathet you’ll collect the necessary stamps for your passport and walk across the border into Cambodia where your Cambodian driver will be waiting to take you to Siem Reap. It’s another 4-6 hours drive by air-conditioned bus and although the roads have improved in the last few years, it’s still a dusty, bumpy ride. You'll arrive in Siem Reap in late afternoon, and you’ll stay in a comfortable hotel. Siem Reap is a peaceful town with lots of Cambodian character.

Note: During the days of the week when this Thailand to Cambodia trip does not run, you can still leave for Cambodia but you'll need to travel by different means. You’ll travel from Bangkok by day train to the Thailand/Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet and stay overnight in a simple hotel on the Cambodian side of the border. The next morning, a minibus will arrive to take you on to Siem Reap. This means your trip takes a day longer. If you would prefer, we can also arrange a flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap for you, at an additional cost. Just ask our friendly Cambodia travel specialists for more details.

Angkor is the name of the ancient capital of the Khmer empire which was founded in the 8th century AD. The empire stretched all the way to southern Vietnam and China. Later it was the Siamese empire of the Thai that ruled the area and brought many Buddhist influences to the region. Siem Reap literally means ‘conquest by Siam’ so it’s rather noble of the Khmer to have kept the name to this day.

The temples were once surrounded by a thriving city filled with wooden houses. Sadly they’re long gone but the temples themselves are magnificent enough and are fantastic to visit on a Thailand to Cambodia trip. For centuries the city was overgrown by jungle until the ruins were discovered by French explorers in 1900. Several temples have been restored but others are still overgrown. The Ta Prohm temple for example shows you how the jungle still has a hold on the buildings. Giant trees tower over them and the roots have wrapped themselves around the temple walls. It’s a strange but impressive sight.

Phnom Penh is a pleasant city with many historic colonial buildings. It's fairly modern with paved roads, modern shops, attractive boulevards and many cash machines. Today, you'll visit Phnom Penh's major attractions with your guide. You'll visit the Silver Pagoda and the National Palace as well as the haunting remnants of the Pol Pot regime at the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields. In 1975 the Red Khmer invaded the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Pol Pot became prime minister of Cambodia and made a very cruel and bloody attempt to turn Cambodia into a communist agricultural state. Currency, education, religion and private property were abolished. Anyone who did not cooperate was executed. Intellectuals and college-graduates were also executed - even wearing glasses was enough to make someone a suspect.

The Tuol Sleng Museum is incredibly moving. It confronts visitors directly with Cambodia's brutal past. It's an old primary school that was used as a prison for torturing political enemies during the rule of the Red Khmer. For many, this was their last stop before they were taken to the mass graves of the Killing Fields, located just outside of Phnom Penh in an orchard. Over 17.000 people were killed.

At the Aspara Foundation in Phnom Penh poor Cambodian children can take singing and entertaining lessons. Opening hours permitting, your guide will take you to see this interesting project during this part of your Thailand to Cambodia trip.

After breakfast in the hotel in Phnom Penh, your journey from Thailand to Cambodia will come to an end.

Phnom Penh is a good base for visiting other parts of Cambodia. After a week of travelling from Thailand to Cambodia, you may well feel like a couple of days of peace and quiet in a beach bungalow during our relaxing Cambodia trip. If you want, you could also continue with our Mekong tour from Cambodia to Laos.