Cambodia forum

Boat - Siem Reap to Battambang

SteinOfOran-
ge

motodop
Posts: 24
Located in:

I have been through this before so excuse my dryness (been in Cambodia 3 years,) and here is my experience just last week.

$21 ticket for the boat to Battambang from Siem Reap. Told it was a 7 hour journey.
The van, which ended up being a pick-up truck, was supposed to arrive at 6AM and arrived at 6:45.
The boat was so full we ended up on the roof - beware of the sun as this ended up being a 9 hour ordeal.
The scenery was pleasant.
Upon arrival 8 out of 8 people I talked with said they were glad they made the trip but would never do it again (take what you will from that.)
Spent the night in Battambang and can highly recommend the Riverside Bar (pizza and foliage). The guesthouse we stayed at was in the center of town and fantastic at $15 per night - Chhaya Hotel.
Next day took the $5 bus ride to P.P which was advertised at 6 hours max - the bus broke down in the middle somewhere and this turned into a 9 1/2 hour boo-hoo.
That is abut it.

#1 Posted: 25/11/2010 - 13:22
ggrkman

newbie
Posts: 2

Must agree with you on the organizing skills of the Cambodians. We were suposed to start at 7am, eventually ended up going at half past eight on a really noisy and completlly packed boat. The trip lasted for nine hours, and to my luck we stayed on the bow of the ship where the noise and the crowd was endurable.As you mentioned, I'm glad i took the trip but would never again. At Batambang we stayed in a new hotel, SENGHOUT HOTEL.. this i have got to recomend. It's a new hotel with a great 3-floor terace, great central location just for 14$ per night, wifi, AC, and all the commodities included..a must go! If you hire a good tuk,tuk diver you can see the sorunding atractions in one day 10-15$.. There is not much to do in Battambang, but it's a nice city to visit afer the tourist packed Siem Reap..

#2 Posted: 21/1/2011 - 20:50
Hemsi

backpacker
Posts: 16

I also have to agree! We took to boat just 3 weeks ago from BB to SR ... 9,5 hours! We were told 6-7 hours. The thing is that not only has the boat to navigate very slowly through the narrow parts of the river - we stopped so many times to take even more people on board - and to drop them off again at their villages. The trip is interesting and worth it - but only if you haven't seen people's everyday life at a river in SEA or floating villages. And mostl likely you have come across this somewhere ... Thailand, Vietnam ... same, same but (only a little) different.

I made a very painful experience on that boat - but it's my own fault: We were sitting at the back (very noisy with the motor), as there was not really much space to put your legs and feet (bags everywhere), I turned around and had my legs dangling down on the outside of the boat. Very comfortable ... but then while navigating through the narrow sections, the boat came very close to the river bank. In fact, the boat hit a tree - and my left leg and foot were smashed in between. Very painful, nothing broken (at least that's what I hope) but swollen still today. I didn't got to the hospital and luckily it didn't interfere with our plans - I still climbed a lot of Angkor temples .

How stupid of me ... So please, keep your bodyparts where they belong - inside the boat!

Take care, Hemsi

#3 Posted: 21/1/2011 - 23:17

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