tommcm1200
longtail driver
Posts: 6

#1 Posted: 9/1/2008 - 15:52


hi all,

i will be in siem reap next week and I am looking at possiblities to continue on from there to thailand, koh chang and koh mak via overland to trat.

is it possible to reach koh chang in a day from siem reap?
what is the approx. route i need to take?
appreacite any advice that anyone can give

thanks.

somtam2000
admin
mahout
Posts: 2548

Located in:
Indonesia

#2 Posted: 9/1/2008 - 21:28


Yes it is possible, as long as you leave Siem Reap early.

The recommended route is:

Share taxi to the border at Poipet, tuk tuk to Aranyprathet, bus to Chanthaburi, change buses for bus to Trat, songtheaw to Laem Ngop amd ferry to Ko Chang or Ko Maak.

Leave Siem Reap after breakfast and you'll be wading in the gulf of Thailand by late afternoon.

tommcm1200
longtail driver
Posts: 6

#3 Posted: 10/1/2008 - 09:58


nice one - thanks for the quick reply!

swag
tourist
Posts: 54

Located in:
Australia

#4 Posted: 10/1/2008 - 10:07


Tomm,if you decide to miss Ko Chang and go straight to Ko Mak which I can recommend,you can catch the Koh Mak express speedboat. Costs 600thb takes 3/4 hr very quick and easy. Or you can catch ferry to Koh Chang then next day make your way to south of island to Bang Bao to catch the slow boot to Ko Mak.Costs about 300thb takes about 2 hours,pack your sunscreen.
Regards

somtam2000
admin
mahout
Posts: 2548

Located in:
Indonesia

#5 Posted: 10/1/2008 - 17:41


We just added a story explaining this route blow by blow as it's quite a common question.

How do I get from Siem Reap to Ko Chang

keenbeantraveller
newbie
Posts: 2

#6 Posted: 24/1/2008 - 21:56


Hi Tom!

Just wondering if you've done the trip yet - and if you, or anyone else, could comment on the journey. I' was going to fly to Bangkok and then take a bus to Trat as had heard so many horror stories about the journey to the Thai border from Siem Reap, but the story link above makes it sound really easy and flying would take about the same amount of time, but be hugely expensive.

Any advice you could give would be great.

Thank you.

tommcm1200
longtail driver
Posts: 6

#7 Posted: 25/1/2008 - 13:02


hey keenbeantraveller

yep took the plunge and managed to get to koh mak with time to have an eveing dip before cracking the well deserved icey chang.

a quick breakdown for you...

My partner, our five yr old son and I left seam reap at 530 in a hired taxi - arrived at the border at approx 830 and was a breeze to get through to thailand (took about 30 mins). Took a tuk tuk to the Aran public bus station and caught the 1030 public bus to Chanthaburi. The bus took about 5 1/4 hrs. Jumped off the bus at Chanthaburi and into a songtheaw straight to the pier to get the last 4pm speedboat - driver drove like a bat out of hell but we manged to get there with just seconds to spare.

if we were going to koh chang would have made it with ease to get the 5pm ferry.

at times i felt we were on the amazing race going to start to finish without having to do any of the detours ;) but it was pretty rewarding slaming that first chang down the throat at the end of it.

hope it goes well for you...

peace.

somtam2000
admin
mahout
Posts: 2548

Located in:
Indonesia

#8 Posted: 25/1/2008 - 15:04


Tom, thanks for the report back -- much appreciated, but do you mean 5 1/4 hours to Trat from Aran rather than to Chanthaburi? Surely Aran to Chanthaburi isn't taking that long?

The first beer on the beach makes it all worth it...

tommcm1200
longtail driver
Posts: 6

#9 Posted: 26/1/2008 - 06:41


yeah took us 5 1/4hrs from Aran to Chanthaburi - the bus seemed to stop very regularly to pickup and drop off passengers so it defiently wasn't an express - do you know of any?

we didnt have to go to trat as their were taxi/songathaew drivers waiting at Chanthaburi when we arrived - cost three of us 700B to be taken directly to the pier.