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Getting around Cambodia: Flights to Cambodia
Taxi's, Tuk Tuk's and motocycle taxis are all common and cheap in all the major towns and cities in Cambodia and will all very readily come and offer you a lift when you walk outside on the street. On the busy streets of Phnom Penh, it is often easier to get a lift from a moto or tuktuk than it is to walk across the road, the constant flow of motocyles along Monivong Blvd makes it incredibly difficult to get across safely and should be attempted with caution!
In Siem Reap you can hire a taxi or tuk tuk and driver for a day to visit Angkor, and they will transport you around the temples for about $20-30 a day.
Travelling between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap the easiest and quickest way is by air, fights between the two airports are fairly frequent and it is easy to buy a ticket at the airline desk.
There is a boat that goes between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, along the Tonle Sap river, the express boat leaves from the docks in Phnom Penh and takes about 6 hours to reach its destination but is a nice way to see the countryside of Cambodia.
The only way to reach the coast is by road, either by bus, taxi or hired driver, it is quite adventurous driving in Cambodia, the roads are not of a high standard and are sometimes rather bumpy, drivers beep their horn as they drive along to warn others that they are coming or when overtaking. Hazards such as oxen and children by the road is common.
There are reports in some travel books of armed bandits operating on roads in Cambodia, but this does not seem to be a problem in 2006.
There is a rail network in Cambodia, but reports are that it is badly maintained, unreliable and quite possibly dangerous and prone to accidents.
Landmines are not usually a problem for tourists, but it is generally advisable not to wander far off the beaten track when in the countryside, or travelling through the country by road.
Getting flights to Cambodia:
You can get a flight to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap from a number of Southeast Asia cities, the most common place to travel to enroute to Cambodia is Bangkok in Thailand, here you can easily buy a ticket for a flight to Phnom Penh, or directly to Siem Reap if you are travelling to the Angkor temples.
You can also get flights to Phnom Penh's Pochentong airport from the following cities: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. SilkAir (Singapore Airlines) operates flights between Singapore and Phnom Penh twice daily, and Singapore to Siem Reap once a day.
If travelling to Cambodia from Europe or America, you would often get a flight to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and then get a local connection to Phnom Penh (Pochentong airport) or Siem Reap.
A taxi from Pochentong airport to the centre of Phnom Penh costs around $8 USD for the trip, and a motocycle taxi about $1 US per passenger.
Booking Flights:
Cambodian Visa:
On arrival in Cambodia you must complete a Visa application, take along a passport photo and a fee of $20 US Dollars for tourists and $25 for business travel and you can recieve the visa on arrival at Pochentong airport Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. There is not usually any problem with getting a visa on arrival, it only gets busy and takes longer when two flights arrive at once.
e-Visa: The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation has launched its e-Visa service, enabling you to apply for a Cambodian Visa online instead of through an embassy or at an airport. This means you can get your visa before travelling, making your journey easier.
You can apply for an e-Visa and find more information at the following website:
http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/index.php?version=eng
e-Visa specifications:
Tourist single-entry 30 day stay visa, valid for 3 months from date of issue, only valid for travel by air into Phnom Penh or Siem Reap international airports, fee US$20 + US$5 processing charge, processing time for your visa is 3 business days.
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