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 Getting
to Sihanoukville and Southern Cambodia
Phnom Penh and Koh Kong are the primary gateways to
Sihanoukville and southern Cambodia. From Phnom Penh, most people travel by bus, taxi or
motorcycle to one or more of the most popular southern cities -
Sihanoukville, Kampot and Kep. There are several daily
buses between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
The international border crossings at
1) Had Lek, Thailand/Koh Kong, Cambodia;
2) Xaxia, Vietnam/Prek Chak,
Cambodia ('Ha Tien') and;
3) Tinh Bien, Vietnam/Phnom
Den, Cambodia all allow international overland access
to southern Cambodia. The Had Lek/Koh Kong crossing allows easiest access to
Sihanoukville as it is a long-established crossing and regular
transportation between Sihanoukville and Koh Kong are also well
established (ferry or road.) The 'Ha Tien' crossing with Vietnam has
just recently opened and allow direct and easy access between
Kampot and Vietnam. See the Overland
Border Crossing page for details about overland travel from Thailand
and Vietnam to Sihanoukville and southern Cambodia.
 Phnom Penh to/from
Sihanoukville
Bus from Phnom Penh
Comfortable, a/c buses depart Phnom Penh several
times per day. 12,000R-15,000R for the 4 hour trip to Sihanouk Ville
via Route #4. At Sihanouk Ville, all buses arrive and depart from
the downtown bus and taxi station.
Phnom Penh Sorya
Transport
PP to SHV : 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 11:30, 12:45, 1:45
SHV to PP : 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 12:15, 1:15, 2:10
Stations: Phnom Penh: On Charles de Gaulle, next to the Central
Market. Sihanouk Ville office: Downtown, on Ekareach St.
GST
PP to SHV : 7:15, 8:15, 12:30, 1:30
SHV to PP : 7:15, 8:15, 12:30, 1:30
Stations:
Phnom Penh: Just southwest of the Central Market, on the corner of
142 St. and Charles de Gaulle Blvd.
Sihanouk Ville office: Downtown, on Ekareach Street.
Mekong Express
PP to SHV : 7:45, 2:30
SHV to PP : 7:45, 2:30
Stations: Phnom Penh: 87AEo, Sisowath Quay
Sihanouk Ville office: Downtown, Sopheakmongkol St.
Capitol Guesthouse
PP to SHV : 7:15, 8:45, 1:30
SHV to PP : 7:00, 12:00
Stations:
Phnom Penh: Capitol Guesthouse, corner of Streets 107 and 182.
Sihanouk Ville office: Downtown, on Ekareach Street.
 Taxi from Phnom Penh
In Phnom
Penh, Sihanouk Ville bound taxis wait at the southwest corner of the
Central Market (Phsar Thmey.) In Sihanouk Ville, Phnom Penh bound taxies
can be found at the downtown bus and taxi stop on Street 108.
Share taxi: Shared taxis offer a cramped and
harrowing 2˝-3˝-hour ride with seven or more people stuffed in a compact
car. $5/person.
Private taxi: Private taxis run about $35.
 Motorcycle from Phnom Penh
It is a 230 km, 4-5 hour trip on Route #4. Most
cyclists rent 250cc off-road bikes for the trip. Rent motorcycles at
Lucky Lucky Motorcycle on Monivong, near Street 184 in Phnom Penh.
Leaving Phnom Penh, follow Confederation dela Russie (Airport Road)
south past the airport and out of town. At the Route #3/#4 fork just
east of Phnom Penh (Chom Chao), bear right. National Route #4 to
Sihanoukville is a paved and smooth, fast, easy, and a relatively
dangerous road. Speeding taxis and reckless lorries are the norm. Slow
down through the villages, watch for errant animals and oblivious
children. By all means wear a helmet and bear in mind that medical help
and rescue is non-existent in the countryside. Stop for a refreshment
break at one of the many road side stands at Pich Nil near the half way
point.
Kampot/Kep
to/from Sihanoukville
The road between Sihanoukville and Kampot is paved and most is in good
condition (110km). From Sihanouk Ville, travel north on Route #4 to Veal Renh (43km). Turn east on Route #3 to Kampot. Route #4 is paved.
Route #3 to Kampot is mixed paved and in good condition. Taxi is the
usual form of transportation between these cities.
In Sihanoukville,
taxis can be found opposite the market (Phsar Leu) and at the
downtown bus and taxi station. In Kampot, taxis can be found at the
taxi stand. The trip takes 1.5-2 hours
Share taxi: 12,000-14,000R/person
Private taxi: $20 ($25 for good a/c).
Koh Kong
to/from Sihanoukville
 Koh Kong to/from Sihanoukville by road
Picturesque road trip through the jungled Cardamom Mountains.
From Koh Kong, follow Road #48 to the intersection with National
Route #4. Take Route #4 south to Sihanoukville. Route #4 is paved
and in excellent condition. Road #48 has been partially repaired and
is now passable. Most of the road is now sealed and in good
condition but the bridges at four rivers have not been completed,
requiring ferrying across the rivers. Depending on traffic, the wait
for each ferry can take anything from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Road
conditions at the few unfinished sections of Road #48 can
deteriorate dramatically during the wet season, lengthening travel
time.
Van: 600B/person
Taxi: 500B/person (5-8 hours)
 Koh Kong to/from Sihanoukville by ferry
Daily bullet ferries run in both directions between Sihanouk
Ville and Koh Kong. There is one ferry per day in each direction. The trip takes about 4 hours. US$20 for
foreigners. There are occasional cancellations due to adverse
weather during the rainy season. These ferries in no way meet
international safety standards. From Koh Kong to Sihanouk Ville:
The ferry departs at 8:00am
everyday. The ferry dock is located on the riverfront in Koh Kong
City, 500m south of the Koh Kong Bridge. From Sihanouk Ville to Koh
Kong: The ferry departs at 9:30AM everyday from the ‘Port of
Passenger Ship’, near the main Port. (The departure time recently
changed from noon to 9:30AM. Double check the departure time with
your guesthouse.)
Thailand
to/from Sihanoukville
 The Had Lek/Koh Kong Border
crossing (officially the Cham Yeam Crossing) is the only Thai border
crossing allowing easy access to the southern coast of Cambodia and
Sihanoukville. Both Cambodian and Thai
visas are available on arrival at the border. This border crossing
has been open to international travelers since 1998 and is fairly busy,
with plenty of onward transportation available on both sides. To get to
Sihanoukville from Thailand travelers enter Cambodia at Had Lek/Koh Kong
and then travel from Koh Kong to Sihanoukville either by road (van/taxi
5-8 hours) or ocean ferry (daily, 4 hours).
See the overland international border crossing
page
for detailed information on travel from Thailand to Sihanoukville via the Had Lek/Koh Kong crossing.
Also see above for travel from Koh Kong to
Sihanoukville.
Vietnam
to/from Sihanoukville
The recent opening of the 'Ha Tien Border Crossing' (officially the 'Xaxia/Prek
Chak Border Crossing) represents the removal of the last road block on the coastal
travelers trail from Koh Chang Thailand, though the beach towns of
Cambodia (including Kep, Kampot, Sihanoukville and Koh Kong) and on to
southern Vietnam and Phu Quoc Island (Koh Tral). Using the Had Lek/Koh
Kong crossing in the west and the Ha Tien crossing in the east of
Cambodia, overland travelers can now
beach hop across Indochina without ever having to leave the coastal
roads. To travel from Sihanoukville to Vietnam, first
travel to Kampot. See details
above. The road is good and the trip takes about 2 hours from
by taxi. Then travel from
Kampot to the Ha Tien crossing,
by motodup or tuk-tuk. Most of the road is in good condition, requiring
1 - 2 hours to make the trip.
See the overland international border crossing
page
and the Kampot page for more details on
the Ha Tien border crossing and travel between Kampot and Sihanoukville.
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Orientation and Arrival in Sihanoukville
 The Sihanouk Ville town area is spread thinly across a peninsula,
surrounded on three sides by beaches, with a
downtown area near the center of
the peninsula a couple of kilometers from the beaches. If you are
arriving in town by bus or taxi, you’ll be dropped off at the bus
stop downtown. If you’re coming from Koh Kong by ferry you’ll
disembark at the ferry dock north of town. There are always dozens
of motorcycle taxis (motodups) and a few car taxis waiting for new
arrivals. Some guesthouses and hotels offer a free shuttle for
pre-booked guests. Look for a placard displaying your name. Motodup
prices to the various parts of town are posted on the wall at the
bus stop. Car taxis cost $6-$7 from the bus stop to almost anywhere
in town. Bear in mind that with rising fuel costs, prices may vary
slightly.
Touts will try to direct you to commission paying hotels. Do not
believe stories that the hotel you want to go to is “dangerous,
damaged, dirty, closed,” etc. Insist on being taken directly to your
requested hotel.
Hotels, guesthouses and
restaurants can be found across the entire
peninsula, but many are concentrated into three areas: 1) The
Downtown Area, about 5 minutes
from the beaches by moto taxi. All regular tourist services are
available including several mid-range hotels, budget guesthouses,
lots of restaurants and bars, the main market, convenience stores,
banks, and the bus/taxi stands. Many of the downtown hotels are
within walking distance of the bus stop. Motodup from the bus stop
to downtown: 3000-4000R; from the ferry dock to downtown:
$1.50-$2.00; 2) Ochheuteal and
‘Serendipity’ Beaches offers a variety of mid-range and
budget hotels, guesthouses and bungalows as well as restaurants and
bars. ‘Serendipity Beach’ at the northern end of Ochheuteal is the
only beach in Sihanouk Ville with selection of rooms and bungalows
right on the sand. Motodup from the bus stop to Ochheuteal:
3000-5000R; from the ferry dock to Ochheuteal: $1.50-$2.50; 3)
Weather Station Hill (Victory Hill),
above Victory Beach, has long been popular with budget travelers for
its hilltop budget guesthouses, bungalows, restaurants and bars.
Motodup from the bus stop the Hill: 3000-5000R; from the ferry dock
the Hill: 3000R-5000R.
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Getting Around Sihanoukville
 Motorcycle Taxi (motodup, moto) drivers expect foreigners to pay
1000-2000R in town, and 2000R - 4000R from town to the beaches. (A bit
more from the bus station. See previous page for arrival prices.) Locals
pay less but getting the local price is nearly impossible. Prices go up
for multiple passengers and at night. Some Sihanouk Ville motodups are
some of the most assertive touts in Cambodia. Settle on a price and
destination before taking the ride and insist on being taken directly to
your requested destination.
 Moto-romauk (‘tuk-tuk,’ moto-trailer) Long popular in Phnom Penh
and Siem Reap, ‘tuk-tuks’ have just begun to operate in Sihanouk Ville.
‘Tuk-tuks’ - more properly referred to by the Khmer ‘moto-romauk’ - are
two and four passenger motorcycle trailers. Unlike motodups, the covered
and semi-enclosed trailer offers some protection from sun and rain,
though tuk-tuks are a bit slower climbing Sihanouk Ville’s hills than
motodups. Currently, the price for tuk-tuks seem to be in flux, but are
charging near the same prices as a car taxi.
 Motorcycle Rental At the moment there is a ban on tourists
driving motorcycles and cars in Sihanoukville. At the moment it seems to
be somewhat loosly enforced.
Prior to the ban, most of the tourist-oriented businesses in town rented
motorcycles, including most guesthouses and hotels, the bus companies,
travel/tour companies and even restaurants. 100cc bikes were between
$3-$5/day. Fewer places rented 250cc bikes but they were still readily
available at about $7-$8/day. 100cc is more than sufficient for travel
in town and to the beaches. Most places required a passport as security.
Always lock your motorcycle or leave it in guarded parking. Motorcycle
theft is not uncommon.
Car Rental Car rental (with diver) can be arranged through your
hotel or travel agent. Taxis at the downtown bus and taxi station are
also available for private hire. Cars cost around $20/day with driver.
They can also be hired for short jaunts in town ($4-$6) and specific
trips such as sunset mountain ($10) the waterfalls ($15) or Ream ($17).
Last updated 09/07
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