From the airport to the city centre Cambodia

There is no real public transportation to get to the city center from the airport (whether you arrive in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap). You can try the bus, but the network is very complicated to understand, and is only used by locals. The tuk-tuk is the preferred means of transportation, which will cost you 7 or 8 dollars after negotiation (a good start), or the cab, for about 15 dollars.

Arrival by boat Cambodia

Forget cruises on the Nile, Niger or Danube... the mythical Mekong River, the "Mother of all waters", now stretches out its many arms to you. For more than thirty years, it was forbidden, forgotten, because it was taken hostage by wars. Its ochre and silty waters, its infinite open spaces, its magical colors, its rapids, its freshwater dolphins, its sleepy old colonial villages are now yours to discover. Follow in the footsteps of Francis Garnier and his mission to explore the Mekong... As for the other rivers, there are two itineraries to choose from:

Phnom Penh - Siem Reap : a long, beautiful and, alas, somewhat monotonous trip along the Tonlé Sap.

Siem Reap - Battambang, a magnificent journey along the Stung Sangker, past fishing villages and incredible flora and fauna. However, it's only possible to complete the trip in six hours during the rainy season. In the dry season, you'll need eight hours (in poor conditions)... if only the connection is maintained.

Public transport Cambodia

There is a bus network in the major cities, but we advise against using them, as they are very complicated to understand if you don't speak Khmer and unreliable. The choice of a bus ticket (if you manage to buy one) to save €2 on a tuk tuk is really not worth it.

For longer distances, on the other hand, many bus companies operate between the country's different provinces, mostly in minibuses. Inexpensive and just about on time.

Bike, scooters & co Cambodia

You'll find bicycles for hire everywhere, for just a few dollars a day. A good solution in Siem Reap, for example, or in Battambang, with its gentle hills. Be careful in Phnom Penh, where traffic is chaotic and nothing is really suitable for two-wheelers. You can also rent a scooter just about anywhere. But beware, insurance companies don't cover much...

Motorcycles. Riding a motorcycle yourself is undoubtedly the best way to discover Cambodia, but beware: it's also the most dangerous... Many expatriates have made their debut as virile, scarred bikers in Cambodia, but many have also had to be rushed back home.. It's easy to rent or buy an off-road motorcycle, and no one will ask you if you've got a license - that'll only happen later, when you've had a traffic accident, to raise the stakes a little..

Whether you're a bad driver or a very good one, you'll have to take a number of parameters into consideration. Cambodians are terrible drivers, and the highway code is replaced by the law of the biggest or meanest. Fortunately, they drive very slowly (with the exception of teenagers), which makes it possible to anticipate a number of typical reactions such as the following:

- The cap. Every day, hundreds, if not thousands, of Cambodian motorcycle drivers risk their lives to retrieve a 1,500 riel cap blown off their bike. And then, without looking, you turn around to retrieve the prestigious headgear.

- The motorcycle U-turn. A moto-dop rolls very slowly (in fact, it's almost at a standstill), swaying slightly to and fro: our friend has probably started the mental process of turning around on the spot, take to the open sea.

- The rich and powerful. There's a lot of traffic on your left, and a large Land Cruiser is stuck in the opposite lane: watch out! The owner of such a vehicle can only be a very important person, or at least he's convinced of it himself, so he can't waste his precious time in traffic jams when his mistress is already waiting for him.

- The crossroads. Remember those images from the disaster movie La marabunta gronde, where monstrous cohorts of red ants cross and overlap in every direction? That's pretty much what you see at a Phnom Penh crossroads. Everyone tries to cut in, overtake, cross at an angle, end up on the left and in the opposite direction, but this is perfectly normal... The men in blue watch from the corner of their eyes, in the shade, their role not being to enforce the law but to profit financially from the accidents that inevitably occur.

- We drive on the right. Yes, but... As a result of the appalling chaos generated by crossroads, people who try to cut in at an angle from the left find themselves double-parked for several hundred meters in the opposite direction, before pulling out at random in the direction of the opposite lane. This means you always have to watch your right, because people are constantly driving in the opposite direction. It could be called "Four lanes Cambodian style".

- Red lights. It's classic: at amber and soft red, you accelerate, and you start off well before the light turns green; and then, it's well known that red lights only concern people who want to go straight ahead, so while you're standing still, poor foreigner ignorant of the real rules, you'll see a host of motorcycles and cars overtake you on both sides to turn right or left, all under the imperturbable gaze of the policemen.

- Holes. A great specialty of the Khmer capital, with holes dotting every artery, holes should become your obsession. Cambodian drivers don't look further than 20 cm in front of them, and if there's one thing they hate, it's holes! So they'll swerve left and right at the last moment (without looking back, of course), which can be detrimental if you're overtaking. The best advice you can give is to look far ahead and see the holes before the Cambodians do, so as to anticipate their gaps.

- Accidents. When it comes to accidents, everything is always decided by the customer's head, and when it comes to a fender-bender between two poor country folk, it's hardly likely that anyone will get involved, unless, of course, there's some brains on the pavement. If you're the one involved in the accident, it won't be the same lemonade... A more or less aggressive crowd will gather instantly; the street will go from being deserted to resembling the Stade de France during the Cup Final, and one or more policemen will appear, looking outraged that you've so blatantly attempted to murder one of their compatriots. You'll be taken away, your vehicle seized, and let me tell you, you're up to your neck in it. You had priority, you say? Come on, you saw the poor, bloody victim, didn't you? Anyway, she's in a very, very bad way, and the family needs money to pay for the hospitalization and the garage bill. If you argue for weeks, find witnesses, a faded copy of the highway code, prove by A + B that the person you were shown dying at Calmette hospital was in fact a laborer who had fallen from scaffolding, they might finally admit that you were within your rights, but as for the bill, they'll remain adamant, you'll have to pay. And why? Because in Cambodia, 1 + 1 never equals 2. You can threaten to go to court, but then again, Cambodian arithmetic is the law..

- Driving in the countryside. Once you've left Phnom Penh, you'll feel like you've arrived in paradise: superb landscapes, smiling people, little traffic... The natural tendency is to squeeze the handle... Be careful! This apparent calm conceals many dangers, and you should always be as vigilant as in Phnom Penh. You have to look far ahead, not forgetting the sides of the road. A deserted road where you decide to see what your machine is really made of can, from one moment to the next, be blocked by a motor-trailer appearing out of nowhere with a 6-metre load of wood. Such a quiet, empty lane conceals a thousand traps: cows, pigs, kids, carts, motor vehicles... However, you should be aware that chickens, ducks, calves, dogs... all crash quite comfortably, which is sometimes better than a sudden swerve. Pigs, on the other hand, are too compact for such treatment.

Cycle rickshaws. The advent of the rickshaw dates back to 1936. It first appeared in Phnom Penh that year. The vehicle's creator, Pierre Coupeau, was a tenacious sportsman from Charente. He had to fight hard to have his creation recognized by Public Works. The Ministry of Colonies gave its final approval for the use of this intrepid means of locomotion only after entrusting the new machine to experienced velocipedists Speicher and Le Grevès, heroes of the Tour de France. Trials took place in Paris on the wide paths of the Bois de Boulogne. Finally, the champions congratulated the ingenious Charentais. He appropriately christened the prototype with pineau. At last, the capital of Cambodia gave the cyclo-pousse its due. Soon, Pierre Coupeau set off to conquer Saigon in a cyclo-pousse, piloted by two coolies taking turns. It took him 17 hours 23 minutes to cover the 200 km separating the two capitals. His arrival was spectacular, in the middle of a bicycle race. However, it took the cyclo more than ten years to eliminate its ancient rival, the rickshaw. By 1952, there were 6,500 cyclists in Saigon.

Since then, the cyclo's effectiveness has never wavered. In Phnom Penh, they are an indispensable tool of daily life, used for everything from transporting chickens and pigs to sacks of rice, coal, crates and jars of water... The stamina of the cyclo and its driver seems limitless. In Saigon, we saw one carrying a car body... Cycling is also the best way to discover the Cambodian capital, especially in the evening, when the day's traffic is a thing of the past and you can glide noiselessly over the asphalt of the few streets that are still in good condition; it's even better after a heavy rain, when all the dust has stuck to the ground. Whatever the load and number of passengers, a ride usually costs between 500 and 1,500 riels, depending on the distance. Don't be fooled by the often exorbitant prices that cyclo drivers tend to charge tourists, and pretend to leave if they won't give you a fair deal - they'll always catch up. As there's no solidarity in this trade, competition works in your favor. To avoid any problems, set the fare before you get on the cyclo and make sure you've been understood, even if you insist more than seems necessary. Precise addresses with street names and house numbers won't tell drivers anything; what they need to know is which market or important monument your destination is next to.

Moto-dop: they're called moto-dop, from the French "moto double", and can be recognized by the often grimy cap screwed onto the head of the service road eagle. The basic advice is the same as for cyclists: just like them, they'll say yes without understanding where you're going. In this case, you need to use the magic phrase: "Ot skoal té, ot mien loï té." (If you don't know, you don't have any money). Then you'll see them slam on the brakes with both flip-flops and ask their little friends about the itinerary. For Westerners, three passengers behind the driver is considered a maximum number. The moto-dop's ignorance of Phnom Penh's geography is easy to understand, as they are often poor peasants who have come to the city to make ends meet after a poor harvest. So they drive like country folk, and are often a problem for tourists. When you find one who speaks a foreign language, it's best to keep him. Generally speaking, there's no point in giving them an address; you have to explain where you want to go. Say "I'm going next to...", mentioning the well-known, remarkable place near your destination. Markets are a good indication, as are some of the city's monuments and major buildings.

With a driver Cambodia

Cabs aren't exactly the best way to get around town, and there aren't many of them. On the other hand, for long distances they can be a more comfortable alternative to public transport. Much more expensive, of course. Expect to pay around $50 for a Phnom Penh / Sihanoukville journey, for example. Cabs are also a must on arrival from the airport ($15 for a trip to the city center). Renting a car with driver for the day is also an option. In Angkor, expect to pay around $30 for the day.

Cab: cab services are appearing in Phnom Penh, but private drivers are often cheaper and just as professional as the others. One thing's for sure: always negotiate the fare before you leave!

Shared cabs: we don't recommend this mode of transport for claustrophobics. In general, a chauffeur-driven car can be rented for between $35 and $55, depending on the distance. Divide by the number of passengers and you get the individual price. A Toyota Camry can hold up to eight Khmers, and some drivers, advocating equality between peoples, seek to do the same with Westerners... It's up to you to negotiate the price and number of passengers. You can easily buy two or three seats for yourself.

To stay alive, it's important to choose a cab with: a left-hand steering wheel, tires in good condition (those worn to the bone can give way under braking, and then they're indicative of the driver's state of mind and the general condition of his vehicle), an "acceptable" number of passengers, i.e. no more than six... and, above all, to ensure that nobody shares the driver's seat.

Renting a whole car costs between $50 and $60. If you want to negotiate, a rear seat can be as low as 35,000 riels (4 people in the back seat, regardless of size), while the seat next to the driver in the front is equivalent to two and costs 50,000 to 60,000 riels.

By car Cambodia

Driving in Cambodia is chaotic, to say the least, and road conditions are deplorable. Driving yourself is strongly discouraged. Motorcycles and scooters are available for hire everywhere, but if you're looking for a car, especially on the main roads, you're better off using public transport or a private driver.

Tourist traps Cambodia

In Cambodia, we negotiate, especially for transportation. Before starting the race! It is not impolite to lower the price, on the contrary it is the norm... if you don't abuse it. Remember that a few cents may not mean much to you, but a substantial financial contribution to a Cambodian family. Generally speaking, Cambodia is not a country where scams are numerous, but beware, tourists are often seen as potential targets because of their lack of knowledge of the local culture.