We flew into Seoul, Korea and then took Korean Airlines down to Siem Reap. In Korea, there was no need to clear customs or immigration. You can go right to the transit area and through security, where your luggage is re checked and then into the main airport. They are very strict in security and will even take nail clippers. The airport is very modern and looks a bit like a shopping mall. The transfer desk is above area B on the top floor, where we were checked in for our trip from SEL to REP. They gave us a seat right there. Beer and wine were free on the airplane, and a meal was served. We arrived late, close to midnight, in the evening. The airport is very small with a stair case off the airplane. The visa process in Cambodia is fairly easy, you just need to get 1 picture (passport) before you leave for your trip. On the airplane they will give you an application to fill out for the visa, along with an immigration form and a customs form. You get into line and they take your application and the picture your brought with you and $20. After about 5 minutes, your visa will be in your passport. There were enough people working the visa line to make the process go quickly. It seemed even the Koreans and other countries had to get the visa done when they arrive. There really seems no need to have to do it before you go. I think everyone on the plane had the visa processed upon arrival. You then go onto the immigration and customs process.
We took a taxi right from the taxi stand inside the airport. It was $7 to the hotel. A booked taxi van from the hotel, was priced at $70 round trip. I don't know if this was a mistake on the hotel's part or if this is really what they charge, but it is the price I received in an email. We just booked the taxi right at the airport, upon arrival, with no problems, even at midnight, like in any big city. The taxi driver offered to give you a tour for the whole day, and it seems that everyone is out for some sort of business. We decided to be on the safe side and asked the hotel for the tour. We stayed at the Sofitel Hotel, which was a four star luxury hotel, by Cambodian standards. The tour booked by the hotel, will charge $18, for setting up the tour, another $18 to the taxi driver, round trip and $20 per person for each entrance to the Angkor Wat, and any other tourist attraction, in the tour circuit. The taxi driver will stay with you the whole day as you do your tour. You can buy up to a week pass, but there is no savings in buying a longer pass. You may want to see, day by day, what you want to do so you don't over purchase the passes. Decide if you want a tour guide with you, as we did have a tour guide the first day, arranged by the hotel, for the Angkor Wat tour but decided to just hire the tuk tuk for the second day tour without a guide, which was just fine also. You will find that there are many "guides" (security guards, locals etc.) who hang outside the area, trying to get business as a guide. The Angkor Wat is a 2 day tour in itself, but we saw the main temples in 1 day. It would have taken about 3 days to see the whole area. It is said to be about the size of Manhattan, with temples spread out. It is necessary to wear sunscreen and better to carry an umbrella not only for the rain showers that are frequent, but also to protect you from the sun. Lots of water should be taken with you, as well as sunscreen. Humidity levels are high and so is the temperature. The main attraction is this ruin and due to the fact it was built on a swamp, only brings the humidity levels higher. If it is raining, your shoes will get muddy on the unpaved roads so bring old shoes that you can get dirty. They take you for lunch, which came to about $10 a person, (out of your own pocket) in a local restaurant near the ruins. A lot of beggars, children and adults are in the area. Not aggressive, but nonetheless, they are there. The people are very modest and humble. The town of Siem Reap is a small town, no so much a big city, still in the process of being built to handle the tourist crowd, since the end of the Khmer Rouge. A lot of poverty still exists and can be seen along the roads where ever you go.
The next day we took a tuk tuk without a guide to Banteay Srei, which is a much smaller temple, about a 1 hour ride from the city. The temple was found in 1914, having been built 1000 years before. The details of the temple walls are much more preserved, but will take you only about 1/2 hour to see the whole thing. The drive will give you at least a feel for the country side in Cambodia and the modest lifestyle of the Cambodian people.
We took a taxi right from the taxi stand inside the airport. It was $7 to the hotel. A booked taxi van from the hotel, was priced at $70 round trip. I don't know if this was a mistake on the hotel's part or if this is really what they charge, but it is the price I received in an email. We just booked the taxi right at the airport, upon arrival, with no problems, even at midnight, like in any big city. The taxi driver offered to give you a tour for the whole day, and it seems that everyone is out for some sort of business. We decided to be on the safe side and asked the hotel for the tour. We stayed at the Sofitel Hotel, which was a four star luxury hotel, by Cambodian standards. The tour booked by the hotel, will charge $18, for setting up the tour, another $18 to the taxi driver, round trip and $20 per person for each entrance to the Angkor Wat, and any other tourist attraction, in the tour circuit. The taxi driver will stay with you the whole day as you do your tour. You can buy up to a week pass, but there is no savings in buying a longer pass. You may want to see, day by day, what you want to do so you don't over purchase the passes. Decide if you want a tour guide with you, as we did have a tour guide the first day, arranged by the hotel, for the Angkor Wat tour but decided to just hire the tuk tuk for the second day tour without a guide, which was just fine also. You will find that there are many "guides" (security guards, locals etc.) who hang outside the area, trying to get business as a guide. The Angkor Wat is a 2 day tour in itself, but we saw the main temples in 1 day. It would have taken about 3 days to see the whole area. It is said to be about the size of Manhattan, with temples spread out. It is necessary to wear sunscreen and better to carry an umbrella not only for the rain showers that are frequent, but also to protect you from the sun. Lots of water should be taken with you, as well as sunscreen. Humidity levels are high and so is the temperature. The main attraction is this ruin and due to the fact it was built on a swamp, only brings the humidity levels higher. If it is raining, your shoes will get muddy on the unpaved roads so bring old shoes that you can get dirty. They take you for lunch, which came to about $10 a person, (out of your own pocket) in a local restaurant near the ruins. A lot of beggars, children and adults are in the area. Not aggressive, but nonetheless, they are there. The people are very modest and humble. The town of Siem Reap is a small town, no so much a big city, still in the process of being built to handle the tourist crowd, since the end of the Khmer Rouge. A lot of poverty still exists and can be seen along the roads where ever you go.
The next day we took a tuk tuk without a guide to Banteay Srei, which is a much smaller temple, about a 1 hour ride from the city. The temple was found in 1914, having been built 1000 years before. The details of the temple walls are much more preserved, but will take you only about 1/2 hour to see the whole thing. The drive will give you at least a feel for the country side in Cambodia and the modest lifestyle of the Cambodian people.
