There are many ways to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap, a journey many people make every day. This post won’t review the selection, rather share our experience of TravelMart BKK and in particular how to use this safe and comfortable bus to get across the Cambodian border in the easiest and most inexpensive way possible. At the bottom of this page you will find links to other pages to assist your journey to Siem Reap. Some of those key links are:
- TravelMart BKK website
- 12Go Asia – a great travel comparison site for the region
- Official eVisa website – if you use other sites then you will probably be charged commission
We traveled from Bangkok to Siem Reap by TravelMart BKK, a Thai company, for (740 BAHT each, $23.50). It was not as expensive as the Thai government ($28) or Giant Ibis ($32) buses we had heard about. The only difference we could tell was you couldn’t pre book your exact seats and they provided you with water and a snack rather than a meal. The bus had good leg room (my husband is 6’2 and still had plenty of space), seatbelts, air conditioning, and friendly staff.
Getting the Bus
We booked tickets online, and were given the pickup location as Khao San Road, outside the McDonalds near the Dang Derm hotel. A taxi dropped us off at the exit to Khao San Road (a one way road) and we walked up the the McDonalds we saw, where we had some breakfast. We were surprised that McDonalds here was more expensive than back in the UK.
We then realised that there is another McDonalds at the other end of the road, near the entrance to the road and by the Dang Derm hotel as described. Arriving there we found other backpackers. We had been told to arrive 30 mins before our bus, but it wasn’t until a few minutes before the scheduled departure time that a man walked into McDonalds and checked our printed tickets, issuing us a new small ticket. He then got on a moped and we followed him on foot around the corner to the bus.
The bus was a double decker red bus with the company name on the side, no doubt as to it being the genuine bus.
Ways of Getting Your Visa
When travelling by Travel Mart to Cambodia there are 3 ways to get your Cambodian visa.
- The bus company offer to do it all for you for 1400 BAHT + 100 if you don’t have a passport photo ($44.50 + $3).
- Obtain an E-visa online in advance ($36), or
- Obtain a visa in person by yourself at the border ($30), plus a 100 Baht bribe.
Option one is the most expensive but means that aside from a toilet stop before the border, you stay on an air conditioned bus the whole time. If you are in peak season (Dec-Feb) then we are told the queue in the sun can take 2 hours, so for an extra $14.50 this might be worth the price. If you take this option then bring a passport photo to save yourself 100 baht.
Option 2 still requires going through the border yourself and standing in queues, but only for 2 of the 3 official points. The one you skip out is not the busiest, and so for $6 this may not be worth the cost and the advance planning required to do the online application.
The third option means getting off the bus and doing the work yourself, but it is the cheapest. This is what we went for in July (low season), and we are glad we did. Below we’ll explain why it works and how to do it, no need for the nerves we felt.
Lots of prior research led us to the conclusion that anyone is perfectly capable of option 3, they just have to not engage with anyone trying to scam them, there are lots of posts and reviews online where people have been caught short here.
How to get your visa yourself
1 – The bus stops at a small shopping centre a couple of hundred metres before the border. One of the friendly staff will explain that you are stopping for toilets and food before negotiating the border, and not to take too long. The food selection isn’t great with a KFC and a doughnut shop. Before going into the shopping centre one of the other bus staff will inspect passports. Those with eVisas will be let loose into the shopping centre to be walked through. Those without Visas will be told in a friendly and assertive way that you must pay the 1400 baht for the Visa (plus another 100 if you don’t have a photo). If you pay, as most people do, then they will take your passport and after the toilet stop you get back into the bus and cruise on through. It is at this point that we said that we wanted to do it ourselves. We actually said this while some fellow travellers we had befriended we’re reaching for their wallets, and so we were very quickly moved out of the way and told to wait in the shopping centre.
We thought that we had caused an issue and that the bus company may try to screw us. Instead, after enough time to use the facilities, a friendly member of staff told us that all was well, to go through now to get a head start, and he would ensure he found us the other side. He assured us they wouldn’t leave without us.
2 – From the shopping centre, cross the road immediately, back to the left hand pavement, and keep going to a sign that says DEPARTURES. For the entire process stay on the same road, you will need to cross it but don’t turn off from it. Keep walking until you see signs for Foreign Passports up an escalator. Have your passport and departure slip from your Thailand visa you received on arrival ready.
2 – Follow the signs to Cambodia. One sign points right to visa in arrival, this means to cross the road to the right, but don’t try to actually turn right. Our research had shown an iconic border archway that you walk under, but instead there was just a giant metal frame, presumably to rebuild the arch. Whatever the structure is, going straight ahead and under it, you’ll find the Visa On Arrival building on the right. This is the only place to get an official visa, it is obvious you are in the right place as the people are all in official looking uniform.
3 – Inside the building fill out the form to get your 30 day Visa On Arrival, you need to supply a passport photo. You’ll pay $30 USD and it should take about 10 minutes to return your passport with a Cambodian visa attached. They ask for a 100 BAHT bribe per person; research told us you don’t need to pay and they wouldn’t refuse your visa but they could make you wait there for hours. As we had a bus waiting we had pre-decided we would pay this straight up. Ensure you have the exact money.
4 – Exit the office and turn right to continue down the main road. Keep walking about 500 meters or so, past the casinos and various food stalls until you see the ARRIVALS sign for Cambodia straight ahead. The big red bus will probably be parked just before the arrivals building.
5 – Fill out another form! This arrivals card will be given to by someone at a table to your right. This form has all the same information as the one you just filled in to get your visa. Get in line for the normal arrival procedure of taking your photo and scanning your fingerprints. This costs nothing and can take 5 mins up to a couple of hours, depending on others inline. If you do not pick up the small yellow form from a very discreet table on the right hand side and fill it in before you join the queue you will be unable to pass and must go to the back of the queue and complete a form.
6 – You can now get back on the bus :). The bus is a double decker red bus with TravelMart BKK on the side, there is no way you could miss it.
Some Final Points
I was very nervous about not taking the option of Travel Mart doing your visa for you as they say on the ticket they will only wait for you for 20 minutes at the border. We were the only people to do it ourselves so it seemed very daunting! Our nerves settled after one member of staff said they would wait for us, and in the end we actually managed to beat all the people on our bus who had an E-visa in advance, so with our extra 10 minutes we walked a little back up the road into no man’s land and treated ourselves to a celebratory baguette.
A couple of tips:
Walk with purpose! We didn’t have anyone approach us to try to “help” us with our visa. We think that was because we looked like we knew exactly what we were doing (when in reality we didn’t have a clue!)
Only get your visa from someone in uniform from the office. It is very clear when you have got to the office as it’s full of people in uniform, everyone else outside is there to scam you.
We found the process to be easy and hassle free, while using a very comfortable bus. The worst thing had been our nerves from reading other blogs. If you’ve read this then hopefully you can have a smooth and hassle-free trip on to the wonderful town of Siem Reap.
If you’ve found this useful then please consider following Roped Up Travel on Instagram or Facebook, and check out our blog about our experiences in Cambodia, hopefully you’ll find them useful!
Useful Links
Official eVisa website – if you use other sites then they will probably charge you commission.
If you are unsure about the exact link above then go to it through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) site on Cambodian Entry Requirements
12Go Asia – a great travel comparison site for the region
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office latest safety advice for Cambodia
