Siem Reap to Banteay Chhmar in a day?

Hi there fellow travelers,

I have about eleven days in Cambodia all told and am interested in doing a homestay at Banteay Chhmar if I can. I fly into and out of Phnom Penh, so have two transport-related questions for you:

1. How long does it take to get from Siem Reap to Banteay Chhmar -- doable in one day?
2. How long does it take to get from Banteay Chhmar to Phnom Penh, how do you do that?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

Lissa

don't think there's any public transportation to banteay chmar as yet. if you
go to the homestay website, they give directions on how to arrange transport.

basically, take a bus/taxi to sisophon. from there you can rent a scooter for a
couple days. (or get another taxi).

when i was there, taxis dinna hang out in banteay chmar. you'll find a couple
motorcycle taxi dudes hanging out in the center of the village.

Thanks for such a quick response! If I factored in a day and a half to get myself to Phnom (Banteay to Sisophon to Siem, then bus to Phnom), would that be enough time?

And on the scooter note -- is that relatively safe/do I need a special license for it? Sounds like a blast.

i went there by bicycle about two years ago. at the time the road from sisophon to
banteay chmar was being paved. it wasn't that bad, met one girl riding a rental
scooter.....her first time riding. should be paved by now. it's only about 60 km,
so plan on about 2 hours.

i would guess a day to PP. i'm sure there are regular buses running from the border to
sisophon to siem reap to PP. you might also find a bus going the southern route thru
battambang, which may be faster, as i've read the northern route has heap big
construction outside of PP.

hopefully someone with more recent experience can give you more details.

I was there a couple of years ago, I have feeling some parts of the road are still being paved between Sisophon and BC. there are regular shared taxis from Sisophon to BC, however coming back there are less. To get to PP I'd suggest going by Battambang (a route I took only a couple of months ago, from there you can easily pick up a bus t PP. the guy who does a lot of work in BC post on here occasionally and hopefully will be along soon with a more recent answer.

Hi,

I live in Banteay Chhmar and help with the CBT/homestay project, a little.
Everyone has basically given you the correct information.
It's about 3 hours+ from Siem Reap to Banteay Chhmar now, depending on time waiting for taxis/buses.
You take a bus/taxi from Siem Reap to Sisophon. Ask your guesthouse for help. $5 for a share taxi.

From Sisophon, most people then take a taxi from the Phasa Thmei (New Market) to Banteay Chhmar. Share taxi is $5 per seat / private taxi is $25.
I think moto rentals are possible from the Golden Crown Guesthouse (possibly the Botoum or Pyramid, too, which are nicer guesthouses) in Sisophon. It just might take you a little extra time and effort to go to one of these places and rent one. I'm not sure about the price; maybe $10/day.

80% of the road from Sisophon to Banteay Chhmar is paved and/or graded and is perfectly fine if you are comfortable driving a moto. Rain/wet slippery roads might be a problem depending upon when you visit. There's not much traffic after you leave Sisophon.

Banteay Chhmar to Phnom Penh will take you all day and you can get a bus (9:30 am, I think is the first bus - need to check on that) in Sisophon.

Hope this helps
Andrew

• You can also visit the Banteay Chhmar website for more info; and I think I recognize your name from a contact through the I LIke Local website.

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