Crossing the border: Thailand to Cambodia and vice versa

For travelers in Thailand, often the next destination is the famous temples of Siem Reap including the incredible Angkor Wat. However, the journey from Thailand to Cambodia is fraught with various issues. Either you spend a mini fortune on a flight ticket, or you take one of the buses that necessitate undertaking immigration formalities at both the Thai and Cambodian borders and risk dealing with the numerous touts that crowd the border area.

Alternative: How to take direct bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap

Virak Buntham is a prominent bus company operating within Cambodia and has recently added a direct bus service from Bangkok to Siem Reap and Siem Reap to Bangkok. This is one of the first direct services that will help travelers go visit the historic Angkor Wat and other attractions in Siem Reap from Bangkok or travel to Bangkok from Siem Reap .

The $24 (one way) Direct Bus service represents great value for money; however, there is a cheaper $14 Sleeper Bus for travellers on a budget. The Sleeper Bus service is only for Siem Reap to Bangkok route though.

Given that the border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia is notorious for the visa and immigration scams, the assistance at the border with visas and immigration provided by the bus operator is significant. Many other bus operators along this route also claim to provide similar service inclusive in the normal fare; however, there are numerous instances of travellers being forced to part with additional cash to process visa when they reach the border.

With this Virak Buntham service, everything is included in the initial fare and there are no hidden extras. In addition, all passengers will be provided with free wifi, drinking water, a wet towel, and a snack during the journey. The journey takes between 9-10 hours.

The $14 (one way) cheaper Sleeper Bus service is equally comfortable with the exception that the travelers are obliged to get off the bus at the border for immigration, after which they are transferred to a mini van for remainder of the journey to Bangkok.

While the total time spent for the journey is similar to the Direct Bus service, there is the added logistics of getting off the bus, queuing up for the immigration stamping and then taking the mini van to carry on with the journey. This may be especially inconvenient for travelers with large luggage or those with kids.

However, irrespective of which option you chose, these Direct or Sleeper Bus options offered by Virak Buntham offer inexpensive and comfortable alternatives to taking a flight while traveling from Thailand to Cambodia or vice versa.

The route and timings are summarized below:

To book your tickets, you may head over to the direct booking links as below or you may live chat with our support team on www.camboticket.com.

To book Bangkok to Siem Reap, please click:

https://www.camboticket.com/route/bangkok-to-siem-reap

To book Siem Reap to Bangkok, please click:

https://www.camboticket.com/route/siem-reap-to-bangkok

Some images of the Direct Bus and the mini van for the Sleeper Bus can be found below