Best safest tuk tuk driver in Siem Reap

I found the best, safest and English speaking tuk tuk driver in Siem Reap. After being here several weeks everyone will tell you if you find a good tuk tuk driver you better keep him because there are very few good ones. It is even harder to find a safe driver as there are no rules followed on the roads here, no one has driving lessons or license, and many accidents now that the roads are being improved. Last year for the first ever car accident victims outnumbered land mine victims.

My driver was very knowledgeable, extremely courteous, speaks English well, and was very careful driving, even exhibited some western driving skills such as frequent mirror and shoulder checks and turn signals and hand signals (must be the ONLY person in Cambodia to do these things!) and was willing to take me all around town, all around the temples and ruins of Angkor, and also willing to take me to the far away sights of interest, at far less cost than a rented car or taxi. He has also studied some history of Angkor temples. He showed me places the locals go to that the tourist does not usually know about and was able to take me to places with very few tourists or none at all, and also avoid the crowd times at the popular temples and sites.

His name is Sopheak (';so-PEE-eck';) and his cell phone number is (855) 012 35 05 16. If you are calling from Siem Reap do not dial the 855. His email is vuthsopheak2005@yahoo.com but he does not always check email daily.

Good luck to all the tourists visiting Siem Reap - a fantastic and beautiful place.

Best safest tuk tuk driver in Siem Reap

I forgot to mention that you should tell Sopheak that ';Sheila'; sent you, and you will get the good price, as some drivers overcharge the tourists, especially if you look like you have money!

Best safest tuk tuk driver in Siem Reap

What do you call the ';good price';?

Meaning, how much is it?

If you are just going around town for a whole day $10 should do,

If you go around town and then out by the ferry terminal and check out the temple and do sunset up there, maybe $14.

If you go Angkor temples all day (8-5) maybe $15

If you go temples all day with sunrise or sunset, (the custom is to pay extra for sunrise or sunset) maybe $20-25 depending on how long - we had one 12 hour day and paid $25.

If you go to the far far away places like Beng Melea and Roulous Group and spend all day (8-12 hours) expect to pay up to $45.

We also bought our driver and our guide lunch on all days, although they tried to refuse. Some days the driver asked us to pay him whatever we felt was reasonable and we did not abuse that. We also paid him good tips to be responsible tourists. Many (most) people in Cambodia are extremely poor and take on much responsibility of providing for (food, housing, medical) large families so keep in mind that the idea is not to bargain for the lowest price, but for a price that is fair for both parties. 8 or 10 hours work deserves a fair pay, especially when you take into account the the usual custom here is for everyone to take a nap during the hottest hours surrounding lunchtime but the drivers of course do not get to. Tuk tuk drivers really only have income during the dry season when the tourists come, so what they earn now must last them throught the year.

Hiring someone for a job is a great way to help poor families achieve an income, without humiliating them with charity, something that can be very embarrassing to Cambodians who are a proud and very kind people.

Good luck,

Sheila

One needs to be very carefull about choice of drivers est moto and tuk tuks. I personally would only take a tuk tuk on short journeys and would never recommend more than 2 persons in them.

Keep an eye on their lights after dark. it seems half the tuk tuks dont have them working. If they haven%26#39;t got lights tell them and refuse to ride with them after dark if they havent.

It s the only way to get action on this,

I just came back from Siam Reap and would like to recomend an excellent driver I had.

His name is Sam and we used his services for 4 days. His english is quite good, he even carries a dictionary! He also speaks French. He drives very safely and is a great guide thru Angkor and all surrounding areas. We especially loved the real Khmer restaurant that he took us to. No one there spoke english, so we wood have very hard time to order anything without Sam. We had a great feast for a fraction of the prices in town. Sam Knew where to go best at what time of day, but also allways considered what we would like to see the most. You can just let him plan your day at breakfast and relax as he will give you an excellent service, explain about temples, stop at good spots to eat along the way.

He works hard, is courteous, does not take advantage of you not knowing your way around. Make sure to tip him well at the end of your trip because he really deserves it. He also has great plans of starting an organisation to help Cambodian orfans. Inteligent and plesent.

Say Greg sent you.

Here%26#39;s his Info:

Sam Savat

(+855) 92 730 399

(+855) 99 630 062

samsavat99@yahoo.com

Yes, there is no question Sopheak always uses his headlight in the dark.

I also should say that he did all our translating when necessary at temples, restaurants, boat rides, ticket counters, etc.

Sopheak also negotiated the best prices for us for boat rides to floating villages and the occasional moto ride, all at a fraction of what the tourist price is.

And he kept the beggars at bay; knowing when we had had enough he would gently send them on their way with a single local word.

Hi Shiela,

Managed to get hold of Sopheak based on your recommendation and he replied pretty quickly too. He quoted me USD95 for a 6d/5n transportation to cover the temples (incl B Malea), Tonle Sap and around town. Is that price considered reasonable?

Thanks.

Dear mlimsf,

Yes, $95 for 6 days/5 nights is a really, really good price! Take it!

Most drivers charged about $20-$25 for a full day, being 8 hours, usually start around 8 am, 1 hour lunch break, and then most drivers really want to drop customers off by 5 pm since they want to go home to family.

However, my driver Sopheak was very generous with his time, never insisting or even suggesting such a limited schedule, and doing both sunrise and sunset for me on many days at no extra charge. One day was even 12 hours and he did not complain. In return I was generous with my tip, and it doesn%26#39;t take much in Cambodia to be a generous tipper!).

Have fun!

Sheila

Sopheak speaks English very well and reads it too, but doesn%26#39;t write it as well as he can speak it. So have patience if you are emailing.

S

hey.

i have also made arrangements with Sopheak after the reviews from Sheila (thanks Sheila!)

i%26#39;m leaving to Siem Reap next friday alone! :) for the first time and because its what i might call a backpacking trip..budget wise i had to be abit more conscious. thus, changed from having a tour guide (who is more like a driver cos he cant enter the angkor temples) to a tuk tuk driver. guess it still serves the same purpose of bringing me from one temple to another.

Sopheak is charging me $18 for a one day Angkor trip starting at 5am. :) hope it all goes well!