Siem Reap, Cambodia advice needed

Greetings,

This is first post on tripadvisor, I usually use lonely planet-thorn tree and have been recommended...

I plan a 4-day tour of Angkor in February, and I will appreciate a recommendation for a reliable, good-English speaking and knowledgeable guide there. And one day - off the beaten track.

(Thanks in advance...hopefully)

Richard

Siem Reap, Cambodia advice needed

My warmest recommendation is Kim San, who also got recommended to me by several members of this forum. Kim San is a qualified Angkor guide. He is an extremely nice, funny and helpful man who made my week in Angkor and the two excursions to other more remote temples not only very special, but absolutely unforgettable. Trust me, if you are looking for a guide in Angkor, you cannot do better than him! He took care of us. Please feel free to visit http://www.angkor-guides.com/ email: sourtkimsan@yahoo.com

Siem Reap, Cambodia advice needed

Recommend Ponheary Ly or her brother Dara Ly. These two have been licensed tour guides in Siem Reap since the country first opened to tourists. They also run a charity that helps the rural poor go to school (www.theplf.org)

You can read many reports on both of them on Fodors.

You can contact them at Lyponheary@yahoo.com

Enjoy your time in Cambodia!

For your one day off the beaten track, I%26#39;d recommend a trip to the silk farm of Artisans d%26#39;Angkor. Also, a stop at the mine museum is an intriguing switch from temple touring. Other posters seemed to enjoy the boat trip on Tonlie Sap, but we found it to be a tourist trap, and overpriced.

Hi. Is it enough time to visit Beng Melea, Koh Ker and Rolous group for a whole day trip? If, what time will we start? Please help!!!

Dear Richard,

You can do Beng Mealea and Roulous Group easily in one day (I just did last week), but adding Koh Ker which is another 40 kms or so beyond Beng Mealea might be a bit too much - Maybe if you left at 6 am, but you may have information overlead trying to do all on one day. You will definitley have to do it by car and not tuk tuk. Many people do Koh Ker as an overnight so they can see all the temples there.

As for one day off the beaten path, a lot depends on how you define ';off the beaten path';. I also went to that silk farm and personally could not possibly describe that as off the beaten path, no offense intended to the writer of that suggestion. The silk farm was definitely worth while and fascinating and a benefit to your short 4 day stay is that it is virtually in Siem Reap town.

A great place further away from most tourists might be a trip to Komplong Khleang, which is a floating and stilted village further away from the crowds. Do not confuse it with other fishing villages with similar sounding names. I only saw 1 other tourist there the day I went last week. Rather than going to the usual ferry terminal, I insisted my driver take my car from Siem Reap south to Dom Dek and then turn west. This week with the water level where it is it is possible to drive all the way to the beginning of the village and then take a boat through the rest. You can also go there by moto. You can combine this fishing village with Beng Melea and Roulous group for a single day tour.

Or, for your off the beaten path day you might try a drive through the country to Kbal Spean (the River of a Thousand Lingas) which does have a few tourists, but absolutely not crowds. It has amazing carved stone in the river and a nice jungle/forest walk. There is a little wildlife zoo at the beginning of the path as well, although I did not go in. You can combine this with a visit to the pink temple made by women and called ..uh oh, mind went blank for the name,... but you can ask anyone and they will tell you the name of the fabulous intricately carved temple made by women and made of pink stones (actually they looked red to me, and were stones of laterite). It is in the general area possible to combine it with a visit to Kbal Spean.

Do not wander off into the bush at Kbal Spean or Beng Melea as there may be mines still.

Good luck,

Sheila

Many thanks, Sheila

Banteay Srei is the name of the fabulous and intricately carved temple made of pink/red stone by women. Proximity to Kbal Spean (River of a Thousnad Lingas) visit.

If we go to Kbal Spean - It takes 1 hour to walk to the waterfall, doesn%26#39;t it?

Hi Richardwillson24 - You have to walk to the waterfall and it takes 45 minutes.