Tour Guide

1st time visit to Siem Reap. Shud I arrange for a guide n driver b4 I arrive or shud I do it when I arrive at the airport or at my hotel? Whats the going rate. Any other suggestions for our 3 days stay wud be appreciated.

Tour Guide

This question is one that is regularly asked on this forum. If you type in %26#39;tour guide%26#39; in the search box you should get quite a number of posts to read. There are so many opinions for and against, reading the posts will help you decide. A number of recent posts have also answered the question of costs. Once you have settled on what would be best for you, come back with any other questions you might have.

Tour Guide

We hired a driver from outside our hotel that we used on our first night to go out for dinner. His english was reasonable and it worked out cost effective.

We found that a guide was not really necessary as our driver gave us a good insite into the temples. Cost was about US$15 per day plus we used him for other short trips of an evening.

Pics and stories of our trip here... www.thebobmarsh.com

Happy %26amp; safe travels

Guides and Drivers are different.

Guides, do purely that, guide you around the temples, are start from 25$ depending on what language you need them to speak

Drivers, drive a variety of things, inc motos, tuk tuks, cars, and mini vans. Prices will depend on what you want, negotiating skills and where/when you want to go. moto is the cheapest, around 6-8$, tuk tuks 10-15, cars 20+. Some people will pay more than this, it really depends.

It is very easy to get moto and tuk tuk drivers, they%26#39;re everywhere. Accomodation also organise them - in some cases this means you pay more - and the driver gets less. Some places like 2 dragons guest house dont take a cut

As for other suggestions of what to do, have a search through some of the other threads, there are a number on things to do/itineries quite recently

Hello, we just arrived home after visiting Thailand and Siem Reap Cambodia. The whole city of Siem Reap is dedicated to the tourism and Angkor so it is very easy to find transportation or guide there.

However we booked a guide in advance, becouse our friends been there last year and recommended a guide. We were very satisfied with his services, he has his own car and knows everything about the country and Angkor, speaks english quite well. I can only suggest the contact him and visit his site before: www.smiley-of-angkor.com

We were staying in Tara Angkor Hotel, very nice 4* hotel, at reasonable price on the road from the city to the temples.

To go into the city center is only 2-3 usd depending on your bargaining abilities. :-)

People are very friendly there and it is a very safe place despite poverty.

Prepare at least usd 50 in 1 dollar bills, becouse whereever you will be stopping, dozens of childer will come to you selling handcraft articles, souvenirs and postcards all for 1 usd.

The guiding cost is usd 30/day regardless of the size of your group, the car is 30 usd as well.

A 3 days entry pass is 40 usd, and you have to pay for the visa as well (20 usd) and when you are living the country you pay airport tax on the airport usd 25! The food and dring isnt expensive at all.

sry, just missed my guides websites, it is www.smiles-of-angkor.com

If you want a very good guide (they all cost the same) then book one in advance via email. A LICENSED guide can get you into temples %26amp; around them faster than wandering about by yourself (the temples are huge %26amp; far apart) %26amp; a driver is NOT allowed to enter the temples. Guides wear uniforms %26amp; have badges %26amp; believe me the guards do not let drivers inside.

A guide is $25 for an 8 hour day, if you want day or night temple visits, it%26#39;s more. Our guide was Leng Tek %26amp; he%26#39;s been guiding (certified in English) for 8 years in Siem Reap %26amp; also certified to guide in PP... they study art, history, culture %26amp; give you a better understanding of what you are seeing. More importantly, they know secret entrances, best times to avoid crowds %26amp; sometimes, they know the guards, so you can say after closing time.

If you book the guide, he will book a driver for you. A Toyota w/ AC (free, cool bottled water %26amp; cool towels) is $25 per day, but a guide can get a Tuk-tuk for you, although between the dirt (mud or dust), fumes, elephant %26amp; cow poop on the roads %26amp; how bumpy the roads are, I can%26#39;t imagine wanting to be in a tuk-tuk... They are slow %26amp; uncomfortable %26amp; HOT... fine to go out for dinner, but NOT to see temples in.

Guides are paid in cash for himself %26amp; the driver %26amp; he pays the driver... Our guide Tek also bought the temples passes for us %26amp; generally took care of everything, so we could relax %26amp; enjoy the temples. We went to very remote temples, bird sanctuary, etc., Tek can arrange hot air balloon, treks to remote areas, etc.

LengTek@yahoo.com

I think the notion of trying to go cheaply but not hiring a good guide not only causes you to miss the best aspects of Khmer culture %26amp; history, but IMHO, it%26#39;s important for westerners, especially Americans (the US gave aid to the Khmer Rouge) to give back to the local people... in other words, hire a guide.

Tek is an absolute hoot, really funny, loves western music, knows it all %26amp; how to do it as intensely or as quickly as you want.