By: Ganesh
Well I did the same thing back in 2014 , only thing I did was I dint talk to any of "scammers" there as I did a Bir of research before I landed there. I took a bus from Mochit to Aranyaprathet around 5.00 pm and it was a 4 or so hour hours ride to Aranyaprathet. Took a small room in a note and stayed over for the night with a. nice friendly dinner with the hotel guy who was happy to tell me "The-not-to do's". I got all the required info for the price of a beer and a dinner.
The next day I took a tub-tuk to the border which was about 5 kms away from the main bus stand and walked across to the embassy stamped myself out , ignoring the call fo the touts, walked into the Cambodian embassy border and took a visa within 15-20 mins, I waled out, Headed to poipet bus stand which incidentally is a deserted one outside town . I was told that the next bus was only at three in the afternoon, so I made some friends with an Indian from London and two Russian Girls.
We shared a cab to go to Siam Reap the entire cost of which was about $ 40. (About $10 per person). Not bad for a two hour ride..
By: Weary Traveler
Regarding the Nattakan bus from BKK Morchit through to Siem Reap, as of the end of August 2019, they are running a scam. Thai guys came on our bus at Aranyaprathet, 5km from the border, gave us passes to wear round our necks, visa forms to fill out and a cheap meal. All seemed very friendly and official. Then they told us we had to pay 1700 baht ($55) for our visas and hand the money over with our passports and completed forms. They did NOT tell us we had the choice of applying ourselves (at $30), just hurried the confused, uncertain passengers into coughing up. A slick, professional con job. I was told (very quietly), when objecting, that I could go through myself but I did not get a good feeling from the guy and got off the bus.
A horrible experience, with con artists taking advantage of confused, often tired travellers. Judging from reviews, this is not happening every day, but Nattakan have publicly conceded that it has happened in the past, and I can confirm that it is happening now. I strongly recommend against using this service, as good as it sounds on paper. From my own land-crossing experiences and the comments added to this excellent article, it seems like the flight from BKK to Siem Reap might be the only way to guarantee avoiding a bad experience.
By: Mark
I hate stress. Money is a tool that can take the stress out of a situation. I take the cheap flight from BKK and a taxi to town and it's done.
By: Sylvia
We are a family of 6. We have everything ready to go (hotel in aranyaphratet, e-visa, hotel in Siem Reap) but we don't have our transportation from Poi Pet to Siem Reap. I really want to get a minibus so that we're all together, not 2 taxis. Is that possible? Is it possible to arrange it ahead of time? Thank you!
By: Randi
In reply to <a href="https://www.justapack.com/how-to-avoid-scams-on-thailand-cambodia-border/#comment-33995">Wanderer</a>.
Good point Wanderer. Thanks for sharing your experiences :) Take care and happy travels!
By: Randi
In reply to <a href="https://www.justapack.com/how-to-avoid-scams-on-thailand-cambodia-border/#comment-33996">Sandra</a>.
Hi Sandra, thank you for the comment. I'm really happy the article is helpful to you. I wish I would have had the info before we crossed the border. I hope yours goes more smoothly! :)
By: Sandra
Thank you for this very useful information ahead of our travels - very helpful and much appreciate post. Happy travels :-)
By: Wanderer
Also... if you have US dollars, make sure none of your bills have a single rip or tear on them, or any ink markings or stamps. No one will take them... anywhere. I had a $100 bill that literally had a 2 millimeter corner missing, I could not spend it anywhere. I finally passed it to an unsuspecting hotel clerk. I thought I finally got rid of it, until about 1 hour later they knocked on my hotel room door and gave it back to me and insisted I pay some other way. They threatened to kick me out when I told them I had no other money. So I finally paid them with another bill. I never did get rid of that bill until I made it back to the US, and I tried to spend it everywhere. They have such a big problem with counterfeit money that they won't take it unless it is perfect.
By: Wanderer
I am an American and have been there.... it is all corrupt, but I figured out real quick how to negotiate for everything. Nothing costs what they first tell you. Only one of our group of 5 paid to cross the border into Cambodia. It helped that I had a family member with me that was born and raised in Thailand, and she knew what she could get away with and could communicate with them better than the rest of us. She just bribed the border officials like it was nothing, while the rest of us Americans just acted like we didn't know what was going on.
By: Mark
In reply to <a href="https://www.justapack.com/how-to-avoid-scams-on-thailand-cambodia-border/#comment-33991">Cez of eTramping</a>.
It really isn't difficult (easy for me to say as I have crossed here a few times ) . Follow Martin's advice regarding travel . Ignore the fake consulate on Thai side , walk straight on to Thai immigration , exit Thailand , and on Cambodian side look for visa office - which is on your right and entitled : "The Office Of The International Border Check Point Of Poipet." Walk into it and buy your visa . You may be asked to pay 100 baht more than the official price - which is clearly marked - but I have politely refused without problems . Ignore anyone who offers help - you don't need any . A photo might be costly , so have one with you . ATM's in Poipet if needed , and Thai baht widely accepted there in shops/restaurants etc. If you want a taxi walk away from border for a cheaper price .