How to Get from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham – The ULTIMATE 2025 Guide
Siem Reap is all grand stone faces, buzzing night markets, and tuk‑tuk horns. When you’re ready for gentler Mekong currents—and a quieter temple story—Kampong Cham lies just 256 km southeast. Four relaxed hours on National Highways 6 and 7 will swap Angkor’s jungle‑wrapped towers for river islands, bamboo bridges and sunrise yoga in our lotus‑roofed hall.
Need‑to‑know at a glance
Distance: about 256 km via NH6 → NH7
Fastest time: ~4 h in a private taxi; ~4 h 30 m in a VIP van
Typical cost: US $9–14 by van / bus; US $100–120 by private car
Main drop‑off: Smile Restaurant, Riverside Rd, Kampong Cham (easy rendezvous for Hanchey Bamboo Resort pick‑ups)
Choosing your ride
VIP minivans
Virak Buntham, Larryta Express and Saly VIP run comfy 15‑seat vans with seatbelts, USB ports and a midway break at Skun spider market (great cashews, optional tarantula). Morning departures at 07:30–09:00, afternoon runs around 14:00–15:30. Fare hovers at US $9–12; book a day ahead on 12Go or at their Psar Samaki offices.
Sleeper “hotel” bus
Prefer to snooze through the trip? Virak Buntham’s 23:00 double‑decker leaves Siem Reap with curtained bunks and arrives Kampong Cham before dawn. Handy if you want to catch first‑light chants drifting up from the Mekong without losing a day.
Full‑size coaches
Giant Ibis and Mekong Express route Siem Reap → Phnom Penh; ask the ticket seller (and driver) to let you off in Kampong Cham. Expect 5 h total, US $12 a seat, onboard loo and AC strong enough for a cardigan.
Private taxi
Groups or gear‑heavy travellers often split a Lexus SUV (around US $110). The driver will happily pause at Spean Praptos, the longest surviving Angkorian bridge, for a roadside history lesson.
Arrival & first steps
All SR‑bound services converge near Smile Restaurant - a café training local youth in hospitality run by BSDA. Order an iced Cambodian coffee, then look for Mr. Buth, our tuk‑tuk driver with the ever‑present sampeah smile. The 30-45 minute ride to our resort will take you along the Mekong past rice fields and traditional houses on stilts in the local villages. You’ll know you’re nearly there when you cross the Hanchey Bridge.
If you’re travelling in Green Season (May–Oct), expect dramatic cloudscapes and carpets of emerald paddies en route—perfect backdrop for the low‑impact traveller’s photo journal.
Why linger in Kampong Cham?
Temples with breathing room
If Angkor Wat’s sunrise crowds felt intense, trade them for the pre‑Angkor calm of Wat Hanchey. Two hundred and ninety‑one steps carry you to an 8th‑century brick shrine; dawn paints the Mekong silver, and novice monks giggle their way through English practice.
Downriver, Wat Nokor hides a working pagoda inside a laterite shell—think Russian‑doll architecture. It’s an easy 10‑minute ride from Smile.
Bamboo Bridge & island cycling
Each dry season, villagers weave a kilometre‑long bamboo bridge to Koh Pen island. Hire a bike, coast past stilt houses and stop for sugar‑palm juice under rustling leaves.
Community‑powered experiences
Back at Hanchey we channel stay‑with‑purpose energy: solar‑lit pathways, plastic‑free refill stations, yoga sessions in the Lotus Hall, and sunset meditation facing endless water. Every stay funds BSDA’s youth training—aw‑kun chʼran for helping build brighter futures.
Onward journeys
Once you’ve recharged, Kampong Cham is a natural hub:
Kratie – 3 h north for Irrawaddy dolphin spotting.
Mondulkiri – 5 h east to red‑earth waterfalls and elephant forests.
Phnom Penh – a breezy 3 h 30 m south‑west for royal palaces and riverfront cafés.
And yes, buses to each depart within strolling distance of Smile Restaurant.
One last sip of Mekong calm
Siem Reap may wow with world‑heritage grandeur, but Kampong Cham invites you to slow, breathe and swap tuk‑tuk beeps for frog‑song. Whether you stay a night or slip into a hammock for longer, the Mekong’s sunrise palette is waiting. Come recharge by the river—Sokha has the tuk‑tuk ready.