Has anyone crossed into Cambodia using this crossing recently? I'm planning on going at the end of March and wouldn't mind some up to date knowledge. On a closely related subject, I've had to have 2 Cambodian road maps sent out from the UK as I can't find anything in Chiang Mai, can anyone recommend a locally available one?
Chong Chom border crossing
- Thread starter Khun Mark
- Start date
G"day Mark,
Regarding the map question.
We used the Open Street Map (OSM) map last time in Cambodia.
https://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/38444-FREE-Non-Commercial-GPS-Map-Garmin
Pretty good and free..
If you don't have a GPS.. You can download OSMand+
Same as the GPS version and runs on your phone.
https://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/38640-OsmAnd-Maps-and-Navigation
There is a free version. You are limited to 10 downloads.. Which would probably meet your needs.
You just need to download (cache) the tiles before hand so you don't need a data connection on the road.
Cheers
Brian
Thanks Brian, I'll have to either upgrade my phone or do a hard copy. I did find a map today of Cambodia, (Globetrotter travel map) and was surprised to find that Wat Phu in Laos had floated down the Maekong and on to Khong Island, not bad, considering I was there in December.
Hey Mark,
We just did this a couple days ago. Post about it is here.
Here's the relevant bit:
"We crossed at the Choam Sa-Ngam / Chong Chom checkpoint.
When we arrived, we went straight to the Cambo customs to make sure they'd let us in. The custom official there said he wanted to see our "motorcycle passport." I assume he meant carnet, which we didn't have. I showed him our Thai Greenbooks instead. That seemed to do the trick. He said we could get in.
Back at the Thai side, we went through immigration and filled out and paid for Thai customs forms. (About 300B per bike.) The Thai official there was great: he said the Cambodian guys weren't really allowed to let us in, but it just depended on their mood.
When we finished up with the Thai side, we went back to the Cambodian side. We needed a visa, so the Cambodian immigration guys needed to call a guy, who showed up on a scooter with a briefcase. Initially, he just said there was no way we were getting in with motorcycles. It wasn't allowed. Then we told him the customs guy said we could. He went to talk to him, came back, and said it was okay. When he checked our passports he saw my wife was born in Texas. Apparently he'd lived in Texas for awhile. So, once that fact was established, he was super nice and filled out everything quickly, we shared a couple jokes, and we were on our way.
So, long story short: it's gonna be hit or miss. Just be nice, smile, and be aware you might have to bribe someone a bit."
We didn't pay any bribes to anyone. The visa-on-arrival was 1000B; the same as to official price at the 4,000 islands crossing.
That's encouraging. I really didn't know if it was possible or not. Any chance of an update on the road conditions north of Siem Reap. I'm planning on using the roads which run parallel to the Thai/Cambo border in the direction of Phreah Vihear but I'm aware they will be rough. Are they "passable" or just "forget it"? I rode the Mouang Khoune/Thasi road via Mouang Mok (Laos) last December and found that to be the limit I'd want to safely try.
Hey Mark,
We found the roads north of Siem Reap to be just fine. We road down from Chong Chom to Siem Reap, then on our second time into Cambodia, went in at a different crossing (Osmach) and rode east, on 2648/2625 through the Kulen Prum Tep wildlife sanctuary. Road was totally fine -- smooth, new-ish pavement all the way.
Once we were through the sanctuary, we turned south and went to Phnom Pehn. That's a different ballgame. They've graded the entire highway for hundreds of kilometers -- no pavement anywhere and cars all over the 100m wide "road". Lots of traffic, took us all day and into the night. Riding into Phnom Pehn at night, along a dusty, potted, almost non-existent road filled with traffic was pretty close to what I imagine Dante was doing a few hundred years ago.