Coming from Siem Reap, visiting Koh Chang in Thailand is a popular route to take before heading to Bangkok.

How to get there

Get ready for a long journey. Most people end up taking three forms of transportation to get there. It took us about 14 hours to get to Koh Chang. We booked the ticket from our hostel for $20 USD, including the ferry ride and pick-up.

1) Siem Reap to Poi Pet Border

We took a big bus to get there. It takes around 3-4 hours, including a long lunch break to get to the border. The lunch break was at the Tourist Passenger International Terminal. You can buy bus tickets, exchange money and food there.

After this break, it'll be another half hour to the Poi Pet Border. You'll be given a sticker to show where your next destination is (Pattaya, Bangkok or Koh Chang). There will be workers on the other side of the border to sort you out once you're done.

Once you get dropped off, you'll need to head into the building that says "Departure" where you'll line up to get stamped out of Cambodia. Just note that you'll get fingerprinted here.

After you get stamped out, you'll need to walk over to the Thailand border. It's a 10-15 minute walk to get there. You'll pass a casino along the way. Once you reach the border office, head up the stairs to the foreigner line-up. Depending on how busy it is, it can take quite a long time. It took us around an hour here. Just note that there's free wifi here. Just ask for the password!

Now that you're done, you'll need to head down the stairs where the bus drivers will sort you out based on your stickers. It might take a while before everyone is done, so feel free to grab some food from the stands or head to the ATM just down the street.

2) Poi Pet Border to Trat to Koh Chang

Now that you've been sorted into a mini-bus, the ride from here takes another three hours or so. We had a short 15 minute gas break in-between to pick up snacks and use the washroom.

You'll get dropped off at the Centrepoint Ferry Terminal. Just head down to the dock and make it onto the ferry. There will be seating on the second floor. The ferry leaves about every hour or so and takes 45 minutes.

3) Koh Chang to Lonely Beach

Once you reach Koh Chang, you'll need to take a songthaew to get to your destination. They head to every major beach on the island at a fixed rate. To get to Lonely Beach, it costs 100 baht and takes around 45 minutes.

Ta-da! It's not so bad right?

Happy Travelling!

Seeing Angkor Wat at sunrise is one of the most popular attractions, and it's definitely worth it. I mean, maybe not so much for the view since there's so many people in front of your. But because you can time it so you can beat the crowds at other temples.

After realizing how big the area around Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom was, we decided it would be better to take a tuk tuk around the temples. You can book a tuk tuk for the Small Circuit Tour for around $18 USD for the day, including sunrise. Without sunrise, it's $13 USD. This includes seeing Angkor Wat, Bayon, Takeo, Ta Prhom and Banteay Kdei.

If you want go a second day and see the Grand Circuit Tour, this will cost around $20 USD for the day, including sunrise. Without sunrise, it's $15 USD. This tour includes Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup.

This pricing isn't so bad if you have four people with you. There's an entrance fee of $20 USD/day or 40 USD/3 days. We also heard that if you go past 5 p.m., the entrance fee is free. But you won't have too much time before sun down.

For the adventurous with time, it's worthwhile to rent a bicycle and ride there. Renting a bike costs $1 USD, so it should fit your budget. We heard it takes about an hour and a half to get there. Just keep in mind that it's better to only see a few temples a day, since they're pretty far from each other. Unless you're a biking fanatic, the heat and distance might exhaust you.

Our Experience

When you book the tuk tuk, make sure that the driver knows your route. We left at 5 a.m. and headed over to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise. Knowing how crowded these temples can get, we opted for leaving Angkor Wat after it started getting a little bright and went off to see Ta Prhom, the Tomb Raider Temple.

Just note that most temples open at 7:30 a.m. So, it helps to time it so you don't end up waiting around at the entrance. Getting to Ta Prhom early was a great decision, since it was fairly empty there. We had the chance to take pictures without crowds of people.

From here, we saw Takeo, Banteay Kdei, Bayon and then Angkor Wat again. As the day we went, the crowds started getting bigger and bigger. By noon, it was super packed. We finally templed out and called it a day.