There is a very unique way to travel from Siem Reap to Battambang in Cambodia: on a slow-boat. During the wet season a lot of the landscape floods and you’ll be able to travel by boat. The journey takes about eight hours and you will see so much nature and little villages you wouldn’t get to see otherwise.
The journey starts early in the morning when you get picked up at your accomendation. You then get driven out of town for about half an hour to a little pier where the boat awaits. It’s a small boat, we were about six passengers. There’s space for about ten people. The ship does not only transport people, the driver kept making quick stops along the way to deliver goods to people. One woman even handed out snacks for everyone on the boat. The driver also had a bag of fruits with him, that he handed out to all of the passengers.
I would highly reccommend to bring your own food. We stopped for lunch at a small supermarket, which also served a hot meal. You could use the toilet and after about half an hour we kept driving. This is your only chance to use a toilet and buy some food. So come prepared and buy some grocerys the day before.
The trip was mindblowingly beautiful. Right at the start we saw a monkey swinging in a tree and there were also a lot of birds sitting on branches that looked out of the water. All the houses along the way were very unique, they are build on stilts and painted colorfully. This was one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever made, so I highly urge you to take the boat to Battambang.
What you need to know
Even tho this journey takes longer and is more expensive than the bus I highly recomment you go on this trip. But make sure that it’s during or at the end of the wet season. I did it in october. The water will be high enough to drive without any problems. During the dry season the journey takes longer and you might need to get out and push the boat.
I booked the trip over a travel agency in Siem Reap a couple of days prior. But don’t worry, you can also book it directly online. It costs around 20 Dollars (October 2022).
What you need to bring
Earplugs
You will spend a couple of hours on a small boat with a loud motor. If you’re sensitive to noise, keep some noise cancelling headphones or earplugs at hand.
Food and Drinks
As mentioned above the boat only stops once for you to buy some lunch and there isn’t really a choice since there’s only one dish. If you want to buy your lunch there, bring some cash, otherwise make sure you have enough food and drinks with you.
Jacket
The boat has a roof but the sun still reaches you from the sides. So make sure you bring something to cover yourself up. It’s best to just wear long pants, a shirt and bring a jacket and a hat. The wind can get quite cool over the water so have a windproof jacket or a sweater ready.
Optional: Medicine
Don’t worry if you get seasick. I get seasick easily and had no problems for the whole duration of the trip.
