One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP
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September 2026
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Adults
Age 13 and over
Children
Age 12 and under
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Same price on Viator, Outty earns a commission.
Traveler rating
3.2/5
Based on 30 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Quick answer
Is One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP worth booking?
One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP is a 9-hour experience in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from $198 per person. It scores 42 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Worth a Look”, based on a 3.2/5 rating across 30 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.
- Outty Ranking
- 42 / 100
- Rating
- 3.2/5 (30)
- Duration
- 9 hours
- From
- $198 per person
Few people will ever get the chance to explore and discover the magical Mekong and Tonle Sap River , we have designed a unique way to travel between the 2 major cities, in comfort and style whilst relaxing on a riverboat
What you get
About this experience
Few people will ever get the chance to explore and discover the magical Mekong and Tonle Sap River , we have designed a unique way to travel between the 2 major cities, in comfort and style whilst relaxing on a riverboat gently cruising along the 2 most famous rivers in Cambodia, even with the water flow changes and the water depths changes our tour can operate all year round. We have 3 specially designed cruisers , the Mekong Tara Prince (once owned by the Prince of Cambodia) the Mekong Explorer, or our Tonle Sap discovery to cruise up the beautiful Tonle Sap River to Prek Kdam or the Mekong river to Roka Kaong (depending on weather conditions). Once there you will be transferred to a private, air-conditioned minivan to travel around the Lake to Siem Reap. This way you get to see the awesome river and rural life on the river together with rural life on land.We are the only ones doing this trip,but for the intrepid traveler it is the best way to explore Cambodia.
What's included
Included
- All fees and taxes
- Lunch
- Local professional guide
- welcome drink
- Fresh seasonal fruits
- Free hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Not included
- Additional alcoholic drinks, available to purchase
- Gratuities
What you'll see and do
Tonle Sap Lake
cruise down Mekong River or Tonle Sap river with lunch served on board
300 minutes here · Admission included
Where it starts and ends
Hotel pickup
Pickup is included for all travelers. Pickup begins about 10 minutes before departure.
Before you book
- Cancellation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Languages
- en
- Ticket
- Mobile Only
- Runs on
- Every day
- Group size
- Up to 15 travelers per booking
- Operated by
- Tara River Boat Company
Know before you go
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum of 4 adults required per trip
- You must be able to walk on unpaved or uneven terrain
- This activity is not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Photos
What travelers are saying
Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 30 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.
The guide
9 mentionsTravelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works.
Food and drink
9 mentionsThe tastings and food stops are a highlight for most reviewers.
Knowledge and storytelling
4 mentionsReviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.
Photo opportunities
2 mentionsThe views and photo stops come up again and again.
Organization
2 mentionsPickup, timing, and logistics are described as running smoothly.
Small groups
2 mentionsThe group size is repeatedly described as intimate rather than packed.
Traveler reviews
30 verified traveler reviews for One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
An alternate way to travel from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (or vice versa)
We didn’t really want to fly between the two cities and the bus would have been a decent alternative. But the idea of a cruise down the Mekong was attractive. They have actually stopped the Mekong cruise (that’s what our “guide” told us) and now only offer the Tonle Sap river alternative (maybe they should update their marketing). The 1st part, from Siem Reap to the Prek Kdam area is a long 5 hour 300km drive. Our driver, very nice and obliging, almost fell asleep a few times. We ended up buying him a coffee. But I can understand and have compassion for him. Driving for 5hrs on a boring road…. Upon arrival at the river, a quick tour of a silver smith is on offer (not too much pressure to buy their wares). The “cruise” part starts - 4hrs meandering down the river (the speed is slow I suppose to prolong the experience). So you get some 25kms of time on board one of their three boats (depending on how many people are on the trip). Lunch is prepared and served by the onboard “guide” , Samieth in our case (a very nice and helpful person with whom we had a good conversation about all sorts of issues). Lunch is simple but tasty. Upon arrival in Phnom Penh a tuk tuk is provided for the transfer to your hotel. Again a very nice driver (who tries his best to coax you to use his services as a guide for your stay in the capital) What you read in the various reviews gives a good overview of this proposition. But every individual will have a different opinion. A nice alternative to aeroplane or bus, but quite honestly a bit expensive (I’d be happy paying maybe 25% less to feel that I’m getting my money’s worth). Yes, maybe as one reviewer mentioned, a $10 dollar bus ride and a Mekong day cruise in Phnom Penh could be a cheaper alternative. On a final note, thanks to Peter (the owner) for his responsiveness to queries prior to the trip, and bravo to the driver, the boat captain and to Samieth - good team!
Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and balanced review. We really appreciate it. You’re absolutely right to point out the route change. Seasonal conditions and river levels mean that at present we operate via the Tonlé Sap rather than the full Mekong route, and your feedback is a fair reminder that our marketing needs to stay crystal clear and up to date. The road transfer to Prek Kdam is indeed the longest part of the journey, and I’m grateful for your understanding and compassion toward our driver — and for looking out for him with that coffee. I’ll also take your comments on board regarding fatigue and pacing. I’m very pleased to hear you enjoyed the river section, the onboard experience, and especially the time spent with Samieth. He, along with our captains and drivers, really do take pride in what they do, and your kind words mean a lot to them. Pricing and value are always subjective, and I appreciate your honest take. Your comparison with other travel options is fair, and feedback like this helps us continually reassess what we offer and how we present it. Thank you again for choosing this alternative to flying or the bus, and for your generous closing remarks. It was a pleasure corresponding with you before the trip, and I hope we may welcome you back again one day — perhaps under different river conditions. Warm regards, Peter Owner
via Tripadvisor
Not worth it
Tara Boat adequately transported us from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh but this was in no way a luxury tour. The "western toilet" had no toilet paper and no place to dispose of toilet paper that thankfully I carried with me. The light was broken so just a dimly lit little closet - also no place to wash your hands. Yuck! Good thing i also carry hand sanitizer. There was a guide on the long, boring bus ride but no guide - as advertised - on the boat ride, when you'd actually appreciate some insite to what you're seeing. The only stops were during the bus ride - nowhere interesting - and no village visit on the boat, as advertised. Not only did we not receive a welcome drink on the boat, we weren't even welcomed. No introductions, no safety briefing, no one even bothered to point out where the toilets were - we found them on our own. They did serve a decent lunch but it was limited. We asked for additional mango (one cut up for 5 people) and were told there wasn't any more. One of the staff finally put his phone down to see if we wanted any thing and became personable when Phnom Penh was in sight. Blatantly angling for a tip after ignoring us for close to 4 hours. There are faster, and cheaper ways to get from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh.
Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We are genuinely sorry to hear that your journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh did not meet your expectations. First and foremost, we apologise for the condition of the toilet facilities and the lack of basic amenities you described. This is not the standard we aim to provide, and your comments have been passed directly to our operations team for immediate review and improvement. We are also sorry that the onboard experience felt impersonal and that key elements you were expecting — such as a welcome, safety briefing, guiding commentary on the river, and village visits — were missing or unclear. These aspects are important to the experience, and we regret that they were not delivered in a way that reflected what was advertised. Regarding the transport and itinerary, our Siem Reap–Phnom Penh journey is a combined land-and-river route due to seasonal and navigational conditions, and while this is explained prior to booking, we understand that the bus portion felt long and unengaging for you. We take your feedback seriously and will continue working to make this section more comfortable and informative. We are pleased to hear that you found the lunch enjoyable, though we regret that we could not better accommodate your request. We are equally disappointed to hear that the service felt inattentive for much of the cruise, as warm, genuine hospitality is something we value greatly. Thank you again for your honest feedback. While this experience clearly fell short for you, it helps us identify where we must do better, and we truly appreciate you bringing these matters to our attention. We wish you safe and enjoyable travels ahead. Tara Boat Team
via Tripadvisor
Wouldn't recommend
Pleasant enough trip, overpriced, no visit to floating village or temple. Unaware that the shop beside where we joined the boat was apparently the silversmith promised in the itinerary. Little to no interaction from staff on the boat until the last 10 minutes, certainly no greeting or welcome drink. Staff spent most of the trip asleep. Food was ok but basic. Wouldn't recommend.
Response from the operator: Thank you for your review of our Phnom Penh to Siem Reap cruise and land tour, we are sorry you had this experience, i hope you can reach out to me at taraboats@gmail.com as to find out the date you went as we can further investigate , the floating villages are folks homes so we do not visit as such but cruise pass, i hope one day we can offer you a tour of a larger floating villages near Siem Reap where we have our Tara Boat cruisers out to there, we thank you for your participation on our tours and all profits go towards our free school we support on the floating villages nearer Siem Reap thanks again Miss Sreymom
via Tripadvisor
Read many reviews before booking, including this
This tour seems to be hit or miss based on reviews. I owe it to my fellow traveler to add mine. To his credit, Peter (the owner, I assume) was very responsive through the booking process, prior to the tour, and even after; but ultimately the marketing of this tour was deceptive. We felt bamboozled. Similar to another reviewer, I wish I would have delved a little deeper during my research of reviews The 4 1/2 hour driving portion was uninformative, and for us, a bit sketchy as the driver seemed sleepy and erratic. He spoke only Khmer so we were unable to communicate our concerns with him. Peter’s associate spoke to him via a phone call, at least, for whatever that was worth. We stopped at a tourist rest area but declined stopping at two other stops because we weren’t able to decipher why we were stopping. And the “master silversmith” stop was essentially meaningless because there was little to no explanation, it seemed like a place to buy mass produced silver and metal products for all we could tell. The boat tour was a little bit better. The guide was friendly and answered our questions, but took very little initiative in offering information. Our stop at a Buddhist temple was interesting and the guide information good, but we certainly did not have any “experience” with a floating village, it was more of a chug down the river looking from afar. Also, the river scenery for the most part is uninteresting. I was expecting something a bit more intriguing and personal. One positive, the temperature on the river was pleasant! Given the description of this tour seemed a bit disingenuous, I am dubious of the claims Tara makes about their social and community commitments. They tout their eco awareness , but we tromped over a pile of trash at landing site for the temple, a place where the tour stops every time! Really?! The aggravating thing is that this tour is QUITE expensive, comparatively speaking. In an attempt to reconcile the cost with myself, I am REALLY hoping that the company’s claim to paying living wages is true. Our guide did speak very highly of Peter. I can’t speak for any of Tara’s other tours, but my advice is to take the bus between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh for $10 and do a river tour in Phnom Penh for a fraction of the price.
Response from the operator: We are sorry you had just a driver and not our normal guide for the land part of the tour, but as we did not receive your hotels information, which is of course needed for the pick up purposes, our team had no way of knowing if you were indeed still going on the tour? we did send off an email regarding this the day before and waited for a reply, however we never received this reply, i have discussed this incident with the team and they did try to accommodate you the best they could at no notice (as the only notice they had was when you were waiting at your hotel for the pick up) and emailed this information ,but this tour involves a lot of planning, and this is where it fell apart, So without your confirmation of your hotel prior to the tour, we understood you were not needing our services, Yes the tara boat does pay a living wage to all there staff even during covid times all the staff were still employed in other areas at full time rates, we are a family more than just employees, that is why most of us have stayed a long time, some people from the very start , 25 years from the start of the boat tours by Peter, we really appreciate your review as it will help us all improve our service, also your participation in our tour will directly benefits the children of the floating villages on the lake as all our profits 100% go towards the villages education, we run FREE schools in the floating villages and have done so since the start of our tours going back 25 years, one of our students from the early years has just completed his Masters in education and is one of our teachers in the same village he was born in (Kompong Phluk), we believe education is the key to the future, and continue down this path, if you ever come back to Cambodia we hope we can show you more of the villages and the great work being done out there. sincerely Miss Sreymom
via Tripadvisor
Wonderful trip on river Tonle Sap
The service was perfect starting from being picked up from our hotel in Phnom Penh and delivered to our hotel in Siem Reap. In between we had a wonderful journey up river on a boat during which we were served an excellent lunch prepared in front of us. Sa Meth looked after us very well and with good English was a mine of information. This include a guided tour of a village that specialised in silver and copper artworks. We bought a lovely copper elephant for our daughter. He then handed us over to a driver of a most comfortable limosine for the rest of the journey.
Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your lovely review of our Phnom Penh to Siem Reap cruise and land tour (one way), our cruise guide is a wonderful young family man who has been with the tara family for over 10 years now and he is a wealth of information and we are so proud of him, i will certainly pass on your comments to all our staff concerned, i know this will give them a real lift and we all wish you a happy Khmer new year and safe and happy travels always Miss Sreymom
via Tripadvisor
Good to know
- Duration
- 9 hours
- Free cancellation
- Up to 24h before
- Minimum age to book
- All ages
- Availability
- Bookable today
- Runs on
- Every day
- Price range
- $198 to $398
- Hotel pickup
- Included for all travelers
- Booked in 30 days
- 11
- Verdict
- Worth a Look
Why this scores 42
The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.
One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP: questions travelers ask
Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for Phnom Penh.
How much does One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP cost?
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Prices start at $198 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in Phnom Penh usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.
How long does One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP take?
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Plan for about 9 hours from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in Phnom Penh is not rushed.
Is One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP worth it?
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It holds an Outty Ranking of 42 out of 100, which we label "Worth a Look". That score blends traveler sentiment (3.2/5 across 30 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable last minute in Phnom Penh, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.
Can I cancel or reschedule One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP?
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Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.
Is One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP suitable for kids and families?
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Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 9-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.
How far in advance should I book One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP?
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Around 11 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in Phnom Penh can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.
What should I bring or wear?
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Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in Phnom Penh and add a light layer if any part of the 9-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.
Where does One-Way River cruise/road tour from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or Siem Reap to PP start and how do I get there?
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The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central Phnom Penh within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.
What are the best things to do in Phnom Penh?
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On Outty we rank every Phnom Penh experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include Half Day Tuol Sleng S21 and Choeung Ek Killing Field Tour, The Killing Field and Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) Tour, Killing field and Toul Sleng genocide museum Tour. The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.
When is the best time to visit Phnom Penh?
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Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.
How many days do you need in Phnom Penh?
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Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.
Do I book through Outty or through the operator?
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Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.
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