Phnom Penh to Siem Reap: Private Car, Spider Market & Stops

4.99

(128 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We rolled out of Phnom Penh just after sunrise—still a little groggy, coffee in hand, the city already humming outside the window. Our driver, Sokha, grinned in the rearview mirror and asked if we wanted music or just the road’s soundtrack. I liked hearing the motorbikes whir past and those early morning food stalls sizzling along the curb. The air was thick but not hot yet—just that sticky promise of Cambodian summer.

About two hours in, Sokha suggested a bathroom break at the spider market. I’d read about it but seeing those trays piled with fried tarantulas is something else. The smell was part sweet oil, part earth—hard to describe. Li (my friend) dared me to try one; I chickened out after a leg. The women selling them laughed at my face—I guess they’ve seen plenty of tourists hesitate here. There were other snacks too—crunchy crickets, some odd-looking fruit I still can’t name.

The drive itself is long but never boring. We passed villages where kids waved at us from red-dust roads and water buffalo wandered right up to the edge of traffic like they owned it (maybe they do). Somewhere near Kampong Kdei, Sokha pointed out an old laterite bridge—he called it Spean Praptos—and we stopped for a quick look. It’s older than Angkor Wat and you can actually walk across it; stones warm under your feet, little lizards darting between cracks. Funny how something so ancient just sits there by the highway.

I didn’t expect to feel so relaxed on what’s basically a transfer from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, but honestly? Having someone local drive meant we could just watch Cambodia slide by—rice fields flashing green in the sun, clouds piling up over palm trees. Cold towels felt like magic when we got back into the car each time. I still think about that quiet stretch before Siem Reap when everything got golden and slow.