The boat trip from Battambang to Siem Reap is one of the most scenic you’ll ever make.
Take a slow boat, not the ‘fast boat’, as the latter is very unpopular with the locals earning a living along the river.
And count on about 8-10 hours for the trip. Don’t complain, take it easy, this is relaxing Cambodia!
The Sangkaer River runs from the mountains southwest of Battambang into the Tonle Sap lake. It makes more sense making the boat trip from Battambang to Siem Reap, rather than the other way around.
Over the centuries Battambang switched hands between Thailand and Cambodia, and was under Thai control as late as the 1940s. The people of Battambang did resist the initial coup d’état of the Khmer Rouge but succumbed under heavy fighting, and the area became a Khmer Rouge stronghold.
Battambang is a pleasant enough small town, but the biggest attractions are in the countryside surrounding Battambang. Not only is the scenery beautiful with rice paddies and traditonal villages, there are lots of things to see and do. Here we present some ideas of what to do around Battambang.