If you’re skeptical about getting from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by bus, allow me to assure you that it’s an excellent way to travel in Cambodia! The road from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is sealed now, which means a smooth rode with views of the Cambodian countryside, and the trip takes between 5 and 6 hours. Giant Ibis, with its onboard powerpoints and WiFi, offers one of the best full-size bus experiences in 2020. In this post, I’ll cover Giant Ibis day buses and night buses between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, both of which I have taken many times.

Giant Ibis table of contents

Giant Ibis Phnom Penh – Siem Reap buses

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap: 8:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 11 p.m. night bus 11:30 p.m. night bus Siem Reap to Phnom Penh: 8:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 11 p.m. night bus 11:30 p.m. night bus

Giant Ibis Transport

Giant Ibis Transport began operations in 2012 and offers a variety of services that will appeal particularly to visitors. Their fleet of buses is new, the seats recline, they offer free WiFi, power outlets, a bottle of water and a pastry and their staff speak English. They are also the only full-size bus company in Cambodia to offer seat belts. Best of all, they offer online booking and seat reservation, thus eliminating the 30-odd minutes one would usually have to spend at a Cambodian travel agent’s while they call the bus company and laboriously write out a ticket.

This isn’t the only thing that sets Giant Ibis apart from the other bus companies in Cambodia. One of my favorite things about the journey is that it does not involve multiple pickups and dropoffs along the way–previous expat favorite Mekong Express often takes an hour just getting in and out of Phnom Penh due to the extra stops.

The best thing about Giant Ibis, though, is safety. They have a maximum speed of 95 kph/60 mph, and management is alerted automatically if drivers go over this speed. The company has ten full-time mechanics and their dedication to safety seems very genuine. They are also more reliable than the local airlines that ply this route, who often cancel flights if they deem them not profitable enough, leaving people stranded and with little recourse other than to wait an extra day.

New for 2019-2020: Giant Ibis buses drop off in Phnom Penh at the new Giant Ibis terminal near Wat Phnom on Street 90 [map] and at the main bus station in Siem Reap [map].

Giant Ibis daytime buses from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

The trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap takes about 6 hours give or take about thirty minutes. It’s a nice way to see a bit of the countryside; along the way you’ll see traditional Khmer homes, family gardens, rice paddies, flocks of ducks, and water buffalo being led home. The 38-foot buses seat 41 passengers and while there are no toilets on board, the bus stops at the 1.5 and 3.5 hour mark. The first stop isn’t always the same, but always has a relatively clean Western toilet. The other stop is a restaurant contracted by Giant Ibis called Banyan Tree on National Highway 6 near Kampong Thom.

While on one hand, it does feel like a bit of a hustle to be forced to sit at a bus company-contracted restaurant, there’s no way of avoiding this. Every bus company in Cambodia stops at places that pay them for the business, and it will even happen when you take a private taxi. The plus side of Banyan Tree is that they have the same prices for Khmers and foreigners, which is not typical.

The food is ordinary, and prices are higher than you’d expect in Cambodia, but still not very expensive (dishes are priced between $3 and $5). They serve Western and Khmer food, such as hamburgers or Khmer curry, and they are efficient enough to make sure everyone has ordered and eaten in less than 30 minutes. And while Giant Ibis doesn’t own the place, they do hygiene inspections to make sure that everything is up to their standards. Moreover, the toilets are clean and usually have toilet paper. So overall, I can’t really complain.

On board the Giant Ibis day bus

On board, Giant Ibis offer movies in English, which are generally family-friendly action movies–anything that was once a comic book seems to be fair game. Seats have individual switches for the speakers, so the noise is not too loud for those who aren’t interested in watching the movie, and as time progresses they have been lowering the volume, and sometimes skipping them entirely, perhaps recognizing that no one watches the movie anyway.

WiFi is offered onboard, using 3G and 4G. This means that the connection is available when there’s a 3G/4G signal available, which is more than half the journey. It doesn’t work in the more rural parts of the trip, but there’s no avoiding that; this isn’t the fault of Giant Ibis, there is just no mobile service there. The latest exciting addition are individual power outlets on all of the buses between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. They’re international-style plugs that feature inputs for most standard plugs from around the world.

Of course everything on Giant Ibis is not perfect–the seats are narrow enough that it’s unpleasant to sit next to a large stranger, but they have more legroom than any of the mini-buses, and the ride is smoother and more comfortable than on a mini-bus.

Giant Ibis day bus schedule from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (and vice-versa)

Currently, buses run from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap at 8:45 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., the schedule is the same in the opposite direction, with buses from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh at 8:45 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. as well. They also have a night bus service in both directions at 11:00 p.m. and and 11:30 p.m

Tickets on the Giant Ibis Phnom Penh to Siem Reap route cost $15, and prices are the same for locals and foreigners. You can buy tickets online and choose your seats in advance.

Giant Ibis night buses from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

Over the years, I’ve taken more Giant Ibis night bus journeys than I care to admit. When I first moved to Cambodia, I vowed I would never take a night bus in Cambodia. Since then, I’ve made an exception for Giant Ibis because of their safety record and precautions. I’m now a regular on the Giant Ibis night bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh.

Night buses in Cambodia are notoriously unsafe. Giant Ibis, on the other hand, makes safety a priority. Their buses go slowly, with a maximum speed of 60km (37 miles) per hour. They enforce this by transmitting the speed via GPS to the Giant Ibis office so that management knows if a driver breaks the rules and go faster. Going slowly is not only safer, but allows for a better night’s sleep, because even at at these speeds the bus usually arrives in six or seven hours. Another safety precaution Giant Ibis takes is to always have two drivers on each bus, and they switch half-way through the journey. If one driver feels fatigued he can switch out and take a nap.

On board the Giant Ibis night bus

In addition to offering a safe ride, each seat is equipped with a power socket that accept standard American, Euro, and UK plugs, and most of them usually work. The bus has WiFi (password: giantibis) that is provided by 4G. This means the connection works as long as there’s 4G coverage, which is for true for about 60% of the journey. Be aware that they do turn out the lights soon after the journey begins, so if you do want to read you will need to bring your own lighting.

The buses are air-conditioned and have a toilet on board. Overly cautious types such as myself bring a sweater for the former and tissues for the latter. Passengers are all given a bottle of water, and each bed comes with a pillow and blanket. When you board the bus you’ll be given a bag to keep your shoes in, so as not to get the beds dirty.

There are two Giant Ibis night buses going each way between between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, with slightly different seat configurations. The 11 p.m. Giant Ibis night buses have 32 beds, with 15 on the bottom bunk and 17 on the top. The beds do not fully lie flat, but offer a 45 degree angle that’s pretty decent, and some taller people seem to find the angled seat more comfortable than the lie-flat ones. Seat 6-F is right next to the toilet, and as such, is probably the least optimal seat on the bus. Each bed has a cubby at the bottom to keep your shoes (and feet) in.

The 11:30 p.m. bus has 30 lie-flat seats, with 14 on the bottom and 16 on the top. The only downside of this is because there are two fewer seats, there isn’t always a bed for the driver who may end up sleeping next to you in the aisle. On these buses, there are eight single beds and 11 seats of double beds.

The buses do not have two levels, rather, the seats are designed like bunk beds with one on the top and one on the bottom. All of the Giant Ibis night buses are arranged with one row of two beds next to each other, and a row of single bunks with an aisle in the middle. If you are traveling alone, try to get one of the single beds. I have traveled alone on the Giant Ibis night bus many times and have never felt unsafe as a solo woman, but again, be sure to get a solo bed (if you buy a ticket online, you can make an advance seat reservation).

The night bus buses are not new, but they are fully refurbished. As on all buses, the toilets are not the nicest in the world (if you are a larger person you’ll have a hard time squeezing in) but at least these ones are usually clean. The road between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is still bumpy — although better than a year ago — and if you aren’t a sound sleeper, it can be a challenge to get a good night’s sleep. Luckily, that challenge is usually alleviated for me by bringing an eye mask, ear plugs, and a sleeping pill.

I travel between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap regularly, and the trip can be excruciatingly long. Because I save so much time by sleeping through the journey, I’ve become a regular on the Giant Ibis night bus. Despite being pretty highly strung about road safety in Cambodia, overall, I think the Giant Ibis night bus is a safe way to get across the country (here are the other options for this route).

Giant Ibis night bus schedule from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (and vice-versa)

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap 11 p.m. (night bus) 11:30 p.m. (night bus) Siem Reap to Phnom Penh 11 p.m. (night bus) 11:30 p.m. (night bus)

Frequently asked questions about Giant Ibis

Where does Giant Ibis stop in Phnom Penh?

In Phnom Penh, Giant Ibis has a ticketing office on Street 106, but the buses leave and depart from the Giant Ibis bus station on Street 90 behind the National Library. Here’s a map.

Where does Giant Ibis stop in Siem Reap?

Giant Ibis has an office in Siem Reap, but the buses leave and depart from the main bus station which is a little bit outside of Siem Reap. Here’s a map.

This is the address: Address: Borey Seang Nam 1, Sangkat Chreav, Siem Reap

How long does it take to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap on Giant Ibis?

Giant Ibis takes between five and six hours to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap during the daytime, depending on traffic. The buses at night drive slower, so can take about an hour longer.

How long does it take to get from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh on Giant Ibis?

Giant Ibis takes between five and six hours to get from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh during the day, dependent on how bad traffic is. Because the night buses go slower, they can take about an hour longer.

Which are the best seats on Giant Ibis buses?

Whether you are traveling during the day or at night, the closer to the front is better, in my personal opinion.

How can I get from the Phnom Penh Airport to the Giant Ibis bus terminal?

Download the Passapp or Grab app on your phone and hail a tuk tuk from just outside the gates of the airport. You can also negotiate with a tuk tuk driver inside, but it is usually cheaper to use an app.

Buying tickets on Giant Ibis

Tickets on the Giant Ibis Phnom Penh to Siem Reap route cost $15, and prices are the same for locals and foreigners. You can buy tickets online and choose your seats in advance.

Some links in this post generate affiliate sales for us. This does not affect our reviews for specific bus companies or routes! For more about how we deal with advertising, affiliate sales, and stuff like that, you can read more here.