"All journeys have destinations of which the traveler is unaware."
- Martin Buber
- Martin Buber
Vehicle Standards for Touring
Private touring
All ABOUTAsia vehicles are inspected for use, and insured (where legally possible - tuk-tuks being a notable exception). Our usual options:
Toyota Camrys
Standard vehicles for 1 or 2 guests are Toyota Camrys, or similar large saloon cars. Luxury vehicles are also available (eg Mercedes E280, BMW 5 and 7 series), and some character vintage vehicles. Some itineraries will feature tours by traditional transportation methods such as the remorque (tuk-tuk) or cyclo.
Starex Van
Starex vans are more comfortable options for touring, for 1 to 4 guests, and offer superior space and leg room compared to a car.
4-Wheel Drive fleet
Some touring in remote areas needs 4-wheel drive vehicles - typically a Toyota Landcruiser or Nissan Montero, although luxury vehicles are available (eg Volkswagen Touareg, Lexus 470).
Mercedes Vans
Mercedes Vans can hold up to 6-8 people for touring, and are our usual option for small groups. Higher standard Hyundai H1, Toyota D4D and Ford vans are also available, although in very limited numbers. Larger groups will use 25 seat minibuses (for up to 15 people) or 35 or 45 seat buses if required.
Public Transport
Tourist Buses. Bus quality - both vehicle and driver quality - varies greatly between companies. Currently, we only recommend the Giant Ibis or Mekong Express bus companies only. For lone travellers, bus travel for long transfers can make an itinerary much more affordable, but we do not usually recommend for comfort, flexibility and road safety reasons. There are also increasing numbers of modern minibuses catering to tourists - these tend to be express services, and we would suggest that a slower journey is safer.
Not on the approved list
Taxis in Cambodia are usually older Camrys, often converted to run on LPG, which means they cannot be insured. We do, however, try and maintain contact lists of reliable English-speaking taxi drivers: in some circumstances, taxis are the only available vehicle, and a lone traveler may find sending a private vehicle a long way for a short journey prohibitively expensive.
Peerless service standards and local positioning have made us the tour operator of choice by international luxury travel groups and discerning independent travellers to Angkor Wat, Cambodia and Southeast Asia.
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