Backpacking from Singapore to Cambodia by train should take you about three weeks in comfortable railway carriages, but there are several changes along the journey.
The railway line from Singapore to Cambodia and then on to Vietnam used to be a single line operated by the invading colonial powers.
However, since independence, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam broke up the international lines and began operating domestic services only.
This means that I first had to change trains on the Singapore-Malaysia border, then north on the Malay-Thai border and finally at the border of Cambodia. The twist to the story is that from the Cambodian border to Angkor Wat I had to take a bus because the trains stopped operating years ago.
Anyhow, backpacking from Singapore to Cambodia was still an extremely fun journey all the way to Angkor Wat, travelling on the jungle rail from Johor Bahru to Kota Bahru, then the overnight from Sungai Kolok to Bangkok. The last stretch to Aranyaprathet on the Thai border was on a third-class wooden train, taking over five hours to complete.
My Reason to Visit
Before backpacking from Singapore to Cambodia I attended a conference in Singapore for a week. Luckily I managed to take two weeks off on on holiday afterwards which I used to travel up north by train on the peninsula.
I love trains and decided to travel as far North as I could in two weeks. My journey took me to places that I never knew existed so read on and take part in my adventures. The video below will give you a taster of what it was like travelling from the deep-south of the peninsula all the way to Bangkok.
Cost of Backpacking from Singapore to Cambodia
During the journey backpacking from Singapore to Cambodia I spent about $600-$700 for a two week holiday, excluding a return flight from London to Singapore via Paris for £597. While backpacking to Cambodia I criss-crossed Malaysia, travelled up and down Thailand and went as far as Angkor Wat to check out the temples. I also visited a Thai island called Koh Phayam on the west coast which was one of the most beautiful places I visited during this holiday in Asia.
- Hotel: $40-50/night
- Food: $15-20/day
- Train and Bus Tickets: $100
Crossing Into Malaysia from Singapore
On the first leg of my journey I travelled from Singapore to Bangkok via Johor Bahru and Kota Bahru in Malaysia, crossing into Thailand at Sungai Kolok.
The train journey from Singapore to Cambodia is broken into four parts as there are no direct trains. The first leg of the train trip will be very short: you ride the overground from Singapore’s city center to the Malaysian border.
Here you will cross over to Malaysia on foot and either spend the night in a hotel and catch the first train in the morning to Kota Bahru or hope you will catch the evening connection. Kota Bahru is the end of the line called Jungle Railway in the North of Malaysia.
The Jungle Railway will take you across some beautiful areas of Malaysia, including (guess what?) the rainforest, and I would say a train journey this way is well worth the time.
Instead of rushing it, I stayed the night in Johor Bahru to see what it’s like there and then I caught the early morning train so I could see the countryside scenery on my way to Kota Bahru.
Johor Bahru is a pretty small place and most people use the city as a “sleeping town“, commuting over to Singapore for work. Accommodation costs are much lower in Johor Bahru than in Singapore and Johor Bahru is literally over the border, so thousands of people commute south on scooters.
Travelling On The Jungle Railway
The Jungle Railway is another old colonial railway line which they used to transport people into the mountains and to carry goods from the heart of the colony to the ports. The train trip to to north takes pretty much all day, even though the train leaves early in the morning.
Nowadays there is a big push to clear the mountains of the forest and plant rubber trees and coconut plantations, which I think is a huge waste of our natural resources! Hopefully some of the people in Malaysia will one day stand up against this destruction.
Anyhow, by the time I arrived in Kota Bahur it was already dark and the train station is a bit far out of town so I needed to take a taxi. The taxi into Kota Bahru took about 10-15 minutes and since I had nowhere to stay I let the driver drop me off at his friend’s bed and breakfast.
Spending the night in Kota Bahru is almost obligatory as there are no trains that late in the evening and crossing the border takes a while which I decided I would do in the morning.
So, I spent the next night in Kota Bahru and got up early to catch the night train out of Sungai Kolok the next day. The border crossing into Sungai Kolok is very easy, you just get a taxi to the border and then walk across to Thailand. They will stamp your passport on both sides then you will need to get another taxi or tuktuk to the train terminal in Sungai Kolok.
Sungai Kolok is not exactly a tourist trap and in all honesty I would not recommend staying here as there really is nothing going for Sungai Kolok other than its train station.
The train ride from Sungai Kolok to Bangkok takes more than one day on a rickety train. My train to Bangkok from Sungai Kolok was a few hours late already before it even departed, so I had plenty of time to spare and look at the “sights” of Sungai Kolok.
This part of Thailand is the muslim region, so you need to be careful with what you wear, but otherwise everything is very safe. It was the market day when I visited Sungai Kolok so I got something to eat there and looked at some of the new handsets out but did not end up buying a phone.
People kept telling me that electronics would be cheaper in Asia as they make them there, but in the end I found out that electronics are in fact more expensive. The reason is very simple: they see you are a tourist so they will try to rip you off!
In the end I just bought myself a towel so I could clean up on the train then headed out to the train station in Sungai Kolok. What I also found out was that hotels are much cheaper in Thailand so if you want to save you should stay in Sungai Kolok for the night instead of Kota Bahru. They are both equally boring placing so you will have nothing to lose.
The Trains in Thailand
Travelling by train from Sungai Kolok to Bangkok was amazing and even though it was hot outside the air inside was cool as we had the aircon on all day. There was also a restaurant on board the overnight train to Bangkok from Sungai Kolok, plus people were very friendly so I really enjoyed the trip up to the Thai Capital.
The total lenght of the journey would have been 27 hours, but as the train arrived late and there was also some hold up midway up, we arrived nine hours late! I arrived in Bangkok late afternoon at the main railway station which was a bit annoying as I wanted to spend the day walking around the city.
Bangkok’s many historic buildings were fascinating to see with lots of electronic advertisements and the usual hustle and bustle. My hotel room was very cheap and right in front of the train terminal in Bangkok as I did not want to walk too far early in the morning. In was literally in front of the train station as in the morning I had to catch the 5 o’clock train to Aranyaprathet and I did not want to miss it.
Crossing the border via Aranyaprathet is a bit tedious as you have to get off the train, walk to cross the border and then get on a minibus the other side to go to Siem Reap.
The train journey from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet takes more than four hours through a relatively flat landscape so it is not super exciting to be honest. I bought a ticket for the cheapest class with the wooden benches and no air conditioning which was a bad choice as it was super hot.
Anyway, without further ado please scroll down and read about my train trip from Singapore to the Cambodian border!
Singapore’s Diverse Neighbourhoods
Singapore is one of the most tolerant and safest cities in Asia. It is the perfect starting point for any train or road journey if you are a novice traveller in the Far East. Singapore is hot, humid and crowded yet clean and organized.
A few days in Singapore will help you get used to the climate and the rush of this modern city state in southern Asia. Much of Southeast Asia is super crowded and hot, and you will probably have a jet lag so best to book at least three days in Singapore to acclimatize.
Singapore is home to Chinese, Indian and many European people as well as other regional ethnic groups. This makes for a super diverse place with cuisine from literally all over the world. The first night in Singapore I ate at a local food market where everything was very cheap. I also ate in Chinatown, the Indian district and the local shopping malls.
During my second free day I visited Pulau Ubin, a nature reserve with various mangroves, monkeys and pigs roaming around the place. I had to take a ferry to Pulau Ubin from Changi where I was staying for the first three nights. Once I arrived in Pulau Ubin I rented a bicycle and went around the entire island discovering its wildlife and nature.
To be honest it was pretty hot and I wasn’t feeling very comfortable cycling with my jetlag, but it was my only time to do it so I just got on with it. In all fairness staying in Changi was not the best decision as it is far from Singapore city center, but accommodation was cheaper in Changi, so there you go!
Once the conference began I moved closer to the event hotel which was right in the center near Raffles Avenue. Work was paying for the Pan Pacific, which is simply one of the most luxurious hotels I have ever stayed in.
Unfortunately it was the haze in Singapore when I visited so I could hardly see anything out of the window! I can’t believe but there is a dedicated government “Haze Website” dealing with this issue, instead of sorting out the problem which is stopping deforestation in Indonesia!
The conference ended around 4PM on the Friday by which time I already checked out and headed out to catch the train to the Malay border. I left one of my suitcases at the Pan Pacific and only took the rucksack with me on this train journey up to Cambodia.
Malaysia – Johor Bahru to Kota Bharu by Train
I took the orange overground train line to the north of Singapore and walked across the border to Malaysia. Johor Bahru is a border town – a lot of people commute to Singapore from here.
It is almost half price compared to its richer neighbour although the border crossing can take some time. I booked a cheap room here for the night. My train’s departure was 5am in the morning and the journey to Kota Bahru would take all day.
Along the way I saw how palm plantations are destroying the countryside as well as the destruction urbanization causes. Incredibly, there is now only a small patch of virgin rain forest left in the country!
Thailand – Sungai Kolok to Bangkok
I slept in Kota Bharu for one night and in the morning I took a taxi to Sungai Kolok. The railway tracks cross the border into Thailand from Malaysia but there are no international trains, so I had to cross on foot. The train arrived in Kota Bharu in the evening and my train to Bangkok was in the afternoon the next day. Crossing the border was relatively straight forward but it still took almost an hour.
Sungai Kolok is not exactly a tourist draw, but I went for a long walk anyhow. I first bought my train ticket to Bangkok and then went to the market.
If you want a different perspective on travelling from Sungai Kolok, read this buddy’s blog post about his trip to Thailand.
Back at the train station I realized that my train was going to arrive late so I had time to record how they assembled another train at the station. I booked a sleeping ticket for a 27 hour journey but it turned out that overnight there was an accident and we were further delayed by several more hours. Not that I was in a rush but I was hoping to see Bangkok during the following day!
Bangkok to Aranyaprathet
By the time my train arrived to Bangkok the sun was beginning to set. So I headed into the hotel to check in, then I had dinner at the train station and finally hired a tuk-tuk driver to take me around town, which was quite a lot of fun. The train to the Cambodian border was at the crack of dawn again so I went to bed around 10pm.
Related: I returned to Bangkok in 2018 and wrote several more posts – check them out here
For the morning train I booked the only class that was available: wooden seats in a 1960s carriage. Travelling in the rickety train to the Cambodian border was quite fascinating although very hot and took nearly 6 hours to the border crossing. The tracks again disappeared here so I had to cross to Cambodia on foot.
Back in colonial time this was the railway line that went from Singapore all the way to China and the various governments are trying to rebuild it now as part of China’s new Silk Road policy. On the videos about Malaysia and Thailand on this page you can see some of the newly laid tracks.
Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap
Once I crossed the border into Cambodia I took a minibus to Siem Reap. Siem Reap is where most tourists stay while visiting Angkor Wat. I had an amazing time there, staying in a five star hotel for the first night and then two nights in a B&B run by an English couple.
Again I rented a bicycle to get around town easier. In retrospect it was a huge mistake to book a room in the five star place but I had no idea about the layout of Siem Reap so I booked the wrong location.
Anyhow, I corrected my mistake and the second and third nights I booked right on the riverside, with all the bars and restaurants nearby.
This part of Siem Reap is the old colonial district with the nicer buildings and tree lines avenues. It is also here where tours to Angkor Wat start – I would recommend spending your first day on a guided tour with a tuktuk so people can show you around then the rest of your stay riding your own bicycle.
Cost of Tuktuk in Angkor Wat
The tuktuk rental for the day cost me $15 and the driver stayed with me all day, taking me from one temple to the next. He never complained how long I stayed walking around so in the end I only arrived back in the hotel mid-afternoon.
Check out the video below to see what it was like cycling around Angkor Wat and what the Temples look like!
Siem Reap to Ranong, Thailand
On my way back from Siem Reap I booked a minibus ticket directly to Bangkok. Thailand has a very extensive motorway network so it was much faster than by train.
I got off the minibus at the outskirts of Bangkok and got on the metro train to skip the traffic jams. Even with my little trick I nearly missed the last bus to Ranong!
I got off the Metro in Bangkok city centre and paid a motorcycle taxi to shoot me across town to the bus terminal.
This I will probably never forget, he criss-crossed between cars, onto the pavement and even into the oncoming traffic – but we made it! Even at breakneck speed and jumping reds it took more than half an hour to get there!
I rushed across the terminal (luckily I did a bit of research and memorized the layout beforehand) and bought myself a ticket then hopped onto the bus to Ranong!
The Island of Ko Phayam
On the way to Ranong I got to know an old chap on the bus and he drove me around Ranong as my personal tour guide the next day. The ferry to Ko Phayam only left at 4pm so it was just perfect. He’s lived in Ranong all his life and was happy to show me around and tell me the history and so on. He even took me to the local hot bath where he showed me how they boil eggs in the hot water!
The ferry ride to Ko Phayam took several hours but it was cheap as chips and the views were beautiful, so I did not mind. Ko Phayam is another tourist trap, mostly catering for the Germans, but luckily only during the peak season and I was there off-peak. That meant that I basically had the island for myself! It was spectacular with nobody else on the Island except for a handful of locals. In the end I rented a motorbike and just enjoyed myself for the next three days.
Staying on Ko Phayam was such an amazing experience I will probably never forget it for the rest of my life! The beach hut was right next to the water and the holiday resort was operated by a Russian-Israeli who’s had enough of the cold climate of Russia and moved here.
The bungalow hardly cost any money and I had my private beach view, a shower and large double bed. The beach was lined with palm trees and between two of them Sergei placed a hanging bed so after a swim I would lie down and enjoy the view.
Unfortunately the third day the heavens opened and it was pouring all day so I decided to head back to the mainland and look for something else to do. I quickly packed up and managed to catch the last ferry off the island and made it back to Ranong.
Khao Sok National Park
When I got back to Ranong on the last ferry of the day from Ko Phayam it was already raining heavily. I spent the afternoon watching the monsoon and contemplating where next. In no way was I going to Phuket so I just got on the first bus down south towards Krabi.
Problem is, the bus broke down just round the corner! They took us back and by then I was so fed up I booked myself into a room near the bus terminal instead of going anyfurther.
The next morning I got on a bus to Khura Buri, thinking I would change there. I got off in Khura Buri and went for a walk around town. Khura Buri wasn’t exactly crazy exciting and it was still pouring down so I went and bought a rain coat and waited by the roadside.
Suddenly, out of nowhere a German missionary appeared and we started talking about what to do next. He came up to me because he thought I was someone else but when he figured I was just a crazy tourist that got off the bus in Khura Buri he invited me for lunch.
During lunch he told me I would be best off going to the Khao Sok National Park which I did after the meal. I stayed at a place owned by a nice guy called Pitty Pom. My accommodation for the next two nights would be a bungalow in the most amazing rain forest in the world.
Khao Sok National Park to Kuala Lumpur
In Khao Sok I rented a scooter but I also went for long walks in the rainforest and spent a night in Pitty Pom’s restaurant chatting away with other tourists.
The second day I I hopped on the scooter and rode all the way to the nearby electric power station where they built a huge dam to make electricity. The ride there was quite interesting although the lake was a bit underwhelming. Anyhow, I though that since I had the scooter I should go somewhere with it!
After nearly three days in the Khao Sok rain forest I started to make my way back to Singapore.
First I took a bus to Surat Thani where I change to Hat Yai Junction and on to Kuala Lumpur. In the big rush at Surat Thani I accidentially booked a ticket to Bangkok and not Kuala Lumpur as just as I was getting on the bus I realized the mistake!
So, I had to run back to the ticket office and ask the lady to give me a ticket quickly to the last bus to Kuala Lumpur! If I had missed the bus that would have messed up my whole journey!
By then I was so tired of the backpacking across Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia that I pretty much slept all the way to the border with Thailand.
The Malay Border Crossing
The border crossing in the middle of the night did not take that long but we all got very hungry so the driver stopped at a restaurant in Malaysia where we all ate something.
It was around this time that I began watching every penny so I only spent a few local coins on some flatbread and tomato sauce on it. It was extremely tasty and I am seriously thinking of going back to the same place to get the same food! If only I remembered where we were and what the restaurant was called!
Arriving in Kuala Lumpur by Bus
My bus arrived in Kuala Lumpur in the morning at 4am, and I wasn’t going to book a hotel for only a few hours so I slept on a bench until sunrise. Once the sun came up I spent the day in the city wondering around.
Kuala Lumpur is a huge metropolis and as usual there are huge traffic jams and many miles to track if you decide to walk.
My interest lay in the city’s colonial past so I checked out the railway terminal, some government offices and I also took a train out to a major religious site in the north of Kuala Lumpur.
The place is called Batu Caves and it’s basically a massive golden statue where pilgrims come to pray to their god.
The problem is it’s now so completely overcome by monkeys that you really need to watch your food and belongings in case the monkey fetch something off you!
Here I had some lunch from a local stall then headed back into town to check out the shopping district. Don’t ask my why as I had no money to spend, but everyone was raving about it and I felt like I had to see it for myself.
No surprises though: it was the same as any shopping district in the world – a lot of people, pedestrians and pushing and shoving. What was positive though was the fact I met a nice Polish girl during the afternoon.
As I was sitting in a local eatery she walked in and decided to sat at my table and we started chatting. Turned out she was on a backpacking holiday too but usually she lives in Cuba where she teaches scuba diving.
We had a nice long chat and she actually made me a bit jealous as I always wanted to take time out of work and go backpacking. She said there is nothing to stop me from doing it, only myself, which is absolutely right.
In the evening it was time to catch the night train to Johor Bahru where I arrived in the morning then crossed into Singapore where I spent the last day of this epic backpacking holiday.
My flight back to Europe was in the evening so I went for a long walk along Singapore’s shore again, then the Chinatown for lunch and finally back to the Pan Pacific to pick up my luggage.
I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon there as they allowed me to use the swimming pool and a towel, so I wasn’t going to reject it, ending my journey in style! 🙂