Giant Ibis night bus at a glance…
- Price: $15
- Schedule: 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
- Time: 6 to 7 hours
- Buy tickets online
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. In this post, I’ll share some details about the company and the trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (and vice-versa).
The Giant Ibis night bus looks great in the morning, too.
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.
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 3G. This means the connection works as long as there’s 3G 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.
The 11 p.m. Giant Ibis night bus has lie-flat beds.
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 p.m. Giant Ibis night bus seating chart.
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 seating plan for the 11:30 p.m. Giant Ibis night bus.
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).
Off to dreamland on the Giant Ibis night bus beds. This is the interior of the 11 p.m. bus.
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).
In Phnom Penh, the buses boards on time at the Giant Ibis office on Street 106 across from Phnom Penh’s night market. For the daily night bus to Siem Reap they do not offer hotel pick up, but the office is centrally located and walking distance from the riverside. Once you arrive in Siem Reap the bus drops off at the more centrally located Giant Ibis ticket office near Old Market (rather than the Giant Ibis bus station).
In Siem Reap, the night bus leaves from the Giant Ibis ticket office near the Old Market. If you’re arriving in Phnom Penh, the bus drops off at the Giant Ibis office on Street 106 in Phnom Penh. You can find maps for both stations at the end of this post.
Giant Ibis night bus schedule:
Phnom Penh – Siem Reap: 11 p.m., 11:30 p.m.
Siem Reap – Phnom Penh: 11 p.m., 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.
Hi Lina, I have to say this is the best review I have found about Giant Ibis night bus :) Since we are travelling on saturday evening and we are worried a bit about security of our stuff in bus bunker. Do you know that thera are recorded any issues about that?
No recorded issues, however I would keep all valuables on your person rather than in the luggage below, the same as you would with an airline!
Thank you so much for this! Helps out a lot!
[Sales: GiantIbis Nightbus Ticket Siem Reap – Phnom Penh]
I would like to re-sell a ticket from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, depart at 11:00 PM – Dec 30, 2015 – with lower price: $12 (original price from GiantIbis is $15 + $1 credit card processing fee). Please contact me via email ytran39@gmail.com, I will send you details about the booking and we can discuss further. Thanks!
——————
Reason: I booked 3 tickets, yet unfortunately, one of my friend cancelled her trip at the last minute.
Hi Lina,
How soon in advance would you advise booking a seat on the night bus during February – in particular I’m after a single bunk!
I saw you suggested booking a day in advance during low season but just wondered if you’d suggest any different during high season?
Thanks!
Honestly, I can’t say. If you know when you are traveling, book it as soon as possible. They are usually quite good about changing dates if you need to.
Hello,
Is there any night buses between Siem Reap and Saigon? with some short layover in Phnom penh, I prefer direct connection.
Thank you
Vojta
Take the Giant Ibis night bus to Phnom Penh, then connect to the Giant Ibis morning bus to HCMC.
Is it worth to go by Giant? I am aware it has wifi, toilet, etc. but my priority is time. Is there any other, I heard about mini Vans to Phnom Penh, would to recommend me that, or is it same with bus: 5-6hours to PP? Van will be probably cheaper,right
Hi Lina,
The article was helpful.
We are 4 travelers. We had initially booked the day bus from Siem reap to Phnom penh but not willing to lose a major chunk of the day we decided to move to the night bus.
However, our hotel accommodation does not extend over the entire course of the day.We would have to check out in the morning.
My question is, is there an option of keeping our luggage with Giant Ibis in the morning so that we can explore the city a little more and return to the departure point at night for our travel.
What are our options ?
Thanks in advance…
If it were me, I would just leave my bags at the hotel I was checking out of, and come back and pick them up later. They won’t have any problem with that and it will probably be safer.
Hi Lina,
Thanks for the super helpful article. We are travelling from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn by Giant Ibis Night bus. Our flight is later in the evening on the same day we arrive at PP. Would you happen to know of any places where we could just freshen up before seeing Phnom Pehn? Or would we have to book a regular hotel room?
Looking forward to your advise!
Just depends on your tolerance for wandering around aimlessly carrying luggage. You’ll arrive very early and could use a restaurant bathroom to freshen up, but personally, I would just get a cheap hotel.
Hi Lina
I am a solo female traveller and will be travelling PP to SR during the day using Giant Ibis. However, for my return journey I plan to go SR/PP and onto SHV which seems like the best option using Giant Ibis is via the night bus.
How safe is it for solo female travellers? What about security of luggage etc?
I am reading as much as I can but most people say don’t travel by night bus!?
Thanks for everything you are sharing with us.
I travel solo on the Giant Ibis night bus regularly and think it’s totally fine. Giant Ibis really is better than the other bus companies, they are the only one I am willing to take at night. There are solo “beds” so book in advance to get those so you don’t have to sleep next to anyone. I check my luggage in but keep my valuables with me (just as you’d do on a plane). I’ve never heard of any luggage problems with Giant Ibis, though.
Thanks Lina!
The other option I have is to travel SR to PP during the day and then get onward travel to SVH. Giant Ibis don’t have a service (that I can see on their web page) that connects with the first service out of SR, so it would mean waiting until the next day.
If I to Giant Ibis out of SR on the first service, is there another recommended option from PP to SHV, say Mekong Express? Or is any regular minibus service ok?
I intend to go down to the coast (Otres) for a couple of days before moving through Kampot and Kep into Vietnam.
I would just take the Giant Ibis night bus and get straight onto the 8:00 a.m. to Sihanoukville. Mekong Express also have mini-buses that aren’t terrible. You can book tickets on http://www.camboticket.com and check out all of the schedules.
Hi Lina,
I have been reading your blogs in preparation for my trip to Cambodia in November.
I’ll be arriving in Phnom Penh around noon and am planning on taking the night bus to SP – my question is – do you have any suggestion on how to spend the late evening (after museums & etc.. closed) waiting for the 10:30pm bus departure time? Especially somewhere I can kill the time safely and not miss the bus! ( I am traveling solo)
Please advise, thank you so much!
Joanne
Hi Joanne, I would recommend heading to The Empire for an 8:30 p.m. movie (although you may miss the end of it). They also have food, so you can get dinner there or just hang out at the bar. They won’t have any problem holding on to your luggage for you. The Empire is only a few blocks from the Giant Ibis station, so you can either walk there or the Empire staff can help you get a tuk tuk. http://www.the-empire.org/
i was travel from phnom penh to Siem Reap with night bus at 10.30 pm .i am very happy to choose your bus to travel because i think in car have toilet but my expectation was wrong.
the toilet very dirty, no water,no tissue, Bad smell come out and moreover NO KEY LOCK.
i was sick because of that smell.
the price is expensive then other bus but the service so bad.
i hope all of you re-check with this problem.