When I made the decision to go to Cambodia, I had a good 8 months to start researching what we would do and how we would go about it. I have always wanted to visit the temples around Siem Reap but didn’t know how to organise it for a family of 5. I started by researching other travel blogs, for the most up to date information. Finding a great tuk tuk driver was a big priority for me.Â
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While researching I came across a post of a travelling couple that I had been aware of and found the contact details of a tuk tuk driver they had used in Cambodia. I felt comfortable that these guys wouldn’t promote him if they didn’t think he was great so I emailed him direct.
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Sok, the  best tuk tuk driver!
This was possibly one of my best moves as Sok (pronounced Sook) our tuk tuk driver was amazing. His english was great, his tuk tuk was comfortable and he was really great with the kids. He provided water and wet towels for when we returned from exploring the temples. This was great as it was stinking hot and very humid.
I organised Sok via email from Australia, his quoted price was very competitive with others that I’d found on other blog posts. We paid $90USD ($120AUD) for 4 days exploring with Sok and most people I spoke with in Siem Reap said this was a very good price. Obviously over time his costs are going to go up but I would have happily paid more for Sok as his service was brilliant.
Sok’s contact details are: sokmeneatuktuk@hotmail.com
The evening we arrived Sok came and met us at our hotel to discuss an itinerary for the 4 days that we would be hiring him. We had only thought that we would visit the temples but Sok was able to make some suggestions that we hadn’t considered, we were in Siem Reap for 7 days so we had 2 days then a day break then another 2 days with Sok, below is our 4 day itinerary:
Day 1 –Â City Tour/ War Memorial/ Tonle Sap Lake
Sok picked us up at 10am from our hotel Prince d’Angkor Hotel and Spa and we headed off on a bit of a tour of Siem Reap.  We passed the Royal Residence on the way to a Buddhist Temple, Preach Ang Chek, then visited the Angkor National Museum. This provided us with a lot of history about the Temples of Angkor and Khmer culture, the Gallery of 1,000 Buddhas was a highlight here. We were then taken to the War Museum and taken on a guided tour, lots of old guns, tanks and land mines here. Our guide was a bit of a character who said he was known as that cat because he had 9 lives. He took great delight in having everyone touch the shrapnel in his knee. We had a brief visit to the Killing Fields memorial and then headed out to Tonle Sap Lake. The lake was very low so we didn’t stay long as it’s a fair hike out there in the tuk-tuk. On the way back we stopped at a lotus flower farm and a crocodile farm, give the crocs a miss they stink and it costs $5USD per person!
Day 2 – Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm
Sok arrived at 5.45am on the dot and and took us to purchase our passes to the Angkor Archeological Park which you need to visit the temples. I suggest doing this the night before after 5pm, if it’s a nice night you could then get a free sunset as the passes start from the next morning. We arrived at Angkor Wat just after sunrise, Sok will know what time you need to be there so just be guided by him. We watched the sun rise over the temple complex and then went in to explore Angkor Wat further.
Next on list was Angkor Thom and Sok provided us with a map and where to walk and where to find him at the other end. He will always find you so don’t stress if you can’t see him. From here we went to Ta Prohm which is the famous Tomb Raider Temple, made famous by Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. We finished early at 2pm as it was an exhausting day for the kids and they were keen to have a swim at the hotel. We loved exploring the Angkor Wat and surrounding temples and found the kids didn’t really get ‘templed out’ as we made sure the days weren’t to long.
Day 3 – Banteay Srei
We decided to start a bit later today after the big day perviously, Sok picked us up at 10am and we headed out to Banteay Srei, the ladies temple located about 90 minutes from Siem Reap. We were out there for a good couple of hours. Sok had a few other temples he had suggested but it started to rain and the kids were all templed out! We headed back to the hotel about 3pm which was lucky as Alannah and I came down with food poisoning that evening from some cashews we ate out at the temple. I was very thankful that we headed straight back as I wouldn’t have enjoyed get caught somewhere other than my hotel room.
Day 4 – Artisans d’Angkor Silk Farm
We had another relaxed start and Sok picked us up at 9am. The silk farm is about 40-50mins from Siem Reap, doesn’t sound like much but its a bit of a hike in a tuk-tuk. This was always going to be a short day for us as the kids were struggling a little in the heat and preferred to have some down time at the pool.
Sok will happily keep taking you places all day if thats what you want. That’s the beauty of having a driver that allows you to choose your own itinerary. We took each day as it came depending how the kids were feeling and what they wanted to do. Almost like a choose your own adventure book from when I was little!
Sok’s english is fantastic and he will tell it to you straight regarding tourist traps, we couldn’t decide whether we should go out on a tour of Tonle Sap Lake and Sok very gently advised that we probably wouldn’t get much out of it as the lake was very low and there wouldn’t be much to see.  He advised me on what I should expect to pay for tuk-tuk drivers into Pub Street and what we would expect to pay from our hotel to the Phare Circus. This was great as it meant we didn’t get ripped off from the start. For example, I asked what it cost to get a tuk-tuk from our hotel to the night markets, he advised $2USD, when we left to go into town, the tuk-tuk driver outside our hotel knew we had just arrived, we asked him how much and he said $5USD. We said how about $2USD and he promptly agreed. If we hadn’t of known this, $5USD each way would have added up pretty quickly when we were doing it each day and we would have been none the wiser.
The best thing about Sok was that it was easy, he thought about how the kids would cope each day and how much time we should allow for activities. Sok has a child of his own so is very patient and understanding with kids. He’s a great driver and I felt safe all the time.
If you are heading to Siem Reap and looking for a great tuk-tuk driver, drop Sok an email and see if he can arrange it. He’s busy because he’s good. Say hi from us, especially from Caelan. If you are looking for a private driver and not a tuk-tuk driver leave me a comment below with your email and I will be in touch. I have a contact that another couple at our hotel used and he came highly recommended by them.
Also, one of my readers can highly recommend Tree House Nursery for childcare options in Siem Reap. We loved zip lining in Siem Reap, a great family friendly activity. You can also ready my top 7 things to do in Siem Reap with kids for extra ideas for entertaining the kids.
A Mary Road travel blog has great information regarding crossing the Thailand-Cambodia border if you are heading into Thailand from Cambodia.
Have you been to Siem Reap? If you contact Sok please let me know about your experience in the comments below.
Happy travels,
Sal & Co.
Disclaimer: I do not get anything in return for this post, I am doing this because I honestly believe that Sok was an exceptionally good person and any extra work that he gets will make me very happy. They do it hard over there and I’m just happy to help him. If you do see him, please tell him how highly we speak of him.Â
The majority of tuk tuk drivers in Siem Reap are great. They are well-meaning people who genuinely want to show you their country and make sure you have a good time. Some are more skilled than others, some have better English than others but most are trying their best. Sounds like you really hit it off with Sok. Having a tuk tuk driver you get along with so well can really make the trip. Glad you had a great time in Siem Reap and it looks like a really well-rounded trip.
Hi Sam, yes I have to agree, I didn’t speak to anyone that had anything negative to say, everyone spoke really highly of the people they had interacted with. Sok’s english was so good and that made things really easy and also he was fantastic with the kids. They would run out to him every morning so excited to see him. Thank you we did have a great trip and whilst it was busy and we packed a lot in, we had 7 days there which originally I thought was going to be too long but it was just perfect. I’d go back again in a heart beat though and do it all again. I could have spent longer at the temples but it was hard with the kids. Not at the top of their list of things to do but they were great when we were there.
I just finished a visit to Siem Reap (April 2019) and can vouch that Sok really is the best! He has a great personality and he will take you wherever you want to go. Sok provided transportation for my wife and I for a week. He even took us up to Preah Vihear on the Combodia/Thai border. I highly recommend Sok.
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your comment, yes Sok really does go above and beyond and I’m so glad you have also vouched for him here. We loved Sok and will be going back to see him next year when we visit our sponsor child in Siem Reap. Sok is a kind hearted, hard working man and he was fantastic with my kids. He really took time to chat with them and make sure they were comfortable and cool in the heat.
Thank you for this message, I am so glad to hear Sok looked after you.
Thanks
Sal & Co.
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Dear Sally, I just found your blog and found it really helpful especially about Sok. Am going in Dec and wondering if you have a driver with a van as I have a party of 7. I will write to Sok and ask if he can arrange for 2 tuk tuks.
Thank you so much Sally.
Hi Julie,
I sent you a personal message with the details of a private driver. Hope you have a wonderful holiday, you will love Cambodia its a brilliant place to visit.
Thanks
Sally.
Thank you Sally. Can you please email me the details as I am not able to access the pm. Thanks.
Hi Julie, I did send you a personal email. Let me know if you have received it. Thanks Sally.
Hi Sally,
No, unfortunately I didn’t receive any emails. Please send again. Thank you.
OK I will resend the email now.
Thanks
Sally.
HI Julie,
That’s done, if it isn’t in your inbox maybe check your junk it might be in there otherwise I’m stumped. My email is our3kidsvtheworld@gmail.com. You are welcome to email me and I will return the info that way.
Sorry about this, it’s a little strange.
Sally.
Hi Sally,
My wife and I are going to Siem Reap on 23 – 28 Dec 2016. Read your comments on Sok and would love to get in touch with him.
Do you have his mobile number so that I can whatsapp and liaise with him directly.
Thank you.
Hi Cheow,
You will be very happy with Sok I am sure, I can’t speak more highly of him. I actually don’t have a mobile number for him although his email is sokmeneatuktuk@hotmail.com. He responds to emails very promptly so I am sure he will provide you a number if you request one. If not, let me know and I will drop him and email.
Have a wonderful time in Cambodia, I would love to return one day soon.
Thanks Sally.
Hi Sally
Thanks for the prompt reply. I will write to him directly then.
Thank you so much.
CWee
No worries, happy to help. Say hello from his little Aussie friends, the kids still talk about him!
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Hi Sally,
Thanks for your great article! We are a local startup in Siem Reap, called BookAngkorTukTuk.com, and we offer something unique, being able to book curated tuk tuk tours online. With secured payment, but also helping local people, villages and children. You can have a look on our website! Happy to have you onboard one of our tours next time you will be around.
Cheers
Ben
Hi Ben, sounds great! Might take you up on that one day if we ever make it back there, although I have to admit, if we come back again we would definitely attempt to get Sok first. He was an absolute champion.
Thanks
Sally.