Battambang Bamboo Train
★ 4.4🇰🇭 BattambangSuggested visit 1-2 hoursBest season November to March, the dry season, with better conditions
Local experienceRailwayCountryside
A bamboo platform cart running on abandoned rails, crossing rice fields and villages the simplest possible way.
Overview
The Battambang bamboo train, or norry, is a local invention: a bamboo platform on two pairs of steel wheels driven by a small engine, capable of about 40 km/h. The line runs through rice fields, villages and scrub, and when two meet the lighter cart is lifted off the rails to let the other pass. It now mainly carries visitors on trips of about twenty minutes.
History
Locals built them in the late 20th century on broken rail lines to move goods and people; they became Battambang's signature experience as tourism grew.
Highlights
- •Riding the bamboo platform
- •Crossing rice fields and villages
- •Lifting the cart aside to pass
- •Watching village life go by
Practical tips
- •The ride is bumpy — hold on
- •Children may sell souvenirs along the way; decide for yourself
Practical information
- Best time
- November-March
- Tickets
- About USD 5 per person
- Opening hours
- Roughly 8:00-18:00
- Local food
- Khmer curry, Battambang noodles, tropical fruit
- Getting around
- About three hours by road from Siem Reap; the bamboo train is 20 minutes from town.
- Visa
- A visa is required, available as an e-visa or on arrival.
Traveller reviews
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