Your tuk tuk driver for Angkor Wat and Siem Reap

Here you can see what some of our past guests have had to say about their experiences with Cambodia and Savuth (or the other guys that sometimes help out).

If you are a guest and would like to leave your feedback please use our FEEDBACK FORM. If you would also like to include a photo or two please email them to Leonard [at] angkortuktuk.net. (If you want to make a general inquiry or comment please see our 'CONTACT' page.) 

• Trace, Nick & Blake; Perth, Western Australia

Cambodia, what can I say?  It was the most amazing place  we have been to.  Siem Reap was beautiful, the temples where beautiful and the flooded forest of Kompong Phluk was stunning. Then heading to Phnom Penh visiting the very sad and emotional Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Museum, cruising on the Mekong Delta watching the sun set. 

Before we left Australia to go on holidays and friends asked us where are you going this time and we said Cambodia they looked at us in complete amazement wanting to know why we where going to Cambodia and what was there?  My reply: not sure but will tell you about when I get home. Well we are home now and I have not stopped talking about this beautiful place, the people and the food. Cambodia is in my heart forever.  Even my 9 year old son still talks about it and already talking about returning to Cambodia someday.

A huge thank you to Savuth for showing us the sights of Siem Reap.  Savuth said the would pick us up 10.00 and he was there waiting for us early. Showed us to his tuk tuk, our transport for the next 2 days. It was new, clean and most of all comfortable for 3 people. He loves kids and always included my son when talking to us. Very patient with us and thousands of questioned asked by us he answered no problems in very good English. He would always stop when I wanted to take photos (love my photography so we where stopping all the time).

I am so happy that I found this web site and read other people's comments about Savuth as it made our time in Siem Reap even more enjoyable knowing that we had Savuth to show us around.  Do not hesitate to use Savuth.

• Don Dallys & Fraser McCombe, Gold Coast, Australia
  

 We came to visit the Angkor Thom temples and came away bedazzled - we are very happy that we chose to research, investigate and then imagine, through the ruins, the ancient Khmer civilization about which we previously knew nothing. However we came away even more smitten by the Cambodian people. We can only repeat what others have written - the Cambodians of this area were genuine - warm, helpful, gentle, with a ready smile and laugh. Having been through a very difficult recent history and many being exceptionally poor, we expected otherwise but we had not even considered the power of Buddhist belief - it was everywhere. Furthermore the vast majority have not yet been tainted by the steely avarice of chasing the dollar. We only hope that visitors continue to treat them all with respect. and are generous with their assistance.

Savuth was a wonderful ambassador for his people. We only found his site the day before we left home and so I phoned him to make arrangements and, luckily, he was able to meet us at our hotel and fulfil all our needs. He knew and was able to advise us on the areas we wished to visit. En-rouite he would often stop at the villages and we could share with some of the local people and purchase some of their produce - if you have a sweet tooth try the palm sugar drops all wrapped up in a container made from the fronds.

After the first half day we decided we needed a guide and Savuth found the lovely Thayda (pronounced Tiida, like the Nissan). She was a delight and very knowledgeable. She related the history of the waves of friction between the Hindu and the Buddhist Kings and how that affected the civilsations. She "read" the Hindu carvings for us relating past battles both here on earth and in heaven with the involvement of their many gods, she explained the meanings of the Buddhist temples. She was a mine of information. Again the Buddhist light shone through and the genuine feeling of belonging and wanting to help "her people" of present day Cambodia was palpable.

We wanted to try genuine local food and Savuth and Thuyda agreed on our restaurant where some of these dishes were served. Wonderful mildly spicey and beautifully presented in the local way. We later wished we had taken more of this opportunity to discuss more of their lives and the needs of the locals..

• Adrienne Bartl, NSW, Australia

Had a ball of a time - everyone was really friendly - heaps of waves from all the kids riding their bikes to/from school and everyone else. The locals always seemed to have a smile on their faces despite in some circumstances their situation and lot in life, ie the string orchestras who play at some of the Temples.

Temple1-2-3 and we were off!!!! I had an absolute ball of a time in Siem Reap and going around the temples with Savuth - think he did really put up with a lot from me especially with the sellers at the Temples and also when I saw my first monkey on the side of the road - think he nearly fell of his motorbike when I yelled out monkeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

He was always on time at the hotel (I stayed at the Sala Bai Hospitality training school - a worthwhile organisation) to pick me up for our days around the temples. After my adventure on the boat to and from the Great Lake it was great to see him jumping up and down on the river bank waving at me when we returned to the village!!! Savuth always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes as he handed me a bottle of ice cold water from the little esky that he keeps on hand in his tuk tuk. I am really pleased that I stumbled across your website and want to come back to Siem Reap to do some more exploring of the temples with Savuth. Want to bring my cousins with me next time.

• Alice Y and family, KL, Malaysia

4 days in Siem Reap last week with Savuth in his tuk-tuk was the most fulfilling and gratifying trip I’ve had. My 2 kids were amazingly in love with Siem Reap and they love roaming around the ruins of the temples and even climbed up Kbal Spean to see the Lingas. We were awestruck by the amazing (understatement) carvings on all the temples, be it Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei, Ta Keo, Ta Phrom, Kbal Spean or Angkor Thom.

And definitely not forgetting Savuth, our reliable tuk-tuk friend who was like a family member guiding us and taking us around Siem Reap for the 4 days. It was indeed our good fortune to have him with us and needless to say, thanks to you for making it possible to be in touch with him. Savuth will definitely be on our list of recommendations to all our friends who wish to visit Siem Reap and experience the joy of riding a tuk-tuk.

The simplicity of life in Siem Reap and the ability of the Cambodians to wear a smile on their sleeves everyday despite the hardship of life has certainly left an indelible memory. The picturesque smiles of the children, be it bicycling, playing in school, fishing at the water tunnel or along the village at Tonle Sap are beautiful sights to behold and will forever be etched in our memory. We hope to return to Siem Reap again in the near future and top of our list would be a visit to Sangkheum Center for Children and perhaps Savuth’s village which we have inadvertently missed (our misfortune).Thanks for introducing us to Siem Reap and Savuth. God Bless You.

• Gerard, Henrietta, Hal, Inigo and Theo

   We met Savuth in the afternoon who took us around SR and was great with our boys, especially at the crocodile farm!  Mr Mau then drove us for the rest of our three days and was excellent, always cheery, knowledgeable about locations and a good, safe driver. This is an excellent service that I would strongly recommend. Thanks very much indeed Leonard and his friends in Siem Reap. 

• Brent Watkins + Family

Cambodia is a wonderful country full of refreshingly real and honest people. I've worked in the region for a long time and only recently made it to Cambodia--I'll definitely return in the near future. 

Savuth was kind, honest, truthful, helpful, and an amazing driver --he not only took us wherever we needed to go, but he provided friendly suggestions and honest advice. He alone made our trip wonderful!

• Andrea, Bruce, Sam, Lisa and Claire: Brisbane, Australia

We spent 6 days in Siem Reap in July and enjoyed evey single moment. Cambodia is a very easy country to navigate and the people so friendly and helpful that it made it more special.  

We were sad to only have Savuth for one day! We hired two tuk tuks as there were 5 of us and this was a good idea! We then had Mr Pul and another Driver of who his name escapes me now. Both were very thoughtful, so efficient and on time, always found us at temples amongst all those crazy sellers! And we were lucky to get to temples before too many tourists. 

•  Marilyn, Tasmania

Enjoyed the local buses and found people very friendly. Do not worry about travelling on buses as they were reasonably comfortable and a good price. People on the buses helped us find toilets at rest sites and buy food. We also went to Sihanoukville for a few days which was good fun and we stayed a block back from the beach which was quieter. I felt safe when travelling in Cambodia and would recommend it for all ages. My husband and I are retired but enjoyed the whole experience of "backpacking" and traveling independently.

 

Savuth met us and  organised our week. Then Pul was our driver afer that. He was marvellous, helpful, reliable and our trip was made very interesting by his local knowledge. He helped us avoid the big coach parties at the temples and helped us with getting good local food. Using Savuth's operation was one of our best decisions in Cambodia and being able to book in advance via Leonard was really good. 

•  Doug & Penny, Canberra, Australia

To see temples its good to have at least thee days. Also the floating village is worth seeing and it takes about half a day. Viewing Angkor Wat at sunrise was spectacular and worth sacrificing a few hours sleep for. The people of Cambodia are very friendly and keen to talk in order to improve their English. We did run out of $US a couple of times which we found to be inconvenient and meant having to arrange more. We found that our hotel changed $AUS into $US and this was the most convenient way to keep topping up. However, it does mean you need to have enough currency with you to exchange. Most places don't accept credit cards.

 

It was wonderful to be met at the airport by a smiling man with a sign bearing our names. This was our introduction to Savuth. He continued to smile for the three days that he looked after us. He was prompt, extremely helpful and clearly wanted us to enjoy our stay at Siem Reap. Traveling by tuk tuk was great, we were able to see so much more than we would have had we been in a car or bus and it so cool travelling along (which helped revive us given that it was hot). Savuth suggested a 3 day plan which worked very well for us, including taking us to good places for lunch when on a day's tour and suggested a place for us to see traditional dancing. 

•  Wayne & Evette, Traralgon, Victoria ,Australia

Siem Reap is a very beautiful place, we were there at the end of June and the weather was perfect. We went looking at the temples, the silk farm and quad bike riding. Savuth met us at the airport and was a gentleman for the 4 days we were there. He was on time all the time, he understood exactly what we wanted to see and do. I have nothing but praise for Savuth. He was exellent, and his prices are a bargain compared to resorts prices for the tours. "Good work Savuth"

•  Mrs R. B., Australia

I have nothing but nice things to say about your drivers and the reliability of the pick-up at the airport. The driver I had for around Siem Reap and visit to Ankor Wat and the drive into the country and silk worm farm was very nice and he showed concern for me and treated me gently and with consideration for my age. He didn't overdo the activity and helped me all he could. A very nice person. Hope all goes well for him in the future. Thank you once again for setting it up for me.

• Larwood Family, Adelaide, South Australia
  
  Just wanted to give you some feedback regarding our time in Siem Riep, and our driver, Savuth.. Firstly, I think its wonderful that you've helped Savuth by creating and managing the website for him.  This must create business for him that he otherwise would not have had the opportunity in getting, and in turn, that's helped to support his family.
  
  We absolutely loved our holiday in Siem Riep, and visiting the magnificent Angkor Wat and other temples.  Savuth was pretty much our driver for the whole time, from meeting us at the airport, to dropping us back there on our last day.  On our last day in Siem Riep, we visited his home, and met his wife and children which was a great experience.  He was very helpful, kind, reliable and a safe driver.  He was especially kind to our two daughters, aged five and eight years of age.
  
  Traveling by Tuk Tuk was the best fun, and no matter how hot it was, there was always a cool breeze when you were in the Tuk Tuk! In general, we found the Cambodian people to be very friendly, and it was such a great place to visit. Fascinating sights, fantastic food, amazing temples and inspiring people.  We gained much information from the Internet before we went, and it was websites such as the one you've created for Savuth, which were so informative. So thanks, Leonard.  I can see why you keep on going back there yourself!!

• Iulia and Rino

It was indeed a fantastic experience! It was beyond our expectations and we really had a wonderful time in Cambodia! We consider ourselves very lucky to have witnessed the ancient wonders of Cambodia. But we think the real magic of Cambodia is its people. The simple Cambodians who have been through hell, but they have kept their spirits strong and open. They have the courage and strength to focus on the positive part of life, on the future, and not pursuing a useless and frustrating counter-revenge.

Savuth was more than our driver. He is actually the living  proof of the courage, strength and optimism of the Cambodian people. He shared his experiences with us and he gave us a glimpse of the present Cambodia, the friendless and hospitality of simple people, their lives and traditions, their worries and hopes. We already recommended Savuth to all of our friends and we hope they will come soon and experience the wonderful Cambodia and bringing their small contribution to the future of these remarkable people.

• Valerie & Jean-Charles

Savuth was a fine man and of course a one-of-a-kind sort of tuk tuk driver. Give him all of our best wishes for his life and his business.

• Burton Family, Australia

Savuth is an absolute treasure.  So lovely.  The heat got to us a bit so we didn't see or do as much as we had wanted to do but we felt happy with what we did do.  It gives us all the more reason to go back and do what we missed. Savuth said December would be cooler so that is what we will aim at next time. We absolutely loved Cambodia and its people.  Such gorgeous happy and friendly people.  Both my husband and I have been telling everyone about how wonderful it is and how fantastic Savuth was so I'm sure he will have a few bookings from people we know who are going over there.  We only arrived home yesterday and can hardly wait to get back.  Thank you again for your help and how wonderful you are to be helping Savuth.  I can certainly understand why you do it though, he is a gem!

• K. Chisholm, Australia

Finally I have time to write (after arriving home to the worst bush fires in Victoria, only about 6km from Warrandyte where we live). I was in Siem Reap for a week at the end of January this year and was met by Savuth and his tuk tuk at the airport, who looked after me so well. I was fortunate enough to visit his family and his children's school as well as two other orphanages, where it was marvelous to see so many happy smiling faces. After Cambodia's decimation by the Khmer Rouge, the kindness and generosity of those I met, was a real tribute to these wonderful people.

Savuth took me out to the Angkor Wat temple complex, to the silkworm farm, to The Angkor National Museum, the Cambodian cultural village and booked me in for a buffet meal and Apsara dancing show. He also took me out to Tonle Sap where I was able to visit a school on a boat and see how the fishermen live on this great lake. A trip to the town night market completed such an interesting week.

I would recommend the Royal Crown Hotel as a good medium priced hotel with its welcome swimming pool after a morning's sightseeing and would particularly recommend Savuth as a careful, kind driver who made this grandmother feel safe and welcome in a country that will once again become the great nation we see depicted on the reliefs at Angkor Wat. The courage of the landmine victims, who as musicians played at various venues, was just outstanding - true heroes.

•  BH & LR, USA
  This is an amazing country with wonderful people and a lot of interesting places to see. The temples at Angkor were the high point of our trip.We had Mr. Savuth for 3 days. On the first two days, we saw the small circuit and the large circuit. On the last day we saw the Rolous Group, the silk farm, and the war museum. He was always dependable and was there when we exited the temples and other places. He is really a friendly and outgoing person.

• Renee Hancock, Monterey, Australia
  My partner and I traveled through the south of Cambodia on dirt bikes through a company called Dancing Roads. We went to Kep, Kampot and Rabbit Island. In Siem Reap, with thanks to Savuth we traveled to the major Temples such as Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, obviously the highlight of Siem Reap for a reason - They were fantastic, so much that this is my third time back in Siem Reap. I would also recommend eating lunch/dinner at the Temple Club in Siem Reap, fantastic meals. Savuth was amazing. He was always prompt when we arranged a time for him to pick us up prior to our day or evening adventure and arrived with a massive smile on his face.On our first day of temple touring, Savuth was so kind to bring my partner and I a gift which was a scarf to keep cool in the heat or the dust off our faces when driving during the day and night - very very generous and thoughtful!

• Michelle and Kim Ryan, Rockhampton, Australia:

Well I finally feel I have found the time to email you since arriving home from Cambodia. I traveled there with my 15 year old daughter, in November 2008 for a life changing experience, and Cambodia gave us both that. We truly had the most wonderful time and our time in Siem Reap was even more special with the help of Savuth. It was really easy to become friends with him, he is a wonderful man. On our last day we had nothing planned and Savuth asked us if we would like to meet his family, even though we couldn't communicate with them, it was a really nice day. We also visited the children's school, it's all a culture shock compared to what we are use to in Australia... People at home asked me what was the highlight of our trip. Going over there I would have originally said "going to the temples, seeing the sights, typical tourist stuff". However the highlight was meeting the people, they are so friendly and kind hearted. Always smiling, always happy, you can't bottle that sort of happiness can you. Its infectious too. And we often said that we felt like royalty, every one wants to wave at you and yell hello as you cruise around in the tuk tuk. I won't bore you with anymore, you know how special Cambodia is. I can't wait to go back, I really fell in love with the place. Thank you Savuth and to you too Leonard.

• John & Celia Maloney.  Manchester, UK: We went to Cambodia in December 2008.  In a lifetime of traveling, my wife and I both agree it was the most thought provoking and stimulating trip we have ever been on.  We will go back again and feel drawn to do so as soon as possible.  Truly, a life changing experience. Savuth was our tuk tuk driver for four days. More than that he was a wonderful guide and showed us so much more than the temples. He was utterly reliable, courteous and a wealth of knowledge and advice. He is a very safe and steady driver and we always felt secure. He added so much to our enjoyment and understanding of all we saw.  His ability to communicate in English was so useful as well.  We recommend him without hesitation to anyone visiting Siem Reap and the Temples.

  
  

• John & Robyn Lovell, Newcastle NSW: We visited Seam reap for 3 days in late October 2008. It was a great experience. We stayed at the City River Hotel & thought it was well positioned & reasonable overall standard. Booking through www.motif.com provided the most competitive prices. The service & attention to detail provided by Savuth over the 3 days was sensational. We immediately felt comfortable with Savuth & his help in putting our itinerary together made the difference. It was at his suggestion that we made the effort to rise at 4.30 am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat - it was certainly rewarding. Thanks Savuth & good luck for you & your family's future.

• Terry: We had an excellent time at Angkor Wat, and Savuth was an absolute pleasure to be with, safe, reliable and outstandingly friendly to my family (3 teenage daughters and a 4 year old boy). I took the liberty of getting several of his business cards and I'll put them up at work together with a print out of his home page....I teach people to fly 747s for a major airline and our crews are always popping around Asia on their days off, so I am confident this should generate some extra business for Savuth. All the best.
  

• M & T, Israel: Leonard, we just wanted to say thank you for your help, we really appreciated it, we had an amazing time in Cambodia, what a shame we didn't get to meet...We really had a great time and an unforgettable experience, Freng (Savuth's mate) was a very pleasant guy, it really was a shame he couldn't  speak English, mainly because it was really interesting to know more about his life and about Cambodia's history, but other than that we really managed to understand each other, the tuk tuk ride was a great experience and we really liked the feeling of the air and the views, I really think it's the ultimate form to tour the area. I told Freng I'll write a Travel Log and that I'll recommend people to call him, we didn't had a pen in the moment so i said I will give Savuth's number so they could ask for Freng too. I really wish to be able to help him to get more clients and that they'll have a great experience too.