KH
Battambang
The Bamboo Train and the Slow River
The Bamboo Train and the Slow River
The Bamboo Train ($5/person; departs from the old Battambang train station; arrange through any guesthouse) is a flat bamboo platform on salvaged railway axles powered by a small petrol engine that runs along the single rusting track west of the city at 30km/h through rice fields, over wooden bridges, and past rural villages. When two trains meet on the single track, the emptier one disassembles (taking 2 minutes) to let the other pass.
💡 Take the Bamboo Train at 8–9am for the best light on the rice fields. The 7km each-way journey takes 1.5 hours total, including the entertaining disassembly theatre at passing points. It has been operating for visitors since the 1990s and remains genuinely fun.
Phnom Sampeau (12km southwest; tuk-tuk $8–10 return; free entry; 30-min climb) contains the Killing Cave — a limestone cave where Khmer Rouge soldiers pushed prisoners through a natural skylight to their deaths below. A gold reclining Buddha and glass cases of bones now fill the cave. At sunset, 2–3 million bats exit the same cave system simultaneously in a stream visible for 20–30 minutes.
💡 Arrive at Phnom Sampeau by 5pm (bat exodus begins 5:30–6pm; exact time varies by season). Position yourself on the west-facing hillside slope below the cave entrance for the best viewing angle against the sunset sky. This is one of the finest wildlife spectacles in Southeast Asia and costs nothing to watch.
Phare Ponleu Selpak (performances Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday; 7pm; from $12; book at pharecircus.org or through your guesthouse) is an NGO training Cambodian youth in circus, visual art, and music since 1994. The 90-minute circus performance combines acrobatics, traditional Khmer storytelling, live traditional music, and visual art. Several graduates perform with Cirque du Soleil. The school gallery and craft shop (free entry; open daily) sell genuinely excellent student artwork.
💡 Book tickets 1 day ahead in high season (December–February). Only 3 performances per week — plan your Battambang dates around the Tue/Thu/Sat schedule to ensure you catch a show.
The villages surrounding Battambang produce traditional Cambodian crafts and food: Andong Russey (pottery; 6km north), Kdang (rice paper; 8km north), and Phnom Ek (fish paste; 5km west) are the three most visited on the standard half-day bicycle circuit. The Sangker River boat tours (from $10–15/person; 2–3h from the Battambang waterfront) pass stilted fishing communities on a landscape largely unchanged from the pre-war era.
💡 Hire a local guide ($10–15 for a half-day; arrange via your guesthouse) for the village cycling circuit rather than navigating independently. The paths between rice fields are difficult to follow, and a local guide provides introductions to the artisans that make the visit genuinely worthwhile.
Battambang has the most interesting food scene of any Cambodian provincial city. Jaan Bai Social Enterprise Restaurant (adjacent to Phare; contemporary Cambodian cuisine; $5–12; profits fund education for disadvantaged youth) is the most creative restaurant in the city. The old market (Psar Nath) morning stalls (from 5am) serve kuy teav (rice noodle soup; $1.50), num banh chok (green fish curry noodles; $1), and fried bananas ($0.50). White Rose Restaurant (riverfront; Cambodian staples; amok $4, lok lak $5) is reliable and popular with local residents. Orange River Cafe (French colonial building on the river; excellent espresso; $2; cold brew; $3) is the finest morning coffee stop in Battambang.
8am: tuk-tuk to Bamboo Train station ($5; 1.5h round trip). Lunch at the old market (kuy teav noodle soup; $1.50). Rent bicycle ($4/day). Cycle the Andong Russey pottery village (6km north; 1.5h circuit including village stops). Return by 5pm. 7pm: Phare Ponleu Selpak circus ($12; book 1 day ahead; 90 mins).
7:30am: full-day tuk-tuk ($22). Phnom Banan (27km south; 30 mins drive; 358 steps to hilltop; 1.5h). Village lunch. Return to Phnom Sampeau by 5pm. Killing Cave visit (20 mins). West hillside for 5:30pm bat exodus (2–3 million bats; 30-min display). Dinner at Jaan Bai restaurant ($7–12). Evening bus to Phnom Penh or morning bus to Siem Reap.
Performances run Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday only. If you arrive on the wrong night, a single-night stay misses the circus entirely.
City bicycle rental ($3–5/day) covers the colonial centre, the Bamboo Train, and the pottery and rice paper villages (all within 10km).
The Battambang–Siem Reap slow boat ($15–25/person; 6–8h; departs 7am; operates October–February only when the Tonle Sap is flooded) travels through floating villages, flooded forest, and bird-rich waterbird colonies on the world’s largest seasonal lake.
A 7:30am start covers: Bamboo Train (morning), Phnom Banan temple (27km south; 358 steps; hilltop panorama; 1.5h), village lunch, return to Phnom Sampeau for the 5:30pm bat exodus.
One night allows the Bamboo Train and one restaurant dinner but misses the circus (only 3 nights/week) and the village cycling.
Virak Buntham, Capitol, and Mekong Express all serve Phnom Penh ($6–10) and Siem Reap ($5–8) from Battambang bus station.
Download Cambodia offline. Essential for cycling village circuits.
Free
Khmer offline pack. English is less common than in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap.
Free
From Angkor’s temples to Koh Rong’s islands.