Overview
A truly enjoyable way to journey between Saigon and Siem Reap is on river cruise combining the best of both bike and boat touring. Why not bring your family or friends and make this a Christmas like no other! Create lifelong memories on a truly unique festive adventure.
OFFER: Book 3, and your 4th person travels FREE!*
Your trip starts out with a walking tour of the lively city of Saigon before boarding the ship. Then pedal along the Vietnamese end of the Mekong Delta, through friendly villages and colonial towns. Or if you are a non-cycling participant, enjoy a guided tour by foot before catching up with the riders. At the end of each day of cycling and activities, board the ship without the need to unpack, and relax on deck with a refreshing drink as the world of the Mekong Delta glides by.
Once you’ve cruised into Cambodia, enjoy the change of scenery with a day of cycling and sights around Phnom Penh’s Silk Island. Explore Cambodia’s capital city and learn about its history before flying to Siem Reap: the home of Angkor Wat. One of the highlights of this journey will be watching the first colors of the day illuminate the sky over the spires of Angkor and cycling around the grounds of the historical national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Biking or hiking through the backroads and paths of Southeast Asia each morning, you'll have the opportunity to meet local people and learn about their lives and traditions. You'll witness firsthand the agricultural miracle that is the Mekong Delta, while enjoying delicious local cuisine, and staying in comfort throughout the journey.
We warmly welcome non-cycling partners or friends on our Bike & Boat trips and have planned off-boat activities for them each morning while the riders are out cycling. So everyone gets to enjoy the magic of the Mekong region in their preferred way.
170 - 250 Km riding. The riding is mostly flat. You’ll cycle on a great variety of surfaces, ranging from concrete to hard-packed dirt and even a few forest trails around Angkor. Traffic will almost always be a rarity, allowing you to engage with the locals as you go, stopping for a chat or a photo as you wish.
Pedal-assist E-bikes are an available option on this tour for $175.
Standard Cabin Single room: $1,500 USD
Upper Cabin Single room: $2,000 USD
*Promotion Terms: Offer applies to the Christmas Mekong Bike & Boat tour (departing Dec 21), valid for bookings made before Sept 1, 2022. Not applicable with other discounts, promotions, or travel credits. Minimum age: 6+ years old.
Highlights
- Take a walking food tour of the lively city of Saigon and sample favorites including local coffee, beer and chocolate.
- Cycle or wander the maze of canal paths and bridges of the fertile Mekong Delta
- Pedal the Silk Islands near Phnom Penh and visit traditional village industries.
- Wander your way through Phnom Penh with your expert guide in tow to learn more about Cambodian history.
- Gaze at a magnificent sunrise over the spires of Angkor Wat before exploring the park by bike and foot.
INCLUSIONS
- All meals
- All Ship & Resort accommodation
- Expert Vietnamese & Cambodian guides
- All activities & entry costs for cyclists and non-riding partners
- Support vehicles for activities
- Internal flight transfer
- Special Christmas Dinner
- FREE Bottle of sparkling wine per 2 adults
> Just bring your camera and a thirst for adventure!
Day to Day
Welcome to Saigon!
We'll meet at our pre-designated hotel where you can get acquainted with your fellow adventurers on a walking tour. Exploring the city on two feet you'll learn about Saigon’s history and architecture, all the while discovering more about local life. Along the way, we’ll have the opportunity to taste some local specialties, such as Vietnamese coffee and chocolate.
In the early afternoon, it’s all aboard our ship for the maiden voyage to the top of the canal. We’ll enjoy our first dinner together on board.
This morning let’s hop on our bikes for our first ride around the top of the canal. The Mekong Delta is the longest river in Southeast Asia and runs through many of its countries, including Vietnam and Cambodia. We’ll have our first look at this lush delta with an explorative pedal through the riverside villages and Dragon fruit farms. Once we’ve cycled up an appetite, we’ll board the barge again for lunch to join the non-cyclists and then sail up the river to My Tho.
Today you’ll have the option to choose between a morning ride and afternoon on the ship, or morning on the ship and afternoon ride… unless you want to try both! Our morning ride takes us through the busy floating villages and river commerce of My Tho, and ends at a local home for a traditional Vietnamese lunch.
If you choose to pursue the afternoon ride, we’ll cycle along towards Cai Be: another town built on a mix of land and water. This village is full of friendly children, so be prepared to stop and smile or wave at kids biking to school in their blue and whites. Our ship anchors near Cai Be so we can enjoy a flavorful Vietnamese meal in town.
Again today you have the option to choose whether or not to ride in the morning, afternoon, or both. The morning cycling route takes us along the riverbanks from Cai Be to the pleasant colonial town of Sa Dec, where we’ll devour lunch before boarding the ship again.
Should you choose the afternoon ride, you’ll saddle up on your bike and pedal through narrow, shaded paths past locals hard at work growing flowers, clay brick, and transporting a wide variety of colorful fruits and veggies to the market. Our ride ends near the busy city of Cao Lanh, then we board the boat again to stop near the Chau Doc canal for the night.
Awake to a Christmas like no other! This morning’s ride weaves us around the top of the canal for our last glimpse of the Vietnamese part of the Mekong Delta. Then it’s all aboard at 11, and we’ll cross into Cambodia just a few hours later. Once border formalities have been carried out, we can enjoy a sail into and around Phnom Penh for sunset, where we’ll anchor near the city’s Silk Island.
Tonight we enjoy a festive Christmas Dinner featuring a mix of classic favorites and local cuisine, and a free bottle of sparkling wine.
Koh Dac, also known as Silk Island, is a small island close to Phnom Penh that is well-known as the home of silk weaving. Local women practice this traditional activity on looms under their raised houses, and we’ll have a chance to learn about the process of how silk is made as we cycle around this piece of land. We’ll head back to the boat for lunch and have the opportunity to discover more of the Mekong riverside with a ride along its banks in the afternoon.
As the sun rises to its post in the sky, our ship will arrive at Phnom Penh. The capital of Cambodia is an interesting place. Little more than a collection of shacks along the river when the French arrived, it was quickly designed with a grid-style layout and lined with beautiful colonial buildings such as the Central Market which has recently been restored.
The city was forcibly evacuated when it fell to the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and thus ensued a period of decay that continued through the early years of re-population. In the late nineties and early 2000s as the country started to get back on its feet, the city had a shattered charm to it with many still-vacant buildings and creaking infrastructure.
We’ll have the chance to discover more of this dynamic city with a walking tour in the late morning alongside the non-riders, followed by lunch in the city. Once we’ve had our fill, it’s off to the airport for our flight to Siem Reap.
Prepare for an early rising this morning, as we get moving before the sun has peeked out from behind the horizon and the first roosters have started to crow. We’ll transfer to the otherworldly Angkor National Park, where all tour participants will gather in front of the many imposing towers of the main temple itself. If we get lucky with the weather, we’ll catch a spectacular color show as the sun rises behind the great temple’s spires.
Our tour concludes this morning in Siem Reap with a few last activities to immerse you fully in Cambodian culture. We’ll start with a visit to the Angkor National Museum, dedicated to the preservation of ancient Angkorian architecture and artifacts, then make our way to the APOPO NGO that uses rats to detect landmines, then finish our morning with some of the best coffee in town at Footprint cafe. You will be transferred to the airport in time for departing flights, or feel free to stay and explore this charming little city on your own.
Dates & Price
EARLY RIDER PRIZE: Be in the first 4 to book a departure and get 5% OFF the tour price
Standard Cabin (p/person) 4990USD
Upper Cabin (p/person) 5690USD
BOOK THIS TOURWHAT MAKES US STAND OUT
GRASSHOPPER STYLE
We have specially formulated this tour to involve both cyclists and their non-riding partners or friends as you take on Cambodia and Vietnam by boat and bike or foot. You’ll have the chance to visit the must-sees like Saigon, the floating villages of My Tho, and the temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, while also accessing places only the boat allows you to see. Discover the best Cambodia and Vietnam have to offer with this leisurely exploration of the Mekong Delta Region.
