Meal: D

Arrive into Cambodia's most popular city any time before 3 pm today. At 4, we meet for a briefing and a chance to try out the bikes before heading out to dinner at an atmospheric and authentic restaurant.
After dinner, we’ll take in the highly acclaimed Phare Circus, an artistic acrobatic performance. This acrobatic troupe is talented and entertaining, and the profit from ticket sales goes to support an NGO performing arts school in Battambang. Lots of colour and humor make this a great show for children and adults alike.

Riding: 19 mi 30 km

Meal: BL

Get the kids up early, and we’ll head to see the sun rise over the triple towers at Angkor Wat. After breakfast, explore the most important and charming temples in the area by bike, along with some less visited sites. We’ll cycle some fantastic back trails away from the crowds that make this feel like a jungle adventure.
Explore the many faces of Angkor Thom and the tree covered walls of Ta Prohm before stopping for lunch at Sra Srang Reservoir, otherwise known as the Royal Baths. If any of the kids (or adults) don't want to get up for sunrise, they can join at breakfast.

Please note: Appropriate dress (knees and shoulders fully covered) is compulsory for entry into certain sections of Angkor Wat, and should also be observed throughout all temple areas for reasons of cultural sensitivity.

Riding: 16 mi 25 km

Meal: BLD

Cycle the red dirt countryside tracks and trails around Siem Reap, passing tiny villages with vegetable plots, fish ponds, and friendly locals. Kids will love to meet Cambodians their age and speak in smiles, waves, and high fives that surmount any language barrier. We stop in one of these villages and take a walk with a representative from a local NGO who has been working in the area for some time. We learn about how a typical northern Cambodian village functions and the challenges its people face. A contribution to the organization is made in thanks for their time and to assist with their project.

We have lunch in the village and then drive a short distance down to the Tonle Sap Lake. This vast lake, the largest in Southeast Asia, is home to an impressive array of birds and a number of floating communities. After shuttling out some distance in a boat, we take to kayaks and paddle our way through the small houses constructed on pontoons that make up the small floating village of Meatrey.

Some negativity has developed around tourism practices relating to the floating villages, but this is a less visited location and the way in which you will be introduced to the village will allow you to enjoy a friendly chat with the locals as we paddle by the equivalent of their front gate. There are no invasive or exploitative aspects to our visit here. For any children who are too young for the kayak, we will arrange a wooden rowboat with an expert rower.

Dry Season: March through July the water level in the Tonle Sap Lake can drop quite low and it is not possible to kayak as we normally do. In this instance, we will provide a local rowing boat to the village instead. If it is a particularly dry year we have suitable land-based activities available to substitute.

We are fitting in a lot today, but the following days are at a lighter pace. We disembark mid-afternoon and take a three-hour drive to reach Battambang.

Riding: 16 mi 25 km

Meal: BLD

While Cambodia's reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse is non-existent, its villages are productive on a very small scale in traditional foods, crafts and agricultural products, the art of which has been passed down through generations. Today we hop on our bikes and take a ride of the Battambang surrounds to learn more about these products and to meet the colorful characters who make them.

We will be guided by a student from the local university: a great way to get to know another side of Cambodian culture from the perspective of its youth. A contribution is made to the homes that we visit in thanks for their time. The ride concludes late morning and after enjoying lunch nearby, we return to the hotel for some downtime.

Battambang is a pleasant town with some remaining colonial-era architecture and a bustling trading district. At dusk, vendors of a variety of snacks and drinks set up along the riverfront and the residents of all age groups come out for some light exercise and socializing. If the bamboo train is running, we’ll take a ride on its track through the forest. There is also an option to see the bats leave their caves at Phnom Sampeou, a nearby hill that is home to many of these nocturnal residents- a truly stunning sight!

Riding: 12 mi 20 km

Meal: BLD

Battambang is a sleepy town with a colonial style charm that traces roots back to its history as a former trading hub. Indeed, the surrounding province is often referred to as the rice bowl (breadbasket) of Cambodia, being the country's most fertile area for agriculture. This laid-back atmosphere and lush countryside make it an ideal location to explore by bike in the morning's cooler temperatures. After returning to the hotel, we make the four-hour drive into Phnom Penh, stopping along the way for lunch in Pursat and to see the home of Cambodian pottery in Kampong Chhnang. We arrive into Phnom Penh late afternoon and head out for dinner by the river.

Meal: BL

Today a variety of activities are on offer, but it is up to each family the extent to which they participate. There is an option to join at any transition or to leave at any transition and return to the hotel. Following breakfast, we make an early start on cycle rickshaws (cyclos) to explore the city. We ride past Wat Phnom, the small hill in the north of the city, from which its name is derived and past the Central Market, Independence Monument and back around, past the National Museum and the northern end of the palace. We'll then take a walk through the local market before returning to the hotel to freshen up. Next up, we have an opportunity to try our hand at net fishing. A small wooden boat picks us up and we head out into the Tonle Sap River to cast our nets. It is a good way to get some exercise and all the more satisfying if you catch a fish or two. The technique is important and by the time we return to the hotel, you will be an expert. In the afternoon we pay a visit to a music school where we can see some of the students practicing and perhaps try our hand at the traditional xylophone. We finish up with a proper visit to the palace and silver pagoda before they close. With a full day of activity under our belts, the evening is free to provide you some additional flexibility to choose your meals.

Riding: 16 mi 25 km

Meal: BL

Phnom Penh is situated at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers. This huge waterway is also home to various islands. Today we take an island hopping ride to see the communities living on these islands that produce an amazing variety of fruit and vegetables. They are so close to the city, yet it feels like you are nowhere urban. Fertile soil allows for farming of many different small crops and when not tending to crops, many of the local women earn additional income through weaving silk or cotton into various products. They sell these products to the markets in Phnom Penh. We will hear a little about the life of silk, from the worm to the scarf as we make stops along our ride. We return to town for lunch and then a late checkout from the hotel. A car will be waiting to take you to the airport, or you may wish to stay on or head south to the coast. We can assist with any of these arrangements as required.