Overview
A trip with the perfect balance of history, culture, adventure, great bike touring, and an opportunity to make new friends. This adventure starts in Siem Reap where we see first-hand the feat of the ancients at Angkor Wat and its accompanying temples. From there, we embark on an enjoyable cycle tour of this charming country.
We venture into the north of Cambodia the last holdout of the Maoist Khmer Rouge before peace was achieved. Here the landscapes are similar to what they were throughout the country decades ago, with sparser populations, more forest cover and red laterite roads snaking off into the distance. We pay a visit to the majestic Preah Vihear Temple atop the Dangrek Mountain Range with views over to Thailand. We see traditional farming methods still in practice and meet many friendly, hospitable people throughout the countryside. We pass through towns still sporting the remnants of French colonialism in their architecture as we discover what makes Cambodia so captivating.
Flat terrain, back roads with no traffic, great food and warm weather are all great reasons for anyone with a curiosity about Cambodia to enjoy this bike tour. If that isn't motivation enough, then a beach finish surely is.
674 Km riding. The terrain is a mix of sealed and unsealed roads, tracks and trails. Unsealed roads account for around 60% of the riding and the rest is on paved roads. It is our aim to deliver as much traffic-free track and trail as possible, but at times we do need to resort to secondary roads. We spend no more than 20km over the whole tour on anything resembling a highway. The riding is easily achievable for those who are comfortable controlling a bike. There are only a few short hills at times, but for the most part, this is a very flat ride.
Highlights
Experience a once-in-a-lifetime sunrise over Angkor Wat before exploring the temples.
Visit Preah Vihear, another UNESCO World Heritage wonder, and explore this mystical temple with views of Thailand.
Stop to see a refreshing waterfall before pedaling into the thick forests of Kirirom National Park.
Pedal your way to the coast, and explore the charming towns of Kep and Kampot.
Day to Day
As you exit the airport, our driver will be waiting for you with a beaming smile. After a short drive to the hotel, you will have some time to relax before the group meeting at 5pm. Your tour leader will conduct a briefing at this time, after which you can try out your bike for size and make any necessary adjustments. An authentic culinary journey awaits to introduce you to Cambodia.
As first light dawns, you will be at the most important religious monument in the country, admiring the extraordinary temple of Angkor Wat across a reflecting moat. After the sun rises behind the triple towers, the crowds will thin out as most people return to bed or a hotel breakfast. We will make use of the cool temperatures and soft morning light to explore Angkor Wat in a more peaceful atmosphere. A delicious breakfast spread awaits us just a short pedal away, after which we continue to explore other iconic temples as well as some hidden treasures of the Angkor area. We ride some lovely back trails and even ride atop the wall of Angkor Thom temple, overlooking the moat. Lunch is had by a small lake before we cycle back to town.
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.
We start the ride in earnest today as we leave Siem Reap and cycle north on a mix of trails and backroads through shady villages and past small mountains with names owing to the temples that sit atop them. There are barely any cars on the route today, save for one section just after lunch. We park our bikes at Banteay Srei, the pink temple, for lunch and then continue onto Kbal Spean. Kbal Spean is a waterfall and river where mythological Hindu motifs are carved into the sandstone riverbed. It is surrounded by forest and at the foot of the hill sits the ACCB Wildlife Conservation Centre. Time permitting, we will take a tour of the facility and learn more about their breeding and re-release initiatives. The sanctuary holds an impressive array of rescued birds and wildlife. After taking all this in, we have a two-hour drive to reach the small town of Sra Em, where a comfortable hotel awaits.
We mount our bikes and head out straight from the hotel, and it's not long before the dramatic site of the Dangrek Mountains comes into view. The watershed of this range forms the Cambodia-Thailand border for most of northern Cambodia east of the Mekong. We park the bikes at the foot of the mountains and take the ancient staircase to reach the temple. Ancient it may be, but a sturdy and easily walkable wooden staircase has been added to aid tourism, so this is a nice walk that avoids the busier road route and provides some lovely views. The temple is orientated to what is now Thailand and the remnants of a long-simmering dispute are visible in the form of trenches and bunkers dug into the hill and old, rusted firepower pointing in the direction of the neighbors. We spend a couple of hours exploring this World Heritage Site. The majority of visitors to the site are Khmer people who have traveled by road from far away to see the handiwork of their ancestors. This makes for some fun conversation along the way. Lunch is had in a little restaurant nearby and we then descend the hill in the back of a pickup truck to find our bikes. We do ride back by the same route, so the option exists to take the vehicle back for those who have had enough activity for one day. The hotel pool awaits, as does a substantial dinner.
We make a slow start this morning so you can enjoy a sleep in, a good breakfast and perhaps a swim. We then drive around two hours to reach the shaded ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk. For those who may be concerned about becoming "templed out", we would like to assure you that this also serves as a nice venue for a picnic in the shade and the peaceful surroundings. For those who are interested, we take a short exploratory walk, and then we hit the bikes. It is warm as we start, but the day cools off mid-afternoon and by the time we cycle into the provincial capital of Kampong Thom, the sun will be low in the sky and the BBQ restaurants will be emitting tasty aromas. A simpler but still perfectly comfortable hotel awaits.
Again a drive is necessary to set us up for a great ride, but this is a short one and we will be on the bikes by 8am. We then ride the backroads and trails through plantation country where cassava, rubber and various other cash crops are grown. The crops are punctuated by small villages that have occupied the land for a very long time with wooden stilt houses sitting in the shade of large trees. The surface is mixed today. We start out on dirt roads, but then cycle secondary, paved road that takes us all the way to the Mekong River. We then ride a paved road of slightly lesser quality through the riverside villages as we trace the river south into Kampong Cham, a town of greater size to the last one. Our hotel again is somewhat simple, but clean and comfortable, looking out over the Mekong River which is in excess of 700m wide at this point.
With the majority of our car time behind us, today is a door to door ride. There are few capital cities in Asia where you can ride right up to the door of your hotel after experiencing minimal traffic. We follow the Mekong River again today. The inhabitants of the riverbank villages are mostly Muslim Cham people, descendants of the former Kingdom of Champa that occupied much of what is now south/central Vietnam. The villages are typically made up of small wooden stilt houses. The families in these communities raise cattle and catch fish from the river. As the water level drops, they make use of the fertile soil on the banks to grow chili peppers, sesame and peanuts. We cycle a mixture of terrain today, with mostly well-made, recently-paved roads, but one section of rougher dirt and gravel. We enjoy a picnic lunch in the grounds of a modern-day temple and then pedal on to the ferry port with Phnom Penh on the far bank of the river. Arriving by this route is such a surprise. One minute you are riding through riverside villages with cows next to you, the next moment you are riding past the Royal Palace with a Range Rover at your side. Such are the contrasts of Cambodia. Our centrally located hotel allows us to walk through the vibrant riverside area to reach one of the best restaurants in the city.
When the French first came to Cambodia, it is said that Phnom Penh consisted of the palace and a couple of rows of wooden shacks along the river. When King Sihanouk negotiated independence from the French, the city was considered a beautiful one with a deliberate street plan, an iconic central market and broad boulevards filled with Renaults, Citroens and cycle rickshaws known as Cyclos. That is not to say that Phnom Penh owes its aesthetics to the colonialists. The Golden Era of the 60s saw various landmark buildings constructed, with the father of Cambodian contemporary architecture Van Molwyn shaping them under commission by Prime Minister and King Sihanouk.
Once the Golden era came to an end, the ensuing years have resulted in a city that still exhibits some of the shattered charm that inspired many early expats and returned Khmers to open bars and restaurants in the old French buildings. Today, a rush towards progress has added a layer of modern buildings and brought many cars and motorbikes to fill the streets. There is much to see in a day; with the aid of an enthusiastic tuk-tuk driver, you can explore the central market, the palace, and perhaps the somber exhibits of the Killing Fields and S21 Genocide Museum. Or you may opt for a day of pampering and recovery, something that the spas and cafes of Phnom Penh make an art form of.
A drive of about 1.5 hours allows us to miss out on the dense traffic of the city. By the time we hit the bikes, we are back out in the open spaces of rice growing country. We saddle up and ride to the Chombak Commune. Here the villagers have embarked on an eco-tourism initiative, using the nearby waterfall as a drawcard to bring adventurous travelers to their doorstep. The hope is that by hosting some guests and bringing some alternative income into the community, the lure of poaching or logging in the nearby forest is reduced. We visit the waterfall and enjoy lunch before we pedal onto Kirirom National Park. There is an optional hill climb as we draw near to the hotel, but the vehicle will take those who might be averse to hill climbs to the top. A peaceful and cooler place, the recently constructed accommodation is comfortable and welcoming.
A morning walk of the hilltop is highly recommended. After breakfast, we will take a ride around the park to visit the waterfall, the former Royal Residence and to see the pine trees that are a curious but purposeful addition to the landscape. There is a mountain biking trail for those with the skills and in the late morning, we can enjoy the descent back to the flatlands. Once we reach the highway, we load up and drive one and a half hours to reach quieter roads. We then ride into Sihanoukville through the back entrance, passing white, sandy beaches and aquamarine water on our way. We also pass the port facility and arrive at our comfortable resort with its private beach in the late afternoon. There are various excellent restaurant options in Sihanoukville, so the choice is yours.
The achievement day. It's time to draw on that conditioning that you have accumulated over the last ten days and put it into use for another great door to door ride. We start out by following the coast to the undeveloped end of Sihanoukville, then ride up into the hinterland with views back over the gulf. After a little inland riding, it's back to the water to cycle through a couple of small fishing villages near Ream National Park. We push on and ride inland again on small roads. As our bellies grumble for lunch, an imposing mountain comes into view. Actually, it is a range in itself, the Elephant Mountains, and the peak that is in sight is Bokor Mountain. We spend the afternoon skirting around the base of the mountain on a well-made road and roll into the sleepy little town of Kampot where a heritage building has been converted into a comfortable hotel.
Kampot is a pleasant little town, situated on a river inlet with some good examples of French period architecture and a Chinese settler heritage. For those with tired legs, massages are available and there are some good cafes. For those with the energy, a visit to the top of Bokor is a possibility. Here an old casino is perched near some truly amazing views down over the sea.
In the afternoon, we ride on backroads past a secret lake to reach the little seaside town of Kep. A completely different vibe pervades here to Sihanoukville. We stay in a tasteful, boutique property and enjoy fresh seafood for dinner.
Our last ride starts from the doorstep of the accommodation. We head back to the inland trails and spend the rest of the morning on these. We pass by limestone karsts and remote villages where locals are farming rice and tending to buffalo. This will have become such a regular scene that you are sure to leave Cambodia with it etched in your memory. We finish up with one last picnic and then drive into Phnom Penh for our final night of the tour where a feast befitting our achievements awaits.
The tour concludes after breakfast. If you are going to the airport, we will have a car waiting, or perhaps you are staying on in Cambodia.
Dates & Price
EARLY RIDER PRIZE: Be in the first 4 to book a departure and get 5% OFF the tour price
WHAT MAKES US STAND OUT
GRASSHOPPER STYLE
We have carefully crafted this itinerary to give you a thorough look at what makes Cambodia tick, from the ancient Angkor kingdom to the Thai border, onto the capital city and then the coast. Not only does this tour include great riding, but also plenty of cultural immersion and opportunities to connect with locals and glimpse the activities of their daily lives. Along the way, you’ll visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites, plenty of ancient temples, small villages and national parks. We’ve worked out all the details for you, so saddle up and enjoy the ride!
