You are welcome at Siem Reap Airport and drive to Siem Reap City Center; check in at the hotel, and rest after the flight journey. Welcome dinner in one of the best restaurant in town.
Travelers love to enjoy sunrise and sunset at Angkor Temple because Angkor Wat Sunrise is so popular among visitors. After all, the sun rises directly behind the temple creating the most stunning photographs. We depart early to enjoy the sunrise at Angkor Temple, visit the main temple, and then have breakfast in the compound of Angkor Wat. From here, we'll venture to the Angkor complex and temples in the area for the remainder of the following: Kravan temple, Banteay Kdei, and stop at the famous Ta Phrom, embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers, Ta Keo temple, Chao Say Tevoda, Terrace of Leper King, Terrace of Elephant, Bayon temple, Angkor Thom. Afterward, we cycle to Angkor Wat to finish the small circuit. Stop at the South Gate of Angkor Thom to take photos. Have lunch at a selected restaurant before we ride on jungle trails to see more of the Angkor surroundings. Return to Siem Reap by support vehicles.
Boats between Siem Reap and Battambang leave in either direction at 7:30 am. each day. The trip takes 6 to 8 hours, depending on the season, the water level, and the direction you are going; the journey from Battambang to Siem Reap is shorter than the other way around.
In the afternoon, following lunch with two options:
-Take the afternoon boat ride from Battambang to Siem Reap in the rainy season- high water levels. Cruising to Battambang from late July - early January
- Take a transfer from Battambang to Siem Reap in the dry season- low water levels - transfer to Battambang from late January to early July.
We will cycle 30 minutes from the hotel to catch the morning boat to Battambang. We follow a small road and quickly ride on dirt tracks through the countryside, rice paddies, and lotus fields, see many buffalos, and experience people's lives through fertile farmlands to Tonle Sap, where the boat awaits. Siem Reap to Battambang by boat is one of the best ways to see the beautiful country and a chance to experience it. Traveling across the Tonle Sap Lake and its rivers is an experience you will never forget. Witness the real life of Cambodia, which lives alongside rivers in local material stilt houses and floating villages. Most people live mainly fishing on creeks, rivers, and lakes, where boats travel through.
The option for traveling in the dry season:
After a leisurely breakfast, a transfer from Siem Reap to Battambang takes about 4 hours. Break for lunch in Battambang town, then check in at the hotel. Be ready for a bike ride at 1:30 pm. Your half-day combined tour by bike and bamboo trains lets you explore the verdant agriculture fields, ancient temples, and vibrant villages and learn more about local businesses and industries with breaks at workshops making local snacks from rice, bananas, tapiocas, and cooking sticky rice in bamboo. Biking on single tracks as we get more and deeper remote hamlets but don't worry about it because support/backup vehicles are always nearby as much as possible in Cambodia's countryside.
After breakfast, we start the back roads and briefly leave the town behind. We cycle on the small dirt back road along the Sangker River, cross the railway, pass fruit orchards, lush rural farming, and authentic villages, and sometimes ride alongside the river. See vendors of a variety of snacks and drinks along the way. The routes are flat, with some undulating, and look over the stunning mountain scenery, rice paddy fields, and peaceful landscape along the Sangker river banks. Arrives in the small town of Banan-a rural Dist is about 19km from Battambang. Break for coffee in Banan, then continue crossing the vast farmlands and countryside villages to Thippadei Mountain. From here, we hop on support vehicles for a-45 minute transfer to Moung Ruessei town for lunch. Following lunch, we resume the transfer 30 minutes to Beong Khna, where we cross the beautiful countryside to canals called Prek Chik. This is the longest manufactured canal in Cambodia. We ride race along the man-made canals to Damnak Ompil, pass quite a few villages. There are regular stops for coffee and fruit during the cycling. We finish the day at Damnak Ompil and have a quick transfer to Pursat City.
We commence today's rice from the hotel, follow the quiet back roads by the Purtsat River, and enjoy local life along the river bank. After we cycle a few km, we turn onto the idyllic countryside, pass primary schools, and colorful temples, then turn off the single and dirt tracks through the verdant lush farmlands, and keep biking along the agricultural canals. There are many stops at local markets and small villages to experience local culture before we reach the wetlands of Tonle Sap. The zig-zag routes through stilt-house villages lead you to Kampong Loung- a sizeable floating village north of Krakor on Tonlé Sap Lake. Break for coffee before your guide arranges a sampan boat ride to see the floating market. After the boat ride, have lunch at a local restaurant. The following lunch, we'll transfer 1. hour to the Tmar Keo rural village, where we will continue exploring the backwaters, wetland, and fish farmings, continue on dirt roads to the outskirts of Kampong Chhnang, take the back roads and ride directly to the non-tourist destination town.
After early breakfast, we'll transfer 2 hours to Oudong—the former capital of Cambodia in 18 century. We climb the stairs to the top of Oudong Mountain and enjoy the stunning scenery over the plains below. Learn more about the ancient history and local lifestyles before we cycle 30km to discover the rural communities, sometimes on amazing trails with many stops along the way. Passing Chey Odam, cross the rustic rural villages and will finish the day ride at Prek Pnov. Lunch en route before a transfer to Phnom Penh in early the afternoon. Check-in at the hotel. Free to explore the capital city and have dinner on your own.
We'll transfer out of the crowded city of Phnom Penh. Then we ride south of Phnom Penh to Chisaur Mountain Temple in rural Cambodia. Ride through beautiful countryside and casually cycle through remote villages and waterways via narrow dirt tracks. Visit Chisaur Mountain Temple, located on the top of a hill, a 133-meters high mountain in Dok Por village, overlooking the Cambodian countryside. Ride through beautiful countryside and casually cycle through remote villages and waterways via narrow dirt tracks. After lunch at a local restaurant, we'll take a transfer to Kampong Trach Mountain where the afternoon begins. We cross the paddy fields and small villages, enjoy the stunning landscape of Kampong Trach mountain park and water caves. The area offers limestone karst mountains that hide numerous caves and caverns with beautiful mountain views.
The routes are gentle dirt tracks and a little hilly but more undulating. Afterward, we continue to explore chili pepper farms and the vast plantations. Chilli pepper in Kampot is one of the most well-known chili pepper in the world. Visit the workshop to learn more about how to process it. Ride past the Brateak Krola Lake, enjoy watching lotus fields, and cycle through lush farms to Tuek Chhou, hop on support vehicles and drive to Kampot City.
Bokor Hill Station refers to a collection of French colonial buildings constructed as a peaceful mountain luxury resort and retreat for colonial residents in the early 1920s atop Bokor Mountain in Preah Monivong National Park. The top of Bakor Hill Station is about 1000 meters above sea level and 38km from Kampot. The first 10km is flat, and the rest are up and up! Don't worry about this. The support vehicles are always nearby, and the team will load your bikes in a van and drive you to the top, and you can cycle down. Bokor Hill Station is worth visiting and exploring, with photos taken at the opportunity. Then, we will ride to Kep to see the French Colonial town, and we will cycle following the lovely countryside and farming, especially the Plantation black pepper Farm, then continue cycling to Kep.
After breakfast, we make a 20-minute transfer to the countryside of Krong Kaeb, where we cycle to the coast, enjoy the coastal riding, pass lively villages and local beaches, and stop for coffee in the fishing town. Afterward, we cycle onto beautiful winding roads through salt fields, rice paddies, and colorful fishing boats along the coast. We sometimes undulate the routes and pass stilted houses along mountain hills. After leaving the salt field behind, we re-joined the main roads and keep cycling on the main road a couple of km to Xa Xia Border, with lunch en route to the border and say goodbye to the Cambodian team. After the immigration checkpoint, cross the border and meet the Vietnamese team. We'll take a short transfer to Ha Tien.
Note: Please keep your passport, visa photos, and other related documents in your day bag for your visa application process. Your local guide will help you with exit/ entry and visa procedures at Vietnamese and Cambodian border gates.
- Exit point: Prek Chak Border Gate
- Entry point: Ha Tien border Gate
We commence the day cycle from the hotel, following the back roads, biking along the canals, the water palm, and the mangrove forest, weaving kids through the rural villages, stopping at local factory building boats, and racing with grocery and cargo boats along the canals. As the ride closes Kien Luong, the soils are more fertile, and we will see more rice paddies and lush vegetable farmlands along the countryside. Join locals on a ferry to Kien Luong market break for coffee and fruits. Lunch en route to Rach Gia. We explore tiny villages, seafood farms, and vast rice paddy fields in the afternoon on concrete paths and dirt tracks to Rach Gia.
From the hotel, we'll travel on A/C vehicles 1. hour to Giong Rieng, where we will experience Khmer culture living in Vietnam. Ride on your space, zig-zag dirt track, across verdant paddies, sometimes racing along canals where local people trade, sell, and buy daily on rivers. We'll then stop at some families and local markets to interact with friendly locals. Break for lunch in Thoi Lai, and enjoy Vietnam coffee and seasonal fruits before we explore the backwaters and people's lives in Phong Dien. The routes are well-maintained and windy along the rivers and fruit orchards with many small bridges over river networks.
Can Tho is famous for its floating markets, where locals sell and buy things on the river. The best time to see it is from 6:00 to 8:00 am. We’ll catch the floating markets early in the morning. It is a good time to watch real life in the market where the local people trade, sell, and buy daily, but more crowded in the morning. Most of the main items for selling there are farm products and specialties of locals and from neighboring provinces. Following that, we’ll disembark the boat and take 1-hour transfer to Vinh Long City. Pick up the bikes and join locals on a ferry to An Binh Island. We cycle across the island, passing tropical fruit orchards and water channels and weaving kids along the villages. The second ferry crosses the Mekong River to Cai Be's countryside. We follow small paths through fruit orchards to Ba Kiet Ancient house, where your local specialty lunch meals well-arranged. After delicious lunch, walk around this house, and learn more about Vietnam's southern three partitional houses. Your guide will tell you more about it. Afterward, we ride to visit some of the local workshops producing local snacks, sweets, and handicrafts before we carry on the last-day ride on back roads to Cay Lay, where we end up cycling and will transfer on the freeway to Ho Chi Minh. Tour End!
An Immersive Experience You Can Only Have on Bikes
We cycled through rice fields with egrets, we ate lunch under a thatched roof and rested in hammocks, we saw how rice noodles are made, how water buffalo walk into water up to their necks, how school kids get to school and how they yell "HELLO!" to Western cyclers, tasted numerous fruits and vegetables. Our guides made safety a priority and we did not ride into the busy cities (van carried us and our bikes). Our guides were very knowledgeable in Cambodian and Vietnamese history, customs, etc. and were super helpful and friendly. Hotels and meals booked by the tour were outstanding. The guides will alter the pace or amount of riding based on the clients wishes so it can adapt to your needs. Ask for Poleak in Cambodia and Huong in Vietnam. Both are professional and delightful. We did 12-day Angkor Wat to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) ride. 19 November 2023
Thank you for a great trip!
1. Bike seats for women! I got very sore riding with a regular bike seat. (I didn't tell Poleak because I didn't know we could do anything about it.) Once I got a different kind of seat (in Vietnam), I was WAY more comfortable. I guess women need a different kind. Maybe you could make some women's seats available. I'm attaching a picture of the comfortable seat.
2. Most of the hotels were great, especially the eco-lodges and the colorful one in Phnom Penh. The only hotel that wasn't great was the River Hotel. Just thought I'd let you know. People were nice but the hotel was a little run down and the street noise in the morning.
3. 12 days is a lot of days to ride, unpack, pack and ride again. Maybe you want to offer a "down day” in the middle of the trip where the clients stay in same place for two nights in a row. People can have the option to ride that day leaving and returning to the same place, or not ride. Just an idea! 05 - 16 November 2023