Cambodia Cycling & Biking Holiday in 2-week Itinerary

You will be met at the airport in Phnom Penh and transferred to your hotel. You have a free afternoon to visit some of the city's highlights and enjoy your first experience of Khmer culture.  There will be a group briefing at 17.00 at the hotel.

We begin the day with a short transfer out of Phnom Penh. Our cycling tour begins alongside railway line through rice paddies and past small villages. Reaching Krong Chbar Mon, we stop for lunch at a local restaurant then transfer to Kirirom National Park. Known as 'Happy Mountain', the park provides sanctuary for a range of wild animals including elephants, deer and boar. They are rather elusive and tend to remain deep inside the forest areas.  Bird watchers visit from all over the world to enjoy spotting the unique species at Kirirom. We have time to explore and enjoy a swim in a small waterfall, late this afternoon.

We cycle from our hotel following a short trail which is used for national mountain bike racing. Leaving the park behind us we ride on through the countryside passing fields of corn, cassava and mango. We transfer by vehicle on the final stretch of our journey to reach Kampot; a quiet colonial riverside town, with sleepy fading elegance. The region is reputed to have the best seafood in the country. In the surrounding countryside bamboo dwellings and stilted wooden huts sit amongst palm trees and water buffalo and white cattle graze in the fields.

Leaving Kampot we cycle through salt fields; sea water sits on a clay bed and cone shaped crystal mounds dry out in the sun. Nearing Kep we journey through pepper plantations, red and green berry covered vines are visible the fields.  The modern beach resort has emerged alongside traces of the town’s French colonial past, set in beautiful countryside and tree covered hills. Kep is renowned for its idyllic surroundings and the local delicacy, crab is served in many restaurants.  We take a boat trip before lunch to visit Koh Tansey (Rabbit Island) a stunning tropical island which hosts four beautiful beaches. We will have lunch here and this afternoon you can swim, relax and explore the area. We will return to Kep around 5pm.

We make an early start on the tour today, cycling away from Kep, riding to a local pepper farm. We continue cycling along sealed roads and red dirt tracks for a few hours as we pass through small villages where the main forms of transport are ox drawn carts and water buffalo. We ride to Tang Dong and Tany Market, before we reach Krong Takaey.
 

From our hotel we cycle to visit Ta Mok house located in the middle of Takeo Lake. Ta Mok was the general commander of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. He continued to control the Khmer Rouge army until 1998 when Pol Pot died and all Khmer Rouge forces were demobilized into government forces. Ta Mok died in prison a few years later following his arrest. Cycling on, we continue our journey on quiet back road through beautiful Cambodian countryside, riding to Chisor Mountain Temple an 11th C Khmer shrine and then cycle to Tonle Bati Lake where we stop for lunch. This afternoon we ride the last 30km to the killing fields, a harrowing reminder of the Khmer Rouge atrocities. After spending some time here, we transfer the last 15km to your hotel in Phnom Penh.

Today you are free to explore Phnom Penh. You can visit the sumptuous Silver Pagoda with 5000 silver floor tiles and the Royal Palace, both located in the Royal Complex, or the ancient Wat Phnom temple, set apart from the bustling streets. The city's Psar Tuol Tom Pong (Russian Market) or the art-deco Psar Thmei (Central Market) offer the opportunity to do some bartering. 

This morning we leave the city, crossing the Mekong and then cycle on along a river bank trail. We pass through traditional villages where you will see wooden houses on stilts. We stop to visit a traditional silk weaving community. The small quiet roads are a real pleasure to cycle on and local children race to greet us. After 50km, we transfer buy vehicle to a local restaurant for lunch; you can try the local speciality - roast tarantula. We transfer on to Kampong Cham, a charming authentically Cambodian city where traces of French colonial rule mix with modern development. From our riverside hotel there is the option to cycle to a peaceful Mekong island.

Today we enjoy a beautiful ride along the Mekong River and cycle over an impressive wooden bridge before arriving into Kampong Thom, a lovely town on the banks of the Stung Sen River. There are two main temples in the town; Sambor and Prei Kuk.

We cycle this morning to the Prei Kuk temple near Kampong Thom city, you have time to look around Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk and the surrounding area. The central part of the temple is divided into three main areas. Each section is located in a square lay out surrounded by a brick wall. We will cycle on a short distance to Kampong Svay, our lunch spot. After lunch, we transfer to Siem Reap.

Today on the tour we explore more of the area around Siem Reap, cycling out into the countryside to Kampong Phluk fishing village. On our way we pass a few Rolous group temples from the 9th Century, Bakong, Lolei, and Preah Ko. An ancient Khmer city here was known as Hariharalaya. We take a boat trip on the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) the largest freshwater lake in Asia. You have time this afternoon for shopping and sightseeing. 

You will be collected from the hotel at around 04.30 and transferred to Angkor Wat for a magical sunrise. There is a guided tour around the temple which takes about an hour before we enjoy breakfast in the shade of the trees that surround the temple. This morning we cycle around the area and explore other wats. This is a beautiful ride through green fields and vibrant villages as we experience the incomparable spectacle of so many temples. The cycling ends around 2.30 pm so you will have time for a siesta this afternoon to compensate for the early start.

We cycle into the countryside north of Siem Reap passing villages where local food such as fresh noodles, palm sugar and juice are in production. Once we reach Kbal Spean we hike 1500m through mountain scenery to visit the River of 1000 Lingas. A series of stone carvings feature in the river bed and banks. The motifs are mainly a multitude of lingams (phallic symbol of Hindu god Shiva), depicted as neatly arranged bumps that cover the surface of a sandstone bed rock, and lingam-yoni designs. There are also Hindu mythological motifs, including depictions of the gods (Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Lakshmi), as well as animals. Local people believe the motifs bring fertility and blessings to the Angkor area as the river flows here on its way to Siem Reap. This afternoon we ride to Banteay Srei Temple. Whilst many of Cambodia’s temples are impressive because of their sheer size, Banteay Srei is outstanding for the quality of its construction and decoration. Pink sandstone walls are decorated with what some consider the best carvings in the area, still in excellent condition.

The tour officially ends this morning. Hotel check out time is midday.
We will arrange a free transfer from the hotel to the airport (Siem Reap) for your international flight home.