Cambodia cycling tours
| country: | Cambodia |
| trip type: | Adventurous cycling holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 22 Dec 2010: 24 Jul, 15 Nov |
| price: | From US $1990 (13 days) excluding flights. Optional single supplement US $580. Price includes accommodation, support vehicle, local guides, tour leader, most meals, entry fees |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This adventurous trip will take you cycling on the fun roads of Cambodia to some of the most spectacular temples in history and through the villages of smiling Khmer people. The majesty of the Angkor temples is lost on no one and you'll realise why after spending 3 days in and around the temples.
But there's more to Cambodia than just temples. Cycling the highways and byways we travel from west to east and then south to the beautiful Cambodian coastline visiting the charming capital Phnom Penh as well as smaller regional towns and witnessing all that Cambodia has to offer.
Cycling conditions: 84% sealed road, 16% dirt road. Cambodia's roads have a reputation as the worst in South East Asia but they are changing fast. Work is in progress on all the major highways while the back roads we sometimes use are not sealed. Apart from a few hills on the last day all roads are flat.
But there's more to Cambodia than just temples. Cycling the highways and byways we travel from west to east and then south to the beautiful Cambodian coastline visiting the charming capital Phnom Penh as well as smaller regional towns and witnessing all that Cambodia has to offer.
Cycling conditions: 84% sealed road, 16% dirt road. Cambodia's roads have a reputation as the worst in South East Asia but they are changing fast. Work is in progress on all the major highways while the back roads we sometimes use are not sealed. Apart from a few hills on the last day all roads are flat.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-4: | Siem Reap. After arriving into Siem Reap you'll have three days to explore the wonders of the ancient Angkor Kingdom by the best way possible...bicycle. Cycle 40+70km. |
| Day 5: | Kompong Cham. We travel to this provincial capital first by road and then by bike on some of Cambodia's beautiful back roads. Cycle 45km. |
| Day 6-7: | Phnom Penh. One of the most picturesque cycling days, we ride along dirt roads by the Mekong River which takes us to the nation's capital. We will visit the S21 prison and have time to cruise around this charming city. Cycle 63km. |
| Day 8: | Takeo. Turning south, we pay an early morning visit to the infamous Killing Fields before continuing on to the small lake side town of Takeo. Cycle 83km. |
| Day 9: | Kep. Taking great back roads all day we arrive in Kep, the former beach side resort town of the French era. Now partly in ruins Kep is enjoying a comeback. Cycle 100km. |
| Day 10: | Kampot. A free realxing morning and an easy afternoon ride brings us to charming Kampot which sits between rivers and mountains and is the perfect place to relax and enjoy an old colonial town. Cycle 25km. |
| Day 11-13: | Sihanoukville. It's coastline riding for our last day on the bikes, cycling under the gaze of the Elephant Mountains. We stay for a day in the coastal resort town of Sihanoukville for a well earned beach-side rest. On the last morning we will transfer in the morning dropping you off at the airport or you can choose to stay extra days in Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh. Cycle 108km. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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On this cycling tour, apart from your tour leader, all the crew including drivers, guides and crew and locals from the region. Our cycling guides are generally members of the national cycling team so they are able to earn income from guiding while maintaining their fitness and having flexible working times to be able to attend regional competitions.
Plastic usage is a big problem in Asia so we use large refillable water bottles to fill your drink bottle. Our meals on cycling days are taken at local restaurants to both help spread the money that we are bringing to Cambodia as well as reducing waste that would be generated by picnic meals. In Phnom Penh we support the ‘Friends’ project by taking the group to enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants. Friends train local disadvantaged youth in the hospitality industry and also provide free meals to thousands of street children everyday. The accommodation we use in Cambodia is all locally owned and operated, employing local staff and services. In the small towns and villages the accommodation is simple and often the only place to stay in town. Our visits inject a lot of business into these small towns that create employment for locals. On this tour we visit the famous Angkor temples. Our entrance fee goes to the maintenance of and further research into the historical park. Around many of temples are children who sell souvenirs to the many tourists who visit. We encourage our clients to not buy from the children. While the children state that they do go to school many of them only attend English classes so that they are better able to sell. Parents are not encouraged to give their children a full education because of the relatively large incomes that can be earned while the children are young, cute and more able to sell souvenirs. Our group size is keep to a maximum of 14 clients. This is both a reflection of the limits in the accommodation of the smaller towns that we stop in and our desire to not be too over powering in our impact on a destination. We only run this tour a few times a year and have no desire to be bringing weekly groups through these regions. Our small office is, apart from accounting requirements, paperless. We deal with customers electronically and do not print brochures to distribute. By remaining only as an online presence we reduce the wastage associated with producing annual brochures. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |