Siem Reap to Saigon Cycling Adventure

We arrive and stay in the heart of the cosmopolitan lifestyle that has been thrust on Siem Reap since the country has opened up to the outside world.
After we pick you up from the airport and take you to the hotel, take some time to relax or explore the city before we meet for a welcome dinner.
Dinner is at one of Siem Reap’s best restaurants, Marum. It’s part of the Friends International social enterprise projects, providing vocational training for marginalized youth.

Sunrise is from 4.30am as we hit the bikes for the first time, but it is so worth it. Sunrise over Angkor Wat is a bucket list achievement for good reason.
From here we’ll venture on to other, and arguably more impressive, temples in the area for the remainder of the morning.
In the early afternoon, we’ll have the chance to visit our first NGO of the trip. We will spend time with these incredibly inspirational people that have dedicated their lives to helping others.
Hear their stories and understand what the real issues of the country are.
We often dine at Hoem's house, with his family, for dinner. Hoem is the host for the tour.

We ride out of Siem Reap to the boat port (20km). Travelling across the wetlands and navigating our way around Tonle Sap river is an experience you will never forget.
The road soon turns to single track as we get more and more remote. We farewell our support van and venture on into the rural and barren lands of Cambodia.
Few villages exist out here, supporting themselves through sustainable fishing methods. After the boat, it’s another 20-30km to Battambang, depending on the river levels.
Battambang is great for shopping, with colonial-style streets and hidden secrets where bric-a-brac abounds. Dinner is in another social enterprise based restaurant, Jann Bai, that is often hailed as the best dinner in Cambodia!

After an early breakfast, we’ll make our way along the dusty red back roads to the nearby local attraction of Banan Temple. We’ll cycle back to the town of Battambang to explore a little more and grab lunch at leisure.
We’ll get to the town of Pursat by early afternoon and into our hotel to enjoy the swimming pool and on-site massage spa. We’ll get a great experience from an amazing NGO, Sustainable Cambodia. A full presentation by the executives in their office and a tour of their facilities.
See the difference the NGO makes first hand. Be inspired by the real difference made by real people.

We start cycling 75km out from Phnom Penh, and ride all the way up to the front door of the hotel. The back roads bring in some of the most spectacular scenery as we pass through villages living on Tonle Sap lake.
The ride takes in great coffee stops, endless photo opportunities and a couple of ferries.
For dinner, it’s a feast of tarantula’s and crickets at the famous Romdeng restaurant, a social enterprise restaurant from the Friends International team.

We’ll start the day by meeting the incredible people at Friends International and learn about the wonderful work they do within the community. This is a great insight into REAL local everyday issues, from real local everyday heroes.
We then venture towards the Russian market and move to Tuol Sleng, also known as S-21 Genocide Museum. This devastating chapter of the Khmer Rouge and Cambodian history is emotionally challenging but strongly recommended.
There is some free time in the afternoon to process your day, whilst we’ll meet again for a local Khmer BBQ dinner.

We cycle south of Phnom Penh to Chisaur Mountain Temple in rural Cambodia. It’s not really much of a mountain at 130m and the route is perfectly flat. We casually cycle through remote villages and waterways, via narrow dirt tracks. Chisaur Temple is where we’ll be for lunch as we have plenty of time to explore these ancient ruins which are 200 years older than Angkor Wat. From here, we’ll take the van down to the Cambodian coastal town of Kampot to enjoy the culinary delights on offer.

Start the day with an (optional) mammoth Bokor Mountain cycle challenge! It’s 30km to get to the top. The first 10km is flat, then it just keeps on going up, and up, and up! If cycling uphill doesn’t rock your world, we can bring your bike in the van and you can cycle down! If you feel like taking some time off the bike, Kampot is a great town to caffeinate, people watch and relax.

In the morning, we’ll visit Chumkriel Language School (no children will be in attendance at the time of visiting). A fantastic NGO and inspirational human being, Mr Suthy has set up a very grass-root local school to give access to education for children of the salt field community. In the afternoon, we’ll partake in a cooking class, teaching us the best of Khmer cuisine!

Today we cross over the border into Vietnam, but not before we discover the wonderful province of Kep. Located just before the border, this town is famous for it’s fresh seafood, particularly crab. We’ll spend a couple of hours exploring the famous pepper plantations and salt lakes on the way. Navigating through the back roads, we’ll make our way around the National Park and to the border crossing into Ha Tien Vietnam.
From Ha Tien, we’ll jump in the van and head to Rach Gia for a feast of local seafood and Banh Xeo.

Can Tho is where the Mekong Delta really comes into its own! To get there we cut through the back roads of rice paddy’s and farmland, arriving in the city by late afternoon. The ride finishes about 20km out of the city, but if your legs and daylight are permitting, there’s an option to continue all the way in. Alternatively, you can jump in the van. With a population of over a million and a thriving tourist trade, Can Tho has a vibrancy about it like none other. Relax and explore this amazing city. For dinner, we’ll pull up a patch of grass at the night market and treat yourself to a degustation of delightful street food!

We’ll catch the floating markets for most of the morning. This is no tourist performance, this is real life for the local people where they trade, sell and buy every day. Following that, we’ll visit the noodle factory where you’ll have a chance to make your own noodles and the cocoa farms just before lunch. The rest of the afternoon is yours to relax, get a massage and soak in the culture!

We’ll take a day to casually explore the oasis that is the Mekong Delta. From the coconut candy factories of Ben Tre to the canals and floating markets of My Tho, this is a place to relax and unwind. We’ll avoid the hordes of tourists in My Tho by using Ben Tre as a base to explore the region. It’s still a full day cycling from Can Tho and we’ll enjoy getting amongst the maze that is the Mekong Delta. We should get into Ben Tre for 5pm, and relax with a local family in their home (private rooms). You’ll also have the chance to have an impromptu cooking class for great local food!

We’ll start early to beat the heat and what we can of the traffic. We’ll head straight to a coconut candy factory (either by van or by bike) to learn more about this local delicacy. Cycling into Saigon for the last cycle day of the tour is an incredible experience. Ho Chi Minh is what the world would look like if cars weren’t invented. With whole lanes and roads dedicated to two wheels, it is the city of the future as the population grows. Cycling the final 15km or so is completely optional, if you’re not comfortable in the traffic. Usually, about half the riders choose to take the van. Our hotel is in the heart of the city, just a short stroll from the Street Food Market for dinner and a live band.

We’ll visit our final NGO of the trip in Mekong Plus. With a presence in Cambodia and Vietnam, this grass roots local NGO focus on a hand up, not hand out policy. The social enterprise part of this NGO trains beneficiaries to make quilts, handicrafts and bamboo bicycles. The holistic approach from Mekong Plus includes education scholarships, vocational training, micro finance programs and social enterprise businesses. Use the day to explore at your leisure. There are a feast of local markets, grand shopping centres, museums and attractions in Ho Chi Minh. For the evening we’ll meet up for dinner, swap stories, photos and decide where you’d like the donation money to go to.

Congratulations! You’ve cycled across a couple of countries, covered almost 700km in the saddle and more than scratched the surface as to what these fantastic countries are about. We’ll enjoy a final breakfast together before you set off to the airport or your next adventure.