Cambodia Heritage by Bicycle

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Price from

US$ 1,550

Duration

7 Days / 6 Nights

Distance

238 km

Difficulty

Leisure?Learn more about our trip difficulty ratings

Tour Code

KHM-CHB

Next departure

21-Aug-2023

Number of Cycling Days7

Average Distance Per Day: 34

0

150 Km

Average Climbing Per Day: 150

0

2,250 m

Total Cycling Distance238 kilometres

AccommodationIncluded

Bike HireMountain Bike: Included, E-Bike: US$ 300

Single SupplementUS$ 300

Book Your Cycling Holiday

Itinerary

Day 1

We meet in the morning for a bicycle tour to enjoy the colonial charm of Cambodia's capital city. We begin along the colourful riverfront to the Royal Palace and continue to the National Museum.

Day 2

We head to Oudong, once capital of Cambodia, observing rural Cambodia life, with a picnic lunch at a local Khmer house. Then we explore the recent dark history of Cambodia in Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide.

Day 3

We transfer to Kampong Thom where we cycle through the ancient Sambor Prey Kuk. Visit one of the oldest temple sites in Cambodia constructed in the 7th century and have a beautiful ride through rice paddy fields and small villages while locals greet us as we cycle by.

Day 4

We immerse ourselves in the 12th century, when the Khmer’s reign extended far and wide. We cycle to Ta Prohm, famous from the film Tomb Raider, and deliberately left by French conservationists in the same condition as discovered.

Day 5

We cycle through rural countryside to Banteay Srei Temple, with the best-preserved bas-reliefs and stone carvings in Cambodia. After lunch, we trek 3 km uphill through the jungle to a river bed with submersed carvings and a beautiful waterfall.

Day 6

We rise early for sunrise over Angkor Wat and then start riding to the Rolous. The afternoon is free to explore the old market or to just rest by the hotel pool. We meet again late afternoon for a sunset cruise and to see a floating village.

Day 7

We have a short cycle through bucolic Siem Reap countryside to the Silk Farm of Phouk, a fascinating farm/workshop where you can see the entire silk creation process. We return to the hotel by vehicle and say our final good byes after lunch.

Elevation Profiles

Day 1 - Phnom Penh Ride 31km. +113m / -114m.

Day 1 - Phnom Penh Ride 31km. +113m / -114m.

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Reviews

Our guide was incredible. Knowledgeable, fun and caring. He made our trip truly memorable.

Pete LumbisDecember 2019

If you want to get off the beaten track and really see Cambodia, then this is the best way to see it! By mountain bike. We travelled for 7 days with the best tour guide Sok Heng from Spiceroads tours on their Heritage of Cambodia tour and saw the best of Cambodia, starting in Phenom Phen and finishing in Siem Reap. Spiceroads will help you see the best of everything while soaking in the sights of every day Cambodian life that the average tourist wouldn’t get to see. We will be back SpiceRoads...thank you Heng for hosting us!

JoJeanAugust 2018

We have had an amazing trip. Our tour guide Sok Heng was very very good. He was always on time, helpful, informative and made us feel at home. Our driver was also excellent and always made sure we had enough water. Thank you for an amazing trip, we will book SpiceRoads again and recommend.

Joanna CarlandAugust 2018

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Tours in: Cambodia

Cambodia Heritage by Bicycle

Tour CodeKHM-CHB

7Days

6Nights

DestinationsCambodia

Tour MeetsPhnom Penh

Tour EndsSiem Reap

Fly in toPhnom Penh International Airport (PNH)

Fly out ofSiem Reap International Airport (REP)

Group Size2-16 riders

Minimum Age14 (on scheduled departures)

Activity Profile

7Cycling days

238kmTotal cycling distance

34kmAvg distance / day

150mAvg climbing / day

Pricing

PriceUS$ 1,550

Bike Hire (Mountain Bike)Included

Bike Hire (E-Bike)US$ 300

Single SupplementUS$ 300

What's Included

SpiceRoads jersey
Water bottle
Support vehicle
Guide(s)
Meals (as indicated)
Accommodation
Snacks and drinks

What's Excluded

International flights
Domestic flights
Airport pick up
Airport drop off
Visa fees
Alcohol
Tips

Departures

21 August - 27 August 2023

16 October - 22 October 2023

13 November - 19 November 2023

11 December - 17 December 2023

15 January - 21 January 2024

19 February - 25 February 2024

11 March - 17 March 2024

06 May - 12 May 2024

15 July - 21 July 2024

19 August - 25 August 2024

See website for later departures

Trip Profile

We ride 238 km, mostly on a mixture of tarmac roads in reasonable repair and vehicle-width dirt trails. Most of the rides are on flat terrain, through some very pretty and interesting countryside.

Outside of Phnom Penh, traffic is light, and we often share the roads with ox carts and other cyclists. The riding is mainly on quiet back roads, and we try to avoid the highways where possible. The trip is fully supported by an air-con minibus that will shadow us for the entire journey.

You will be staying in two superb hotels that are well located so you can wander easily out to see more sites or shop. In Phnom Penh, our boutique hotel has a lovely garden and pool, and each room has a unique design and furniture, reflecting local styles. In Siem Reap, our hotel is an oasis with a large pool and garden to relax in after a day of riding.

Suitability: This trip has been designed to be an easy trip on flat terrain. This trip can is possible for anyone with a reasonable fitness level. A support vehicle is always available to help when required.

Biking Conditions: The daily distances are short with an emphasis on the sites being visited. Roads are a mixture of tarmac, broken tarmac, and vehicle-width dirt roads. Heat and humidity can be a factor, so when possible, riding is done early in the day with afternoons off.

Day 1 Phnom Penh

We meet in the morning for a bicycle tour of Cambodia's capital city that has managed to retain its colonial charm. Taking advantage of its location at the confluence of the Mekong and the Tonlé Sap rivers, we start along the colourful riverfront to the Royal Palace. Dating back to 1866, it was the last palace built during the French colonial period. We also visit the Silver Pagoda, named for the over 5,000 heavy silver tiles that cover its floors. We move on to the National Museum, built in traditional Khmer style in 1917. After our visit here, we take a ferry across the river where the city has not yet reached. Here, we find modern temples and monasteries, as well as many artisans practicing their traditional crafts such as silk weaving. This is an idyllic place, far from Phnom Penh’s busy streets. We meet up for dinner at Friends Restaurant, where former street youth learn hospitality skills.

Frangipani Royal Palace

Lunch, Dinner

Ride 31km

+113m

-114m

Day 2 Phnom Penh - Oudong

We head out of the city by taking back roads for about 46 km to Oudong, where we branch off to Phnom Preah Reach or Oudong Mountain. Between 1618 and 1866, Oudong was the capital of Cambodia, built on the top of Phnom Udong. This hill comprises a series of stupas and shrines in a variety of conditions. Unfortunately, almost all the buildings that the Americans did not bomb (as collateral damage from the Vietnam War), the Khmer Rouge destroyed in the 1970s. The 400-plus steps to the top will get the legs working overtime, but the view is worth it! This ride gives us a chance to see rural Cambodia off the beaten track - stilted houses, rice paddies, ox carts, waving children, and, of course, the friendly Khmer people. We have a picnic lunch at a local Khmer house. In the afternoon, we transfer back to the city for a sombre visit to Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide. We explore Cambodia’s recent dark history in this museum housed in a former school taken over by the Khmer Rouge and used as its main detention and torture centre. We have dinner at the famous Foreign Correspondents’ Club restaurant.

Frangipani Royal Palace

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 46km

+210m

-147m

Day 3 Phnom Penh - Kampong Thom - Siem Reap

We start the day with a 2-hour drive to Kampong Thom, where hope on our bikes, riding through the ancient temple site of Sambor Prey Kuk. We ride between temples constructed in the 7th century to function as the capital of the Chenla Empire. It is one of the oldest temple sites in Cambodia, mostly covered in vegetation. After our guide-assisted tour through the temples, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we have a beautiful ride through rice paddies and small villages with locals greeting us as we cycle by. We then hop back into our van for a 2-hour transfer to Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat. After we have freshened up, we have dinner at a restaurant inside a traditional Khmer house.

Steung Siemreap Hotel

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 38km

+114m

-134m

Day 4 Siem Reap - Angkor Complex

We immerse ourselves into the 12th century, when the Khmer’s reign extended far and wide. We cycle to the Angkor Wat complex and start our visit of the many temples at Ta Prohm, famous from the film Tomb Raider, and deliberately left by French conservationists in the same condition as discovered: overgrown by strangler fig and silk-cotton trees, giving the temple a mystical and romantic appeal. We continue to Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, and the Terrace of the Elephants. We break for lunch at a local restaurant before we explore the biggest religious Hindu edifice in the world - Angkor Wat. Considered the masterpiece of Khmer architecture, this Vishnuite temple is the King’s funerary temple, which is why the temple faces west. Inside the temple, the walls are covered by carvings and bas-reliefs depicting Hindu mythology and the wars Suryavarman II fought during his reign. After our visits to these magnificent temples, we cycle back to Siem Reap.

Steung Siemreap Hotel

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 30km

+137m

-137m

Day 5 Siem Reap - Banteay Srey - Kbal Spean

We spend more time in the saddle to visit further flung temples. We cycle through rural countryside to Banteay Srei Temple, with the best-preserved bas-reliefs and stone carvings in Cambodia. The temple is small but of huge significance in understanding the Angkor Era. From here, we continue cycling on rural roads, where we may have a chance to stop at a local village or school and learn about their way of life. If time permits, we'll visit the Landmine Museum, which promotes mine awareness and is run by a former Khmer Rouge child soldier who now works as a de-miner. We take a lunch break before we reach Kbal Spean, also known as the Valley of 1,000 Lingas. We have a moderate 3-km trek uphill through the jungle to a river bed with submersed carvings and a beautiful waterfall (in rainy season only). After our visit, we return to Siem Reap by vehicle.

Steung Siemreap Hotel

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 48km

+353m

-176m

Day 6 Siem Reap - Rolous group - Tonle Sap Sunset Cruise

We have a day filled with sunrises and sunsets. We rise early to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat and then start riding to the Rolous. Rolous was the first town created by the kings of Cambodia. The first edifice built was the temple of Preah Ko, composed of six brick towers still partly covered by stucco and dedicated to Jayavarman II. The second temple of the Rolous is Bakong Temple, built in 881 AD, the state temple and the largest of the city. The temple is the representation of Mount Meru, home of the gods. We head back to our hotel, and the late morning and afternoon are free to explore the old market or to just rest by the pool. We meet again late afternoon to transfer to Tonle Sap for a sunset cruise and to see a floating village. (If water levels are low, we'll go to Phnom Krom to watch sunset). Transfer back to town for our farewell dinner.

Steung Siemreap Hotel

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 25km

+63m

-73m

Day 7 Siem Reap - Departure

After breakfast, we go for a short cycle through picturesque, bucolic scenery of rice paddies with wallowing water buffalo, countryside pagodas, and villages comprised of traditional stilted houses. We ride to the Silk Farm of Phouk, a fascinating farm/workshop where you can see the entire silk creation process, including mulberry bushes grown to feed the silk worms and worm breeding. We return to the hotel by vehicle and say our final goodbyes.

Breakfast

Ride 20km

+58m

-58m

Disclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.

Nuts & Bolts

Bikes

Included in this tour are well-known makes of mountain bikes with lightweight alloy frames, 24- to 27-speed gearing, v-brakes, and Shimano components and front suspension.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

The Nitty Gritty

Passports and Visas

All nationalities require a visa and a passport valid for 6 months after their planned exit from Cambodia. A 30-day visa on arrival is available at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap Airports and at some land border crossings. You can also obtain a visa online through e-Visa. There is a 3-day processing time and you'll need a scanned copy of the passport. Not all border crossings accept the e-Visa, please check this port of entry page which provides a list of which checkpoints support the e-Visa service.

Health

We recommend that you visit a travel medical doctor and ask about the following vaccinations: typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days.

Weather

Cambodia has two distinct seasons - wet and dry. The dry season usually lasts from October to April. The wet season starts in May until September. Within each season there are variations in temperature. The coolest being 24C around November/December and hottest hitting 35C around April/May.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are local and feature noodles, rice, curries, and soups. Cambodian cuisine is a mixture of Thai, French and Chinese dishes and we make sure you can sample a wide variety. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Drink

Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere but is NOT included in the price.

Solo Travelers

SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.

Extra Expenses

We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$20, for incidentals.

Money

Thai baht and US dollars are widely used in Cambodia, especially in larger cities and towns. In smaller towns and villages, Cambodian riels are usually preferred. There are ATMs in most areas, however, machines dispense US dollars. The guides will be able to show you where the ATMs are. Spend riel before departing as no one will exchange them for you once you leave.

General booking info

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

Booking a SpiceRoads cycling adventure is easy and we try to do everything possible to make sure you have full flexibility and peace of mind. We do not require a deposit to hold your place on a tour and once full payment has been made your money is protected in our client account and you have the flexibility to cancel or change your booking if needed.

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

Loyalty Riders Club

For those who have been on several long tours with us, we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for a loyalty discount.

International Flights

International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.

Newsletter

Our adventure travel e-newsletter is full of travel news, trip information, interesting stories and contests. To avoid missing out on special offers and updates from SpiceRoads, be sure to subscribe.

The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary

Contact Us

45 (Sub Soi Pannee) Soi Pridi Banomyong 26
Sukhumvit Soi 71 Klongtan Nua, Wattana
Bangkok, Thailand 10110

Tel: +66 (0) 2 026 3295
Email: info@spiceroads.com
Website: www.spiceroads.com