Cycling tour of Vietnam & Cambodia – 11N/12Days

Arrive in Phnom Penh. If you’re flying in, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred back to the boutique-style hotel. Take some rest or explore the city, before we meet up for dinner at a local, social enterprise-based restaurant. Overnight.

We’ll spend some time in the morning with an NGO learning about orphanage tourism, before tackling the must-see –  Genocide museum to truly grasp the country’s most recent history of the Khmer Rouge era. For dinner, we’ll feast on a 3-course menu in pitch black, served by a social enterprise-based restaurant that offers work and training to vision impaired local staff. Overnight.

Our first major cycling day takes us south of Phnom Penh to Chisaur Mountain Temple in rural Cambodia. We casually cycle through remote villages and waterways, via narrow dirt tracks. This temple, at the top of a 130-meter mountain, was built in the 11th century, about 200 years before Angkor Wat. We’ll have a late lunch at the base of the mountain and then jump in the van to get into Kampot for the early evening for you to explore the culinary delights of Kampot at your leisure. Overnight.

Start the day with an (optional) mammoth Bokor Mountain cycle challenge! It’s 40km 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! Whilst at the top, we can take some time to explore the French ghost town of Bokor Hill Station in Preah Monivong National Park. For dinner, we’ll feast at the Rusty Keyhole for the best BBQ ribs in the world. Overnight.

We’ll visit a ‘fashion factory’ of this sustainable, ethical and inspirational clothing company and learn about Cambodia’s largest export- textile, and the impact and challenges it has on the local people. Sit and relax by the pool, take a wander through the market or just take some time for yourself in the afternoon. We’ll take a cruise down the river at sunset and watch the fireflies come to life. Overnight.

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 its 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. Overnight.

 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. With a population of over a million and a thriving tourist trade, Can Tho has a vibrancy about it like none other. Overnight.

We’ll catch the floating markets for sunrise and have your breakfast brought to you on the water. 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. In the afternoon, there’s time to sit and relax, grab a massage, take a wander through the market or just take some time for yourself. Overnight.

 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 by evening, just in time to rest, relax and explore the local market for dinner. If you’re missing home comforts by this stage, Ben Tre has a cinema and pizza, but hardly any tourists. Overnight.

We’ll start early to beat the heat and what we can of the traffic. 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. The last 12 km will be where we rest up and transit into the city center itself via the support van. Our boutique hotel is in the heart of the city, just a short stroll from the Street Food Market for dinner and a live band. Overnight.

We’ll visit our third and final NGO of the trip in Habitat for Humanity. With a global presence. Habitat believes inappropriate housing for all. As such, they use donors and volunteers to build houses for those less fortunate. Habitat has a ‘hand up, not hand out’ policy, which we will learn more about. In the afternoon, we’ll explore the Cu Chi Tunnels. This is an underground maze created by the Viet Cong during the war. This is where they would hide during combat, and even use it as a supply network, communication route, hospitals, and living quarters. Our final dinner for the tour is at KOTO Know One Teach One, a social enterprise-based restaurant designed to teach skills to disadvantaged youth in the area. Not only does KOTO do good, but it also tastes incredible. Overnight.

Great. You’ve cycled across a couple of countries, covered over 500km 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 we get you off to the airport and on your way home.