CYCLING AROUND TONLE SAP LAKE 09 DAYS

Overview

This cycling tour around Tonle Sap lake is carefully designed and newly developed to suit all level of riders especially off road cyclists. Being advance for cycling in Cambodia, our team has always worked hard to develop new product for our customers and the repeated customers can also join.

This Tonle Sap cycling tour starts from Phnom Penh to cycle around Tonle Sap lake toward Angkor historical sites and continue around Tonle Sap lake to Phnom Penh. This unique cycling trip follows 80% on dirt road trail only 20% on sealed road where we cannot avoid. But even the sealed roads we have chosed to cycle on are back road and quiet for cycling. Through this cycling trip, you will enjoy the scenery, the countryside, the historical Angkor temple complex, the culture, the people, the villages and the wonderful smile of the children as you cycle along. You will have real life experiences throughout this trip. We cycle approximately 596km.

Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Phnom Penh (Cyclo Tour)
Explore this bustling city’s major sights by cyclo, including Wat Phnom, the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda and the National Museum. In the afternoon visit the Independence Monument, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek killing fields by van. Return back to the hotel for bike fitting and general briefing about the cycling tour and the culture. (BLD)

Day 2: Phnom Penh - Kampong Chhnang (85km)cambodia tour bamboo train
Breakfast at the hotel. We transfer 15km out off the busy part of the city. Cycle on the back road to visit Udong, the former capital of Cambodia in 18th century. There remains some of the previous king stupa stand high on the hill. Enjoy picnic lunch at the food of the hill. After lunch, continue to cycle most part on the dirt road to take the Bamboo train to enjoy this local experience. Local people still make use of this bamboo train for transportation as the train from Phnom Penh has stopped running. In the near future, the railways will be repaired and the train from Phnom Penh to Thais border will be operating again. After taking the bamboo train, cycle the last 30km on quiet back road to Kampong Chhnang. Dinner & overnight in Kampong Chhnang. (B,L,D)

Day 3: Kampong Chhang - Pursat (65km)
After breakfast, we transfer about 20 minutes from Kampong Chhnang. Then start cycling on the dirt road to Kdol. Today's road is totally on the dirt road. We stope to visit the local village in Kdol before continuing our cycling trip on 4km challenging dirt road with some potholes and we cross a small stream (this happens only in the rainy season). We stop for lunch in the local village Bomnok. After lunch, we head to Krakor on another part of the dirt road. We stop in the Krakor town to regroup before crossing the National Road No.5 and continue cycling on backroad to visit the floating village in Kampong Luong. It is the unique floating village which has a better touch as the floating village near Siem Reap Angkor is too crowded with tourists. We finish our cycling after visiting the floating village and transfer the last 30 minutes to Pursat to avoid cycling on the busy road. Dinner and overnight in Pursat Provincial town. (B,L,D)

Day 4: Pursat - Battambang (70km)
cambodia_travel_battambangAfter breakfast, we start cycling straight from the hotel to Damnak Ampil. Continue cycling following the man made canal. This is one of the longest mad made canal in Cambodia about 60km. This man made canal called Prek Chik was made during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979. During the Khmer Rouge times, they evacuate people from the city to the countryside and forced them to work hard in the field from sunrise to sunset to reach their target of highest rice production. But people got very little food to eat, as the result there were almost 3 million people died of starvation, diseases and mass killing. After arriving at Prek Chik, we turn right to Moung Roussei and transfer the last 45 munutes to Battambang to avoid the busy traffic on National Road No.6. After check in at the hotel, if time permits we go to Phnom Sampov for the sunset. Dinner and overnight in Battambang.

Day 5: Battambang - Siem Reap (75km)
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer about 1 hour 30 minutes and start cycling from on quiet sealed road about 10km before turning right on Sen Sok dirt road and continue cycling on the dirt road to Angkor Chum district town. This distict town is a bit quiet comparing to other district town located on the main road. After Angkor Chum, we cycle about 30km more to Western Baray via Puok. We have pinic lunch at Western Barray to enjoy the scenery of the man made water reserve. This water reserve is 4km by 8km made almost 1000 years ago by the Angkor great empire for supplying water for agriculture. From here, we get close to Angkor historical complex. We continue cycling the last 15km along the Western Barray to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 6: Siem Reap-Angkor Complex (30km by bicycle)
Depart from the hotel on the main road and cycling through Angkor pass check point. Cycling through the shady road with a little pumping because of the a few pot-holes. There you will begin to see Kravan temple, Banteay Kdei, and stop at the famous Ta Phrom, embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers. Visit Ta Phrom (45 minutes-1 hour). It was built in 12th century by the famous King Jayavarvan VII indicated to his mother. While clearing back the forest archaeologists decided to leave the vegetation of Ta Phrom in place to serve as a reminder of how the original discoverers found it and the other Angkor temples.

Many of the trees have grown around and through the remains and soar high above the temples. Continue the cycling through small circuit passing Ta Keo temple, Chao Say Tevoda, Tommanon before reaching to Angkor Thom city. There you will see, Terrace of Leper King, Terrace of Elephant, Baphoun, Phimean Akas. Stop at Bayon temple and start the visit (45 minutes-1 hour). Angkor Thom built by Cambodia's great king, Jayavarman VII. After lunch, we spend the whole afternoon to extensively visit Angkor Wat, the 7th Wonder of the World. Overnight in Siem Reap. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Beng Mealea and Village Experience (70km)
Start cycling straight way and the highlight of the tour will be the villages, the enjoyable off road track, the people, the wonderfull smile of the children. The basket weaving, the palm trees useful for our farmers as they make their roof from the sugar palm leaves, they drink sugar palm juice and they can eat and cook the sugar palm fruit.

Arrive in the village community center. Meet with the community representative and local guide who share their free time from farming to help teaching the children and extra work in the community. Take the ox-cart riding to the rice field. Cambodian people use ox-cart to go to the rice field and carry the rice to their village. Meet with the farmer in the rice field to learn the rice planting process. In 2016, Cambodia has exported 550,000 Tones of rice. It is one of the main source of economy in Cambodia apart from tourism and garment industry. Normally it takes 3 months for the farmer to grow the rice. Exprience the rice harvesting with the farmers using the traditional rice cutter.

After the rice harvesting, walk through the rice field to see the vegetable planted by the farmers. Visit the farmer house to learn about traditional rice mill processing. Experience the traditional rice mill processing with the local farmer. Visit the local school. While their parents are working in the rice field, their children study at school.

After the visit, we cycle to local restaurant for lunch near Beng Mealea. Visit Beng Mealea temple hidden in the jungle surrounded by its mood 900 meters by 1,200 meters. Beng Mealea is a beautiful, charming temple. It has it own character which cannot be found in any other temple. We can feel very peaceful sitting inside the temple as we can get rid of the many tourists at Angkor area. Transfer on the national road No.6 to avoid busy traffic to Kampong Thom. Overnight in Kampong Thom. Meals include: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 8: Kampong Thom - Kampong Cham (93km)
After breakfast, we transfer 45 minutes on the National Road No.6 to avoid busy traffic.cambodia_tripsThen we start cycling from Kampong Thmor 28km through many farming of casava, sweet potatos, peanuts and rubber plantation. Turn left at Chamkar Leu district town to cycle another 32km on quiet sealed road through the pagodas, and villages. Lunch in Stung Trong, the ferry town on the Mekong River. Afternoon, cycle a bit on the dirt road to follow the Mekong River before reaching the sealed road again where we stop at Han Chey hilltop temple where remained massgrave from the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979). After the water and snack stop, we cycle to complete the last 33km in the afternoon to our hotel where we enjoy the swimming pool and cold Angkor beers. Dinner and overnight in Kampong Cham.

Day 9: Kampong Cham - Phnom Penh (91km)
Breakfast at the hotel. Today the scenery of the route is one of the best as we cycle to follow along the Mekong River all the way. We passes many villages to see the people and the children who always like to come out and say hello. After cycling 30km on a mixed sealed and dirt road, we make stop in another ferry town Peam Chikong located on the Mekong River. The route after is all the way dirt with mixed gravels and can be mud during rainy season. We enjoy picnic lunch in one of the village along the Mekong River. After the 50km on the dirt road, we cycle the final 11km on a small sealed road. Then we reach the National Road No.6 again and we transfer 45 minutes to Phnom Penh to avoid the busy traffic. Tour Ends.