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Saigon To Angkor Cycle
Cycling through Vietnam and Cambodia, this trip allows us to explore this fascinating region like true locals
A great way to discover these two amazing countries is by bike. We start out from Saigon where we mount our bikes and head to out to the infamous Cu Chi Tunnels. We enjoy the hospitality of our host family in the Mekong Delta before crossing into Cambodia and visiting the amazing splendours this country has to offer including the incredible Angkor Wat temple complex. This is neither an endurance test nor a marathon survival race from one point to another, and we try to avoid the busy, major highways. We ride instead on the back roads and, supported by a back-up vehicle, experience the best that Vietnam and Cambodia have to offer in a most interesting way! There are some days where there is no cycling involved. On the cycling days, we tend to ride anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, however the support vehicle and bus are always on hand if you decide that you would like to rest instead of cycle.
Please note that this itinerary may vary slightly, depending on the cycling capabilities of your group.
Gallery View map
Tour Highlights
- The bustling streets and cyclos of Saigon
- Cai Be floating market and the longtail boats of the Mekong
- Tuol Sleng Prison Museum
- Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Phnom Penh
- Sihanoukville beach resort
Inclusions
• The services of Peregrine's expert English-speaking local tour leaders in Vietnam and Cambodia, and local guides at some sites.
• 11 days cycling at comfortable speed, often on scenic back roads, with frequent stops to sightsee and meet the locals (riding 2 to 6 hours, from 15 km to 75 km per day).
• Sightseeing (including entrance fees where relevant): Cu Chi Tunnels; Saigon; The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek; Phnom Penh including the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom, Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and Russian Market; Skuon - famous for it’s local delicacy of fried spiders; Phnom Pros (Man Hill) and Phnom Srei (Woman Hill); Siem Reap; Angkor complex including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan and Banteay Srei.
• Use of a full size mountain bike and a private back-up vehicle.
• Overnight villa homestay on an island on the Mekong Delta. Accommodation in a large communal room with beds (all bedding provided including mosquito nets) and dinner cooked by a local family.
• Mekong Delta boat ride to visit local family-run industries.
• Time to relax at Sihanoukville - Cambodia’s leading beach resort.
• Arrival transfer.
- Bicycle
- Boat
- Bus
- Private vehicle
- 13 breakfasts, 1 dinner
Saigon To Angkor Cycle
Day 1
Saigon
Meals Privided:
Arrive in Saigon where you are transferred to our centrally located hotel. A pre-trip briefing is held in the evening, to meet the other members of your group and discuss the trip itinerary. After the meeting we may adjourn to a nearby restaurant and enjoy a meal together (optional). The rest of the evening is free.
Day 2
Cu Chi Tunnels
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
This morning we drive to the outskirts of Saigon and the town of Hoc Mon where we hop on our bicycles for the first time to test our legs and get a feel for the bikes; riding approx 30km through rural countryside to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Cu Chi is also name of the district which hides an extensive underground network (approximately 200 kilometres) of tunnels dug initially by the Viet Minh and later expanded by the Viet Cong. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation and schools, and were used extensively for refuge and storage and also utilised as a military base for the Viet Cong close to Saigon. The 1968 Tet Offensive was launched from Cu Chi with surprising effect. A section of the tunnels has been widened to allow tourists to get a feel for what the life underground must have been like. We arrive mid-afternoon back in Saigon.
Day 3
Saigon to Mekong Homestay
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Dinner
We drive south today away from the heat, hustle and bustle of Saigon and into a more peaceful part of Vietnam known as the Mekong Delta. We begin our cycling at the small riverside town of My Tho and ride approx 40km in total mostly following the Mekong River to Cai Lay. From Cai Lay we dismount the bikes and drive by bus to Cai Be where we board our boat for the scenic trip through Mekong River tributaries to our Mekong Delta homestay. Enroute to our homestay we stop to see various local family-run industries where such products as popped rice, coconut candy & rice paper are made. We arrive on an island near Vinh Long, where we stay overnight in a small house situated on the waterways and surrounded by fruit gardens. The facilities here are basic, with everyone sleeping on camp style beds but the experience is unique in that it offers us a chance to live the way the local people do (for one night at least!). All bedding is provided including mosquito nets. For dinner tonight your host family will cook you up a feast to include the famous delta specialty – Elephant Ear Fish.
Day 4
Mekong Homestay to Chau Doc
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
We usually rise early with the host family (and their early rising farmyard animals) and after breakfast we catch a boat across the Mekong River to Vinh Long. There are a number of cycling routes we can choose today and your tour leader will select the most appropriate one taking into account weather and road conditions. Whatever route you take today it will involve cycling approx 50km along quiet rural roads which run parallel to the many rivers, canals and tributaries that make up the Mekong Delta. You will spend tonight at a hotel in Chau Doc – a quiet town situated on the Mekong River and close to the Cambodian border.
Day 5
Chau Doc to Kampot
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
This morning we cycle directly from the hotel (approx 20km) past Sam Mountain to the Vietnam (Tinh Bien) / Cambodia (Phnom Den) border. Once across the border we meet our Cambodian leader and continue cycling for another 50km along flat, recently paved & upgraded road to Takeo. At Takeo we will board our bus for the drive along National Highway 3 to Kampot – a quiet riverside with a rich French architectural heritage. A nice way to finish the day is watching sunset with your preferred beverage along the Kampot River.
Day 6
Kampot to Sihanoukville
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Again we cycle directly from our hotel approx 50km – this time along National Highway 3. At approx 8km after we’ve crossed the Kampot Bridge you will have views on your right of the imposing escarpment of Bokor National Park – a former summer escape for French colonials and later a refuge for Khmer Rouge soldiers. However, for most of the cycle this morning we stay close to the coast passing fishing villages. At Veal Renh, the intersection where National Highway 3 meets National Highway 4, we board our bus for the drive to Sihanoukville. Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s leading beach resort - named in honour of the former King of Cambodia (and father of the current king) – and also the country’s only deep water port. Our hotel is located a short walk to Occheauteal Beach – considered to be the best beach in Sihanoukville with numerous beachside bars & restaurants open all hours of the day and night. This is a good place to enjoy a bit of a ‘seachange’ before heading north.
Day 7
Sihanoukville
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
For those can drag themselves away from Occheauteal Beach your tour leader will today take you on a ride approx 25km around the Sihanoukville peninsula with the chance to stop (and maybe swim) at Sokha Beach, Independence Beach and / or Victory Beach. From Victory Hill you can cycle into town and maybe visit the local market before heading back for another well earned swim at your hotel swimming pool.
Day 8
Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
This morning we leave the beach behind and drive approx 3.5 hours along National Highway 4 to Phnom Penh. This afternoon we cycle approx 15km south of Phnom Penh to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. Here you will gain an insight into the horrors and atrocities that occurred during the Pol Pot era. This would not be considered a pleasant excursion but one that is an integral part of any visit to Cambodia. If you would prefer not to visit this site please inform your tour leader and he will advise you of alternate sightseeing options. From Choeung Ek you will cycle back to your hotel in Phnom Penh and tonight maybe enjoy a sunset drink at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club.
Day 9
Phnom Penh
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Today is a rest day from cycling but we still include a city tour by bus to introduce you to the sights of Phnom Penh, a city that lies near the confluence of the Mekong and the Tonle Sap Rivers. The private quarters of the Royal Palace are home to King Sihamoni and his family and are therefore closed to the public; however, we are able to visit the Silver Pagoda which is located inside the palace complex and is considered the most sacred temple in the country - and was previously spared from destruction by the Khmer Rouge. Wat Phnom is the temple which gave rise to the foundation of the city in the 15th century and we’ll also visit the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum before finishing our tour at the Russian Market.
Day 10
Phom Penh to Kampong Cham
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
This morning we drive north approx 1.5 hours along National Highway 6 to the town of Skuon, famous for it’s local delicacy – fried spiders! After sampling some of this delicious cuisine (or not) we jump in the saddle once again for the cycle approx 45km along National Highway 7 to Kampong Cham. Just before Kampong Cham is Phnom Pros (Man Hill) & Phnom Srei (Woman Hill) where we can stop for a cool drink before the final leg into Kampong Cham - a relatively quiet provincial town located on the Mekong River and, not unlike Kampot, blessed with the remnants of buildings from a former French era.
Day 11
Kampong Cham to Siem Reap
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
This morning we’re back on our bikes once again riding approx 50km north on the quiet National Road 71 to the small town of Baray, where we once again meet National Highway 6 and drive to Siem Reap. The relatively quiet (although rapidly developing) town of Siem Reap is our base for 3 nights and is the best place from which to visit the world-famous temples of the ancient city of Angkor - home to the powerful Khmer Empire that held sway from 802 AD to 1350 AD.
Day 12
Siem Reap
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
We spend a full day cycling around & visiting the amazing temples of Angkor on a guided tour. Angkor Thom, the 'Great Royal City', is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone. The impressive Bayon temple is the centrepiece of all this. Angkor Wat is the largest and most complete structure. It is the only one of Angkor's temples with its entrance facing to the west (the others face east), the reason being that it was constructed as a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II and a westerly countenance was seen to represent a sunset. Ta Prohm temple is an incredible sight, with large trees embedding themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man's creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature.
Day 13
Siem Reap
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Today we spend more time exploring Angkor ruins in this memorable archaeological area. It is an early morning start as we cycle out to Banteay Srei (approx 30km each way), famous for its detailed and intricate stone carvings. It is not a big temple, but has been sometimes referred to as ‘the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art’. Back at the main temple complex, Preah Khan contains a maze of vaulted corridors and is another complex that has been largely reclaimed by the jungle. Tonight we celebrate the end of an amazing cycling journey with dinner in a local restaurant and perhaps a few quiet drinks along ‘Pub Street’.
Day 14
Siem Reap
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Our tour ends after breakfast.
IN A NUTSHELL
14 days
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