The Cambodia motorcycletour is a tour full of variety that allows us to experience all remote cornersand unknown routes in three weeks. It is also a great pleasure to meet the extremely friendly residents of this country.
From Phnom Penh, we follow narrow roads north along the Mekong, where we take a tour of the jungle. Via small paths that lead us across the jungle, we'll get to the world-famous Angkor Wat temple. This guided motorbike tour will leave us with lasting impressions of sights, views, smells and unforgettable memories. We'll take a boat tour along floating villages and find our way south via lesser travelled roads. The road through the Cardamon Mountains is a highlight, part of which is unpaved and this can be quite a challenge in case of rain. We'll discover many narrow dirt roads on this tour, ideal for a250cc off-road machine.
Everything you need to know about this tour. Do you have any further questions? Please contact us!
During the course of the day, you will pick up your motorbike and the tour guide will familiarise you with important rules for travelling by motorbike. The programm for the entire tour will be discussed again. We will use the following day to go on a sightseeing tour through Phnom Penh. This allows you to get used to your motorbike and the Cambodian traffic rules.
We visit the Toul Sleng(S-21) Museum. Between 1975 and 1979, thousands of citizens who were accused of having counter-revolutionary thoughts were interrogated here. They were tortured and all but 7 were killed. The former school still leaves a lasting impression.
We then drive to the"Killing Fields" of Chuoeng Eck. About 10 kilometres outside the city, the prisoners of S-21 were killed in the most brutal way to save bullets. Remains of clothing, teeth and bones are still scattered across the field. In memory of these events, a temple has been built on the site with the skulls excavated so far. If time permits, we can also visit the atmospheric Wat Phnom temple afterwards. At the end of the first day, we will relax in one of the many street cafés along the Mekong River in Phnom Penh.
An early start to a beautiful and varied day. After travelling just 1 km, we take the ferry across the Mekong. This way we avoid the traffic of Phnom Penh. We cycle on small paths along the Mekong, passing villages and many temples. On the way we enjoy a local lunch in Kampong Cham. We will literally drive through the backyards of the locals. After a detour to the beautiful Han Chey temple with its marvellous view over the Mekong, we continue our journey along the river. We cross the Mekong once again and follow the path to Kratie. While enjoying a cool drink, you can sit in front of the hotel and watch the sun go down.
Today we are travelling to Sen Monorom. This small former jungle town is the capital of Mondulkiri Province. The former jungle has been cleared for rubber plantations, rice fields and other agricultural production. First we take the repaired NH7 towards Snoul, where we occasionally leave the road to drive through the rice fields. Then we drive on a tarred road through the beautiful Snoul Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a little more hilly, winding and densely forested. We then head north-east along the Vietnamese border.
Today we are travelling to Ratanakiri province, which is tucked away in a corner next to Laos and Vietnam. This is a sparsely populated forest area with mountains, waterfalls, crater lakes and ethnic minorities (called "Khmer Loeu" or"Highland Khmer"). There are also many gemstone mines here. The road has recently been rebuilt and we drive northwards on a good tarred road to the Tonle Srepok River. Then we drive over wider gravel roads, through small villages, forests and plantations to Ban Lung, where we can enjoy our arrival drink overlooking a small lake.
Today we delve deeper into the province and leave the tarred road behind us. Over narrow gravel roads and winding mountain paths and perhaps through mud, we drive to the foot of Virachey National Park, stopping at Yeak Lam Crater Lake. This is a 4000 year old lake, which is very popular with local families for picnics. Ta Veaeng is a small village on the south side of the Ton Le San River, and a base for the Virachey Park. Ta Veaeng district was also the guerrilla base of the Khmer Rouge in the 1960s. We sleep here with a local (brewing) family.
When nature wakes us up,we prepare for another adventurous day. We leave on time to find our way through the mountains to Stung Treng. If the water level is low enough, we drive to Siem Pang, cross the Tonle Kong and continue to the Laotian border. The alternative is to drive a little further south along the recently tarmaced Route 78, an area that was heavily bombed by the Americans during the Vietnam War. There were various "Ho Chi Minh" trails, routes used by the North Vietnamese to supply and manage the southern lines. Stung Treng is a characteristic place with its own atmosphere.
After the wonderful, but also tiring days of the last week, we are taking it easy today. We have enough time to look around, do the laundry (or have it done) and/or take a boat trip (or a kayak trip) into the flooded forest, possibly back by bike. If you like, we can go on a short tour of the surrounding area. Of course, you can just as easily choose to lie in a hammock with a book.
We cross the Mekong and then head westwards. We quickly leave the tarmac and the route continues along a bumpy sandy track and through dense vegetation to Anlung Chrey, where we take a break, and the support vehicle will most likely not be travelling with us,but we will meet it later in the day. From Anlung Chrey, we will follow the route through the countryside, but it will definitely be a beautiful and adventurous route leading to our final destination: Ta Seng.
Today we are travelling north. It will be a long day, covering many kilometres, and high on a ridge on the border between Cambodia and Thailand lies the temple complex of Preah Vihear. These more than 1000-year-old temples give us a flavour of what awaits us at Angkor Wat. The difference is that we are among the few tourists who enjoy this breathtaking view of the complex from the very top. Most people find the walk there too far. All the more reason for us to take it. This temple was the reason for Thailand and Cambodia to come into conflict with each other in the 1980s. Thailand claimed that the temple belonged to them.
We continue westwards on a beautiful road along the Dangrek Mountains. Then we turn off and head south towards Siem Reap. We reach the area of Angkor Wat and will try to penetrate the temple city of Angkor Thom and pass the world famous temple of Angkor Wat. Siem Reap is one of the liveliest cities in Cambodia. In the centre you will find numerous good restaurants and many cosy bars. It is also a perfect place to buy souvenirs or treat yourself to a massage. It is also our starting point from which we will visit the temples of Angkor Wat.
“The trip was very nice and Remco is a very good guide who did a really great job. Keep it up. Happy to go on the next trip with you again and again.“
A visit to Angkor Wat is on our programm. Angkor Wat is the largest sacred building in the world and the temples are a source of inspiration. They are the pride of every Cambodian. They also stimulate the imagination of most visitors. The period of the Angkor Empire lasted about 600 years. During this time, more than70 temples, palaces, libraries and other buildings were built on an area of 350 square kilometres. Angkor Wat is actually just one of these temples, but today the whole area is called Angkor Wat. If you want to visit all the temples on this gigantic site, one day is hardly enough. However, your tour guide will be able to advise you. This day at Angkor Wat is certainly one of the highlights of your trip.
Today we are travelling to the western border with Thailand. We try to avoid the chaotic Highway No. 6 as much as possible and drive through the agricultural lowlands of northern Cambodia. The roads vary from asphalt to good gravel tracks. We get a good impression of the activity in the countryside and the Cambodian friendliness. When we arrive in Poipet, we visit the border with Thailand. Poipet has developed into a kind of Las Vegas in Cambodia in recent years under the influence of the Thai gambling ban.
We drive south along the Thai border and through the Roneam Daun Sam Wildlife Sanctuary to Pailin. The province of Pailin is known for its gemstones, timber and accommodation for Khmer Rouge pensioners. The town of Pailin is a wild west town that once had a great "gold rush" or rather "gem rush" and is the northern gateway to the Cardamom Mountains. Thai and Burmese influences can also be recognised here, both in the clothing, food and physical characteristics of the local population.
It can bea strenuous day today on the way to and through the Cardamon Mountains. Although Cambodia has been welcoming a large number of tourists for several years now, this mountain range is still one of the lesser-known areas. It forms the border between Cambodia and Thailand and has long been a stronghold of the Khmer Rouge. At the beginning, the gravel roads are still wide and flat, but then they become bumpier and hillier. The agricultural plains turn into tropical rainforests. We spend the night in the small village of Veal Veng in a simple guesthouse.
Today's route can be difficult when rain turns the red surface into slippery clay. We take our time on this adventurous path through the green forest. The civilised world will be very far away for a while. We will have a makeshift lunch on the way. After lunch, we look for the new Chinese road, a concrete block path that leads us to Koh Kong. Koh Kong lies on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, just a few kilometres from the neighbouring country.
We can recover from the strenuous mountain tours of the last few days, take a walk along the boulevard and through the nearby mangroves or optionally take a day trip to the island of the same name, Koh Kong, for swimming and/or snorkelling. A motorbike trip to the Thai border is also possible.
We leave Koh Kong and take another narrow road through the jungle to Chi Phat. We don't see the escort car again until this afternoon because this road cannot be used regularly by cars. We drive through the dense forest, past waterfalls, and continue on our way to Chi Phat. This is a small and very remote village. Here we enjoy a cold drink and a beautiful sunset.
Today we drive through the jungle again and then slowly return to civilisation. We see more villages and farmland and more life around us with people who are busy. We finally arrive in the town of Kampot. Kampot is famous for its pepper and French colonial architecture. It is nice to take a walk, dive in the river or enjoy the sunset during a boat trip and discover firefly nests.
On our last day of travelling, we drive through rice fields, on dusty roads and mainly asphalted roads to the capital. We do this with a diversion, first to the east to visit the Vietnamese border and then to the north towards Phnom Penh. The variety of roads in Cambodia is once again clearly visible. We take another look at life in the countryside and swap it for the hustle and bustle of the city of Phnom Penh.
You get a transfer to the airport and fly back to your hometown with endless impressions.
During this tour we will be travelling on a Honda Baja (250 cc) or equivalent motorbikes. If you prefer a lower "Honda Degree" (seat height 800mm), please indicate this when booking.
The name "Cambodia Adventure" dates back to the time of our first motorbike trip through this country in 2001. The roads back then were often nothing more than gravel paths litte red with bomb craters. Not a single bridge was intact, there were warnings of robbers in the jungle and there were official travel warnings due to the many minefields. The country has now been stable for a long time and reconstructionwork is underway. Roads are being repaired at high speed and even asphalted. The mine service has now cleared most of the country of mines and the government has put a stop to the rebels and the remaining Khmer Rouge fighters once and for all. For this reason, the name "Cambodia Adventure" is perhaps no longer so appropriate. The adventurous routes of the past have been turned into paved roads or have been repaired so well that we can cover distances in a matter of hours that used to take us a whole day. However, we have decided to keep the name because we are always looking for new, adventurous routes every time we travel. Besides, riding a motorbike in Cambodia is always a great adventure, no matter what.
Apart from a few border areas, the country is almost flat. The difficulty of the journey therefore depends mainly on the unpaved roads. Our aim is not to offer a complete off-road trip. We endeavour to include about one third off-road sections. These unpaved road sections vary from dirt tracks along the Mekong to wide gravel roads through the jungle. The unpaved ascent to Bokorhill is a strenuous stretch for most participants. Off-road experience is recommended, and basic off-road training could be very useful as preparation. It teaches you the best way to handle the motorbike and makes riding more fun. In Cambodia, you have to wait every year after the rainy season to see how the dirt roads will fare. Large lorries also use the roads during the wet season and often break down somewhere. As a result, flat roads suddenly become a challenge. Nowadays, most roads are bulldozed once a year. In addition to hard lorry tracks, the rainy season also leaves rain gutters and pits in the road surface.
A helmet is mandatory, as well as protective clothing, good gloves and boots or sturdy shoes. Because of the warm temperatures it is advisable to wear breathable protective clothing. Ensure adequate ventilation for jackets and pants. Pack warm clothes for the colder regions. We recommend a full-face helmet or an off-road helmet. Furthermore,do yourself a favor with a pair of good sunglasses and rain protection gear.
VISA ANDINSURANCE
Unfortunately, it is not possible to takeout insurance for damage caused to third parties and to the motorbike. You will need an international driving licence for this trip.
Travelers require a passport valid for at least 6 months from the time of entry. Most visitors from western countries need a visa to enter Cambodia. Please check the recommended documentation before traveling to Cambodia: https://www.traveldoc.aero/
It is possible to apply for an evisa in advance: https://www.evisa.gov.kh/
Rider starting at: € 3295,-
Pillion: 2675,-
Single room occupancy additional charge: € 350,-
Pocket money to bring with you: € 500,-*
Minimum number of riding participants: 6
Maximum number of riding participants: 12
Maximum number of pillion riders: 2
Visa: exclusive
This tour is available on these dates:
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