Adventure Details
Cycling from Cambodia and across the border into Vietnam is the best way to experience the contrast in culture between these two amazing countries! This 12 day adventure comprises of 6 days on the bike, covering up to 300 miles along carefully planned cycling routes.
Social Cycles will take you on a journey to interact and connect with local grassroot Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and the beneficiaries of a funded project of your choosing. Research what really happens on the ground and out in the villages with Social Cycles in a holiday that carefully balances ethical research and local impact with cycling and site seeing.
Trip Highlights
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- Cycle through the Mekong Delta along canals amidst rural homelife
- Engage with and learn from local experts in their field from a variety of grass-root charities
- Cocoa farms, salt fields, crab markets, pepper farms, rice noodle factories, floating markets and cooking classes
- Homestay experience in Ben Tre
- Fully supported van that follows the cycling, to give you a break whenever you like
- Eat in social enterprise based restaurants that support local NGOs
- Cycle 6 out of 12 days and ride up to 300 miles in total
Start: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Finish: Saigon, Vietnam
Duration: 11 nights/ 12 days
Season: All year
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Minimum: 1 person
Prices start at $1730 USD Per person
Duration: 12 Days/ 11 Nights Season: All Year
2021 Departures:
- January 11th
- January 25th
- February 8th
- March 8th
- April 5th
- May 24th
- June 28th
- July 26th
- August 23rd
- September 27th
- October 25th
- November 29th
- December 13th
- December 27th
Day 1: Phnom Penh
Arrival day and welcome dinner
We arrive and stay in the heart of the cosmopolitan lifestyle that has been thrust on Phnom Penh since the country has opened up to the outside world. After we pick you up from the airport and take you to the hotel, take some time to relax or explore the city before we meet for a welcome dinner. Dinner is at one of Phnom Penh’s best restaurants, Romdeng. It’s part of the Friends International social enterprise projects, providing vocational training for marginalized youth.
Inc. Meals: Dinner
Cycling: NA
Transit: Airport transfer
Day 2: Phnom Penh:
Friends International, S-21 genocide museum and Khmer BBQ
We’ll start the day by meeting the incredible people at Friends International and learn about the wonderful work they do within the community. This is a great insight into REAL local everyday issues, from real local everyday heroes. We then venture towards the Russian market and move to Tuol Sleng, also known as S-21 Genocide Museum. This devastating chapter of the Khmer Rouge and Cambodian history is emotionally challenging but strongly recommended. There is some free time in the afternoon to process your day, whilst we’ll meet again for a local Khmer BBQ dinner.
Inc. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Cycling: None
Activities: S-21 Genocide Museum
NGO: Friends International
Day 3: Kampot:
Chisaur Temple
We cycle south of Phnom Penh to Chisaur Mountain Temple in rural Cambodia. It’s not really much of a mountain at 130m and the route is perfectly flat. We casually cycle through remote villages and waterways, via narrow dirt tracks. Chisaur Temple is where we’ll be for lunch as we have plenty of time to explore these ancient ruins which are 200 years older than Angkor Wat. From here, we’ll take the van down to the Cambodian coastal town of Kampot to enjoy the culinary delights on offer.
Inc. Meals: Breakfast
Cycling: 65km
Transit: 2.5 hrs
Activities: Chisaur Temple
Day 4: Kampot:
The Bokor Mountain Cycle Challenge
Start the day with an (optional) mammoth Bokor Mountain cycle challenge! It’s 30km 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! If you feel like taking some time off the bike, Kampot is a great town to caffeinate, people watch and relax.
Inc. Meals: None
Cycling: 60km
Activities: Bokor Mountain
Day 5: Kampot:
Salt Fields, CLS and Khmer cooking class
In the morning, we’ll visit Chumkriel Language School (no children will be in attendance at the time of visiting). A fantastic NGO and inspirational human being, Mr Suthy has set up a very grass roots local school to give access to education for children of the salt field community. In the afternoon, we’ll partake in a cooking class, teaching us the best of Khmer cuisine!
Inc. Meals: Dinner
Cycling: 10km (salt fields, optional)
Activities: Cooking class
NGO: Chumkriel Language School
Day 6: Rach Gia (Vietnam):
Salt lakes, pepper farms, live crab markets and white beaches
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 it’s 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.
Inc. Meals: Dinner
Cycling: 65km
Activities: Pepper farm tour
Transit: 2.5 hrs (Viet border to Rach Gia)
Day 7: Can Tho:
Cycling the Mekong Delta
Can Tho is where the Mekong Delta really comes into it’s own! To get there we cut through the back roads of rice paddy’s and farm land, arriving in the city by late afternoon. The ride finishes about 20km out of the city, but if your legs and daylight permit, there’s an option to continue all the way in. Alternatively, you can jump in the van. With a population of over a million and a thriving tourist trade, Can Tho has a vibrancy about it like none other. Relax and explore this amazing city. For dinner, we’ll pull up a patch of grass at the night market and treat yourself to a degustation of delightful street food!
Inc. Meals: Breakfast
Cycling: 80km to 100km
Transit: 0km to 20km
Day 8: Can Tho:
Sunrises, floating markets, noodle factories and cocoa farms
We’ll catch the floating markets for most of the morning. This is no tourist performance, this is real life for the local people where they trade, sell and buy every day. 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. The rest of the afternoon is yours to relax, get a massage and soak in the culture!
Inc. Meals: Breakfast
Cycling: None
Activities: Cocoa farm, rice noodle factory, floating market boat ride
Day 9: Ben Tre:
More Mekong cycling and a local homestay
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 for 5pm, and relax with a local family in their home (private rooms). You’ll also have the chance to have an impromptu cooking class for great local food!
Inc. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Cycling: 85km to 100km
Transit: 0km to 15km
Day 10: Saigon:
Cycling into Saigon
We’ll start early to beat the heat and what we can of the traffic. We’ll head straight to a coconut candy factory (either by van or by bike) to learn more about this local delicacy. 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. Cycling the final 15km or so is completely optional, if you’re not comfortable in the traffic. Usually, about half the riders choose to take the van. Our hotel is in the heart of the city, just a short stroll from the Street Food Market for dinner and a live band.
Inc. Meals: Breakfast
Cycling: 80km to 100km
Transit: 0km to 20km
Day 11: Saigon:
Mekong Quilts and KOTO
We’ll visit our final NGO of the trip in Mekong Plus. With a presence in Cambodia and Vietnam, this grass roots local NGO focus on a hand up, not hand out policy. The social enterprise part of this NGO trains beneficiaries to make quilts, handicrafts and bamboo bicycles. The holistic approach from Mekong Plus includes education scholarships, vocational training, micro finance programs and social enterprise businesses. Use the day to explore at your leisure. There are a feast of local markets, grand shopping centres, museums and attractions in Ho Chi Minh. For the evening we’ll meet up for dinner, swap stories, photos and decide where you’d like the donation money to go to.
Inc. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Cycling: None
NGO: Mekong Plus
Day 12: Saigon
Departure Day!
Congratulations! You’ve cycled across a couple of countries, covered almost 700km 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 you set off to the airport or your next adventure.
Inc. Meals: Breakfast
Cycling: None
Dates
Got a Question
Why we love Social Cycles
Social Cycles host small group cycle adventures for travellers with a social conscience. They engage with local experts (NGOs) to learn about social issues, challenges and strategies so that we can gain the knowledge to make a positive difference. We believe that this takes your experience and understanding of the local community to completely new depths.
Cambodia and Vietnam FAQ’s
- What's Included
- Not Included
- Trip Extras
- Tell me more about the social impact side of things?
- How hard is the cycling?
- What are the hotels like?
- What's the food like?
- What to Pack
- Terms & Conditions
What’s Included on your Cambodia Adventure?
- All accommodation in comfortable hotels (twin-share basis). Single supplement available
- Full Bicycle hire
- Local guides, support van driver and mechanic
- Full support vehicle for the ride with water and fruit
- Minimum three NGO presentations with local staff across Cambodia and Vietnam
- Multiple field trips to villages and communities
- Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh
- Salt Fields Experience with CLS
- Pepper Farm tour, Cocoa farm tour, Rice Noodle Factory tour
- Floating Market tour in Can Tho
- Cooking class in Kampot
- Homestay experience in Ben Tre
- Most dinners & breakfast as per the itinerary
- Airport transfers for arrival
- International flights
- US$150 donation to NGOs (optional)
- Tips and Gratuities (from US$0 to US$100 pp)
- Drinks with meals
- Departure airport transfer (US$8-US$10)
- Travel insurance
- Visa’s (if required)
- Other items of a personal nature
- Single supplement, for a single room, per trip $300.
- Extra hotel night in Phnom Penh $50
- Extra Hotel night in Saigon $50
For every Social Cycles tour, all riders are requested to contribute a nominal sum for the purpose of a donation. Usually AU$200 per rider. During the course of the tour, you are given the chance to engage with, and learn from, local NGOs. We visit no less than three NGOs during the Cambodia tour and spend some time learning about their projects, strategies and challenges. At the end of the tour, the riders are then empowered with new found knowledge and have the opportunity to combine the allotted donation money and make an impact towards a project of their choosing. In addition to building a profile for our impact partners, Social Cycles also pays each NGO for their time and resources. We spend 1-2 hours with each NGO.
We cycle 6 out of the 12 days. Some days are 30km, some are 50km and some are a little further. See itinerary for daily details. When we embark on an 80-100km day, the distance can seem quite daunting. However, an early start for 7am and an ETA of 4pm arrival gives us 9 hours to get there. And two hours of extra daylight up our sleeve if we need it! Travelling by bicycle is not about the destination, but the journey. We’ll stop for Khmer and Vietnamese coffees, local treats, lunch and of course, to take plenty of pictures. When we are moving, the average pace is about 15-20km per hour. Our small group policy means it’s easier for all of us to stay together. You don’t need to be super fit for this ride, you just need to be positive.
We understand how important it is to take rest in a place that’s clean and comfortable – especially after a hard slog on the bikes. That’s why we always make an effort to get you settled in somewhere in town suited to that description. Where we can, we will organise boutique style accommodation for everyone (with a pool) because quite frankly, you deserve it. We’ll also make sure that a massage is not far away!
The best part about cycling from one country to another is to cycle through the various regions of food along the way. This is slow travel at it’s best as Cambodia offers salt lakes and pepper farms, fresh crab markets in Kep and tarantulas in Phnom Penh (optional!) Most of the included dinners are at social enterprise based restaurants, supporting the local NGOs. But this is not the main reason we eat here, it’s because the food is delicious!
All meals are shared, ‘family style’, so you get an abundance of choice sitting in front of you at the table. A great chance to try a bit of everything! Dietaries are catered for as well, just let us know in advance.
- Full sleeve sports top for sun protection (high breathability)
- Lightweight full length top and pants
- Comfortable (padded) shorts to cycle in
- Visor/Caps for under your helmet
- Closed shoes (bikes do not have clip in pedals)
- Gloves
- Helmet
- Sports water bottle
- Lightweight backpack (optional)
- Removable padded seat for your bike (optional)
- Light Khmer scarf to protect your neck from the sun
- Sunscreen
Cancellation by the traveller
If you cancel some or all portions of your booking cancellation fees will apply. A cancellation will only be effective when we receive written confirmation of the cancellation. If you cancel a trip:
60 days or more prior to departure, we will retain the deposit;
Between 31 and 55 days prior to departure, we will retain the deposit or 50% of the total booking cost; whichever is greater, and
30 days or less prior to departure, we will retain 100% paid by you in connection with the booking.
You are strongly advised to take out cancellation insurance at the time of booking which will cover cancellation fees. If you leave a trip for any reason after it has commenced we are not obliged to make any refunds for unused services. If you fail to join a tour, join it after departure, or leave it prior to its completion, no refund will be made. The above cancellation fees are in addition to fees which may be levied by accommodation providers, travel agents or third party tour and transport operator fees.
Cancellation by us
We may cancel a trip at any time up to 60 days before departure. We may cancel a trip at any time prior to departure if, due to terrorism, natural disasters, political instability or other external events it is not viable for us to operate the planned itinerary. If we cancel your trip, you can transfer amounts paid to an alternate departure date or receive a full refund. In circumstances where the cancellation is due to external events outside our reasonable control refunds will be less any unrecoverable costs. We are not responsible for any incidental expenses that you may have incurred as a result of your booking including but not limited to visas, vaccinations, travel insurance excess or non-refundable flights.
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