Tour Code  : MCI Price  : From US$3,859/Adult
Trip Style : AIRAVATA Duration  : 21 Days
Country Visit  : Vietnam, Cambodia
Region Visit: : Ho Chi Mint City, Cu Chi, My Tho, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Cau Ke, Can Tho, Long Xuyen, Chau Dock, Kep, Kampot, Ta Keo, Phnom Penh, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap
Start Location  : Ho Chi Mint   
End Location : Siem Reap   
     
CYCLE INDOCHINA

Types of activities

Our adventure travel holidays are rated not just in terms of the destinations we visit but also by the type of journey and activity we offer. To ensure you select your ideal adventure holiday please click on each of our activity logo on our trip to get more detail information. If you have any further questions send us an email office@spiritasiatravel.com or give us a call (+855) 12 315 315.

Cycling Activities:

Spirit Asia Travel adventures designed some great cycling itineraries throughout Indochina. Cycling from Angkor to Ho Chi Mint City, Cycling around Cambodia include the beaches till the Khmer Empire site of Angkor. Day cycling through villages and rural area to meet poor kids, visit their school, give them some basic needed such as toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and school supplies. The ride can vary from moderately hilly paved roads to off road rides of 40 to 80km a day. Adventures with multiple days of riding can include up to 8 hours per day of strenuous cycling, requiring an above average level of fitness. Remember that we always have a support vehicle behind with the group during cycling. Email our office if you have any special needed or you have your own route to ride the bike in Indochina

DAY 1:  ARRIVAL HO CHI MINH CITY 

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City! You will be met upon arrival and driven to your hotel, situated at the center of the City, 100 meters away from Ben Thanh market. As there are no planned activities on your first day in Indochina, you may check-in any time after 12 o’clock.
In the evening, you will have a first group meeting with your tour leader followed by a welcome dinner. Please check the hotel notice board for the time and place of this meeting, you will also have some suggestions what to do in and around Saigon. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Meals: Welcome dinner

DAY 2:  HO CHI MINH CITY TOUR                                                                          

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly named Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam, with about 5 million inhabitants. It is also the commercial capital of the country, under growing economic and cultural liberalisation. We will begin the exploration of the city with a stroll from the hotel in the area around Dong Khoi Street, also known as the Old French quarter, where you will see some ancient French-colonial structures, such as the Municipal Theatre, the General Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. Then, we will walk the short distance to the Reunification Hall, a prominent symbol of the country’s political history.

After having lunch in a local restaurant our focus will be on the Asian characteristic of the city. Driving to the Thao Cam Park then we will visit the Museum of Vietnamese History. Then, we will continue to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, known for its exquisite architecture and ornate carvings and on to the nearby Tran Hung Dao Temple and the Vinh Nghiem pagoda. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 3:  CU CHI TUNNELS - MY THO - 60KM CYCLING 

To avoid the heavy morning traffic, we will drive 30km out of Saigon where we start the cycling on back-paved roads through the rubber plantations to the Legendary Cu Chi tunnels.  Here our guide will take us through the undergrowth to visit this place of utmost significance during the Vietnam War. After an audio-visual presentation on tunnel history, we will be taken to see the tiny trapdoors and the reconstituted booby traps and for the braver amongst us, enter into one of the claustrophobic tunnels and crawl a short distance underground. A chilling reminder of the terrible trials of wartime.

After lunch we continue cycling to Trang Bang, a place that is famous for the picture that was taken of the Vietnamese children fleeing a napalm attack on the village. Then on through some villages to reach My Tho, a lovely city with old colonial buildings and Chinese houses. Overnight in Homestay  

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 4:  BEN TRE - TRA VINH - 47KM CYCLING 

Right after breakfast, we again mount our bicycles - our destination the city of Trah Vinh. First a short distance to the ferry crossing to reach the province of Ben Tre, lush with vast coconut tree plantations and famous for its coconut candy. Another short 12 km ride through the countryside will take us to a second ferry; then cycle another 25 kms before the final ferry journey to Tra Vinh. This city is remarkable for the diversity of its people and its places of worship. Its population includes not only Khmer people, but also many of Chinese and Christians. We will see the Khmer-style Ong Met Pagoda with its portico posts surmounted by four-faces images of the Buddha, the vibrant and colourful Chinese Ong Pagoda and the colonial-style with Khmer influences Tra Vinh Church. Overnight in Tra Vinh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 5:  CAU KE - CAN THO - 80KM CYCLING 

We leave Tra Vinh in the morning and cycle along the countryside, passing some of the 140 Pagodas which are scattered around the province. We will stop at Ba Om, a charming pond, a sacred worship place with beautiful lotus flowers and encircled by majestic mango trees. In a small temple nearby, local women come to have their future predicted. En route, we will also visit a Buddhist Temple school and learn about the life of the students living there. We continue our cycling and arrive in Can Tho, our final destination of the day.Thisis the largest city on the delta, located at the confluence of the Can Tho and Hau Giang rivers and bordering six provinces. Overnight in Homestay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 6:  CAN THO - LONG XUYEN - 62KM CYCLING 

After breakfast, we will take a boat to visit the morning market of Cai Rang, the largest of the floating markets around Can Tho. Traders paddle from boat to boat selling a variety of goods amid a traffic jam of sampans. We continue cruising through the small channels to visit a rice noodle making village. The region of Can Tho is a major agricultural centre, with rice milling as its main industry. There you will learn how the noodles of the traditional Vietnamese soup are made and will be able to challenge yourself by crossing a “Monkey bridge”. Monkey bridges are built with bamboo trunks, one for the feet, one to hold oneself; delta people used them for centuries. After lunch we cycle to the Bird Sanctuary of Bang Lang, situated near the city of Long Xuyen, and enjoy a 2hr excursion with the chance to glimpse some rare bird species such as the Bengal Florican, Sarus Crane, Lesser Adjutant, Dater and Asian Golden Weaver. Then a short ride will take us to the city of Long Xuyen where we will spend the night. Overnight in Homestay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 7:  LONG XUYEN - CHAU DOC - 62KM CYCLING 

This morning after breakfast, we cycle to the city of Chau Doc which borders with Cambodia. We have lunch on arrival, then can relax on the boat trip to the Cham minority village sailing by an interesting floating village where the houses have beautiful balconies covered with flowers in full bloom. Cham village has traditional stilt houses and mosques. This excursion will take about 2hrs after which we return to our cycles and ride to the nearby Sam Mountain to enjoy the stunning view of the rice fields of Vietnam and the plains of Cambodia. The slopes of the mountain are covered with shrines, grottos, pagodas and ancient tombs. Overnight in Chau Doc

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 8:  CHAU DOC - KEP CITY - 60KM CYCLING 

Our ride this morning will start at Chau Doc and cycle southwest along a canal until the border of Tinh Bien, Vietnam/Phnom Den, Cambodia. Here we will cross into Cambodia and continue by minibus. We will visit Phnom Bayong a small Chenla temple at the top of a hill in Kirivong district near the border and see for the last time the Mekong Delta in the Vietnamese plains. A 90km drive will take us to Kompong Trach a small city where the main attraction is a series of limestone caves and passages that have been carved into a nearby mountain. We will visit the modern Wat Kirisan, built at the bottom of Phnom Sor (White Mountain), from where an underpass goes to another sanctuary in the heart of the hill. The roof of a large cave has collapsed making a small enclosed jungle.

And on to the city of Kep a small city famous for its seafood. Time to relax!! A thirty minute boat cruise will bring us to Rabbit Island, a lovely little island offshore from Kep.

A refreshing swim in the crystal sea will beckon you before having dinner of outstanding seafood: it doesn't get fresher than here! We will spend the night in wooden bungalows along the beach of this quiet place. The bungalows are very basic with squat toilet and rudimentary shower but beds are comfortable and the experience of the island is well worth it!  Don’t be surprised to be woken by the island roosters crowing under your bungalow in the early hours of the morning. Overnight in Koh Tonsay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 9:  KEP CITY - KAMPOT - 25KM CYCLING 

You will be able to admire the sunrise on the sea or enjoy a long lie in on Rabbit Island (Koh Tunsay). There are two white sandy beaches with coconut trees and shallow waters. Relax for the morning on the beach, snorkel in clean waters around the rocks and admire a variety of beautiful fish. You can also walk along the beaches or inside the island through the beautiful forest where you may see the giant bats. After lunch we head back to Kep on the boat, and ride our bikes to the provincial city of Kampot. We will pass through pepper and fruit plantations, such as durian, mangosteen, rambutan, pineapple, grapefruit, coconut, mak prang and coconut plantations. Kampot is the durian growing region of Cambodia and is also renowned for producing one of the world’s finest peppers. On the way, we will visit limestone caves with exotic rock formations and Buddhist shrines. And finally at the end of the day, we will take a sunset cruise on the Prek Kampong Bay River which runs along the city, passing through a Cham village. This excursion takes us to the rapids at Tekchhou a pleasant place and very popular with the locals on the weekends. Overnight in Kampot.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 10:  KAMPOT TO BOKOR HILL NATIONAL PARK - 42KM CYCLING 

Today we will ride the steep road leading to Bokor. This site is located on a 1000 meter high plateau of steaming jungle, shy wildlife and abandoned buildings. Built by the French as a casino resort in the 1920s (with casino, hotel, post-office and  church), it enjoyed a new boom with the building of the royal residence by King Sihanouk in 1959 before being abandoned to the elements in 1970. Off-limits until recent years, the buildings fell apart. The specific climate of the site, often shrouded in fog and clouds, completes the mysterious atmosphere of this ghost-town. In addition, the view of the coast from the summit is spectacular.
On the way we will stop at the former king’s residence, enjoy a well-deserved picnic lunch near Popokvil Waterfalls a quiet place for a rest and a swim. We then continue cycle to Wat Sampeau Moi Roi and on to the ghost town and visit its abandoned church, casino and other moss-covered buildings sitting in dense fog. Later in the afternoon, we will return to Kampot town for our overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic lunch

DAY 11:  FREE AT LEISURE   

With time on your hands today and no specific program you can explore Kampot on your own.  You may be tempted to have a shiatsu-style massage, or a foot massage at “Seeing Hands 5 Massage” or “Kampot Massage by the Blind”, both offering massages by seeing-impaired masseurs and masseuses. We recommend a visit to Epic Arts Café, which belongs to the NGO Epic Arts training disabled people in art performances thereby allowing them to regain some respect and self-esteem. Overnight in Kampot

Meals: Breakfast only 

DAY 12:  KAMPOT - TAKEO - 75KM CYCLING 

Back on the cycles today, we will head north towards the provinces of Kampot and Takeo. Passing through the Cambodian countryside, rural villages and scenic rice paddies. We will meet swarms of school children riding their bikes to school and see water buffaloes peacefully lying in pools of water along the road side. En route, we will stop for a picnic lunch giving us time to rest our legs and enjoy the scenery. We will arrive our homestay in the late afternoon. After having checked-into the homestay, you will have some time to relax before enjoying dinner with our farmer family. Overnight at homestay

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic lunch and Family dinner

DAY 13:  TAKEO TO PHNOM CHISO - 30KM CYCLING 

After breakfast with the family we will board for a 40-minute boat trip along the canals of Takeo, (through the rice fields and marshland) to visit the ancient Funan ruin temples of Phnom Da, the oldest historical site in Cambodia and Angkor Borei as well as a visit to a nearby museum housed in a small colonial building. On the bikes again we north to Phnom Chisor.  Here at the top of this mountain sits the well preserved Angkorian era temple ruin, built under King Suryavarman I during a period when Angkorian Empire was powerful and on the rise. This temple is Hindu as are most of the temples of this period. You will see carved scenes with the Hindu Gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu on sandstone lintels and pediments. The quality of the ruins and the splendid view of the countryside is well worth the effort of climbing the 412 steps to reach the top of the hill.  And then, we cycle on to our homestay in the surroundings to be received by our host family. After a short rest we will help our host family prepare dinner and enjoy a friendly meal together. Overnight and dinner at the homestay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 14:  TAKEO - PHNOM PENH CAPITAL - 65KM CYCLING 

After breakfast with our host family, we will resume our cycling tour to the north. The  conditions will be similar to yesterday, with many opportunities to take wonderful photos of people at work in the rice fields, driving oxcarts or other odd vehicles. On the way, we will stop for frequent breaks to visit temples and villages, meet monks and farmers and learn about Khmer culture and rural life. There will be a chance to visit different food stands along the road and taste the local products, such as delicious fruits and palm sugar.  For the more curious, why not try some grilled frogs or deep-fried crickets? Our ride today will reach Phnom Tamao wildlife sanctuary. This sanctuary is home to 70 Sun bears and Asiatic bears that have been rescued with the help of the NGO Free the Bears whose aim is to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears and those who live alongside them throughout the world.

After we continue our cycling to Tonle Bati. Beside the tranquility of the Bati river and shady foliage, there are also two beautiful temples to visit, Ta Prohm and Yeay Peau. We will arrive in Phnom Penh in the mid-afternoon where after checking in, you will have time to relax and swim before going out for dinner. Overnight at Phnom Penh

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic lunch and Dinner

DAY 15:  ROYAL PALACE & KILLING FIELDS 

This morning will be time to reflect on the recent past history of Cambodia and the resilience of the Khmer people.  After breakfast, we drive about 15kms to Choeung Ek, a mass gravesite known to the locals as the Killing Fields, after the popular movie by Roland Joffre. Today, Choeung Ek serves as a memorial to those killed under the Khmer Rouge rule. Afterwards, we cycle back to the city center and visit the Tuol Sleng museum. This former high school, in the suburbs of the capital, was converted to a detention and torture centre - known as Toul Sleng or S21- by the Khmer Rouge when they came to power in 1975. Most of the 17,000 people detained at Toul Sleng were eventually transported to Choeung Ek.

The afternoon will be spent at the Royal Palace situated on the site of the former citadel. Besides the Royal Residence (closed to the public), the Throne Hall or Vinichhay Temple (the place where kings are enthroned) and the Chan Chaya Pavillon (where traditional dances took place), it includes Wat Preah Keo, better known as the Silver Pagoda. This amazing place, which floor is covered with 5000 silver plates, houses the Preah Keo or emerald Buddha, made of Baccarat crystal. In front stands a 90 kg golden Buddha studded with 9584 diamonds.

Finally, we will visit the National Museum. Built around a central courtyard, the galleries, arranged chronologically, present a collection of Khmer art, mostly sculptures.
This evening before dinner we will enjoy a drink on the roof top of FCC restaurant, a pretty spot to enjoy the panorama of Phnom Penh. Overnight in Phnom Penh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 16:  PHNOM PENH - KAMPONG THOM - 65KM CYCLING 

Today, after breakfast, we will drive to Kampong Thom Province, North of Phnom Penh. On the way, we will stop at the village Skun. If you are looking for a snack, you will get the chance to taste the local speciality, the delicious famous fried spiders (Tarantula called A ping in Khmer). Never try, never know, that’s our motto! A three-four hours drive through a beautiful countryside will take us to the central city of Kompong Thom. Our bicycle ride will take us through a rural village to reach Sambor PreiKuk. Sambor PreiKuk is the setting of the most impressive group of pre-Angkorian monuments anywhere in Cambodia. There are more than 100 small temples, scattered through the forest. Originally called Isanapura, Sambor PreiKuk was the capital of the Kingdom of Chenla during the reign of the early-7th century king Isanavarman. This city continued to be an important centre of scholarship during the Angkorian period. We will continue our ride to the conjunction of the main road and then drive to a fishing village of Kampong Kleang where more than 11,000 stilt-houses are built on the lake. During the dry season (February to August), the village can be reached by car or motorbike, as the water level goes down and we can take a road that is normally flooded during the monsoon season. Kompong Kleang is not a floating village but is the largest fishing village on stilts occupied mainly by Vietnamese minority people. From there, we will visit the village pagoda right on the island and spend the night in a home-stay in this village to experience the local environment.

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch and family Dinner

DAY 17:  KAMPONG KLEANG - SIEM REAP - 55KM CYCLING 

After breakfast, and saying goodbye to our host family we start our cycle though countryside and pass through Roulous village, the former ancient capital city of the Khmer Empire and host to 9th-century Hindu temples and some Buddhist temples as well as local markets.

Today, our lunch will be with the local farmers family with delicious Khmer foods before we continue our ride to reach Siem Reap province. Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor and here we will have four days to enjoy the town and its surroundings. Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Family lunch and Dinner 

DAY 18:  ANGKOR WAT AND ELEPHANT RIDE 

Finally, you will have a free morning for a long lie in, before beginning the exploration of the temples of Angkor. You can explore the city on your own or enjoy a relaxing time with great Khmer massage.
In the afternoon we begin exploring the complex of Angkor Wat, the largest and most impressive of all the temples. As we will only have the afternoon, we will go to the temples by tuk tuk, our famous local transport. Angkor Wat is the best preserved of all the temples. Its layout and scale are simply breathtaking, the wall surrounding the enclosure measures 1,000 by 800 meters and the moat, said to represent the oceans of the world is 200 meters wide. This amazing temple houses the longest continuous bas relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls.
As the end of the day will approach, we will ride elephants to the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng, climb the imposing remains and meet the crowd for a truly memorable sunset. Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast only 

DAY 19:  ANGKOR COMPLEX - 50KM CYCLING 

Today, after breakfast, we take our bicycles and go to the temple complex. First to the jungle temple of Ta Prohm which has been largely consumed by the jungle and as you will climb through the dilapidated stone structures you will see many giant trees growing out of the top of the temple itself. At every turn you expect to see Indiana Jones or Lara Croft step out from behind a fallen pillar. Ta Phrom looks as many of the monuments did when European explorers first laid eyes on them. Afterwards, we continue through the Victory gate to reach the royal city of Angkor Thom the place of the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of Leper King. And on to Bayon, a pyramid temple decorated with about 200 gigantic carved heads. A truly spectacular place.

Time for lunch in one of the local restaurants around the temple after which we continue to bike along the “grand circuit” to see more temples of the Angkor Era, such as Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rup and, if we still have time, Banteay Kdei. Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch

DAY 20:  BANTEAY SREY - LANDMINE MUSEUM - 75KM CYCLING 

This morning, after breakfast, we will cycle to Angkor and then continue 20 km north of the main group of temples, through the countryside, to reach the magnificent Banteay Srei temple – the Citadel of women, decorated with superbly intricate reliefs of male and female divinities. On the way we pass through the picturesque countryside and and some small villages. It is the best way to learn how local people run their daily life, you will glimpse many activities of the villagers in the rice paddies and palm sugar plantation. Certainly a worthwhile cultural experience. When we reach the peacefiul and relaxing Siem Reap River, here we will have a picnic lunch.

On our return ride, we will stop at the Cambodian Landmine museum and Rehabilitation Centre which promotes mine awareness and education for both tourists and Cambodian people.

Then we will cycle back to the hotel where you will have time to relax by the swimming pool before dinner. Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic lunch and Dinner with Apsara dance show

DAY 21:  ONWARDS HOME  

Today is free at leisure to explore the Siem Reap city by your own, collect souvenirs and last photos before transfer to the International airport for your journey home. There are international flights to Bangkok or Vietnam and many other Asian destinations. 

Meals: Breakfast only

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Experience Indochina, the local way…

Our adventures are designed to be flexible with comfortable accommodation arranged depending on the itineraries and the areas visited.  We use a combination of Guesthouse, Motel, Homestay, Camping, Boutique Hotel and 3, 4, 5 star hotels with swimming pool depending on your choice of journey.  Each will be suitable to your choice and stay during your holiday.  All accommodation is carefully chosen - hotels are clean, with unsuited bathroom, air-conditioning and television.   The Guesthouse, homestay and camping will have shared bathroom facilities.  All are clean and comfortable.  We really care about your accommodation during your holiday and as we are local Khmer people ourselves, we understand the accommodation that we will choose for you and your family. 

Choosing locally owned facilities helps the Indochina people in their lives - and will support our local families during your journey.  These people are friendly welcoming and exceptionally hospitable.  We are sure you will sleep soundly and eat very well.

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