Cycling From Mekong To Angkor Wat: 11 Great Days Get A Glimpse Of The Traditions And Culture
The great Mekong River, the world’s richest and most biologically diverse river, served as the lifeline of the legendary Angkor Empire. Your cycling from the Mekong to Angkor Wat tour starts with simple pedaling as you discover the amazing water habitat and traditional lifestyle.
Cycling from Mekong to Angkor Wat
This tour includes everything: secret temples, a fascinating past, beautiful countryside, and delectable cuisine. Travelers who want to escape the crowds, mingle with amiable locals, and take in winding valleys and unspoiled natural beauty will find it a worthwhile excursion.
11 Days Cycling From Mekong To Angkor Wat Tour
On this 11-day south Vietnam bike tour, you’ll stop at amazing locations, including towns and floating villages, to get a thorough understanding of living in this surreal region of the world. You’ll also visit Cambodia in addition to Vietnam. Let’s cycle across lush Vietnam and temple-filled Cambodia, taking in country life and enjoying delicious street food.
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City Discovery
Welcome to Vietnam! The instructor and driver will meet you at Tan San Nhat International Airport and take you to your hotel in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. For your information, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is known as “the pearl of the Far East.”
One of Asia’s most memorable place names is Saigon, the largest and most populous city in Vietnam. The city practically passes you by at a dizzying speed. Yet, there are also the opulent colonial French thoroughfares and structures, the Cathedral, the riverbank, and the peaceful moments spent at a small coffee shop.
Once at the hotel, check-in and take some time to unwind on your own. If time allows, we will spend a half-day in the city touring the important historical sites of Saigon’s former French colonial capital.
One of the delights of your first day is the Vietnamese cuisine, which you’ll savor during a group meal where your advisor will fill you in on the details of the following days.
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh – Cai Be
On the second day, eat a full breakfast before your first day of cycling to fuel up. After that, you are picked up by the shuttle bus and driven an hour and a half via highways to My Tho.
From here, you can enjoy the picturesque rural life, farm owners and florists at work on the field, and fruit orchards along the walkways.
Thanks to an easy ride, you can stop at a local to learn about daily life while cycling to a guesthouse. You are free to unwind or help the hostel host in activities such as cooking for the remainder of the day.
Day 3: Cai Be – Ben Tre – Tra Vinh
Beginning of day 3, we will pedal to Cho Lach, leaving Mekong Lodge thru the Island of An Binh, passing by neighborhood markets, schools, and fruit orchards. After a brief transition to prevent getting too overheated after lunchtime, we pick the most suitable path for your afternoon Mekong cycling tour.
Before boarding a boat to Tra Vinh, you will have a stunning trip past towns with hundreds of coconut trees along the roads. After that, take a ferry across the Mekong’s main arm and travel to Tra Vinh, a Khmer town, where you will spend the night.
You have plenty of time to wander around Tra Vinh’s pathways and trails once you get there and settle down.
Day 4: Tra Vinh – Can Tho
Tra Vinh has a coastline; however, many of the beautiful beaches in Ba Dong are unpopular since they are too far away from the city and the water is not extremely clear. Amazing scenery and the cycling paths you may use to come close to welcoming villagers and Khmer people interest tourists the most.
On day 4, hop on your bike and set out to Cau Khe for lunchtime today. Along the way, you can take in the peace that these sceneries emanate as you ride through abundant rice paddies and coconut trees. Finish the trip to Can Tho, a city in the Mekong Delta, and spend the night there.
Day 5: Can Tho – Cao Lanh
An excursion by boat to the Cai Rang market will start the day. Wake up early to soak in the magnificent scenery, embrace Cai Rang Floating Market’s energetic vibe, and explore the fish market and several stilted homes along the riverbeds.
Once you have finished breakfast, you will return to the hotel and prepare for your departure to Sadec town. After a quick transfer, we set out on bicycles to Sadec, passing past sweet potato crops and numerous little artificial waterways.
You will have the chance to visit the Huynh Thuy Le mansion in the historic Sadec town, featured in the film “The Lover.”
Before bicycling through a big flowerbed, past brick factories, and across the Mekong River to Cao Lanh city, your lunch will be prepared in this homestay.
Day 6: Cao Lanh- Chau Doc
We pedal past farm fields that were deserted before 1975 today. People from the Mekong have migrated and stayed here since 1980. See for yourself how large Vietnam’s rice bowl is and take a break for coffee in a small canal-side hamlet.
After that, we will continue cycling to Chau Doc, passing Ba Chuc and the border town of Tinh Bien. This is where you will spend your final night in Vietnam.
Day 7: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh (Speedboat)
You undoubtedly need a break after cycling for almost a week. This morning, we will say goodbye to Vietnam and get to the capital of Phnom Penh by boat in four hours.
You will get the opportunity to take in the sights along the Mekong River’s banks as you go into Cambodia. When you arrive in Cambodia, your tourist guide will greet you and bring you to the accommodation.
You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant daily life of Phnom Penh. To gain a feel for Cambodian culture, visit historical and cultural sites and discover locations visitors rarely frequent.
Day 8: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap
Leaving the crowded streets of Phnom Penh this morning, you travel 40 kilometers before leaving the main highway and turning onto a mostly unpaved, occasionally rough route of Kampong Thom for a morning ride.
From there, you can start cycling past many small villages where you will see people going about their regular lifestyles. There are many beautiful paddy rice fields and cool places to take a break along the way.
After stopping for lunch, you will take a second transfer to Siem Reap, where you will spend the following few nights.
Day 9: Siem Reap – Banteay Srei – Siem Reap
After breakfast, we depart from Siem Reap by bike and approach the temple complex through a different, much calmer entrance. Then, via a few smaller roads, we travel through the complex. We get off the usual tourist route toward the countryside after leaving the central complex to reach Banteay Srei.
To get a true sense of life in Cambodia, we will travel through many local villages, schools, and people going about their daily activities. We get to stop at Banteay Samre along the route, which is frequently overlooked but worth visiting.
Perhaps one of the nicest trips on tour is this. Before going to Kbal Spean (River of 1,000 Lingas) and having lunch at the Sovann Kbal Spean eatery, we stop at Banteay Srei for a well-deserved break. We trek up to the top for lunch and then return to the start point to take the bus return to Siem Reap after admiring the riverbed.
Day 10: Mekong Cycling Tour At Angkor Wat
Today, you will encounter the biggest religious structure on earth. The Angkor Wat temple complex is yours to explore for an entire day. Hit some of the highlights of this enormous complex of temples and take in the undoubtedly mystical atmosphere.
Afterward, proceed to Phnom Bakheng for a breathtaking sunset view before returning to your Siem Reap accommodation for the evening.
Day 11: Siem Reap Departure
You have today free to unwind on your own time and enjoy the breathtaking sunrise at Angkor Wat. After breakfast, you can say goodbye to your group and head to the airport, leaving the ancient Khmer Empire with many unforgettable cycling memories.
Conclusion
Cycling from Mekong to Angkor Wat tour, the preferred route for tourists, is a must-try for your adventurous team if you want to enjoy a truly authentic vacation while immersed in the traditions of the locals.
You can stop at interesting locations along the trip and get to know the picturesque backroads, historic temples and rural villages, entrances, and archways that were once part of a bustling metropolis.
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