Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Cycling Phnom Penh to Angkor 6 Days/ 5 Nights

Cycling Phnom Penh to Angkor 6 days/ 5 nights, the trip can be started in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, where the mountain bikes have been prepared. Our cycling guide will brief on the tour. Getting around and out of Phnom Penh is a busy traffic. Therefore, we might transfer a little bit if the traffic is worse. Most of the road surface is good with tarmac. Then, we take the boat crossing Tonle Sap lake which is great from July to February. We ride approximately 320 km mostly on tarmac roads during most of the days except from Banteay Srei to Kbal Spean which is about 15km on the dirt road. Apart from Angkor complex, the other main interest are Kbal Spean which is known as the river of thousand lingas and Beng Mealea ruin temple hidden in the jungle. The temple is charming and peaceful and has its own special character. Once it was featured in the movie stared by Indiana Jones and the Two Brother by French movie maker Jean Jacques Anaud.


Duration: 6 days/5 nights
Tour Code: MCHL03
Tour Valid: Until December 30th, 2013
Highlights: Phnom Penh - Toul Sleng Museum - Siem Reap - Angkor Small Circuit - Banteay Srei and One Thousand Lingas - Beng Mealea - Siem Reap Departure
  • Day 1 - Arrival Phnom Penh (35km by bike)

    Place Transport: Bicycle 
    Meals: Lunch - Dinner
    Arrive at Phnom Penh airport and transfer to your hotel. Explore this bustling city's major sights by bike including National Museums of Khmer Arts, Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and Toul Sleng Museum of Genocide S21 and the Killing Field.

    Day 2 - Phnom Penh-Siem Reap (28km)

    Place Transport: Boat->Bicycle 
    Meals: Breakfast - Lunch
    Transfer for speedboat to Siem Reap crossing Tonle Sap lake. The interesting boat trip is nice from July to February. The boat takes about 6 hours which has toilet, air-con and life jacket. Cycle 15km to the hotel. Late afternoon, view sunset tour at Phnom Bakheng. Stay overnight in Siem Reap. 

    Day 3 - Siem Reap-Angkor Small Circuit 25km

    Place Transport: Bicycle 
    Meals: Breakfast - Lunch
    Depart from the hotel on the main road and cycle through Angkor pass check point. Cycling through the shady road with a little pumping because of the a few pot-holes. There, you will see Kravan temple, Banteay Kdei, and stop at the famous Ta Phrom, embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers. Visit Ta Phrom (45 minutes-1 hour) which  was built in 12th century by the famous King Jayavarvan VII indicated to his mother. While clearing back, the forest archaeologists decided to leave the vegetation of Ta Phrom in place to serve as a reminder of how the original discoverers found it and the other Angkor temples.
    Many of the trees have grown around and through the remains and soar high above the temples. Continue the cycling through small circuit passing Ta Keo temple, Chao Say Tevoda, and Tommanon before reaching to the Angkor Thom city. There you will see Terrace of Leper King, Terrace of Elephant, Baphoun, and Phimean Akas. Stop at Bayon temple and start the visit (45 minutes-1 hour). Angkor Thom was built by Cambodia's great king, Jayavarman VII. Stay overnight in Siem Reap.

    Day 4 - Banteay Srei and One Thousand Lingas (90km)

    Place Transport: Bicycle 
    Meals: Breakfast - Lunch
    Depart from the hotel on the main road. Arrive at Angkor Wat and turn left to the west. Continue to cycle 2km before turn right to the rural road. The road is good for cycling as you can avoid the busy traffic but you can see rice field, village, and pagoda. Arrive in Banteay Srei before lunch. Visit (45 minutes) Banteay Srei temple which is known as the women citadel (built in 967 A.D dedicated to Brahma). While some of temple are impressive because of their sheer size, Banteay Srei stands alone in the quality of its construction and decoration. Its pink sandstone walls are decorated with what some consider the best carving of all, and still an excellent state of preservation.
    The road is good for cycling. Continue cycling to visit Kbal Spean. It is the River of Thousands Lingas, which lies under the river bed. People believe it brings fertility and blessing Angkor area as the river flows to Siem Reap. Walk 1,200meters to visit the Lingas and enjoy lunch and the water fall. On the way back, cycle on the main road to visit Landmine Museum of Mr. Akira. Mr. Ra is dedicated to clearing the Cambodian countryside of landmines laid during the years of conflict and relies entirely on visitors' donation to fund his work. Stay overnight in Siem Reap.

    Day 5 - Beng Mealea (100km)

    Place Transport: Bicycle 
    Meals: Breakfast - Lunch
    Breakfast at the hotel. Depart from the hotel on the National Road No.6, turn left at Dam Dek market after 42km. Visit Beng Mealea temple. Beng Mealea is an untouched temple hidden in the jungle surrounded by its mood 900 meters by 1,200 meters. Beng Mealea is a beautiful and charming temple. It has it own character which cannot be found in any other temple. We can feel very peaceful when sitting inside the temple as we can get rid of the many tourists at Angkor area. Stay overnight in Siem Reap.

    The Tour Inclusion:

    - 05 Nights Accommodation.

    - Mountain bikes

    - Boat cruises as specified in the program 
    - The services of experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary

    - Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the program 

    - Lunches and dinners (as specified in the itinerary) in the best local restaurants, or picnics where no suitable restaurant is available

    The Tour Exclusion:

    - International flight tickets and airport tax.Visas.

    - Dinners, except as specified above. 

    - Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses. 

    - Surcharge for peak season (if any) & other not mentioned in the above detail program.

    Additional Information

    Importance note
    - The itinerary is just a sample of our tours; we'll be pleased to design similar programs with dates and itinerary customized to your personal preferences in Tailor Made Tours section. Rates may vary frequently. Please contact us to get the best possible price based upon your travel period and specific touring needs.

    What to bring?
    - Sun Block, Wide brim hat, Camera + Film, Comfortable shoes, Rain gear, Warm clothes, original Passport...

    How to start?
    - MinMax Travel is a fully escorted tour and best-available all year round; the only thing you need to prepare in advance is the international air-ticket from/to your country.
    - You can get Cambodia Visa on arrival easily (getting visa at the airport).

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