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Socially Conscious Cycling Tour Cambodia: Siem Reap to Phnom Penh – 7 days
$1,070.00
- Siem Reap – Angkor Wat Temples – Battambang – Pursat – Phnom Penh.
- Cycle across beautiful Cambodia with a group of like-minded socially conscious individuals!
- Social Cycles will take you on a journey to interact and connect with local grassroots 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 unique holiday that carefully balances ethical research and local impact with cycling and site seeing.
Available!
Updated April 19th, 2018.
Cambodia is an amazing country for a two-wheeled adventure! From the craziness of the Phnom Penh tranquillity of the rural areas, Cambodia is easy to fall in love with. The days are long, the country is hot and the people are incredibly friendly. From the constant and random “HELLO!” (Susaday in Khmer) from children at the side of the road to the Community Development programs set up by the truly selfless and unsung heroes of this world. Travelling Cambodia by bike is an incredible adventure!
Cambodia Cycling Tour – 7-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Siem Reap
Arrival day and welcome dinner
We arrive and stay in the heart of the cosmopolitan lifestyle that has been thrust on Siem Reap since the country opened up to the outside world not so many years ago. Tourism is opening new markets, opportunities, revenue streams and challenges for the local area. After we pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel, we take some time to relax or explore the city before we meet for a welcome dinner with the rest of the group. Dinner is at one of Siem Reap’s best restaurants, Marum. It’s part of the Friends International social enterprise projects, providing vocational training for marginalized youth.
Day 2: Siem Reap
Sunrise cycling around the temples of Angkor
Sunrise is from 4.30am as we hit the bikes for the first time. An early start – but it is so worth it! Seeing the sunrise over Angkor Wat is a bucket list achievement for good reason. From here we’ll venture on to other, and arguably more impressive, temples in the area for the remainder of the morning. In the early afternoon, we’ll have the chance to visit our first NGO of the trip. We’ll spend some time with these incredibly inspirational people that have dedicated their lives to helping others. Hear their stories and understand what the real issues of the country are.
Day 3: Siem Reap to Battambang
River riding, local villages and coffee stops
Travelling across the wetlands and navigating our way around Tonle Sap river is an experience you will never forget. The road soon turns to single track as we get more and more remote into the countryside. We farewell our support van for a little while and venture on into the rural and barren lands of Cambodia.
A few villages exist out here, supporting themselves through sustainable fishing methods via the river. The track can only go so far, as we arrange a long tail boat ride for you and take the bikes a further 16km into the wetlands. When we come out the other side, we cross another 18km of dirt road before eventually arriving into Battambang.
Battambang is a common favourite on the trip. Packed with cafes proudly displaying local art, the town is considered an emergence of young talent in a field that was virtually wiped out by the Khmer Rouge. Battambang is also great for shopping, with colonial style streets and hidden secrets where bric-a-brac abounds. Dinner is in another social enterprise based restaurant with some of the best food in Cambodia!
Day 4: Battambang to Pursat
Adventure cycling, red dirt & Sustainable Cambodia
After an early breakfast, we’ll make our way along the dusty red back roads. We’ll get to the town of Pursat by early afternoon and into our hotel to enjoy the swimming pool and on-site massage spa. We’ll then meet with the amazing NGO, Sustainable Cambodia. We’ll receive a full presentation by the executives in their office and a tour of their facilities. Shortly after we will be guided to see their projects in action. See the difference the NGO makes first hand and be inspired by these people making a difference.
Day 5: Pursat to Phnom Penh
Cycling into Phnom Penh, Tonle Sap and riverside villages
Today, we will be cycling 75km to Phnom Penh along some amazing back roads. The back roads bring in some of the most spectacular scenery in the country as we pass through villages living right on Tonle Sap lake. The ride takes in great coffee stops, endless photo opportunities and a couple of ferries. It’s almost entirely on back streets with minimal traffic. The final 2km within the heart of the city can be transferred via van as an option.
For dinner, it’s a feast of tarantula’s and silk works at the famous Romdeng restaurant, a social enterprise restaurant from the Friends International team.
Day 6: 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 learning about all the wonderful work they do within the community and how they’re spreading their strategies across the world. This is a great insight into REAL local everyday issues, from real local everyday heroes.
From the office, we venture towards the interesting Russian market and then 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 in order to understand the country in which we travel. There is some free time in the afternoon to process your day, whilst we’ll meet again for a local Khmer BBQ dinner.
Day 7: Phnom Penh
Time to say goodbye
All good things must come to an end! We’ll help you get your way to the airport, or assist in your travel plans any way we can. Enjoy your breakfast, squeeze in one more massage or just find a great cafe to watch the world go by before your onward destination!
Socially Conscious Cycle Trip: Phnom Penh, Cambodia –> Saigon, Vietnam – 12 days
2018-03-29 09:57:24
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Updated April 19th, 2018.
Socially Conscious Cycle Trip: Phnom Penh, Cambodia –> Saigon, Vietnam – 12 days
2018-03-29 09:57:24
10
Social Cycles
Multi day cycling adventures in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos (and Samoa and Iran). Tours are fully supported, last for 10-12 days, small groups only and are priced from US$1500. Strong focus on NGO visitation, learning and understanding. All riders are connected to minimum 3 NGOs on route and have the opportunity to ask questions to local experts about social challenges. We do NOT visit any schools or orphanages, or engage with any children during these NGO visits. All engagements are for no more than 1-2 hours and are with adult professionals. Riders then have the opportunity to support one or more of the NGOs they have learnt about on the trip, in both the short and long term capacity.
Our Ethos
Updated April 19th, 2018.
Here at Social Cycles we believe in two things…
1. Working with local experts to create a positive impact in the world by supporting transparent, ethical, sustainable and community-based projects; and
2. Adventure travel
We host small group cycle adventures for travellers with a social conscience. We engage with local experts (NGOs) to learn about social issues, challenges and strategies to gain the knowledge to make a positive difference. Our cycle adventures will test your physical and emotional boundaries, challenge your perception of charity and open your mind.
One of the main aims of Social Cycles is to group together like-minded people who are looking to learn how to make a difference, to #ridewithpurpose if you will. Therefore, we ask you to consider a minimum donation amount to the value US$150.
Please do NOT pay Social Cycles this money. Instead, we ask that you simply bear it in mind. Keep it to yourself for now. It is our goal that we combine as a group to provide a sufficient amount of money that makes a significant difference to a community, via one of the NGOs we visit along the way. Which one is a matter for you and the group to decide!
Socially Conscious Cycle Trip: Phnom Penh, Cambodia –> Saigon, Vietnam – 12 days
2018-03-29 09:57:24
10
What's Included?
Updated April 19th, 2018.
Included:
- 6 x nights hotel accommodation
- Full Bicycle hire
- A guide & mechanic for the trip
- Full support vehicle for the ride with water and fruit
- Minimum three NGO presentations with local staff across Cambodia
- Multiple field trips to villages and communities
- Entry to Angkor temples in Siem Reap, the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh
- Dinners in Social Enterprise based training restaurants & breakfasts as indicated
- Airport transfers for arrival and departure
Not included:
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Visas (if required)
- Meals not indicated on the itinerary (mainly lunches)
- Beverages
- Souvenirs
- Personal expenses
Socially Conscious Cycle Trip: Phnom Penh, Cambodia –> Saigon, Vietnam – 12 days
2018-03-29 09:57:24
10
Starting Dates
Updated April 19th, 2018.
We have tours departing on the following dates from Siem Reap:
20 June, 2018
18 July, 2018
29 July, 2018
17 November, 2018
23 December, 2018
4 January, 2019
18 January, 2019
1 February, 2019
15 February, 2019
Socially Conscious Cycle Trip: Phnom Penh, Cambodia –> Saigon, Vietnam – 12 days
2018-03-29 09:57:24
10
Refund Policy
- In order to book this experience, you will need to pay a refundable deposit.
- The deposit remains in a ‘pending state’ – i.e. will not be taken out of your bank account until you hear from the organiser and have confirmed that there is availability and that they can meet all of your requirements.
- If you are unable to agree on a date or the organiser cannot meet your requirements, your deposit is automatically returned to you in full.
- Once you have agreed on a date and you are happy to go ahead with the trip/retreat/course as planned, your deposit will be accepted.
- At this point, your deposit is still refundable, however, there will be a small cancellation fee applied (which is what Paypal charge us to accept your payment in the first place) which is around 5% of the total amount that you paid to us.
- The rest of the payment for the experience is payable to the organiser, either upon arrival at the destination or before in some cases, if the organiser requires it. The organiser will arrange this with you.
- The refund of the second payment, which goes directly to the trip organiser, is based on their own Terms and Conditions, and we have no control over this.
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