Category: Anlong Veng

Riding: 70km cycling – Our cycling route today takes us on brilliant back trails and secondary roads through landscapes of coconut and palm trees and into a dry zone leading up to just near the Kulen Range. Here we find Banteay Srey, known as the lady temple. After taking some time to see the intricate and unique carvings here in orange-pink sandstone, we pedal on to the waterfall at Kbal Spean. Here, after a short walk, we can enjoy the cool water of the falls and the shade. In the late afternoon, we visit the ACCB Wildlife Conservation Center, a facility that is home to rescued wildlife species that are rare throughout Cambodia now. Here we see enormous birds, cheeky Langur monkeys, gibbons and we can often hear Hornbills overhead. A drive of one hour takes us to the small town of Anlong Veng where a simple, but adequate hotel awaits us.

Riding: 85km cycling – This morning you have the opportunity to try a couple of typical Cambodian breakfast items, but we’ll have the essentials on hand also. The ride starts out with a pedal through town and a short diversion to the now abandoned home of the infamous Ta Mok, one of the senior Khmer Rouge figures. From there, we’ll find a secondary road that takes us east, with the Dangrek Mountains on our left for most of the morning. About halfway through, we join a more substantial road, but still with minimal traffic. The areas through which we cycle have only been opened up in recent years by this road and we see some communities starting to put down roots, often Military families who have been encouraged to move here as part of a border protection presence. Sra Em is the commercial hub for these communities and where our comfortable hotel with a pool is located.

Riding: 70km cycling – Today we ride, then hike up an ancient staircase to Prasat Preah Vihear, a temple and a location that has been a source of angst and tension between Cambodia and its larger, richer neighbor: Thailand. In 1962 an ICJ ruling confirmed Cambodia as the owner of the temple, but tension has continued over disputed land surrounding the temple. Nonetheless, the temple is now in a peaceful situation, set atop the mountain range and offering views out over the plains. It is a beautifully designed, ancient Hindu temple, built during the time of the Khmer empire. We climb to the top to explore this UNESCO wonder, then descend to our accommodation for the evening.

Riding: 60km cycling – We start off riding today on a recently opened, dirt road which will eventually form part of the Dragon Road, a perimeter trail that will run from the Vietnamese border in the Northeast to the Gulf Of Thailand in the Southwest. As the day wears on, we board the support vehicle for the drive into our destination of Stung Treng. This is a sleepy town at the junction of the Mekong and the Srepok Rivers. The riverbank is a great place to see out the day with some snacks and curious conversation with the locals.

Riding: 10km cycling – It’s time to trade our bikes for kayaks as we paddle instead of pedal. We first drive north towards the Lao border where our kayaks await. This is a highly enjoyable and memorable experience. Paddling downstream, pass through the flooded forests that are made possible by the river’s passage over falls to the north that oxygenate the water and make a range of plant, bird and fish life possible in this area. We paddle for around four hours, but thanks to the currents of the Mekong, you can take it easy on the paddle and just enjoy maneuvering the craft through the forest. We finish up a little after lunch and then travel by motor-boat to reach the exit point. We then finish off the day on our bikes as we ride along a beautiful section of Mekong trail back to Stung Treng.

Riding: 90km cycling – We start out in a boat today as we shuttle up the Srepok River, one of the Mekong tributaries. After an hour and a bit on the boat, we meet the road and then take to bikes again for the ride up into the highlands of Rattanakiri. The hills are certainly not steep, but there are quite a few so today can be a challenging but rewarding ride. We finish off at the Rattanakiri Lodge in Ban Lung where the sense of style through the property, bringing a sense of old world charm.

Riding: 70km cycling – We have a very different ride today on a well-paved surface as we ride up further into the highlands to the Vietnamese border. We are now in the neighborhood of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and while we won’t actually ride the trail due to its challenging terrain, we will get a feel for the kinds of conditions that it takes in. A sleepy border post sits in wait for us to enter Vietnam. After farewelling the Cambodian support crew, we continue in the vehicle to reach Kon Tum. This area is home to a number of ethnic minorities with their own traditional farming techniques. We take an afternoon ride to get a feel for the area which is also known for coffee production.

Riding: 45km cycling – We will spend another night in Kontum tonight and will spend the day cycling the trails and backroads of the area. We’ll see a coffee plantation and visit some minority villages where we can learn a little about the tribal customs and beliefs and some of their farming practices. This will be yet another off-the-beaten-path cultural experience.

Riding: 90km cycling – Today is a ride to remember. A 1-hour vehicle transfer to set us up with an achievable distance, then some great riding. After a few rolling hills, we cycle into a thrilling descent, taking us down out of the hills onto the flatlands. Some amazing views can be seen over the side of the mountains and on a clear day you may even see the ocean. After our descent, we are in a very different country with rice becoming the main crop and the density of villages increasing. We’ll park our bikes and enjoy lunch here in the town of Ba To before transferring the remainder of the distance to the bustling regional capital of Quang Ngai in the late afternoon.

Riding: 100km cycling – As Quang Ngai’s working populace head on their commute by motor-scooter, we will be pedaling towards the coast. Along the way, we encounter a point of tragic history at the My Lai Massacre site. It was here that one of the most barbaric incidents of the US-Vietnam war took place and when uncovered by the media had a profound effect on US public opinion over the war. After learning a little about this, we continue on a ride along the coast, a very different feel to our previous days. Tam Ky is a smaller town with a pleasant hotel and great local food.

Riding: 55km cycling – Saving the best for last! This is a great ride to finish with. We first cycle quiet roads right along the coast, passing tiny fishing communities and village markets and schools. Late morning, we arrive at a river where a boat is waiting to take us into our destination. We arrive by boat into the UNESCO listed Hoi An Old Town, an introduction that few people have the pleasure of experiencing. A short pedal has us at our final lunch, then it is farewell and off to your hotel for some well earned, relaxation time.