Biking the Ancient Temples of Cambodia

Welcome to Cambodia! You’ll be picked up at the airport and taken to the hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

After breakfast you’ll cycle to the main temple attraction for an extensive exploration of the magnificent 12th century Angkor Wat. You will realize why this great temple is simply unsurpassed by any other monument. Continuing down to a little brick temple called Prasat Kravan where you will enjoy a lunch in a local restaurant at Srah Srang Village (not included).

Next, you’ll ride through a little unnoticed village to visit Ta Prohm (The Jungle Temple). Upon entering via the North Gate, proceed further to a little sandstone temple in the jungle called Ta Nei. Other sights en-route are the Victory Gate and Ghost Gate. Optional: You can enjoy a 2 hour massage after a full day cycling (not included).

Today you’ll continue to explore the jungle covered temple of the Roluos Group. The monuments of Roluos were built in the 9th century and were dedicated by the king at the time to his ancestors. Bakong is the largest and most interesting of the Roluos group temples with an active Buddhist monastery. Lolei was built on an islet in the center of a large reservoir (now rice fields) by Yasovarman I, the founder of the first city of Angkor.

Next, stop to visit the well preserved temple of Banteay Srei. Along the way you will make a stopover at the Preah Dark village and we follow these with a visit to the Banteay Samre Temple adorned with impressive relics depicting scenes of Vishunu as well as Krishna legends.

After breakfast, visit the floating village of Chong Khneas. you’ll take a boat trip in a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake'' of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. You’ll spend the rest of time visiting the "Chantiers Ecoles - Les Artisans d'Angkor" which provides training to young Cambodians in an effort to revive the ancient Khmer traditions of stone carving and wood sculpting.

Next, drive to the Pouk district to visit a silk farm, a fascinating farm/workshop where you can see the entire silk creation process including growing the food for the silk worms, breeding the worms, silk extraction and refinement, traditional kit dying pattern creation and looming.

On the way back, visit the Western Baray (Baray Occidental) measuring 8 km by 2.3 km which provided water for the intensive cultivation of lands around Angkor.

Today you travel to Battambang town, where you can find many French Colonial architecture examples. After checking in, the group will drive along the picturesque Sangker River to Wat Slaket Pagoda, the former residence of the provincial Buddhist patriarch. Visit Ek Phnom Temple, which is an 11th century Angkorian-era ruin built as a Hindu temple under Suryavarman I. The temple consists of prasats on a platform with carvings in good condition. Wat Ek Phnom, a modern pagoda, sits next to the ruin. The river road drive to Ek Phnom from Battambang passes through small villages and rice paddies and is an absolutely beautiful countryside drive. Visit a market where Prahoc, the Cambodian fish paste, is made. Lastly, visit the place where local people take steam-sticky rice cooked in bamboo. Return to town for a short walk to a local market.

After breakfast, you’ll drive to the village of Ksach Puoy on the banks of the Sangker River. As well as being home to many well preserved traditional Khmer wooden stilted homes, this area grows a variety of tropical fruits and after the rainy season farmers plant all kinds of vegetables along the fertile river banks, here you can learn about traditional agriculture.

Not far from Ksach Puoy is Cambodia’s first vineyard, Prasat Phnom Banan Vineyard, where you can pop in if you like, learn about producing wine in the tropics and of course enjoy a spot of wine tasting! A few kilometers further south you arrive at the well preserved 11th century mountaintop Angkorian temple of Phnom Banan. After climbing the 350+ steps you are treated to a wonderfully peaceful setting with superb views across the surrounding countryside.

the same afternoon, meet families in a Muslim village and learn about their vocations, traditions, and everyday life. Have a chat with a Buddhist monk and learn about Buddhism and monastic life and enjoy a scenic ride in the countryside.

Today you’ll visit Phnom Sampov, which is the national resort. On the top of Phnom Sampove Mountain, there are temples and three natural wells, Pkar Slar, Lo Khoun and Ak So Pheak. Return to the town by the end of day. If time permits, we also explore the French colonial town, where you could see many French architectures.

After breakfast you’ll wander over to the Royal Palace. Continue to visit the National Museum, where there are over 5000 objects on display, including Angkorian era statu, lingas and other artifacts. Next, visit the Royal Palace which is a royal residence where His Majesty, the King of Cambodia, and the royal families live.

Continue to the Silver Pagoda, which serves less as a functioning temple than a repository for cultural treasures, such as the 90 kg golden Buddha encrusted with 2086 diamonds. Check out the day at Phnom Penh’s Psar Toul Tom Pong, known as the Russian Market, a great place to hunt for souvenirs, curios, and silks. Finally, visit Wat Phnom Temple, one of the most important pagodas in Phnom Penh.

The morning today is at your leisure. You’ll then enjoy a cooking class in the afternoon.

After breakfast, you’ll be taken to the airport for your outbound flight.