Exhilarating Off-road Cambodia Motorbike Tour – 13 days

Our guide will be present at your hotel at about 8 in the morning for a pickup. As scheduled, we set off to the Hog House in Takmao, 12km far from downtown Phnom Penh, where we will get a free basic breakfast if required. Start our ride on Highway 1 towards Vietnam after completing all the paperwork. The very first destination for the trip is Neak Leung, a busy commercial town in Prey Veng Province. The transit town is famous for the Great Bridge of Cambodia, a sight that welcomes most visitors who cross over the Mekong with its photogenic panoramic views.

Embark a ferry to cross the river and head to Prey Veng for lunch before continuing onto Kompong Cham. With much slower pace of life in some of the most picturesque villages, Kampong Cham sets itself aside to the rest of the country. Enjoy supper at a Khmer restaurant across the Mekong River then try a few drinks at Joe’s Mekong River Crossing or Simon’s Mekong Daze, the only 2 places you can order ice-cold drinks in the town.

Savor a morning meal at Joe’s Mekong Crossing around 8 a.m. Jump on the saddles for a northeast two-wheeled trip to Kratie, a supremely mellow riverside town that has an expansive riverfront and some best Mekong sunsets in the country. Besides, it’s known as a dolphin-spotting in the Mekong. Dine out there.

Next, we keep rolling north into Strung Treng, a quiet town with a limited appeal but loaded with substantially unexploited tourism potential. It is promising for those with an adventurous spirit as a number of riverine journeys can be undertaken. And you can discover the western bank of the Mekong, which riders give wildly enthusiastic praise for the off-road chances in western Stung Treng. Have dinner at a restaurant by the river and overnight at a hotel in the town.

Feed your belly with a delightful breakfast then go back to Kratie after check-out. Upon our arrival at the hotel, relish our luncheon then move north for about 15km to the freshwater dolphin sanctuary. Here, you can get a chance to see the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins with your own eyes. But Kratie is worth your visit for more than just these rare creatures. The town makes a great base for uncovering the river and surrounding areas with clean, lush villages hemmed in palms and banana trees.

When the night falls, we all drop by The Red Sun Rising – one of the couples of established western run bars and restaurants, for a meal. Subsequently, return to the hotel and go to bed early to get back your energy after the longest day’s ride of the tour – the total distance counts 450km.

Meet the Red Sun Rising again for a morning meal at 7 a.m. and we have 1 hour for that. Then, return to the Mekong Crossing in Kompong Cham. Stop a while for enjoying a snack and a cold drink in Kompong Thom after luncheon, the 2^nd largest province by area in Cambodia where stands lots of historical sites for visitors. Has the same name with the province, Kompong Thom capital is a picturesque town on the Stung Saen River’s banks, about halfway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

Continue our trip to Siem Riep. Once setting your foot on the place, it’s sure that you feel lost in an ancient world since there are a lot of temples around the city. But it has set itself off as charming magnet of Cambodia with all of what it takes from backpacker party pads to boutique hotels, fancy restaurants, overwhelmed shopping, luxurious spas, and travel tours that please both adventurers and foodies. Let a Khmer restaurant appeases your appetite by night. Before sleeping at the 4-star Angkor Hotel, it’s up to you to go for a drink at one of the bars in town.

Get onto wheels for the Temples of Angkor – the national pride to all Khmers and a source of inspiration. As one of the foremost ancient sites, Angkor bears an extravagant beauty with world-class narrative reliefs, innovative architectural designs, and a Hindu-Buddhist showpiece that no traveler wants to miss. Still infused with historical magic, these temples’ artistic level is unexpectedly incredible, not to mention the astonishing ancient monuments that are impressive in both size and number.

Since only specially licensed motorbikes and cars are allowed to get inside the temple complex so we may sneak in a back way in the late afternoon, for your longing. At that time, make your decision on traveling by car or motorbike taxi. Go swimming to cool down yourself then chowing down on supper at the hotel to boost up your energy for a night out in Siem Reap. Have a tight sleep and be prepared for the next day.

You have 2 options for the day. One is a ride back to the Temples for a deeper discovery while the other is a two-wheeled tour around Siem Riep to visit the remained sights. As aforementioned, Siem Reap is the most morden city so there is no end of places to dine, join activities, and find for amusement. Even though, its safe, friendly, and pleasant nature is still remained. To back up your mental and physical health for the half tour left, relax yourself by the clear pool and have a body massage in house massage service of the hotel. Do whatever you want to unwind. It’s such an important break amid the tour to perfect your experience.

Officially leave Siem Riep, we will land up at a new place linked with Siem Reap by the most wonderful river in the country – Battambang. This enchanting town has many hidden charms that travelers often overlook. Dissimilar to the hustle and boom of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Battambang is a bucolic getaway that rich in architectural heritage, the home town of plenty of Cambodia’s top actors, artists, and singers.

Drop by the Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia whose ecosystems are the most vibrant in the world. Nonetheless, the road from Siem Reap to Sisophon where we have lunch might happen a problem. Accordingly, we will head back to Phnom Penh if it is not suitable. Yet, you can take a refund or an extra night and a tour in Koh Kong on the Thai border later in the trip but for your journey to Battambang.

Bid a farewell to Battambang, we will be back to the rumpus and scurry of Phnom Penh. But first, dine in Kampong Chanang, 91km from the capital city. There, you will feel the easygoing life in the river port town. Aside from a big fishery port, the town also has other pretty sights to check out with fair choices of places to stay overnight and several proper spots serving delicacies.

Check-in at a family hotel with great rooms, a large pool, and friendly service named the Billabong Hotel. The rest day of the day is all yours. Take a dip in the pool or immerse yourself into the pace of nightlife in Phnom Penh.

Say goodbye to Phnom Penh when its rush hour is over. Passing by the countryside to Takeo. Sit down in the center of the town for some drinks. The next stop is Kampot, featuring the sleepiness of the countryside where life is unrushed and slow. The lovely pink bougainvillea blossoms showing off on certain streets and the shophouses in a mixed style of French and Chinese architecture with fading wooden shutters and peeling yellow paint are part of its charm.

Choose between the historical Bokor Mountain Lodge (6 rooms upstairs and bar/restaurant downstairs) or Rikitikitavi (more modern with bar/restaurants upstairs and 4 rooms downstairs) for the night. These accommodations both situated near the river and only 25m apart. Savor your dinner before a few drinks at a couple of bars such as the Rusty Keyhole.

Take time for breakfast at the Rusty Keyhole bar and restaurant until 10 a.m. Start off our set of wheels through Route 4 – the shortest route from Phnom Penh to Sihanouk Ville – Cambodia’s Maldives. And be noted that it can get hectic. Sitting on a peninsula that brims with beaches and tropical islands, Sihanouk Ville is the only deep-water port in the whole of Cambodia.

Before hitting the spot, we will pop into the K’bal Chhay waterfalls, 10km off the route along a red dust track. It can be best viewed during the wet seasons in Sihanouk Ville, however, the road will get muddy. Check-in the Reef Resort as a stopover for the day. Get some rest by the pool or stroll around the nearby beach. Then go native with the nightlife of the citizens.

Be free to all your activities this day. Go get some vitamin sea or be lazy by the pool in the hotel. Despite that, our guide is always willing to escort you zipping around the city. Or even more is a jaunt to Strung Hav, a small fishing village where is popular among the expats for simple yet tasty seafood restaurants. The thing is in the wet seasons, Strung Hav is not for a motorcycle tour because of its dirt roads. Despite that, our guide will figure out another way to bring you there if you prefer.

Have breakfast as usual before a ride back to Kampot. Make a discussion about where to dine out: Kristian’s Rusty Keyhole (best-known for its BBQ ribs) or a seafood restaurant in Krung Kep. Break the journey to Krung Kep with a short drink. Along the way, we will witness the changes in beach resorts from civil war. Previously, Kep was Cambodians’ darling when Sihanouk Ville has not yet become the top-notch beach destination.

Upon our arrival in the Beach House – a splendid hotel set in the hills fronts the beach, soak up in the pool or wander around the beach to ease your mind. Sup on seafood at a Khmer restaurant with some more drinks. Finish our last night with a swim or some beers at the rare of the Beach House.

It’s the last day and we have to clear 150km to meet the Hog House again. Don’t need to hurry, relish a morning meal then take 1 to 2 hours breathing the fresh air from the beach. At noon, check-out the hotel. Dine out at a different Khmer seafood restaurant. As expected, we will come back to the Hog House when the dark has not yet come to town. End of the emotional 13-day Cambodia motorbike tour with a swim, a few drinks, and yummy BBQ. Spend the night at your hotel in Phnom Penh. Tour Ends.