Mekong Bike & Boat Adventure
Begin a unique cycling and river cruise adventure through Southeast Asia, traversing the Mekong River from the vibrant heart of Saigon, Vietnam, to the majestic temples of Angkor, Cambodia. This thoughtfully designed itinerary caters to both cycling enthusiasts and those who prefer a more relaxed pace. Start each day exploring the picturesque landscapes by bicycle or on foot, immersing yourselves in the local culture and scenery. As the afternoon sun sets, relax and rejuvenate aboard a comfortable riverboat, cruising the iconic Mekong in style. This perfectly balanced blend of active exploration and tranquil river journeys offers the ideal way to experience the beauty and tranquility of this remarkable region.
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Highlights
- Enjoy a walk around lively Saigon on a food tour tasting local treats.
- Explore the Mekong Delta by bike or on foot.
- Visit traditional villages and learn about Cambodian history in Phnom Penh.
- Learn about the Mekong River from an expert.
- Watch a beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat and explore the park.
Whats Included
- All breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7dinners
- Flight from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
- 5 nights on a Luxury river ship
- 2 nights in a premier hotel
- Guides & support team
- Cannondale bikes and support vehicles
- Healthy snacks and water during cycling
- All activities and site entry fees
- Memento cycling jersey and water bottle
- Tips for non-MWTservice staff
Itinerary idea in detail
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1
Meet your fellow adventurers at the hotel for a Saigon walking tour, exploring its history, architecture, and local treats. After lunch, a two-hour transfer takes you to the Mekong Delta, where you’ll board the Tom Tiou 2 and meet the crew.
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2
Today you’ll have the option to choose between a morning ride and afternoon on the ship, or morning on the ship and afternoon ride… unless you want to try both! Our morning ride takes us through the busy floating villages and river commerce of My Tho, and ends at a local home for a traditional Vietnamese lunch.
If you choose to pursue the afternoon ride, we’ll cycle along towards Cai Be: another town built on a mix of land and water. This village is full of friendly children, so be prepared to stop and smile or wave at kids biking to school in their blue and whites. Our ship anchors near Cai Be so we can enjoy a flavorful Vietnamese meal in town.
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3
Again today you have the option to choose whether or not to ride in the morning, afternoon, or both. The morning cycling route takes us along the riverbanks from Cai Be to the pleasant colonial town of Sa Dec, where we’ll devour lunch before boarding the ship again.
Should you choose the afternoon ride, you’ll saddle up on your bike and pedal through narrow, shaded paths past locals hard at work growing flowers, clay brick, and transporting a wide variety of colorful fruits and veggies to the market. Our ride ends near the busy city of Cao Lanh, then we board the boat again to stop near the Chau Doc canal for the night.
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4
It could be said that we saved the best for last. The last day in Vietnam that is. We come ashore on a small island just below the border and spend the morning riding through the small communities and farmland. This island feels different to other parts of the Delta, because there are very few cars and the houses are more traditional in appearance, made from wood and on low stilts to protect from the occasional flooding. We farewell most of the Vietnam support team and then sail for the boarder where, after some brief formalities, we cruise onward into Cambodia and drop anchor with the lights of Phnom Penh visible.
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5
Koh Dac, also known as Silk Island, is a small island close to Phnom Penh that is well-known as the home of silk weaving. Local women practice this traditional activity on looms under their raised houses, and we’ll have a chance to learn about the process of how silk is made as we cycle around this piece of land. We’ll head back to the boat for lunch. In the afternoon, we will dock so you can explore the riverside area of the city on foot at your leisure. We will push out into the river again before sunset for our final night aboard.
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6
As the sun rises to its post in the sky, our ship will arrive at Phnom Penh. The capital of Cambodia is an interesting place. Little more than a collection of shacks along the river when the French arrived, it was quickly designed with a grid-style layout and lined with beautiful colonial buildings such as the Central Market which has recently been restored.
The city was forcibly evacuated when it fell to the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and thus ensued a period of decay that continued through the early years of re-population. In the late nineties and early 2000s as the country started to get back on its feet, the city had a shattered charm to it with many still-vacant buildings and creaking infrastructure.
We will check out of the ship after breakfast and explore this dynamic city with a multi-modal tour, followed by lunch in the city. Then it’s off to the airport for our flight to Siem Reap.
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7
Prepare for an early rising this morning, as we get moving before the sun has peeked out from behind the horizon and the first roosters have started to crow. We’ll transfer to the otherworldly Angkor National Park, where all tour participants will gather in front of the many imposing towers of the main temple itself. If we get lucky with the weather, we’ll catch a spectacular color show as the sun rises behind the great temple’s spires.
Once the sun is up and the crowds of tourists have dispersed, we will begin our in-depth exploration of this and other ancient temples in the Angkor complex and enjoy breakfast in these peaceful surroundings. Discover the mysteries this jungle has to offer as we cycle down narrow tracks and hidden dirt paths to iconic temples such as Bayon or Ta Prohm, and some of the lesser-known ancient structures. Non-riders will explore the temples by tuk-tuk.
We’ll enjoy lunch by the Sra Srang Reservoir that surrounds the Angkor Wat temple before we head back to the hotel. The afternoon is free to pursue your own wanderings in town or relax back at the accommodation.
After an early dinner, we’ll head to an enthralling show put on by Phare Circus: the acrobatic troupe comprised of talented Khmer who have attended a professional arts training center run by an NGO.
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8
Our tour concludes this morning in Siem Reap with a few last activities to immerse you fully in Cambodian culture. We’ll start with a visit to the Angkor National Museum, dedicated to the preservation of ancient Angkorian architecture and artifacts, then make our way to the APOPO NGO that uses rats to detect landmines, then finish our morning with some of the best coffee in town at Footprint cafe. You will be transferred to the airport in time for departing flights, or feel free to stay and explore this charming little city on your own.
Accommodation options
The itinerary price includes suggested accommodation. However, My Way Travel are fully customizable, and a specialist can help you choose the best option for your preferences and budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Currently, the E-Visa does not facilitate water border crossings. While you can exit Cambodia with an E-Visa, you cannot enter through this water border. Most nationalities are able to obtain a visa on arrival during the cruise for USD 35 per person (please carry one passport photo). Visit our FAQ section for more information on Cambodian Visas.
Frequently Asked Questions
- We do not organize visas for Cambodia directly. However, we can provide information and guidance on the visa application process and requirements.
We'll help plan your trip based on you like and want to do. We know a lot about the place you're gomg. so we can give you good advice. WIIether you're into history, food, or culture, ue'll make sure your trip is just right for you. With us. your travel will be easy and fun!
It is easy to customize your Vietnam & Cambodia Tours with us
We carefully choose our expert guides and travel concierges to make sure you have an authentic experience. They're passionate about their work and will bring your destination to life with care and enthusiasm.
It is easy to customize your Vietnam & Cambodia Tours with us
We design our luxury trips with responsible travel principles in mind. This means we prioritize experiences that benefit both you and the planet.
It is easy to customize your Vietnam & Cambodia Tours with us
What our clients say about us
Alice B
22 March 2024 ★★★★★Vietnam is just epic in every sense! Stephen at My Way Travel built us a bespoke tour to our requested place's from HoChiMin to Phan Thiet, DaLat, NaTrang, HoiAn, Halong Bay ending in Hanoi & it was amazing! All hotels, 3 tour guides over 5 day tours , drivers & transport worked very well & Stephen responded very quickly to any queries. We can’t thank or recommend him highly enough for helping us create an amazing adventure for a 70+ couple where everything was booked & organised but we had plenty of free time to explore on our own & find places for dinner most nights of our 18day trip. I’ll admit I was a little worried about using an unknown to me online agent but I really didn’t need to worry. The only thing I/we got wrong was not realising how tiring a busy tour can be especially in the heat so I’d recommend having a few days on a beach or round a pool relaxing before retuning back to Europe of further afield! Thanks Stephen for creating a well priced pretty last min wonderful tour for us!
Kyle M
17 January 2024 ★★★★★Wow, what a trip and experience. My Way Travel did an excellent job in creating a customized private tour itinerary for our 5 week trip to Indochina. Stephen was very responsive and easy to work with in creating a perfect itinerary, customized to our interests, budget, and timeframe. The logistics were well managed and all the tour guides and drivers in all 4 countries were fantastic. Stephen kept in touch throughout our trip to ensure everything was going well. The drivers were all excellent, prompt, and very safe drivers. Special call out to our guides; Tony, Kay, and Loc in Vietnam, Sony and Sambath in Cambodia, and Anne in Thailand for a fantastic cultural and historical experience in your respective countries. These guides were the best and really made our trip special. The sights that we saw were incredible, including Ha Long Bay and of course, Ankgor Wat. We really enjoyed the elephant sanctuary in Laos and the Laos city of Luang Prabang is a hidden gem. The bike tours that we did in Hoi An (Kay) and the Mekong Delta (Loc) to really get into the countryside and engage with local families was an incredible experience that we really enjoyed and will always cherish. We even got to stop at a local school and interact with some of the school children trying to practice their English which was pretty cool. We had a great bike tour in Siem Reap (Sambath) and all the incredible temples around Ankgor Wat. The tours that we had to understand and experience these countries from a historical and cultural perspective, brought to life by our tour guides, really made this trip a unique experience. We were well taken care of throughout our travels and the service and people were so friendly. We would highly recommend My Way Travel for your next trip to SE Asia and will not hesitate to use them in the future. Hopefully you get lucky enough to have some of the tour guides that we had.
Garethbradburn
12 April 2024 ★★★★★This was the fourth trip we have done with My Way Travel and arranged by Stephen. As always it was impeccably organised from arriving in Bangkok, flights to Chiang Rai, tour to the elephant sanctuary, to Krabi for a few days at the beach then transfer to Phnom Pen for the higlight of our trip, a cruise up the Mekong on a seriously luxurious boat, then transfer to Seam Riep. The hotels were excellent, the transfers seemless with good english speaking guides. We cannot recommend Stephen more highly.
Leslie
16 May 2024 ★★★★★An amazing trip out together by Stephen at My Way Travel! This was our second trip ( went to Vietnam and Cambodia 2019). Stephen is great to work with- very flexible and listens to what we wanted to do. This trip was originally scheduled for April 2020. A honest company that asked if I wanted my deposit back and I said no - that I would use it in a future trip! How many companies around the world did this???? We had great guides In Bangkok and Chiang Rai and Chiang Rai. Fon was full of energy and fun in Bangkok. Ann was one of the best guides I have ever had- she took us to a couple of places not noted on the tour. We went for a hike at a waterfall and visited the cave where the Thai boys were rescued in the cave. Both Ann and Fon gave us wonderful suggestions for restaurants. I would absolutely recommend Stephen and My Way Travel! We plan to use him again in planning Bali!
