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680 kilomètres à vélo le long du Mékong ! Des vacances actives à vélo pour tous ceux qui pratiquent du sport ou du cyclisme toute l’année et qui sont donc en bonne condition physique. En plus du vélo, l’accent du voyage est mis sur l’expérience intensive de la culture sud-vietnamienne et cambodgienne. Les dix jours de vélo permettent une découverte lente mais exigeante des paysages culturels millénaires du Mékong, une immersion dans l’histoire et la vie contemporaine le long du fleuve le plus important d’Asie du Sud-Est.
Le voyage commence par une promenade dans Ho Chi Minh-Ville et se termine par une visite à vélo à travers la magnifique jungle et le monde des temples d’Angkor. Entre les deux, vous traverserez des champs de riz verdoyants, des ateliers d’artisanat familial, des temples enchanteurs et des petits villages avec des habitants accueillants, heureux de partager leur vie sur le Mékong.
La meilleure période pour visiter est de novembre à la mi-mars. De fin mars à fin mai, il fait très sec et chaud – le cyclisme est possible, mais les paysages desséchés sont moins agréables à regarder. En revanche, le climat de la saison des pluies (de juin à octobre) est très humide. Durant cette « saison verte », vous pouvez vous attendre à 2-3 averses d’une heure par jour – et c’est très amusant de faire du vélo sous la pluie (car il ne fait pas froid).
Voyage guidé en anglais.
Étant donné que ce voyage se déroulera en anglais, l’itinéraire et la description détaillée sont disponibles uniquement en anglais. Si vous avez des questions ou besoin de plus d’informations, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter. De plus, nous serions ravis de créer un voyage personnalisé au Vietnam-Cambodia, adapté à vos préférences, avec un guide francophone.
Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City
Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City at 07.35 hrs (or 08.10 hrs), transfer to the hotel, check-in, free time. In the afternoon you will meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel and go on a sightseeing tour to the historical landmarks of colonial Saigon: the old main post office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Chinatown/Cho Lon and the lively Ben Thanh Market. Over dinner in a local restaurant, you will receive all the important information about your cycle tour. Overnight stay at Hotel Vien Dong*** in Ho Chi Minh City. (B)
Ho Chi Minh City – Cai Be/Vinh Long: Craftsmen on the Mekong
Drive to Cai Lay (approx. 75 kilometers, approx. two hours) to the
starting point of the bike tour. The route leads along small streams
lined with orchards, which you sometimes cross. On the way, you will
learn about various handicrafts in the region and gain insights into
paper production, the preparation of coconut candy and puffed rice.
You will take a ferry across the wide Mekong, and your view will wander over extensive plantations with exotic fruits – durian and jack fruit, mangos, coconuts and pomelos thrive in abundance. Your
accommodation today is idyllically located on the island of An Binh. After arrival, you can explore the island, relax in the spacious garden or
help your hosts prepare dinner. (B, L, D)
Bike tour: challenging, approx. 50 kilometers, approx. five hours
(including breaks), off-road and concrete canal paths, no altitude
differences. Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay at the Vinh Long guesthouse on An Binh (Cai Be region).
Vinh Long – Tra Vinh: Orchards and villages
You will be taken by boat to the escort vehicle and then (transfer time
approx. 30 minutes) to the starting point of today’s bike tour. You will cycle along narrow paths through lush orchards and picturesque villages, watch the locals and gain insights into daily life on the Mekong. After lunch, you will drive through coconut plantations and later take the ferry across the main branch of the Mekong to Tra Vinh.
After check-in you will have time to explore the Khmer city. (B, L, D)
Cycling tour: challenging, 60-70 kilometers, approx. seven hours (including breaks), concrete canal paths and narrow country roads, no altitude differences. Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay at the Tra Vinh Guesthouse
Tra Vinh – Can Tho: The silence of the fields
From the hotel you drive to the Ba Om lotus pond and visit the Khmer
temple there. Today’s route continues through several villages and fields. Enjoy the silence of the landscape as you cross the fertile rice
fields until you reach Can Tho by bike (or by bus/van if you wish). (B, L)
Cycling tour: challenging, 60-100 kilometers, 7-10 hours (including
breaks), concrete canal paths and narrow country roads, no altitude
differences. Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay at the Hotel Iris***(*) in Can Tho
Can Tho – Long Xuyen: Floating market & « industry » on the Mekong
You will take a boat to the floating Cai Rang market and from there
you will cycle through a stork sanctuary and small villages. On the way
you can see the industrial life of the Mekong Delta: timber traders,
coconut crushers, small port facilities where rice is loaded and
unloaded, and lively markets. Depending on how you feel, you can use
the escort vehicle or continue cycling until lunch (in a local
restaurant). In the afternoon you will continue the cycling tour through
the picturesque Mekong landscape. For the last few kilometers of the
day you will change to the escort vehicle. (B, L, D)
Cycling tour: challenging, 50-90 kilometers, 5-8 hours (including
breaks), concrete canal paths and narrow country roads, no altitude
differences. Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay at the Hotel Hoa Binh An Giang**(*) in Long Xuyen
Long Xuyen – Chau Doc : Nature and history
A short transfer takes you to the starting point. From there you cycle along the busy river canals and past traditional brickworks to Chau Doc. On the way you explore the Tra Su nature reserve. Before Chau Doc you can visit the Killing Fields of Vietnam Bachuc, where the Pol
Pot regime massacred more than 3,000 Vietnamese in 1978. (B, L)
Cycling tour: challenging, 60-100 kilometers, 7-10 hours (including
breaks), concrete canal paths and narrow country roads, no altitude
differences. Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay at the Hotel Chau Pho*** in Chau Doc.
Chau Doc – Phnom Penh: contrasts of the capital
From Vietnam to Cambodia: a speedboat takes you from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh in around 4.5 hours, the Cambodian visas are issued at the border, an employee of our partner agency is on hand to help. In Phnom Penh, your Cambodian tour guide will be waiting for you and will take you to the hotel. In the afternoon, you will experience the contrasts of the Cambodian capital. A tuk-tuk tour takes you to hidden temples and lively markets, to architectural highlights, interesting cultural institutes and, if he is there, to a fortune teller on the river bank. (B, L, D)
Overnight stay at the Hotel Lavanya Boutique*** in Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh – Kompong Cham: Silk production and Cambodian rural life
Today you start early and first drive to Diamond Island and from there
take the ferry across the Mekong. After a few kilometers (total travel
time approx. 40 minutes) you reach a local weaving mill where silk is
produced for the manufacture of the famous scarves (Krama). Shortly
afterwards, your bike tour begins today: Along the Mekong you cycle
through colorful villages and can observe the daily life of the
Cambodian Mekong residents. After the lunch picnic you cross the
river again and continue the bike tour to Kompong Cham. (B, LB)
Cycling tour: demanding and challenging, 60-90 kilometers, 4-7 hours
(including breaks), mainly asphalt road with some off-road paths
through villages, slight differences in altitude (total less than 150
meters in altitude). Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay, depending on availability even with a view of the
Mekong, in the Hotel LBN Asian*** in Kompong Cham
Kompong Cham – Kompong Thom: To the enchanted temples in the jungle
Early transfer to the starting point (approx. two hours). Your destination
today is the Kompong Thom region and the archaeological site of
Sambor Prei Kuk (UNESCO World Heritage Site). You cycle on gravel
roads, past small villages, green rice fields and lush plantations.
Cambodians sell delicious fruit and snacks on the side of the road – a
welcome break. You explore the enchanted temples (6th-9th century)
of Sambor Prei Kuk, located in the green jungle, by bike and on foot:
The archaeological site covers an area of approx. 25km2, its center
was once surrounded by a mighty wall and the ten octagonal
temples are unique in all of Southeast Asia. (B, L)
Cycling tour: demanding-challenging, 60-80 kilometers, 4-6 hours
(including breaks), flat gravel roads, the last five kilometers on a paved
road, +150 meters / -0 meters. Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay at the Hotel Sambor Village** in Kompong Thom
Kampong Thom – Siem Reap: even more splendour in the jungle
Early transfer (approx. two hours) to the temple of Beng Mealea, a slumbering giant lost for centuries in the forests of Cambodia.
Suryavarman II, the builder of Angkor Wat, built the fascinating structure in the 12th century. Of the many lost temples of Angkor, Beng
Mealea is the most accessible – and a mirror image of Angkor Wat,
although nature has already taken its toll. You save this showpiece for
later and first explore the hidden temples in the area by bike. You then
continue your bike tour on the main road and rural paths,
accompanied by charming villages, green palm trees and endless
rice fields. After the lunch break at Troav Kot Lake, you cycle on to Siem Reap. (B. L)
Cycling tour: challenging, 65 kilometers, 4 hours (including breaks), gravel roads and sand paths, the last six kilometers on a paved road, +105 meters / -70 meters. Escort vehicle.
Overnight stay at the Amber Angkor Villa Hotel & Spa***
Siem Reap: Incomparable Angkor
Today you have to get up early so as not to miss the wonderful sunrise (weather permitting) at the Angkor Wat temple. The day is dedicated to the beauties of Angkor: you visit the impressive south gate of Angkor Thom, the great capital of the Khmer Empire, and the mystical Bayon
Temple with 54 differently designed Buddha faces on its outer facade. You cycle further through the archaeological park to the Elephant Terrace and other buildings in the jungle. The half-ruined Ta Phrom – known from the film « Tomb Raider » – overgrown with roots and strangler figs, is the most atmospheric temple in the area. The bike tour continues to Srah Srang, the ancient water reservoir of Angkor. An ideal place for a break with a breathtaking view before you cycle to
the hotel. (B, LB)
Cycling tour: challenging, 50 kilometers, full day (including breaks and sightseeing), mainly jungle off-road trails, some sections of asphalt
road, altitude gain less than 150 meters / -70 meters.
Overnight at the Amber Angkor Villa Hotel & Spa***
The floating villages on the Tonle Sap
Drive to the starting point (approx. 15 kilometers) and start the bike tour through charming villages, along palm trees and rice fields. Here,
people live in picturesque wooden houses with lush gardens in which they grow vegetables. On the way, you will encounter a cultural
phenomenon: a fruit called betel, which the locals harvest and dry in
front of their houses. You cycle to the boat pier of Kompong Kleang,
one of the most famous floating villages on the Tonle Sap. In a stilt house, you will enjoy a picnic lunch in an extraordinary setting and atmosphere. You will then take a boat tour through the floating village
and across the Tonle Sap (dry season: walk through the village and
boat trip on the lake). Return route (approx. 50 kilometers) to Siem Reap. (B, LB)
Cycling tour: challenging, 50 kilometers, about five hours (including breaks), mainly off-road on scenic paths, the last few kilometers into town on asphalt road, altitude difference less than 150 meters..
Overnight stay at the Amber Angkor Villa Hotel & Spa***
End of the trip
Free time, check-out until 12 noon. Transfer (approx. 45 km./approx. 1 hour drive) to the new Siem Reap-Angkor airport. (B)
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, LB=Lunch Box or Picknick, D=Dinner
Program subject to change. The travel times stated are the actual travel time (excluding breaks and photo stops).
Not included are: Flights/airport charges/kerosene/ticket fees*, CO2 compensation for flights, additional activities and excursions, meals not mentioned, drinks, tips and personal expenses.
Entry (as of 07/2024): Vietnam: For EU citizens with a valid passport that is valid for at least six months after departure and is in good condition plus a valid visa. Cambodia: For EU citizens with a valid passport that is valid for at least six months after departure and is in good condition. You can easily obtain the required entry visa when crossing the border. All Covid-19-related restrictions have currently been lifted for both countries. Please note that this may change depending on the pandemic situation.
The trip is for sporty world explorers, for people who regularly do sport and cycle longer distances all year round. The routes are mostly flat or with small differences in altitude, off-road, on sand and gravel paths and sometimes also on concrete or tarmac roads with little traffic. The Southeast Asian climate with temperatures above 30°C and very high humidity must also be taken into account with regard to the level of fitness required.
Our Southeast Asian partner uses mountain, trekking and e-bikes from Trek, Giant, Cannondale or similar manufacturers. Please note that only a small number of e-bikes are available, so early booking is recommended.
Almost all accommodation offers WiFi, but the network coverage is not always perfect. Please note that many hotels and lodges only offer non-smoking rooms. If some of the accommodation we have booked is unexpectedly unavailable, we will book an alternative of equal value (if possible).
Our flight recommendation mentioned in the travel announcement is based on the following scientifically proven findings: The burning of fossil fuels results in the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. In addition, there is air pollution, which in turn leads to health problems. The extent of the emissions depends mainly on the distances, the stopovers (emissions are highest during take-off and landing) and the type of aircraft.
You will receive further information about your trip and the country you are travelling to with your travel documents.
No insurance is included in the tour price. We strongly recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance that also covers Covid-19 as well as appropriate travel health insurance that includes treatment (including quarantine) for Covid-19.
This trip is not suitable for guests with limited mobility. If this is the case, please let us know the nature of your mobility restriction before booking and clarify with us whether we can fulfil your individual needs.
We organise this tour together with other tour operators. Of course, this has no influence on the quality.
Planet B is a brand of Bollig Tours s.à.r.l.. Bollig Tours is therefore named as the organizer in our general travel conditions.
(+352) 72 97 22-1 - info@bollig-tours.lu
121, route de Luxembourg L-6562 Echternach
Lun - Ven 10.00 - 18.00 / Sam 09.00 - 13.00
