Mt Biking Cambodia

[junglechef]

Anybody biked in Cambodia. Looking to rent a decent ride and do some self guided tours, a day to a few days or a nice area which I can base myself in a resort and do day rides.

Thanks

[fdimike]

I've biked in Cambodia several times now. Cambodia has its good points and bad. The roads are typically poor except around Seam Reap (Angkor Wat) and in Phnom Penh and in the major cities/towns. Electricity can be a bit tricky as well because there isn't much of it available outside the towns and the same goes for guesthouse/hotel which are only available in the larger towns. Most hotels/guesthouses rely on on there own electrical generators especially at night. If I were you I would avoid Phnom Penh and head to Seam Reap which has hotels/guesthouses in every price category you can imagine. You can easily spend 3 or more days exploring the numerous temples (ruins) at Angkor Wat. There is also a war museum which is worth the time to visit. There's not much else to see in Seam Reap other then the temples but at least there are ample facilities. The entire Angkor Wat Park is really huge and it will take you a considerable amount of time to see it all. I would advise buying a 3 day pass and using your bike to get from place to place. I'm not sure about renting a bike as I've always cycled there from my home in Udon Thani. If you choose to go to Phnom Penh you can visit the museums of the Killing Fields and the infamous S-21 Museum along with the Royal Palace, national museum and a couple of other places. The traffic in PP can be a bit hair raising to say the least but I've cycled there as well.

You can read more about my trips here: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/my/?o=Sh

I hope this helps.

[rhythmworx]

^^^Seems like a decent website in theory but I find it brutally hard to navigate or make any sense of, which is a shame really.

Edited August 19, 2014 by rhythmworx

[fdimike]

Click on "journals" to see where others have ridden already. You can also do a Search for a specific country. It's not really that difficult once you get used to it.

[rhythmworx]

I gave it another go sober and got the hang of it, nice site.

I would like to do that some day, just a little dubious of the road safety there.

[fdimike]

Cyling here there or wherever is always safety concern for me as well. I didn't find it very dangerous as long as you ALWAYS were on top of things and were aware of your surroundings. A freind and I cycled from Udon Thani to Singapore and never encountered a problem on the road. Malaysian roads typically do not have a large shoulder but we survived just fine. We found cycling in Cambodia to be different but not particularly difficult as long as you paid attention to what was happening around you. The people are generally very friendly and very poor as well. If I were you I would try doing some cycling tours (on your own or with a friend) here in Thailand first as the roads and facilities are much better and there's lots to see. I've been cycling for about 6 years now and have yet to see all of Thailand.

BTW where are you located? I'm planning on doing a couple of solo tours here in Thailand and would be willing to have you along if you like.

Good luck to you.

[junglechef]

Thanks for the site but I agree, after spending time to register, a first for me with a blog, and then figuring out what the titles of the rides were, I spent enough time and still couldn't find what I was looking for. Maybe it's suited for ppl. who like to spend time with these, I just want to search for info more easily for a semi-computer literate person.

Thanks fdimike, I live in Chiang Mai and ride around Thailand a lot, as well as other neighboring countires. Haven't got into much touring riding, usually do single track on a Mt Bike. I have spent time in Laos and Philippines and traveled around by bike with a food centric approach. When in Thailand I usually have my family with me in our van and I do day rides. But I do think I would like to do some bike touring here and appreciate your offer. Please PM me if you have any ideas!

Back to Cambodia I'll flying into Siem Reap on Thursday and will ride around Angkor Wat and do a charity ride on Sunday and then fly down to Phnom Penh and then somewhere else, perhaps South to the beach and the Cardamons. Anybody ridden here or have any leads or suggestions for anywhere in the country??

Thanks

[MESmith]

Looking forward to your trip report, JC. And if there are no selfies of you scoffing on the deep fried tarantulas, it didn't happen