Motorcycle trips Cambodia: Off-road adventures on the Khmer

Upon arriving in Phnom Penh, you will drive about 45 minutes from Phnom Penh Airport to the hotel in the city center. During this drive, you can gather your first impressions of the bustling life in Phnom Penh. At the hotel, you will meet the other participants and the tour guide, who will give a brief introduction to street traffic and the rules, and discuss the upcoming travel days in detail. If there is still time, first explorations in the city can be undertaken. We will end the first day at one of the many nice cafés by the Mekong River.

Today's beautiful and varied leg begins early in the morning. After about a kilometer of driving, we will cross the Mekong by ferry to avoid the traffic chaos in Phnom Penh. On the other side of the Mekong, we can directly start off on small narrow paths and streets! Along the river, we ride through various villages and past numerous temples. In the Kampong Cham area, we stop to enjoy an authentic Cambodian lunch. Back on the road, we get to know real Cambodia as we ride through the backyards and gardens of the local population. We will visit the beautiful Han Chey Temple and enjoy a dreamlike view of the Mekong River! Just before Kratie, we cross the Mekong again. In the evening, you can enjoy the sunset in front of the hotel by the riverside - perhaps with a refreshing and tasty drink?

We drive back along the Mekong to cross the river by ferry. Now we begin a challenging journey of 190 kilometers on unpaved roads and away from the main road. The route takes us straight through rubber and fruit plantations and goes through a landscape that feels like the African savannah. We need to take enough water for the ride, as there are not many places to drink. Halfway in the middle of nowhere, the road is suddenly blocked with a chain, and we have to pay toll for the bridge, which can barely hold us. Once we are back in civilization, we look for a simple lunch by the roadside. If we have time, we will go to Sambor Leek Kuk to the overgrown temple ruin for a cool group photo that would not be out of place in an Indiana Jones film.

There is a main road to Siem Reap, but we will soon leave this road and head onto gravel roads and small paths to visit small villages and local markets. When we arrive from the south in Siem Reap, we will soon see the first impressive temple complexes of Angkor Wat. Siem Reap is one of the liveliest cities in Cambodia. In the center, there are countless good restaurants and many charming cafés. Additionally, this is the perfect place to buy souvenirs, write emails, or indulge in a massage. This afternoon you have time to visit the great temple complex of Angkor Wat. The temples of Angkor are a source of inspiration and pride for all Cambodians and also attract most visitors. The period of the Angkor Empire spans 600 years and during this time more than 70 temples, palaces, libraries, and other buildings were constructed over an area of 350 km². Actually, Angkor Wat is just one of these temples, but today the name refers to the entire area. To explore all the temples of this gigantic complex, you actually need several days. But your tour guide can advise you on which temples to visit at the best time and which temples you should not miss at all.

After breakfast, we drive through the Angkor Wat area towards Battambang. We will try to avoid the heavily trafficked chaotic highway as much as possible. Towards Sisophon, 100 km from Siem Reap, this part of Highway No. 6 is still well maintained, but from Sisophon onwards, there are larger roadworks on Highway No. 5 towards Battambang. This is partly an incredible chaos and a real challenge. We try to bypass the highway by taking smaller (unpaved) roads towards Battambang. In Battambang, the second largest city in the country, there are many UNESCO-protected French colonial houses along the river.

If it has rained recently, today could be a strenuous and challenging day. The drive to and through the Cardamom Mountains can then become a muddy event. Although Cambodia has welcomed many tourists for years, the Cardamom Mountains have so far only been discovered by a few foreigners. The mountains form the border between Cambodia and Thailand and were long a stronghold of the Khmer Rouge. At the beginning, the gravel roads are wide and flat, but they become bumpier and narrower as we enter the mountains. Agricultural plains give way to tropical rainforests. We will spend the night in a simple guesthouse in the small village of Veal Veng. We need to order food and drinks in advance so that the guesthouse can prepare them in time for us.

Today too, the path can become quite challenging, especially if a rain shower has turned the surface into slippery red clay. We take our time for this adventurous route through the green forest. The civilized world will be very far away for a while. Along the way, we will also have a makeshift lunch. After lunch, we will look for the new Chinese road, a concrete block road that is supposed to lead us to Koh Kong. If we have time, we will see if we can take a refreshing dip in the sea somewhere along the way. Koh Kong is a small town on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, just a few kilometers from the neighboring country.

We leave the mountains on a freshly paved road towards Sre Ambel. On this stretch, it is still relatively quiet. After lunch, we continue our way to Phnom Penh. We take a look at life in the countryside and exchange it again for the hustle and bustle of the city. In the evening, we take a moment on the boulevard to reflect on the experiences of the past week. The 'Night Market', located at the start of the promenade, offers the opportunity for last-minute souvenirs.

You will have to get used to taking the bus back to the airport. A last look at the city and then off to the airport to board the plane.