PHNOM PENH-SIHANOUK VILLE CYCLING
6 DAYS 5 NIGHTS
TOUR CODE: ABT6D5NPShttp://www.nttcam.com/index.php?reg=30
Day
1: Phnom Penh-Takeo (80km)
Head south out of Phnom Penh on Norodom Boulevard, following signs to Takeo. The whole way to Takeo on National Road 2 is lined with food and drink sellers, including plenty of sugar cane juice and tukaluk (mixed shake fruit juice) vendors. Refreshment is rarely more than a couple minutes away. The road can be quite busy on weekends if people are heading to the seaside. Soon after you reach the junction where you turn left towards Takeo, you’ll see several guesthouses before you reach the town. Here we found a modern, clean room for $5 U.S. including cable television with bathroom. You can also find accommodation in the town itself.
Head south out of Phnom Penh on Norodom Boulevard, following signs to Takeo. The whole way to Takeo on National Road 2 is lined with food and drink sellers, including plenty of sugar cane juice and tukaluk (mixed shake fruit juice) vendors. Refreshment is rarely more than a couple minutes away. The road can be quite busy on weekends if people are heading to the seaside. Soon after you reach the junction where you turn left towards Takeo, you’ll see several guesthouses before you reach the town. Here we found a modern, clean room for $5 U.S. including cable television with bathroom. You can also find accommodation in the town itself.
Day
2 &3: Takeo - Kampot (90km)
From Takeo, you follow a small crossroad to reach National Road 3, turning left once you reach the main road. Like yesterday, there are villages along the length of the road and you’re never far from someone selling something to eat or drink. You will pass through a couple Muslim villages, very noticeable from the change in dress of the people.
From Takeo, you follow a small crossroad to reach National Road 3, turning left once you reach the main road. Like yesterday, there are villages along the length of the road and you’re never far from someone selling something to eat or drink. You will pass through a couple Muslim villages, very noticeable from the change in dress of the people.
The
town of Chhuk is as good a place as any to have lunch with its choice of a few
food stalls and restaurants. You’ll also see a guesthouse and a village
homestay marked before you arrive in Chhuk, perhaps an option if you decide to
put in a long day from Phnom Penh and don’t stay in Takeo.
Kampot
has a range of accommodation options from the $5 U.S. a night basic guesthouses
to atmospheric hotels costing $30-40 U.S. a night. Many of the hotels and
guesthouses are on the riverfront. The Bokor Mountain Lodge has a bar called
Hakiri where you can go for happy hour draft Anchor for just $0.75 U.S. and use
their free wireless internet connection. Around the town you’ll find the usual
selection of street food and tukaluk (mixed shake fruit juice) stalls. We
particularly recommend one man on the riverfront who does a roaring trade in
fried vegetarian noodles with an egg on top for just 4,000 Riels.
If
you have time to spend, consider staying in Kampot and doing a loop out to Kep
for the day or you could spend the night in Kep at the guesthouses and hotels
there. There’s also the possibility to ride out to some waterfalls 7km from
town on the opposite side of the river (cross the bridge and turn right), a
popular picnic and swimming spot with locals.
Day
4: Kampot - Sihanoukville (105km)
This is the most beautiful section of the trip. Even in the rain we enjoyed it! The road is in superb condition with a paved shoulder until you reach the junction with National Road 4 to Sihanoukville. Villages are a bit more spread out than the previous two days but there are still plenty of opportunities to pick up food and water. The little fishing ports make great pictures and keep an eye out for shrimp drying by the side of the road. Just don’t run over them!
This is the most beautiful section of the trip. Even in the rain we enjoyed it! The road is in superb condition with a paved shoulder until you reach the junction with National Road 4 to Sihanoukville. Villages are a bit more spread out than the previous two days but there are still plenty of opportunities to pick up food and water. The little fishing ports make great pictures and keep an eye out for shrimp drying by the side of the road. Just don’t run over them!
You
bear left onto National Road 4 in Veal Renh Town. There is a dreary looking
guesthouse in Veal Renh, although it’s hard to spot. Only a small sign with the
word ‘guesthouse’ marks the way. If you just want to eat, watch for a Chinese
restaurant on your right as you turn from National Road 3 onto National Road 4.
There you can get decent fried noodles.
You
lose your shoulder for the rest of the way to Sihanoukville but it’s not a big
deal as most traffic is respectful. About 15km before Sihanoukville there are a
few sizable hills and no shops so make sure your water bottles are full. It’s
not immediately clear when you arrive near Sihanoukville which way to go to
reach the downtown area, although a few of the beaches are marked. You may have
to ask directions or better yet try to pick up a map of Sihanoukville in one of
the numerous free magazines before you arrive. You should be able to get this
in just about any bar in Kampot.
In
the peak season, staying near the beach is an attractive option but in the low
season you’re better off staying in town where more things are open. If you
want cheap street food, you’ll also want to stay in the downtown area.
Everything on the beach is relatively expensive where food is concerned.
Day
5: Sihanoukville - Kampong Speu (182km)
Retrace your steps out of Sihanoukville, over the hills and back to the junction town of Veal Renh. Stock up on any water and food you might want here because the villages thin out quickly after Veal Renh.
Retrace your steps out of Sihanoukville, over the hills and back to the junction town of Veal Renh. Stock up on any water and food you might want here because the villages thin out quickly after Veal Renh.
Traffic
has the potential to be heavy on National Road 4 so keep an eye on what’s
coming up behind you and don’t hesitate to pull over onto the dirt shoulder if
vehicles are coming in both directions. The first day we found traffic quite
manageable but we finished relatively early in the day. The second day, we
cycled later into the afternoon and the trucks returning from the port to Phnom
Penh can be a real pain. Happily the dirt shoulder is suprisingly rideable if
it hasn’t been too wet and about 30km before Phnom Penh a paved shoulder
returns. The road was built by the Americans and is in excellent shape.
Once
you leave Veal Renh you go through some palm oil trees and after the first few
villages there’s very little to eat or drink. What villages and markets you do
see tend to be more widely spaced than elsewhere in Cambodia. Pick up cold
drinks and snacks when you see them as it may be 10km or more before you get
another chance to buy refreshments. The town of Stueng Chhay, around 75km out,
is a good spot for lunch, with a couple restaurants and street stalls around.
For a novel experience, look for the town gambling den and have lunch there.
About
86km from Sihanoukville is the town of Chamkar Luong where you can also get
food and drinks. There’s no accommodation here but if you continue down the
road you’ll soon see huge signs for the Picnic Retreat with bungalows and
restaurant, around the 95km mark. The bungalows cost $10 U.S. and are quite
nice, with their own little balconies overlooking the countryside. The
restaurant is outrageously priced so you’d be wise to bring your own provisions
for dinner and breakfast as there’s nothing around the resort. There is a small
stall run by a family across from the entrance to the Picnic Retreat and if
you’ve got a stove you can buy eggs and fresh herbs there to make a cracking omelet
or just buy the ice cold beer and have a liquid supper.
Heading
out from the resort, there’s a town 10km away and another around the 20km mark.
At just over 30km the road climbs to a peak, although the ascent is just a
couple kilometers long. At the top are many shrines to offer prayers. Going
down the other side, there are quite a few places to eat and this side of the
mountain is generally more populated, You can get a guesthouse in Kampong Speu.
Day
6: Kampong Speu – Phnom Penh (48km)
From Kampong Speu there are three clustered together as you exit the town towards Phnom Penh or carry on into Phnom Penh for a long day. National Road 4 takes you down to the riverfront. Just keep going straight and it will loop round and drop you right at the water, end services.
From Kampong Speu there are three clustered together as you exit the town towards Phnom Penh or carry on into Phnom Penh for a long day. National Road 4 takes you down to the riverfront. Just keep going straight and it will loop round and drop you right at the water, end services.
Included in Tour Prices:
-
Accommodation with
breakfast (B)
-
Bike, helmet,
tool kit, first aid kit
-
Water,
snacks and fresh fruits for cycling day
-
Truck to
carry bikes
-
English-speaking
guides
-
Full
sightseeing program including admission fees
Not Included in Tour Prices:
-
Airfare
from your hometown, to your gateway city
-
Costs of
passports and visa
-
Personal
expenses such as: beverages, laundry, room services.
-
Meals
not mentioned.
-
Excess
baggage fees, communication charges, airports, ports and departure taxes.
-
All kind
of insurances.
