Cycle from Vietnam to Cambodia's Angkor Wat

Xin chao! Touch down in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), check into your hotel, explore, then grab some dinner with your crew and hear all about the adventure ahead.

Take a short drive out of the city, hop on your bike and cruise along the flat roads all the way to the coastal spa town of Bin Chau. Roll through rubber plantations and dragon fruit farms, arriving early afternoon.

Your destination today is Mui Ne, Vietnam’s most picturesque section of coastline. En route you'll pause at giant red sand dunes, where you’ll trade your wheels for a sandboard and attempt to surf the dunes (or barefoot hike if you'd rather). A final roll into town will take you to your hotel via a rideable section of the beach. There will be time to freshen up before taking a wander to the beach for sunset and a seafood feast.

A relaxed start this morning, although extra-early risers might want to walk to the coast to catch the hoards of colourful boats and fishermen returning with their catch. Next, it's back on the bike for a morning of riding before hopping in the bus for a road trip up, up and up into the highlands to Da Lat.

Today’s ride is a circular loop into Bidoup National Park, the central zone of the Langbiang Biosphere Reserve which was recognised as a UNESCO site in 2015. Passing through subtropical rainforest and mixed bamboo forests, this is the green lung of Vietnam and best experienced on two wheels.

More cruising through the central highlands today, rolling through minor undulations as you go. Passing through the trees, your destination is Madagui Forest City - a 25km protected area popular with domestic travellers who come for the clean forest air and to experience the mythical Da Huoai River. Enjoy some downtime at the end of the day.

Cycling down from the highlands, your next stop is Binh Duong, located on the southern slopes of the Truong Son Mountain range. This is rural Vietnam at its finest, well away from any tourist trails. The town also has a thriving craft beer scene, so be sure to pull up a plastic stall on the street and watch the world go by.

Continuing your journey east, today’s destination is Lò Gò-Xa Mát National Park in the Tay Ninh Province. After a couple of hours in the bus, you’ll pass through fertile rice paddies and terraces and ride along dusty tracks, ending up at your bungalow accommodation deep in the national park. The forest was formerly home to the headquarters of the revolution in the south during resistance wars against the French, and is consequently laced with a vast network of tunnels. Today, it is a more peaceful site and a key habitat for the rare red-headed sarus crane.

Cycle directly from your jungle-based bungalow all the way to the border. Time for a switch of teams as you bid farewell to your Vietnamese crew, cross the Trapang Thlong border and receive a warm welcome from your new Cambodian team. You’ll road trip the next section in order to avoid cycling alongside heavily-laden trucks and drive straight to the mellow riverside town of Kratie, home to the Irrawaddy dolphin and the best Mekong sunsets in Cambodia. Your overnight spot is the island of Koh Trong, a former favourite locale for Khmer kings and now famous for growing pomelos, a giant citrus fruit.

Get back on two wheels and begin the cycle northward, cruising along the banks of the Mekong River. This remote corner of Cambodia is especially fertile - with many people moving here to grow crops and to fish, expect some friendly chatter along the way. You’ll ride to Stung Treng, home to a number of Buddhist pagodas and of course, many monks. The town lies on the confluence of the San, Kŏng, and Mekong rivers, making it a spectacular spot for a sundowner.

Today you'll head to the Sopheakmit Waterfall, aka the Mekong rapids - tiers of thundering falls crashing over limestone crags and boulders. The falls are right on the Laos border, with the famed 4000 islands just over the water. These powerful rapids are the reason the Mekong River isn’t navigable all the way to China. Today ends in the bustling town of Preah Vihear, where you'll find a temple on most corners.

Cycle straight from the hotel today to the base of the Preah Vihear temple, an ancient Khmer temple and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On arrival, you’ll hop into a 4x4 for a bumpy ride up to the top of the hill - the most spectacular way to experience the temple complex. Your perch on top of the Dangrek Mountains affords a view all the way across the province. Get back on the bike for a final push to Siem Reap, the home of age-old Khmer sights (and the somewhat newer ‘Pub Street’).

Up early today for the culmination of your trip: a ride through the famous, vast ancient temple city of Angkor Wat. You’ll cycle along the wall of the ancient city of Angkor Thom with the moat on one side and thick jungle on the other. The many smiling faces of the 13th century Bayon Temples lie within and you’ll also pause at Ta Prohm, a temple almost entirely reclaimed by the jungle that surrounds it. Likely templed-out, you’ll regroup for a celebratory dinner tonight at Cambodia’s first farm-to-table restaurant, Lum Orng, a real treat where you can sample the best of modern, seasonal, local food.

Your South East Asia cycling adventure has come to an end - it's time to pack your bags and hop in a transfer back to the airport. That said, the option to stay for longer and spend more time at the temples is a popular one!