2 independent reviews for Cambodia cycling vacations
Reviews for Cambodia cycling vacations
John Cropley review 4 Dec 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Seeing many aspects of life in Cambodia while pedaling nearly 400 km across the country. There's a level of contact and awareness on a bicycle that is impossible to achieve in a vehicle.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Bring some lightweight footwear for when you get off the bicycle. Understand the seasonal climate - November was perfect for me, quite warm but mostly dry and everything was still green. It gets cooler in the next few months but the landscape is increasingly brown and dusty, or so I'm told. The Cambodian people showed nothing but friendly respect to me and my group. They deserve the same in return. This is a very poor country struggling with a post-COVID slump in tourism - expect small imperfections and roll with them. Don't be that person, complaining to the manager about something that you'd fix at home but isn't a safety risk.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It's hard for me to see the larger picture. The people we met appreciated our business and were happy that we wanted to learn about their country and culture. I don't know what our environmental impact was and I don't know its meaning in a country where people throw their household trash in ditches and rely very heavily on internal combustion engines and cooking fires. I asked about this and the answer was basically, when you're living on a few hundred dollars a month, you can't buy an electric vehicle, install an induction range, hire a trash collection service and shun single-use plastic containers.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Outstanding journey, outstanding life experience.Read the operator's response here:
Hi John,
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words.
I'm so pleased you were able to see Cambodia from the perspective of the local people. It's really important to us that we're able to offer that experience. I
believe that introducing local experts from local NGOs really gives an insight into the true life of the people and the challenges, and solutions, that are being
worked towards.
Thanks again
Brett Seychell
Social Cycles Founder
Louise Brealey review 8 Feb 2017
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Riding the crazy streets of Phnom Penh on the first day, like you're in a computer game. Eating a power bar on a river bed after a two-hour push through mud. Seeing a small girl rowing a bath tub in a floating village on the Tonlé Sap. Beef loc lac. Fish amok. A chorus of hellos from children in every village. Hoem, the support van driver's laugh. Angkor Thom with no one there. Twin massage in Siem Reap. Water buffalo. Macaques. Iced coffee with condensed milk. The ice-cream man who came out of nowhere on his bike. Standing up on the pedals to ride the bumps. Houses on stilts. The gentle voice of the audio guide at S-21 and the Killing Fields. Meeting passionate NGOs who work with Cambodia's most vulnerable people. A photograph a minute. Brett (who runs the tour)'s passion and spirit of adventure.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Do a bit of training before you go. I didn't, and managed it, but I'd have loved to have been a bit more fit to start with. My thighs were like rocks by the end. Padded cycling shorts, padded saddle, gloves. Take dollars, it's basically the currency. You'll get your change in riels. Power bars in your satchel bag. Sun block. Drink the young sweet coconuts. Learn your Khmer greetings. Crickets taste like crisps. Tarantulas are surprisingly tasty. Slow worms taste like s**t.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I can't think of a better way to be a tourist. We learned about how to be a responsible visitor. We ate locally. We supported a couple of NGO-run restaurants. We slept locally. We cycled. We visited four NGOs across the country and learned about their work with children, desperately poor villagers, young people in prisons. And everyone makes a donation at the end - there's a big discussion at the last meal as to which NGO the money should go to.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
I've never had a vacation like it. I went by myself and wasn't lonely for a minute. I loved Cambodia and seeing it like that was a privilege I'll never forget.Holiday Reviews
You can trust Responsible Travel reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.
