Our journey begins at the airport where we’ll meet our teammates and Charity Challenge representative. Any last minute nerves will turn to excitement as we touch down in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) after the overnight flight.
We will be met at the airport by a local Charity Challenge representative who will accompany the group to a centrally-located hotel. There will be lunch after check-in, followed by a full trip briefing and bike fitting – and perhaps a little spare time to explore. Overnight at the hotel.
After breakfast we transfer to My Tho, gateway to the Mekong Delta. Our cycling adventure begins after a ferry journey across the Tien Giang river. A varied section of biking cuts off-road onto gravel and dirt lanes, weaving around hamlets, across water channels and through dense vegetation. The final ferry of the day sees us cross Co Chien river to Tra Vinh. Overnight in hotel.
The road may be long, but the atmosphere is calm and peaceful as we head along narrow and pretty roads to Can Tho. There is plenty to see, including the magnificent lotus flowers at Ba Om Pond. The route also takes in the contrasting architectural styles of ethnic Khmer homes and Khmer temples, as well as fascinating river scenes from countless wooden bridges. Overnight in hotel.
After a very early breakfast, we ride on a narrow paved road via Cai Rang floating market. Weave through the morning traders, as we pedal along the banks of the very busy river. Taking in another market, we continue on to Phong Dien Village and eventually stop for lunch. There’s a 30 minute transfer to the town of Long Xuyen. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
After a short early morning transfer to Tri Ton, the cycling starts to undulate as we ride closer to Chau Doc. This afternoon we cycle to the killing fields of Vietnam at Ba Chuc, where Pol Pot’s regime massacred over 3,000 Vietnamese in 1978. The route loops around to Chau Doc along the border. Dinner and overnight in hotel for the final night in Vietnam.
Rise and shine early for a boat journey up the Mekong River to Phnom Penh. It’s three hours upstream to Phnom Penh, where meet our Cambodian guides and bikes. After lunch at the atmospheric Foreign Correspondents’ Club we travel to Cambodia’s killing fields and the Tuoel Sleng genocide museum, followed by a bike inspection at the hotel where we spend the night.
It’s an early morning bus transfer to Kampong Cham. Heading north via the ancient Japanese bridge, we visit one of Cambodia’s most famous towns: Skun. We then transfer to Thnong village, from where we commence a 65km cycle through tropical countryside. Once we arrive at Kampong Thmor, it’s another 38km to Kampong Thom, on the banks of the Stung Saen river. Overnight and dinner here.
It’s the final day of cycling and we’re heading for Siem Reap, the gateway to the Angkor region. In order to avoid poor roads we will be transferred across 85km to an ancient bridge at Kampong Kdei. We rejoin our crew at Dombek village, from where we set off on a 66km ride. We reach the finish line as the sun sets over Angkor Wat.
Catch the sunrise with an optional early morning visit to Angkor. Angkor Wat is just one of the many temples in the region, though probably the best preserved. From here, continue to Angkor Thom, which was the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. Also not to be missed is the temple of Ta Prohm. Head to airport for flight home.
Be sure to exchange contact details with your fellow cyclists as you arrive back home in the UK. Armed with a sense of achievement, you can feel proud as you touch down and share your fantastic journey with your family and friends.
BELIEVE >> ACHIEVE >> INSPIRE
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