Happy Football Cambodia Australia Adventure

With a personal welcome to Siem Reap, our transport team will greet you at arrivals and transfer you to your nightly accommodation. Around 6 pm your tour leader will meet you at your accommodation and together we will go out for dinner at one of Siem Reap’s most famous social responsible restaurants, Marum.

See Angkor temples in the soft light of the morning and ride the hidden trails to avoid the crowds. As the roosters begin to crow, you will be out at the most important religious monument in Cambodia, watching the sun rise over the triple towers of Angkor Wat. Even in the wet season, this is a magical time to see Angkor. As the crowds thin, take an unforgettable walk through the
temple, where the soft light and cool temperatures present Angkor at its best.

A short pedal away a delicious breakfast spread awaits. After breakfast, we ride around the hidden trails of the Angkor complex to visit some of the best-kept secrets and the iconic temples of the Bayon, Ta Prom and The Elephant Terrace. As the day heats up, we lunch with a view of Sra Srang Lake and then
return to your hotel by vehicle around 2 pm.

This afternoon is free for some pool time before meeting your guide again at 6 pm for a local dinner at one of Siem Reap’s newest restaurants before enjoying the incredible Phare Circus show in the evening.

In the morning we will jump into the comfort of a minivan and head out to watch the soccer practice at Happy Football Cambodia Australia, your first insight into the incredible work down by the team. Having lunch back in town, we then set out for a fun afternoon, riding to the floating village of Kampong Phluk.

You will start with a ride out along the Siem Reap river, then leave the tarmac and ride on small dirt paths through the scenic countryside and friendly villages where children will be welcoming you with a hello from every angle. We then swap the bikes for a boat and cruise through the floating villages, returning you back to the city in time for a free evening to enjoy Siem Reap’s culinary scene the way you like!

We pick you up from your hotel in Siem Reap and head straight out of town by car, driving for a few hours to reach Battambang. After enjoying a local lunch, we take an exciting cycle through the villages to learn about the cottage industries that support the economy of this area. For this, we meet up with a local university student who will show us around the villages just outside Battambang.

The ride is on a lovely route along the river with lots of shade. We stop to see rice paper making, banana drying, rice wine and prahok production. We also stop to enjoy the famously delicious Cambodian bamboo sticky rice kralanh and other snacks. We’ll arrive back at the hotel in time for a few drinks or a swim before dinner in town.

Today we spend the morning at Phare Ponleu Selpak where we can learn about the incredible work the NGO is achieving through their circus and art program, the results of which we already saw in Siem Reap. Taking a walk with one of their local team around the grounds gives a sense of the impact that NGO’s are making in the Cambodian landscape.

After a local lunch, we have a few hours spare in Battambang before jumping on the bikes and riding towards Phnom Sampou for sunset. Every evening as the sun goes down, more than 3 million bats exit the cave going on their nightly flight for food. Watch as this natural spectacle unfolds before transferring back for another special dinner together.

This morning we drive to Kampong Chhnang stopping at Pursat along the way to stretch the legs and explore the local market for some fresh fruit. Arriving in Kampong Chhnang we'll take a hand-rowed boat tour of the floating villages, which are blissfully free of the tourist numbers you find at others, then it's back on the bikes for a 30km cycle of the town and its countryside surroundings. In the evening we settle down for the night in this quaint town and enjoy a local dinner.

Waking on the third day we have time to see the pottery villages of Kampong Chhnang before driving down to the former capital of Cambodia, Oudong. Here we visit the mountaintop temple, then ride along quiet country trails and backroads making our way to Phnom Penh, the vibrant capital. A group dinner tonight takes us back in time at the famous FCC, right on the riverfront - from this vantage point, you can take in Phnom Penh in all its modern, ever-changing beauty.

Who would have thought, that only 5km from the heart of Cambodia's capital city, there is an island oasis where one can take a bike tour at a gentle pace and discover true rural Cambodia. These islands, created by the flows of the Mekong River, are isolated by a lack of bridges, but ferry connections provide access for villagers who use the fertile soil here to grow fruit and vegetables
and then weave silk and cotton between farming cycles.

The absence of most four-wheeled traffic makes for peaceful bike touring, where you can almost forget that the hustle and bustle of the country's major city is just nearby. Getting back to Phnom Penh in the mid-afternoon your guide can assist with directions if you feel like a massage or a bit of shopping, and will point you in the direction of some great restaurants nearby to enjoy dinner.

This morning we get up bright and early to head to Happy Football Cambodia Australia training practice. Meeting with the local team we will be able to get involved with the students who we are here to support. This afternoon we have plenty of optional activities available. For those who would like to explore more of Phnom Penh independently, we can arrange a cyclo tuk-tuk and our self-guided app. For those who would like a little more in-depth knowledge, our guide will be available to lead the group to S21 prison and the Royal Palace.

As your time in Cambodia comes to an end, you can leave knowing that you have truly experienced the real Cambodia in the company of those who truly care about the future of this incredibly generous, kind and open nation. The team will offer you one final trip in the van saying goodbye at the airport.