Starting with a pickup from your Bangkok hotel at 8am, there is a 2.5 hour transfer to the south, bypassing the minor cities of Chonburi and Pattaya and starting our ride from a secluded buddhist temple. Here we get fitted with the bikes and start out at a gentle pace on undulating minor roads through small farming communities. As the day wears on, we make a stop at a roadside restaurant serving everyone’s favorite light Thai meal, Pad Thai!

The ride brings us to the door of our accommodation, sitting on a headland looking out over the Gulf of Thailand. There are some nice walks from the resort down into the nearby town where an aquarium is located. From the resort we can see Koh Samet island, one of the most popular weekend holiday escapes for Bangkokers and we will be able to see the boats shuttling people back and forwards to the island.

An early start in this climate is a good idea, so we do that and after a short drive, we get out on the bikes and ride the gently undulating road along the coast where food vendors and cafes with hammocks are placed at perfect intervals. We make a stop at one of these for lunch and have an opportunity for a swim before we continue on to the minor city of Chanthaburi and our comfortable resort, located on the outskirts of town on one of the key irrigation channels.

Today we take a morning ride to explore Chanthaburi town and the farming areas surrounding it. The Catholic quarter is our first stop, then the morning market where we can sample the freshly made snacks and a traditional style tea before heading out of town. The fruit orchards through which we will ride on lightly used roads, include mangosteen, rambutan and longkon, as well as the fruit that some love and others love to hate, durian. In fact, we will visit a shrine to the fruit in the form of Durian Land, where we can see how the fruit is grown, sample the real thing and then peruse the quirky durian souvenirs and packaged product.

The afternoon is free for you to enjoy the resort, or to explore the alleyways of Chanthaburi some more.

Today starts with a transfer in the van of just over an hour to reach the Thailand/Cambodia border. Here you will farewell the terrific Thai team and meet your charming Cambodian team.

We then continue in the van to reach our ride start point. Riding in the Cambodian countryside is quite a different experience. There are less vehicles, less development and a lot more excited children calling out cheerful hellos from the sidelines as the colorfully dressed foreigners ride past.

We reach the provincial capital of Battambang just before sunset where our gorgeous accommodation for the night awaits, a converted colonial-era villa.

This morning we will take a tour led by students of Kinyei: a local vocational training NGO that has created a cycling
program called Soksabike. With this cycling tour we will discover the various village industries of Battambang, most of which are food related, so be prepared to see that food baby emerge! Our exploration provides a great insight into how the locals live and get by here. We will see the production of rice wine, dried bananas, and a local snack called Kralanh (bamboo sticky rice) before we return to town to eat once again.

The afternoon is yours to explore the town or to enjoy some time by the pool.

Leaving Battambang behind, we make the three hour drive to Siem Reap where a delicious lunch of freshly made noodles known as knom ban chok awaits. Today we will ride the trails and paths through the Angkor archeological park, visiting some of the most impressive, but relatively unknown temples, Preah Khan and Ta Som. These are connected by a network of shaded trails through the beautiful forest that forms one of the best protected national parks in Cambodia.

Occasionally we pop out of our secret route to find busloads of tourists being herded through the main highlights, but we will avoid the crowds and instead time our visits to take advantage of the quieter periods and the hidden highlights of these vast ancient structures. The ride will conclude just before sunset, so it stands to reason that we should see out the day with a sundowner in hand before we make our way to one of Siem Reap’s best restaurants where tightly held family recipes have been lovingly preserved for our benefit.

Prepare for an early rising this morning, as we get moving before the sun has peeked out from behind the horizon and the first roosters have started to crow. We’ll transfer to the otherworldly Angkor National Park, where all tour participants will gather in front of the many imposing towers of the main temple itself. If we get lucky with the weather, we’ll catch a spectacular color show as the sun rises behind the great temple’s spires.

Once the sun is up and the crowds of tourists have dispersed, we will begin our in-depth exploration of this and other ancient temples in the Angkor complex and enjoy breakfast in these peaceful surroundings. Discover the mysteries this jungle has to offer as we cycle down narrow tracks and hidden dirt paths to iconic temples such as Bayon or Ta Prohm, and some of the lesser-known ancient structures.

We’ll enjoy lunch by the Sra Srang Reservoir that surrounds the Angkor Wat temple before we head back to the hotel.

We return to the hotel and with a late checkout, you’ll have plenty of time to pack and we will be ready to take you to the airport for your departing flight. Unless of course, you plan on spending more time exploring and enjoying this terrific town and its many great arts, culinary and active experiences.