The Kingdom of Cambodia
April 2026
Why Cambodia?
After 3 months in Vietnam: it was a toss-up between cycling to Ho Chi Minh City and catching a flight back to Europe,
or pedalling over the border to see the UNESCO-listed temples at Angkor Wat.
We chose the easy option.
We think !!
The Journey
A = Angkor Chey. B = Phnom Penh.
C = Battambang. D = Siem Reap.
E = Chhaeb. F = Stung Treng.
G = Trapeang Kreal (Cambodia/Laos border).
The Cambodian border was much closer than we realised.
The ferry from Phu Quoc island took us to Ha Tiên (Vietnam) - only 7 miles to Prek Chak Border Checkpoint.
Winner !
Just a quick exit stamp on the Vietnamese side...
... then we walked into the Cambodian Border Control building (above) and filled in paper forms for our Visa applications, 2 minutes.
After a bit of online research, we'd spent a day in Vietnam getting US dollars and passport photos ready.
Wrong !! ๐คฆ๐ป๐คฆโ๏ธ
The charge was 40 US dollars each (not $35 as stated online), but Vietnamese dong would also have been accepted.
No-one wanted our passport photos either.
We were told to sit and wait while our passports were processed.
No questions about our itinerary or onward departure.
10 minutes later: we cycled into The Kingdom of Cambodia ๐
Below: More about the 'HERORAT' later!!
About 3 miles into Cambodia we stopped at this phone shop to buy a SIM card.
£6 for 60Gb, good for 30 days.
The owner spoke pretty good English and was very helpful ๐ Below:-
We noticed a welcome change on the roads.
Even big trucks slowed down and waited for a safe time to pass, giving us lots of space too !
And the constant blaring of horns had stopped ๐ค
Above: Smooth, quiet roads heading from the border towards Angkor Chey.
Above & below: Our hotel in Angkor Chey was rustic, but only cost £9 for the night.
We were surprised to find this ornate temple (below) just around the corner.
The first of many !
Heading on to Phnom Penh.
Steady, hot ๐ and very flat pedalling.
The horrors of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge years (1975-9) are acknowledged at "killing field" sites across the country.
Above and below : Choeung Ek Genocidal Center on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
Harrowing and informative.
The Personal Audio (included in the £4 entry fee) was EXCELLENT.
More good roads greeted us on the way to Phnom Penh, plus a good choice of roadside drinks to cool the body and mind!
We had to marvel at the vast difference between the rural towns and the skyscraper metropolis that is PHNOM PENH (below).
The roads got busier as we cycled into central Phnom Penh, with just a bit of cheeky pavement riding needed !
Above and below: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh.
Utterly harrowing.
So many innocent people staring out from the mugshots that were taken on arrival.
Unimaginable suffering, graphically detailed.
Then a Saturday night treat: Cambodian Premiership football, watching Phnom Penh Crown FC (the most successful premiership team in Cambodia) at home !
Unfortunately, they lost 1-4.
But as neutrals it was a great game!
Only $3 each entry fee!!
Below :- Phnom Penh market area. Before we cycled on towards Krong Kampong Chhnang. Mainly on National Road 5 but with a couple of detours taking us alongside the TONLE SAP RIVER.
TONLE SAP RIVER - floating villages and traditional houses
Above and below :-
Village kids alongside the TONLE SAP RIVER - always ready with a Cambodian smile and a wave.
Below :- 62 BAKING HOT miles at 40°C+โ๏ธโ๏ธ
National Road 5 all the way to Krong Pursat. Flat, great smooth surface (this road was only completed in 2021)
Then out of nowhere our favourite Snowman appears! It's bubble tea time!!
Below :-
Breaking News!! - Today on National Road 5 en route to Krong Pursat Cambodian girl power energy drink
MEETS
The girl power that is the 'Bolshie Brummie'
This could get messy!!
Below :- A nice chatty day's cycling en route to Battambang - JAGO joined us for the ride. Which really helped kill the 68 miles along the flat National Road 5.
The sun was out in force again too 41°.
Below:-
Lazy Mango Homestay in Battambang - and stories, history shared with the family.
Above: "Grandad" survived the Khmer Rouge years - sharing his memories via Google Translate.
A INCREDIBLE stay at Lazy Mango - beautiful family, great food, coffee and provided us with enough bike cleaning materials to sort out a whole peloton !!
Rest day in Battambang :-
Tuk tuk drive to ride the 'Bamboo Train'.
Visit 'The Killing Caves' and 'The Bat Caves' at Phnom Sampeau, 7 miles ish from Battambang.
Our driver Saki (below) one of the Homestay family.
Approximately 6.5 million bats exiting a narrow bat cave at dusk is a sight to behold!
And the killing caves - yet more Khmer Rouge genocide history. Compelling and so sad.
Bamboo Train - a 40 minute 'tourist ride' along the tracks. Bouncy, noisy, good fun. $5 each.
Following the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge the locals built small bamboo 'trains' (using scrap from tanks and other vehicles) to transport goods and passengers. These 'trains' were still used up until 2017!!
The Killing Caves
Below :-
A very dark history, remarkable that the Cambodian people who have suffered so much are still positive and hopefully building a brighter future.
You can take a taxi to the top or you can walk a loop (as we did) walk up the driveway, where the taxis go. Visit the Killing Caves (signed). Continue up to see the temple area.
And then walk down the steps (seen below)
On the way down watch out for the wild monkeys, they are not as friendly as you may think!!
From the road you can watch the bats at dusk. When we watched they appeared at 5.15pm (normally we were told it's between 5.30pm and 630pm) ....so get there early just in case.
Below :-
Bats exiting the cave - you can see the plume in the sky! Takes about 45 minutes for all the bats to exit. An amazing sight.
Below :-
More National Road 5 and a interesting roundabout heading to Serei Saophoan on what is mostly a long straight road.
Molly down the ditch on NR5 to check out the lotus flowers - a close-up photo was called for! Beautiful.
Searching for a hotel in Serei Saophoan in 40° heat requires lots of fluids!
These will do nicely thank you!
๐ฝ
The next morning we set out for Siem Reap at 5.30am.
This would give us a few hours' cooler pedalling before the sun warmed up to a tasty 40° โ๏ธโ๏ธ
Above and below :-
National Road 6 has plenty of roadside vendors offering the items you've always dreamed of.... Giant Buddhas, Cockerels, Elephants etc etc.
Charlie reckons Del Boy would love it! (you have to be a certain age!!)
Below :- breakfast noodles on NR6 were perfect.
NR6 is mostly smooth fast rolling tarmac with a reasonable cycle/scooter lane. It's single carriageway. And seems to carry more traffic than does NR5.
There are plenty of places to eat, re-stock water and petrol stations often with good clean toilets.
Arriving in Siem Reap we headed straight to the Angkor Enterprise to buy Angkor Wat one day tickets (approx £27 each) - for our cycle around the world-famous archaeological site the next day.
Yes you can cycle around it.
Above - Molly says "it's that way"!
Below:-
Tree-lined roads greet you as you cycle closer to Angkor Wat
Below :- Before leaving Siem Reap we paid a visit to The APOPO Visitor Center in Siem Reap which showcases "HeroRATs," specially trained African Giant Pouched Rats that detect landmines, supporting Cambodia's de-mining efforts.
Above: It was chilling to see this landmine warning sign for real when we pedalled through the rural north.
And that was the last time I ever saw Molly as she decided to join 'Magawa' (A famous rat who dected more than 100 landmines during his career!) and his colleagues and become a 'minesweeper'. The resemblance is just uncanny!
Above and below : Decision time: cycle back to Phnom Penh and a flight to Europe OR cycle to the Laos border, cross into Laos and head for Thailand??!
It was a 'YES' from us both to more Asian Pedals after we looked at the map and decided it seemed do-able!
So we hit National Road 64 after leaving behind Siem Reap and headed north through lush farmland - mango and cashew trees on all sides of the road. A fast rolling road.
Lots more cattle walking the roads up north.
Oh and would you like just 1 mango or 1 kilo of mangoes!?
NR64 took us through Phumi Moreal, Chhaeb and Stung Treng. Slight inclines now but with the added bonus of peaceful quiet miles.
Then our last Incredible-pedals in Cambodia from Stung Treng to Trapeang Kreal where we crossed the border into Nong Nok Khien (Laos)
Above and below :- our last few miles in Cambodia NR64.
Below :- We were about to experience our most 'RELAXED' land border crossing ever!
Follow the traffic under the barriers..... Find the Cambodian Border Control office (you have to search a little!) get your exit stamp.
Then find the Laos Border Control office. Fill in your visa application, pay $40 each (CRISP notes only - obviously!). Wait 15 mins and cycle into Laos!
Why not use the sim card and money exchange lady who has a small stall right by the border control office too!
All done and dusted in less than one hour!
แขแแแปแ - "arkoun" (Thank you) Cambodia.
Total miles in Cambodia 626.
Food and Shelter
Roadside iced drinks stalls were common, and much needed in the baking heat ๐ฅต
Above:- The Chinese influence is most welcome when it gives you The Snowman Bubble Tea shops in Cambodia!!
A vast array of accommodation. Some very basic, others more upmarket. All of them very affordable.
A few cockroaches joined us but on the plus side sit-down toilets and aircon were standard in every spot ๐
Below:- ever wondered 'where the heaviest furniture' in the world lives! Yep it's in Cambodia!
Cambodia Ups and Downs
The most sudden and impactful difference for us on the roads here was:-
DRIVER/RIDER ETIQUETTE
As soon as we crossed the border from Vietnam things changed.
NO MORE CONSTANT HORNS BLARING (Signs on the road warned against it!)
DRIVERS GAVE SPACE and DISTANCE
DRIVERS/RIDERS SUDDENLY STARTED TO CHECK IF IT WAS SAFE BEFORE PULLING OUT FROM SIDE STREETS!
It was so refreshing!
The route we took was also relatively FLAT. With good tarmac or concrete surfaces.
The small detours we took on un-named roads were uneven and sandy. But very rideable.
Would you like to meet some beautiful, friendly people? Yes.
OK best get yourself to Cambodia then!!
All photos taken with kind permission.
A word of warning - friendly and beautiful can't always be said about the monkeys! (no photo permission was requested on this occasion!)
We were busy scampering away!
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