Cycle Indochina & Angkor Wat - Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 67 reviews.

Neil Parker

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written February 2012
First class tour - wonderfully organised and with a fantastic bunch of people. The guides and back-up crew were always there when required, and the accommodation was great.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
As other reviewers have pointed out, the Angkor Wat complex is, indeed, awe-inspiring.
One of the moments for me, though, was taking a boat on Ton Le Sap lake - a truly massive lake upon which thousands of people live and work. The poverty is shocking, but who are we to judge.
The homestay overnight and following day's boat-trip and cycle ride on the Mekong were also inspirational, and have given me a few ideas about going back to the region and maybe exploring life on the Mekong in much greater depth.
The food! Everywhere we went.
The villagers and village life, and their friendliness in those parts of these countries. A complete contrast to the cities.
What did you think of your group leader?
All three were first class. Siam (from Thailand) held the whole thing together really well over the three legs, while the others (Fila for Cambodia and Yam for Vietnam) provided intimate local knowledge on their individual segments.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
It is hot (>40C) in these countries in February/March, so people that have not done this sort of thing before might consider going a few days in advance to acclimatise. The back-up crews are always on-hand with water, electrolytes and fruit/chocolate, but make sure you take on water at every opportunity.
Try every type of food the guides suggest, including the crickets, beetles, and tarantulas to name a few. But, by the same token, check with them before you try anything radically new!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Try this. Can't recommend it highly enough. If you've never done anything like this before - like me - give it a go and really (pleasantly) surprise yourself.
Jeremy Hollinshead

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written February 2012
Great trip, with loads to see and do. As others haven mentioned, it's a little front-loaded with the cycling. The Thailand part is mostly cycling, which is great. It was very hot when we went – over 40c, but the cycling is flat so the distances aren’t too taxing. Of course you don’t have to cycle all of every day and at any given point, there was someone taking the van option on our trip. The stops during the cycling were a little too frequent and a little too long for me, but other opinions are available!The Cambodia section is split between the Angkor temples and Phnom Penh, with not a lot of cycling anywhere. The temples are exceptional – I would maybe have a liked a little more time at some of them, but you can’t have everything. Our group opted for the Tonle Sap Lake trip over cycling. In hindsight I would definitely go the for the cycling – the floating village is not nice and the later trip in Vietnam to the floating market is a much better experience. The Phnom Penh section is a chance to relax a little, but I would have liked a little cycling - outside the capital maybe? (Phnom Penh is very busy on the roads!).Vietnam is awesome and the cycling superb. Village life is the highlight and the homestay is also excellent. Many (but not all) people on our trip only took their anti-materials for the few days we were cycling the Mekong, rather than the entire 2 weeks plus. I had some fairly funky dreams in the run up to this part, which I put down to my Malarials!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The highlights for me were the temples of Angkor and the rural cycling in Vietnam.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very good. We had two leaders for the Thailand and Cambodia sections, then exchanged our Cambodian leader for a Vietnamese one when we crossed the border. All of them were excellent.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Only two bits of advice really... be prepared (mentally as much as anything) for a) the heat and b) The front loaded cycling. Oh, and I’d opt for the cycling in Cambodia over the lake trip.
J Patrick Davies Davies

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written January 2012
A great trip with easy cycling on flat terrain with mostly good roads. Lots of stops for fluid and carbohydrate intake. A wide variety of sights to see and the guide and local guides were very professional and informative.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The friendliness of the people in Vietnam, especially the children who greeted us with cheery 'Hellos' in every village. Not inspirational but memorable were the visits to sights of atrocities in Cambodia and Vietnam. Very upsetting but something that had to be experienced.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very professional
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
No real problems to prepare for on this trip - just enjoy!
Paul Mason

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written January 2012
wide range of activites , easy interesting cycling, Killing Field visit very challenging, amazing range of food , much of it excellent, made more fun by a really good group
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
I learned so much - temples of Angkor Wat area were amazing , the scenery of the Mekong Delta fasinating , the food at the homestay was stunning. The history of Killing Fields & S21 prison + Cu Chi tunnels was very sobering. Safely crossing the road in Saigon is always a challenge. Exodus specifically laying on the 'Tet' celebrations in Saigon for us - fantastic flower arrangements! Some restaurants closed but brilliant occasion.
What did you think of your group leader?
1st time for these leaders as Exodus have been taken over by 'Peak' I believe (please correct me if wrong) , so new local guides. To ensure quality Exodus had provided their own assessor - Rich , who added a lot to the group (& is nowhere near as serious as he looks on the Exodus You Tube cycle 'M' check!)
Mo fro Thailand - worked very hard to make sure all went smoothly , stayed with us through to Saigon , arranged 2 birthday cakes for group members too!
Dyka- Cambodian , very knowledgable about Angkor Wat area , enthusiastic cyclist but got the speed right
Yan (?sp) - Vietnamese - could have cycled slghtly slower - I would have stopped for more photos (probably spared the family more boredom!)
All spoke excellent english & had ready smiles
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
there are NO hills on this trip! The cycling is easy , frequent breaks , plenty of water / sprite / bananas / other food
Is there anything else you would like to add?
for Exodus;
1) What about producing some cycling jerseys? Would need something relevant to the trip as 1/2 the point is to stimulate discussion - could say 'I've cycled south east asia with Exodus' - could apply to this trip , Vietnam + Loas trips?
2) We booked late & Malaysia airways were full. This was lucky for us - we were passed to Trailfinders , who booked us with Thai Airways. Same price for the dates but the outward journey was much easier - no stops & 5 hours quicker!
Peter Fielder

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written January 2012
A brilliant way to see three different countries in two weeks. This is not just a cycling holiday, but the itinerary provides the time and opportunity to see so many places of interest along the way.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The friendliness of the Cambodians was uplifting especially when one bears in mind the horrendous recent past the country has endured. Our time in Phnom Phenh and the visits to the killing fields etc brought home to us its horrifying history.
What did you think of your group leader?
The tour leader Moh was good; very friendly and keen to do her best but would probably benefit with a little more experience. Digger, the Cambodian leader was excellent whereas the Vietmanese leader seemed more intent upon collecting email addresses from the group for his own future benefit than leading the tour.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Be prepared for temperatures during the middle of the day of up to 40 degrees! Drink lots of water and take advantage of the beautiful fruit, serveed at regular intervals by the support team along the way. There's always the option of dropping out on any day and travelling in the support vehicle if needs be.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Food was great and cheap. If you want to eat separately from the group, do so, although on our tour, the leader seemed to assume we would always wish to eat together.
Take a Thai massage after a days cycling - brilliant!
A great holiday in an area of the world which is really interesting and safe to get around.
Rachel Campey

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written January 2012
This was one of the best experiences I have had....so many brilliant memories which will stay with me forever.....cheesy but true!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Managing to cycle every day and enjoying it, riding through the villages and the children giving us hi fives, doing group Mexican waves whist riding through the villages and making the children laugh at us, visiting the temples, hanging out with really fun people and enjoying drinking beer every night and still managing to get up early and cycle in the heat, the boat trips, the island home stay......the amazing delicious food.....the exodus staff......I could go on as it was all inspiring and I didn't stop smiling for a while after I returned to the UK...even the grey sky's and rain of Manchester airport!
What did you think of your group leader?
Nee was fantastic....totally looked after us and had a wicked sense of humour. All the leaders worked so hard and made our holiday so easy to enjoy. Special mention to Fila who made us all smile with his enthusiasm and cheeky sense of fun......
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Kit list musts for this trip 1. Good size water bladder with bag section - can recommend osprey - would not have been without it! 2. Anti bacterial gel/hand wipes/pocket tissues - lots of but you can easy buy out there 3. Long sleeve cycle top or cycle arms to stop you getting burnt - I didn't have them but wished I did. 4. Padded gel seat to go on bike. Don't really need your own saddle as bikes are pretty good - specialised. 5. comfy shorts that can be rolled up easily going in to temples and loose long sleeved shirt 6. Recommend water sport sandles to cycle in, instead of socks and trainers - make a downpour much more pleasant and cooler! Only need 1 pair if they are comfy 7. You will need mosquito wipes and sun cream - take small pack size for your water bladder bag 8. Sunnys, cycle helmet, summer cycle gloves 9. Anti histamine tablets if you react to bites and mossy bite relief - I only got bitten 3 - 4 times though 10. Something nice-ish to wear in evening when go to restaurant or bar .... Top tip - don't take too much as you will not need much on cycle days.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I am not really a cyclist...I do own a bike and go out occasionally. I couldn't sleep the week before as I worried I would not manage this trip, but I was wrong and would say to anyone considering it to just book it now. I booked on the solo trip with a friend as we wanted to be sociable and were happy that others were up for a good time too and a real mixture of backgrounds and ages..... The days are broken down in to 20km, 15km sections and if you feel you can't manage a section in the heat of the sun then there was no shame in sitting one out. I think the main thing is the try and keep pace with a group so you are not left behind and even if you are, one of the leaders will stay with you. I got a puncture and you just had to stop until the technician came along and fixed it....just wished I had realised about half an hour beforehand ! Each break you top up with water and energy bars, and plenty of toilet stops....though this is where the anti bac wipes come in to play. Aches and pains didn't really happen, as it is so warm your muscles are just warm to start with, so no need to be over cautious or worried. Enjoy your food and be willing to try it as the dishes in all 3 countries are amazing - especially Vietnam and the fish dishes. Always drink bottled water and perhaps avoid salads and you should be fine - we didn't get ill and certainly would not from any food that we consumed. The temples and cultural trips are amazing and at times moving. Personally unless you are in to war, and want to have a go firing a gun, I wouldn't recommend the additional trip to the tunnels in Vietnam as it was a long drive and just not my sort of thing but apart from that, there is nothing I didn't enjoy. Hope this all helps....enjoy.
greg turner

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written January 2012
Fantastic trip, wonderful guide Nee made the trip an unforgettable experience. The food was good and cycling really interesting through villages.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The home stay with Kareokee, the food and sights of Angkor wat
What did you think of your group leader?
Nee was fantastic - best your guide ever
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Have a day in Bangkok before you join the tour