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VIETNAM & CAMBODIA
ITINERARY
CYCLE
DISTANCE
2024 & 2025
Challenge yourself on this 9-day adventure to some of South East Asia’s most famous landmarks. Over 5 days of cycling, you will pass remote villages, paddy fields, the mighty Mekong, ancient temples, bustling cities, and experience the deep history of this incredible region. There will be hot days, long roads and breath-taking scenery, and you will cap it all off with a celebration dinner in Siem Reap!
The Challenge
This remarkable 9-day challenge takes us from the colourful city of Ho Chi Minh in Southern Vietnam to historic Angkor Wat in Cambodia along off the beaten tracks. The adventure begins with the exploration of the elaborate warren Cu Chi Tunnels and progresses as we spend 5 days cycling through rural Vietnam over the border into Cambodia.
On our journey, we find ourselves surrounded by paddy fields, rubber plantations, and traditional wooden houses that take shade under the coconut palms. We may also catch a glimpse of water buffalos or the rare Mekong river dolphin before peddling into the busy city of Kampong Cham.
Our challenge culminates with an exploration of ancient temples and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat, before sharing our last dinner together in Siem Reap.
The Experience
By taking part in one our group treks you will be part of a much bigger team and that’s what makes the experience so special. Supporting each other, laughing together, motivating each other one step of the way. Led by a qualified UK Leader and supported by a UK medic & local experts; you will be hosted in 3*+ hotel accommodation, quality checked campsites, great local restaurants, & more ensuring you get a feel of the culture & landscape we journey through. These are ‘full inclusive’ challenges – leaving you to focus on that finish line!
An Action Challenge trip is much more than a holiday! It brings like-minded people together in fantastic landscapes, provides the best support & great hospitality, and enables the group to take on a tough & unforgettable challenge which forges new friendships, broaden horizons, and leaves you wanting more of life’s adventures!
The blueprint for Action Challenge trip is based on delivering a high quality enjoyable experience – and doing it all safely. An experienced UK Mountain Leader ensures that all aspects of the challenge run to plan – and one of our UK Medics with an expedition med kit is on-hand to look after the group’s wellbeing – enabling everyone to have the best chance of successfully competing their challenge.
We go to great lengths to ensure that we only use the best local organisations to supply the all-important ground logistics and the on-challenge support, catering, and hospitality teams – with experienced guides leading the way on the trails with their deep local knowledge and authentic style.
Like minded people with a similar sense of adventure – but often from very different backgrounds, and with a wide range of experience, ages, levels of fitness, and personal ambitions. Our trips are perfect for individuals, couples, and small groups of friends to join – and then to take on a unique challenge as part of a larger group which shapes & bonds as the adventure unfolds!
Whether its’s the hotels, restaurants & transfers before & after the main challenge – or the challenge accommodation & meals whilst out on the trails – our all inclusive packages mean that you will get a top quality experience at a great value price! Flights are generally included, but there’s a ‘land only’ option if you’d prefer to book your own – and single supplement accommodation upgrades are available.
Visas–If you are a ‘Flights Included’ participant, we will be organising this for you upon arrival into Amman airport. If you are travelling as a land only challenger, you must organise your own Visa. You can do this upon arrival in Amman. The cost is 40 Jordanian Dinars.
The group comes together – takes on a tough challenge together – and then celebrates its achievements in style on the final night of the trip in a local restaurant or hotel, with medals, awards, and a maybe a bit of a party! Many of our participants make new special friends on our trips – and quite a few come back together for another challenge in the following years!
A successful challenge starts with good preparation. The better prepared you are the more confident you’ll be, and the more you’ll enjoy it! Our ‘Challenge App’ will have all the info & details of what to expect on your challenge – and how to prepare for it – and we have optional training walks, training weekends , and a place on one of our UK Ultra Challenge events to get out on the tails and test your fitness, kit, & equipment.
Itinerary & Route
Please note that some details of the itinerary may change, you will be provided with a detailed itinerary once you are signed up to the challenge.
We meet our group and Action Challenge staff at the airport in London, before checking in together and boarding our flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
We land in Ho Chi Minh (formally known as Saigon) on day 2 and are transferred by private bus to our hotel in the heart of the city. We will get a chance to settle in before tucking into a welcome dinner with our local guides, who will give us a full briefing on our adventure ahead.
Meals: B,L,D starting day 2 Accom: Hotel
On day 3 we start the cycling. We transfer north of Ho Chi Minh (approximately 1.5 hours) to the historic Cu Chi Tunnels. Here we have a bike fitting before visiting the elaborate warren of underground tunnels constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the war. After lunch we set off on our bikes – our challenge has begun! The route to Tay Ninh unwinds along quiet rural roads through local villages surrounded by a patchwork of paddy fields. We arrive in the bustling market town of Tay Ninh to spend the night.
Day 4 sees us set off for the Moc Bai border crossing, via the striking Caodai Great Temple. Once formalities have been completed we enter Cambodia and catch our first glimpses of rural life here. We pass traditional wooden houses on stilts, framed by a backdrop of vast rice fields before stopping at a school for an afternoon snack. The day comes to a close in the quiet provincial town of Svay Reing.
Distance cycled: 77km and 80km
Meals: B,L,D Accom: Hotel
We begin our cycling straight from our hotel in Svay Rieng. We continue our journey north through paddy fields and ponds filled with water lilly flowers. There are many villages and the children like to say hello along the routes. We cycle mostly on dirt gravel countryside road. We make a water stop at one of the primary school and visit and have packed lunch in a Buddhist temple. As we approach Cambodia’s third largest city we are greeted by the sight of a hotel complete with pool to soothe our weary limbs!
After breakfast on day 6, we leave the city behind us and embark on the longest day of the challenge. Heading into the backwaters of Cambodia, we cycle through tropical countryside until we find ourselves right in the heart of the sleepy backwaters! Our day draws to a close as we finish at a local school before transferring the final busy section into our accommodation in Kampong Thom.
Distance cycled: 90km and 98km
Meals: B,L,D Accom: Hotel
Today is a real highlight of the challenge, cycling into the ancient temple complex of ankor Wat. We avoid some of the poorer roads by transferring two hours to the Ancient Bridge at Kampong Kdei, one of the best examples of the remaining 800 year old bridges in Cambodia. From the bridge we follow the historic highway connecting the provinces of Kampon Thom and Angkor Wat. We begin to cycle off road from Ou village through the remote countryside to Samrong and we stop for lunch at Stung Tracheck restaurant. After lunch we cycle back roads until we arrive in the Angkor archeological park. The road into the World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat is lined with temples and creates a fitting entrance to this unique and spiritual city. After celebrating our arrival in Angkor Wat, we cycle the last few kilometres to Siem Reap where we will spend the night and enjoy a well earned celebratory meal together.
Distance cycled: 82km
Meals: B,L,D Accom: Hotel
We have free time to explore more of the outlying temples of Angkor by Tuk Tuk or souvenir hunting in the markets of Siem Reap. We depart for the airport early evening for an overnight flight back to the UK.
Meals: B
Costs & Fundraising
We’ve three payment & fundraising options for you to take on this challenge.
Sign up with a £295 online deposit & balance payment due 12 weeks before, with no fundraising target.
Sign up with a £295 online deposit & fundraise for a charity of your choice, with different target options.
The Challenge brochure details the full itinerary, inclusions, and more – download for a full run down of the challenge details.
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It’s like paying for an all-inclusive holiday.
You pay the registration deposit. The final balance for the trip cost will be due no later than 10 weeks before your departure date
If you want to fundraise for charity, you may still do this separately – either on or offline. All fundraising will be a direct donation to your chosen charity. Please contact them for more information.
Take on one of our challenges and support a charity of your choice. You can choose how much of the trip cost you want to pay, and support your charity by fundraising the rest.
You pay the registration deposit, then fundraise double the remaining trip cost for a charity of your choice.
Action Challenge will invoice your charity for your final balance 12 weeks before departure.
You must complete 80% of your fundraising by 12 weeks before departure, with the remaining 20% completed 4 weeks after departure.
Let us know what charity you want to support when registering so that we can set up your challenge agreement.