Cycling in Cambodia is for everyone. This is local cambodian girls on their way home from school.
The following tips and advice is based on 4 cross country tours I have done by bicycle in Cambodia over the past 13 years. Plus another dozen visits to the country because of work. So I feel that I have a pretty good idea about what it’s like to go cycling in Cambodia, so here is my 5 cents.
Cambodia is flat.
Flat roads in Cambodia.
Cambodia is not a country of many mountains. There is a bit in the south and a little bit in the north east. But you will most likely be cycling on flat roads for most of your journey in Cambodia as the country has very little elevation. That makes cycling in Cambodia quite easy in that way.
Taking a break when cycling in Cambodia.
What are the cambodian roads like for cyclists?
Cambodian roads are quite ok as long as you have decent tires.
Cambodian road scene.
The roads in Cambodia are world famous for being really bad. But this reputation is mainly due to what it was like a decade ago. These days, they are a lot better, but you are still in a developing country. So you will have a mix of paved roads and dirt roads. In Cambodia, many people will travel with ox carts, scooters, bicycles and so on.
So cambodian drivers are used to having soft traffic on the side of the road. You will often have a nice shoulder on the road where you can bike next to all the scooters, ox carts and so on.
Beware of the big Lexus cars on the road though. These super expensive big 4WD cars are mostly owned by corrupt government employees.
These people have little respect for others when they are on the road, as they are generally free from prosecution if they do anything wrong. As long as they have contacts high up in the system. Which they mostly have. So beware people in big Lexus cars, as they are the most dangerous thing on the Cambodian roads.
But apart from that, road safety is pretty good for an Asian country in my opinion.
But try to stay away from the rainy season that falls from May until September if you can, as you can have a lot of flooding and a lot of mud during that period.
Please support the little roadside shops.
Cambodian roadside shop.
You often have little stalls by the side of the road, selling canned drinks from a little cooler box. I would recommend that you support these people by buying some water or other drinks from them from time to time. They are among the poorest in Cambodia.
They deserve to be supported a little financially, while they are trying to make a better tomorrow in an honest way.
Cambodian roadside shop.
Accommodation along the road in Cambodia.
Simple, but nice cambodian guest house.
Accommodation in non touristy towns in Cambodia used to be a problem when cycling around Cambodia. But these days I find it very easy to track down a place to sleep for the night.
As long as I am not fuzzy of course. Generally speaking, you will find at least one small hotel in every town of any size in Cambodia. And they tend to cost around 8-10$ for a single room.
That is in a place where you have a simple room with a private bathroom and quite often some sort of wifi these days. The strength of that wifi can vary greatly though. And I have never had any problems in a hotel in Cambodia, when it came to getting my bicycle locked up for the night, inside the hotel.
Getting spare bicycle parts in Cambodia.
Local Cambodians, taking a look at my bicycle.
If you need spare parts for your bicycle, when cycling in Cambodia, then you should stick to the bigger towns. I have found it hard to find quality bike shops outside Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, on the other hand, have a few nicely equipped bicycle shops. At these places you can get spare parts or even buy a decent bike.
I bought a bike in Siem Reap on one trip that I cycled to Saigon in Vietnam on and I still have this fine Giant mountain bike to this day and I am using it for cycling around Denmark at the moment. That bike cost me 265$ by the way.
My conclusion about cycling in Cambodia.
The roads of Cambodia are colorful.
Cambodia is a really good country for tour cycling if you ask me. It has world class sights to see and the roads are good as long as you do not have thin tires. Cambodians are among the friendliest in all Asia.
Hotel rooms are cheap and there is a great variety. Be ware that tourist scams and petty theft is becoming a real problem in the spots where you have lot’s of tour groups, sex tourists and backpackers. But being a bicycle tourist, these scenes are really easy to avoid. We cyclists do usually not follow a guidebook and go with the flow. I have never experienced a single scam when being off the beaten track in Cambodia.
So go off the beaten track and you will find that cycling in Cambodia is a fantastic experience.
If you plan to go cycling in Indonesia Vietnam Malaysia or Philippines when you are in Asia. Then you can also check out these links, where I have given a little run down of the local bicycle situation.
And you are always welcome to ask me any question you might have. And I will do my best to help. You can do so by leaving a comment or sending me an email.
Cycling in Cambodia across a Khmer bridge in Cambodia.
Cambodian traffic.
Wow! The mattresses on the back of a motorbike! What a sight!
Pingback: 2 wheels is enough in Vietnam and Cambodia. - Travelling Claus
Nice post, well designed with images and quality content. Thanks for sharing!
Great post Travelling Cluas. I’m thinking of doing my first cycle tour ever. I am currently in Vietnam after spending a few months traveling by motorcycle and teaching English, I am ready for a new adventure. Any advice for a first time cycle tourist?
Excellent summary of your adventures. Am considering a trip.would probably buy a bike when I get there. Regards Gordob
Hello! Im a cycling tourer abd I just arrived to Siem Reap. I m looking for a bicycle shop, but cant find anything on the Internet. Could you tell me the name of the place you were? Thanks a lot
Hi’ Roberto. You have a couple of bicycle shops on Taphul Road. It’s a side street to National Highway #6. It’s not big shops, but they have some pretty ok things in there for mountainbikes especially. Good luck with your trip mate.
Hi Claus! Great post. We have been cycle touring in SEA for the last 3 months are about to enter Cambodia from Laos.
We will be doing a popular route to Siem Reap following the Mekong south.
There is a long stretch between Stung Treng and Kratie that seems very desolate. Have you ridden this route and can you advise if there are any guesthouses or homestays on this leg?
Thanks, Katie
Hi’ Katie. I have not traveled that road by bicycle, but I have driven it a few times as a tour leader. I can’t recall any specific guest house on the route, but I am almost certain that there must be. This route is getting quite popular these days and I have seen several cyclists there. Be ware that this particular road get’s flooded certain times of year, to the point where cycling can become quite difficult. Should that happen to you, then there is an option of just putting your bikes on top of one of the many small cargo boats that sails between Stung Treng. This boat ride is really scenic as well. Hops you will have a fantastic trip through Cambodia.
Do you know anything about the road from Stung Treng to Preah Vihear? Are there any homestays between those two points. My guess is that it is pretty flat and not much traffic? I am coming in from Laos along the Mekong and want to head west to Thailand without going through Phnom Penh. I’ll be traveling that way sometime in early March. Any suggestions?
Thanks Dave
Hi’ Dave. Prea Vihear is one of the few areas in Cambodia that I have not been to yet, so I am not really able to help you on that one. But these days you find small privately owned hotels in almost all towns in Cambodia, so I think you should be ok. Have a fantastic trip.
Thank you for your tips. Great tips. But I am curious about ride a cycle or ride a motorbike in Cambodia. Because the weather in Cambodia is hot. So I am prefer ride a motorbike than.
Cambodia looks like a fabulous place to go cycling. Thanks for your tips about supporting local stores and where to find spare parts!
Thanks Claus!
I am flying into Siem Reap International Airport. It is about 11 kilometers to the town center and I’ve seen a few YouTube videos of trikes taking folk into town from the Airport.
What is your opinion of assembling your bicycle at the Airport and riding into town versus taking a Trike? Think it is worth it or too much of a hassle?
Thank you,
Ryan
Hi’ Ryan. I would say that you should assemble your bike at the airport and cycle in to the city. The road has a good shoulder, so even if it is busy, it’s still acceptable to cycle on. And the trikes are often a little too small to transport a boxed bike anyway. Good luck with you trip mate.
Hi! Great to read you. Tell me, would do you say that a regular racer-type bike loaded with gear and bags is suitable for Cambodia or a dirt or mountain bike is mandatory ?
Thank you
You would be fine with an ordinary bike in most of Cambodia.
Hi Claus, thanks her your guide and individual advice. I am in Thailand on Koh Chang and was thinking of heading into Cambodia for a week. What route would you suggest or places to see? I am trying to avoid the highly busy commercial areas that are nearly nonstop if I go back north through Thailand again. Thanks, Jerry
Hi’ Jerry. I would recommend you to go a little north and cross the border at the Cambodian border town called Pailin. From there you have a pretty nice ride up to the town Battambang. I took that road once myself and thought it was quite nice.
Hi Claus,
First of all, thank you so much for sharing so many informations. It already helped me a lot and it looks like you have seen wonderful things.
I’m currently in Siem Reap for a few days, figuring out how to get a decent bike.
I have 4 weeks ahead before leaving the country and still struggle to choose which direction I should go to. What do you recommend? Is it better to go south from the east or west side of the Tonle Sap? If you have any recommendations I’d be really happy to hear them!
Thank you in advance!
Louis
Hi’ Louis. The east side of Tonle Sap is generally better than the west side, as the road has a little more space for us cyclists. the west side is interesting in the way that there are hardly any tourists there. But the road has more industrial traffic and is a little narrower. So I would suggest that you take the east road. Have a fantastic trip.
Hello. Have you ever cycled in the cardamom mountains? We cannot find much accommodation there and it looks pretty hard, so would be nice to get some tips from someone who has done it!
Hi’ Jeanette. I have not cycled there yet myself. I know of a woman who went there by scooter on her own, so it’s surely possible to travel there. But I am afraid that I can not give so much personal info there.
Hi, we are thinking about buying a bike for tour through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar. Do you have any advices or good shops in Phnom Penh or Siam Reap to buy a decent bike? At the moment we are in Phnom Penh…..
Hi’ Ole. I once bought a pretty decent Giant mountainbike in Siem Reap. I do not remember the name of the shop, but it was located on Taphul Road in Siem Reap. There are a couple of bicycle shops on that road by the way. The shops are fairly small, but the service was good and I rode in several countries with the bike I bought there. Hope this helps a bit.
Hi Claus! Nice blog, I used it many times for my current tour in SE Asia (Indonesia to Singapore to Malaysia to Thailand). Tomorrow, we will cross into Cambodia via O Smach and then go to Siem Reap.
My father in law will cycle with us starting next week towards Pnom Penh but I’m wondering if I should take him down
1) the road east of Tonlé Sap, via Prasat Samborn, Stueng Trang to Kampong Cham and then Phnom Penh
2) Go east toward Stung Treng, then go down to Kratie, Kampong Cham and then PP
Also, with either option 1 or 2, would there be many non-Highway roads we could take? Can you avoid the H6 or H7 or not really an option?
Thanks a bunch!!!
Hi’ Nicholas. Nice to hear from you. I would go towards Stung Treng if I was you. That road has a little less traffic and is less touristy. And the area around Kratie is one of the most fascinating in Cambodia if you ask me. Have a fantastic trip.
Hi Claus, unfortunately we didn’t have the time to go all the way to Stung Treng but the Mekong area was stunning nonetheless!! Now in Phnom Penh, which is not my favourite city, and moving down to Tonle Bat to Kep and finally Kampot before going to Vietnam. Thanks again for the good info!
hi Claus,
In the wet season what are the roads like for cycling?
And is the risk of malaria and dengue fever very great?
I will cycle fron Ho Chi Minh perhaps to Bangkok
thanks
Dengue is a considerably bigger risk than malaria, which is very rare. But since you can not vaccinate yourself against Dengue. then I would advice you to just wear long sleeves in the evening and try not to get bitten.