Cycling the Lost Capitals of Cambodia

Arrive into Phnom Penh, where a guide and driver will be waiting to welcome you and transfer you to your hotel, around 35 minutes away. According to legend, the city takes its name from Lady Penh, who discovered four Buddha statues and a statue of Vishnu inside a floating koki tree fished from the riverbank, a sign taken as a divine blessing to bring the Khmer capital here. She built a small mound to enshrine the statues, today Wat Phnom, one of tomorrow's stops. Settle in with free time before a welcome dinner on the hotel's rooftop. Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Spend the day with a local guide uncovering Phnom Penh's ancient and recent past. Begin with a visit to Tuol Sleng Prison, known as S-21, and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek, sobering reminders of the Khmer Rouge era that offer an important, if difficult, window into the country's more recent history. After lunch on the riverfront, continue by cyclo, a favoured local mode of transport, to the Royal Palace and its Silver Pagoda, named for the more than 5,000 silver tiles covering its floors and home to a collection of Buddha statues cast in gold, silver, crystal and bronze. Next comes the National Museum, built in traditional Khmer style and home to the world's foremost collection of Khmer artistic and religious artifacts from the fourth to thirteenth centuries, plus, in its rafters, a resident colony of bats. The day closes at Wat Phnom, founded by Lady Penh herself. Overnight in Phnom Penh, with the cycling adventure beginning tomorrow.

Cycle out of the capital along back roads for around 35 kilometres to Oudong, then climb the more than 400 steps of Phnom Preah Reach, Cambodia's royal capital from 1618 to 1866. The steps demand some effort, but the views from the top are worth it. Trek down the far side of the mountain to meet the bikes again partway down, passing modern pagoda complexes with elaborate murals along the way. Continue on to Longvek, meaning 'crossroads,' which became Cambodia's capital after the sacking of Angkor by the Siamese in 1431, serving as the seat of King Ang Chan from 1553 until 1618. The ride passes through rural Cambodia at its most typical: stilt houses, rice paddies, ox carts and waving children, with plenty of stops for photos along the Tonle Sap River. Transfer on to Kampong Thom for the night, pausing in the town of Skun, known for a rather adventurous local delicacy of fried spiders that curious travellers can sample, or simply watch. Around 35 kilometres of cycling today, rated easy. Overnight in Kampong Thom.

Cycle around 30 kilometres to Sambor Prei Kuk, the pre-Angkorian capital known as Isanapura, established by King Isanavarman I and at its height between 600 and 900 AD. Spend the morning cycling and trekking through the ruins with a guide, exploring a temple complex recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Transfer around 50 kilometres to the rural village of O'Angkor, home to handsome wooden houses, for a short trek of around 4 kilometres through the village to see everyday Cambodian life up close. From there, a short ride leads to a homestay near Preah Khan Kompong Svay, with the chance to catch sunset and a drink at a temple overlooking a large ancient reservoir known in Khmer as a baray. Around 45 kilometres of riding today, rated easy to medium. Overnight in a homestay near Preah Khan Kompong Svay.

Visit Preah Khan Kompong Svay this morning, once the royal residence of King Suryavarman II and thought to have also been home to Jayavarman VII, widely regarded as the Khmer Empire's most accomplished ruler. Tentatively listed for UNESCO recognition, the temple sees few visitors and rewards unhurried exploration, well off the region's main roads. Transfer and cycle on to Koh Ker, briefly the capital of the entire Khmer Empire under kings Jayavarman IV and Harshavarman II between 928 and 944 AD, when more than ten thousand people are thought to have lived here. With over 70 temples, including Cambodia's tallest pyramid-style temple, the site's scale recalls the ancient Maya ruins of Mexico. Spend the day cycling and trekking between temples with a guide, then settle in for the night with a local family in Koh Ker village, sharing a Khmer meal and a glimpse of daily life in this remote corner of the country. Around 50 kilometres of riding today, rated medium. Overnight in a homestay in Koh Ker.

Cycle around 25 kilometres off the main road into the Kulen Prontemp Wildlife Sanctuary, known locally as the Iron Forests of Kulen, along roads that turn sandy in places. The route leads to Prey Veng village, home to around 200 families inside the reserve, before continuing a short way to an eco-lodge with solar power, hot water and mosquito-netted beds. Trek around 6 to 7 kilometres around a twelfth-century baray, or ancient reservoir, that once served Koh Ker some 25 kilometres away, its walls echoing the stonework found throughout the wider region. A wildlife guide points out species along the way, including the Cambodian tree chicken and the tree-roosting Cambodian wood duck. Continue through fields to Prasat Prey Veng, a little-visited temple wrapped in bamboo and rarely seen by outside visitors. Return to the lodge for dinner, a campfire and clear night skies. If heavy rain rules out cycling into the sanctuary, the same route is covered by ox cart instead, a memorable experience either way. Around 30 kilometres of riding and 7 kilometres of trekking today, rated medium. Overnight at the eco-lodge.

Set off early for a demanding and scenic 25-kilometre ride out of the wildlife sanctuary, followed by a transfer of around 2 hours into Preah Vihear province, on the border with Thailand. From there, cycle on through rolling hills and quiet countryside roads toward Preah Vihear temple. Prasat Preah Vihear holds one of the most spectacular settings of any temple built during the Khmer Empire's six centuries, constructed under kings Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II in devotion to the Hindu god Shiva. A 4x4 vehicle carries the final stretch to the top, where the ruins rise close to 525 metres above sweeping views over the plains of both Cambodia and Thailand. Though not fully restored, the temple carries carvings and lintels nearly on par with those at Banteay Srei, and its dramatic clifftop setting is a large part of why UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site. Transfer back to the hotel this evening. Around 50 kilometres of riding today, rated easy. Overnight in Preah Vihear.

Transfer around 2 hours before setting off by bike toward Banteay Chhmar, also known as the Small Citadel, the fourth largest temple complex of the Khmer Empire, in Cambodia's remote northwest corner. Built under Jayavarman II and later expanded by Jayavarman VII, the temple shares structures and bas-reliefs with Bayon and Angkor, and is one of only two temples outside the Angkor area carved with the Bayon's enigmatic faces. Its reliefs also record the stories of four generals who helped repel a Cham invasion in 1177. Banteay Chhmar sees few visitors, and its scenery and scale make it well worth the day's exploration. Spend the night with a local homestay family, sharing traditional Khmer food and a firsthand look at rural life in this far corner of the country. Around 50 kilometres of riding today, rated easy. Overnight in a homestay in Banteay Chhmar.

Cycle around 60 kilometres through the countryside toward Banteay Meanchey, then transfer around an hour on to Siem Reap, home to the great temples of Angkor. Check into the hotel with the rest of the day free, close enough to Pub Street and the Night Market for an easy evening of shopping, food and drinks. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Set out by bike this morning into the jungles of Angkor. Begin at Ta Prohm, raised in the late twelfth century in honour of Jayavarman VII's mother and left much as it was discovered, its stones still bound up in the roots of centuries-old trees, among the most atmospheric ruins at Angkor. Push on through hidden jungle trails to Ta Nei and Preah Khan, built for Jayavarman VII's father, before reaching Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, ringed by an eight-metre wall in a near-perfect square. Enter through the East Gate, lined with rows of carved gods and demons gripping the sacred naga serpent, then continue inward to Bayon, at the exact heart of the old city, its fifty-four towers carved with faces said to represent the provinces of the empire. Nearby, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King are known for their detailed bas-reliefs. Finish at Angkor Wat itself, the largest religious monument on earth, raised as a Hindu temple to Vishnu in the early twelfth century before gradually becoming a Buddhist site. Modelled on Mount Meru, the mythical home of the gods, its walls carry carvings of Hindu mythology and the military campaigns of King Suryavarman II, alongside more than 2,000 carved apsara dancers. Angkor Wat remains the defining symbol of the Khmer people, its silhouette on Cambodia's national flag to this day. Around 40 kilometres of riding today, rated easy. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Cycle around 15 kilometres to the Roluos Group, the site of Hariharalaya, the first town built by the Angkorian kings in the eighth and ninth centuries, home to three temples: Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko, set among rice paddies and sugar palms typical of the Cambodian countryside. Continue to the shores of Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake, which swells to around four times its dry-season size during the rains. Board a local boat to Kampong Phluk, a village of houses raised on stilts to survive the lake's seasonal rise, passing floating houses and flooded forest along the way. A picnic lunch is served in a floating restaurant, with the option of a quiet canoe ride through the flooded forest with a local paddler, often an elderly woman with a lifetime of experience navigating these waters. In the dry season, when water levels are too low for boats, the ride instead continues to Chau Srei Vibol, a ruin bypassed by most visitors to Siem Reap. Return to the hotel to rest before a farewell dinner at a restaurant close to Pub Street and the Night Market, a fitting close to the journey. Around 50 kilometres of riding today, rated easy. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Enjoy a final morning at leisure, or extend the trip with a few days at the beach, before transferring to Siem Reap Airport for the flight home, bringing the journey through Cambodia's ancient capitals to a close.