Follow the Orange Dirt Road: Get off the beaten track on a Siem Reap cycle tour
Daniel Allen
Bright green paddies, rusty laterite soil, cloud-filled skies and white school blouses - the roads around Siem Reap offer as vibrant a palette of colours as a van Gogh masterpiece. Take a 10-minute trip out of Cambodia's second city and it's easy to forget the cheek-by-jowl tourist hotels and brash neon that characterize this increasingly commercial gateway to Angkor.
As a growing number of visitors are now discovering, the Siem Reap hinterland is an authentic, culturally fascinating environment begging to be explored. In fact, for those prepared to expend a little pedal power, this might just be the best place to saddle up in the whole of Cambodia. Of course, the treasures of the local landscape have long been known to resident bikers.
"There’s always something interesting happening on the roads around here," says cycle tour guide Chamrong Leang Chan, the proud owner of an imported, state-of-the art mountain bike. "Like Robert Pirsig wrote in his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; on a bicycle, you’re not travelling in a landscape, you’re part of the landscape. Cycling here is the best way to experience Siem Reap because riders can see, smell and hear everything."
Angkor Wat
Ever since Angelina Jolie swung through the ruins of Angkor Wat as a swashbuckling Lara Croft, Siem Reap has been Cambodia's top tourist draw. The ever-expanding city, lying adjacent to Angkor's vast complex of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, is a tourist bubble, offering banana pancakes, elegant colonial chic and sanitized Cambodian culture to the masses.
"Of course everyone who comes here wants to see the famous Angkor temples," says local tour guide Sokchan Ly, also a keen cyclist. "Bayon, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat itself - they're all magnificent and should be experienced. But there's a lot to see beyond this that many people miss out on. If you want to get away from the crowds and see the real Cambodia, then biking is the best way to do it."
Banteay Samre & Banteay Srei
One of the most popular bike tours out of Siem Reap is one that takes in the twin Hindu temples of Banteay Samre and Banteay Srei. Lying about twenty kilometres north from the city centre, a gentle two-hour cycle ride along made up roads bring cyclists to Banteay Samre's hard clay walls, decorated with moss and punctuated with ornate window balusters. Well away from the main Angkor temples, the site is almost always quiet, allowing visitors to appreciate the timeless beauty of the temple architecture.
Dating back to the early twelfth century (around the same time as Angkor Wat), Banteay Samre takes its name from the Samre, an ancient ethnic Indochinese tribe. With many of its intricate carvings well-preserved, it resembles Angkor Wat in architectural style. "In the days when the temple's interior moat was filled with water it must have been truly beautiful," says Chamrong Leang Chan.
Another easy two hour ride (20 kilometres) from Banteay Samre lies its larger twin, Banteay Srei, which many regard as the most beautiful temple in all of Siem Reap. Constructed in pink sandstone and completed in 967 CE, Banteay Srei is the only major temple at Angkor not built by a king. Renowned for its remarkable state of preservation and intricate carvings, French archaeologists once labelled the site a "jewel of Khmer art".
"Banteay Srei actually means 'Citadel of Women', because its carvings are so delicate," says Struan Robertson, a Bangkok expat who heads up southeast Asian bike tour outfit Spice Roads, which offers popular tours across Siem Reap and southeast Asia. "From here it's about 35 kilometres back to Siem Reap. If you don't feel like riding, just put the bike in a tuk-tuk."
Artisans D'Angkor, Angkor Silk Farm
Wooden carts and water buffalo, farmers and flower pickers. The bucolic road to the Artisans D'Angkor Angkor Silk Farm (www.artisansdangkor.com) offers an eclectic mix of vehicles and local Khmer going about their business. About 16 kilometres to the west of Siem Reap, nestled in fields of mulberry trees, this fully working farm makes for another fascinating biking destination.
"Passing through the villages of Thmey, Sambor and Krobie Riel, the trip by bike out to the silk farm is one of my favourites," says Sokchan Ly. "This is truly authentic Cambodian countryside you'll ride through. You'll see people fishing in the canals and sifting rice. The ride is a little bumpy, so just take it slow and soak up the scenery."
For centuries Cambodia has been home to some of the world's most beautiful handicrafts. While war and poverty all but wiped out the local silk industry in Siem Reap, it's now making a slow but steady comeback. At the silk farm you can witness the entire process of silk creation, from worms to weavings - guided tours are free, and the on-site shop offers some exquisite pieces.
With its selection of fine restaurants, cafes and spas, Siem Reap offers no shortage of nocturnal options for those wanting to wind down after a hard day in the saddle. After a long bike ride there's nothing better than a hot shower, cold Angkor beer and Khmer beef salad to recharge the batteries. Easy riding, Cambodian-style.
Two Wheel Tips
Siem Reap boasts numerous bike shops and cycle tour companies - Spice Roads (www.spiceroads.com) offers a great range of guided tours in the area. Alternatively pick up a map and hire your own bicycle. Many hotels have bikes for daily rental, and the upmarket ones offer guests bike use for free. For those paying it generally costs between $2 to $5 for daily rental - it's worth paying a bit more for a safer, well-maintained bike that comes with a helmet.
Despite the frequently hectic nature of Siem Reap traffic, residents of the city are a generally mellow bunch, and instances of road rage are rare. Cambodians like to use their horns to communicate while driving - if a driver honks you when you're cycling, he or she is usually just warning you to be careful. Always pack enough bottled water and try to avoid cycling at night.
Recommended hotels, shops & restaurants
Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
The ultimate in colonial chic. Expensive but elegant.
Amansara Resort
Superb service and idyllic surroundings in the former guest villa of King Norodom Sihanouk.
Cafe Indochine / www.cafe-indochine.asia
Offers a mix of delicious Asian and French dishes in a beautiful Khmer house.
Le Bistrot de Siem Reap / www.victoriahotels.asia/en/recreation-facilities-angkor
French cuisine in a charming colonial-style environment.
Carnets d'Asie / 333 Sivutha Boulevard / +855 63 746 701
A great little bookstore, boutique, gallery and cafe under one roof.
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