CAMBODIA

This is a 800km self-drive Tuk-Tuk adventure through Cambodia, starting in Siem Reap under the shadow of Angkor Wat and finishing nine days later in Phnom Penh. You'll take on jungle temple ruins, Mekong crossings and homestay villages, with a new daily challenge to keep things interesting. It's supported, not guided, independent enough to feel real, looked-after enough that you're never on your own.

Spend the morning at your own pace — the Siem Reap Old Market is worth a wander if you're up for it. In the afternoon, meet the crew and head to the training ground to learn how to master the Tuk-Tuk. By the end of the session, you'll know your Tuk-Tuk well enough to tackle Cambodia! Dinner that evening is at a local restaurant — your first taste of Cambodian food, and a good one.

Today is the day you get to explore the temples of Angkor, the heart of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer Empire. Angkor Wat first, then Angkor Thom and the stone faces of Bayon, Ta Keo, and finishing at Ta Prohm where the jungle has started to win. A lot of ground, a lot of history. Let it land.

Angkor Wat Passes included

Today is your first official driving day and we flag off from the Angkor Wat ticket centre. The route takes you out into the Cambodian countryside — dust roads, paddy fields, the odd water buffalo — ending at the jungle-swallowed ruins of Beng Mealea. Less visited than Angkor, more atmospheric for it. Overnight at a traditional homestay nearby, dinner is humble and good.

Breakfast at the homestay before heading north toward Tbeng Meanchey. En route, swing by Koh Ker; a remote Khmer temple complex that was briefly the capital of the empire, its stepped pyramid rising out of the jungle. Dinner in town that evening, night at a comfortable ecolodge.

Back in the Tuk-Tuks for a full day's drive north to Stung Treng on the Mekong River. The landscape opens up as you go. Arrive, settle in, and spend the evening at a riverside resort. The Mekong does something magical to the light at that hour.

South now, along the Mekong river toward Kratie. On arrival, a short local ferry crossing to Koh Trong — a small island in the middle of the Mekong where life moves at a different speed. Check in to Soriyabori Villas, a simple Khmer Architecture eco-lodge with traditional wooden lodges as rooms for the next two nights. 

No driving today. Koh Trong rewards slowness — hire a bicycle and loop the island's 9km trail through stilted houses, rice paddies, and pagodas. The Irrawaddy dolphins occasionally appear in this stretch of the Mekong. Otherwise: eat, rest, wander.

We will usually have a planned activity in the community which is optional for all.

Ferry back to the mainland and into the Tuk-Tuks for the ride south to Kampong Cham — one of Cambodia's oldest provincial towns, with French colonial architecture and a long riverfront to walk at dusk. The evening is yours.

The road south gets busier as you close in on the capital. Arrive in Phnom Penh, check in, hand your keys over for the final time and clean up for dinner tonight. Awards and farewell dinner - time to mark the journey properly, hand out the prizes, and raise a glass to whatever happened out there.

Bid farewell to Cambodia as our unforgettable Tuk-Tuk Adventure comes to a close. Depart with cherished memories, new friends, and a sense of accomplishment knowing that you've experienced the true essence of Cambodia.

Until next time!

Secure your booking with a 20% deposit. The balance payment is due 60 days prior to your trip departure.

• Accommodation for each team - 1 room per team.

• Training and driving lessons on arrival day.

• Hire and use of 1 genuine, ready-to-roll Tuk Tuk with 3rd party liability insurance

• Adventure Logistics & Legal Stuff - Mechanic, support team, permits & luggage vehicle.

• Half Board - Locally made breakfasts and dinners at the hotels

• Welcome Pack

• 1-3 Day Angkor Wat Complex Pass

• 5% contribution to our Meaningful Travel projects

• International Flights, visas or transfers

• Guide Gratuities

• Meals or Alcohol that is not mentioned in the itinerary

• Travel Medical Insurance

• Fuel (approx $100) and major Tuk-Tuk repairs (approx $50 -$150) per team.

Short answer: come and find out for yourself.

Long answer: Cambodia is one of those places that still surprises you. The temples are extraordinary, the roads are unpredictable, the food is good, and the people are genuinely warm. It's also still a country that rewards travellers who get off the main drag, which is exactly what a Tuk-Tuk is for.

The history runs deep too, with Khmer relics scattered through the jungle like Angkor Wat, and the long shadow of the late 20th-century genocide, which shaped modern Cambodia in ways you'll feel as you travel through it.

They’ve got three wheels (don’t ask us why), an open frame, a canvas roof with drop down sides, a cabin for the driver and two seats in the back. Oh, and an engine: a 4-stroke beast that is probably slightly more powerful than a horse. Tuk-Tuks have a few advantages: they’re durable, easy to use and very forgiving. They’ll happily handle almost any surface, climate or level of abuse. Their cruising speed is a tasty 35kph (22mph). Their cruising altitude is about one foot.

These guys are reliable, efficient and pretty user friendly. You can throw pretty much anything in Cambodia at them and the chances are good they’ll take it with a smile.

Our Cambodia Adventure doesn't park you in the same hotel corridor every night. Depending on where the route lands you, that means a traditional homestay near Beng Mealea, a basic lodge of shared accommodation on the edge of the jungle, a guesthouse in a Mekong riverside town, or a proper city hotel in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. It changes. That's the point.

The Cambodia Adventure is broken up into various driving legs. Each team gets a road map and a daily navigational sheet, which they’ll use to get from A to B each day. The winning team isn’t necessarily the team that finishes first, it’s the one that accumulates the most challenge points. How do you get points? By nailing various challenges we set you along the way.

That means that racing is not really encouraged. In fact it’s actively discouraged. We’ll provide mechanical support when you need it, but essentially you’re hiring a Tuk-Tuk and driving it independently each day. By yourself. Han solo.

The reason Cambodia is on everyone's list. Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious monument. But the complex goes well beyond the main temple: Angkor Thom, the stone faces of Bayon, Ta Prohm half-swallowed by jungle roots, Koh Ker's remote pyramid rising out of the forest. You'll spend a full day here before the driving even begins. *Entrance included

Tuk-Tuks are unique vehicles that require careful handling and maintenance. While our team works tirelessly to ensure the safety and reliability of our fleet, it´s important to note that Tuk-Tuks are delicate machines that can experience mechanical issues or breakdowns due to improper handling or poor road conditions.

We take great pride in providing our customers with an authentic and adventurous travel experience, and part of that experience is accepting the risks and challenges that come with driving a Tuk-Tuk.

In the event that a Tuk-Tuk does experience mechanical issues we have mechanics on hand and, depending on the nature of the breakdown, it may be the responsibility of the driver to repair the vehicle at their own expense.

We understand that this may be an inconvenience, but we believe it is a fair price to pay for the thrill and excitement of Tuk-Tuk travel.

So, if you´re ready to embark on a one-of-a-kind adventure, just remember to drive carefully, follow our safety guidelines, and embrace the challenges that come with this unique mode of transportation.

After all, it´s all part of the adventure!