The Emerald Triangle

This unique cycling tour traces some of the far reaches of the Khmer empire while also following the Mekong River from Thailand, through Southern Laos and into Cambodia, providing a perfect setting to experience the cultural heritage and scenic highlights of these three countries.

Our tour begins in northeastern Thailand where we visit Pha Taem National Park and view the well-preserved prehistoric rock paintings. We cross into Laos and first head up to the Bolaven Plateau, the coffee growing area of Laos, before heading south, where we go island hopping and take the time to observe the daily lives of the farmers in the paddy fields and the fishermen on the Mekong River. We visit Wat Phu, a Khmer Hindu temple complex, and then spend some time dolphin spotting and relaxing on an island in the middle of the Mekong.

Crossing into Cambodia we keep a lookout for the elusive Irrawaddy dolphins as our path crisscrosses over the Mekong. As we wind our way to Siem Reap we stop en route to visit the pre-Angkorian site of Sambor Prei Kuk before spending three days exploring by bike the Khmer empire's greatest legacy, the amazing Angkor complex. Angkor bears testimony to the Khmer empire's immense power and wealth, as well as the variety of belief systems that it patronized over time - Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.