Angkor Wat is the most amazing place on Earth! Period! It is truly mind-boggling that ancient man was able to construct such a myriad number of architectural masterpieces by hand. And equally astounding is how Angkor lay untouched and slumbering for more than half a millennia. Needless to say, riding a motorcycle through the ruins is by far the best way to visit them. On this off-road motorcycle tour we will visit the hardest to reach and least frequented of these great temple complexes, as well as the most famous ones. And each afternoon we'll return to the stylish town of Siem Reap for spas and massages, fine dining, and evenings full of entertainment. Action adventure travel doesn't get any better, or posher, than this.

Title Angkor Wat motorcycle tour.

    This is a very special Asian Motorcycle Adventure tour despite it having the least driving distance of any of the other tours on our itinerary. There is only one destination on this motorcycle trip--Angkor Wat--and simply put, Angkor is one of the greatest wonders on earth and must be seen to be believed. 

    Think about that for a moment--one of the greatest wonders on earth. Don't you owe it to yourself to experience such a place? And with A.M.A you'll be getting there by motorcycle and then explor every Angkor Wat nook and cranny by motorcycle as well.



    The ride into Angkor Wat from the Thailand border is over a road so bad it has a lot of nerve even calling itself a road. But what can you expect from a thousand-year old thoroughfare built for elephants and ox carts and which has fallen into total disuse for the last 500 years. This Royal Khmer Road has only recently been opened to foreigners, and it leads us directly into the center of Angkor Wat. 

     In all the world, Angkor Wat is the most exceptional historical and architectural site created by human beings. What the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans left behind pales in comparison to the antiquities of the ancient people called the Khmers.


    If you are like most people, you probably never even heard of Angkor until recently. And those who are aware of Angkor probably think it is only one huge temple. Wrong! There are 296 temples and structures clustered in several ancient cities which are spread across several hundred square kilometers of Cambodian countryside.

    After the fall of the Roman Empire, while Europe was slumbering through their stupefying Middle Ages, on the opposite side of the globe, the Khmer rulers went on a 700-year building spree the likes of which the world has never seen. A succession of 39 powerful kings each tried to out-build his predecessor

with larger and more elaborate temples and cities dedicated to their Gods and ancestors. Some of the earliest temples were constructed of bricks. But the great majority of buildings were erected from large stone blocks, with scenes of Khmer history, culture, their wars and their God, carved into every single surface, inside and out, in the minutest of detail.

 

    The Khmers became rich beyond compare because they were the first civilization to control one of earth’s fundamental elements—water. They developed the technology to store and move water where it was needed, when it was needed, thus sparing themselves the twin ravages of floods and famines.

   Using their great wealth, the Khmers conquered all the other surrounding kingdoms. Their booty, which included untold thousands of slaves, quarried the stones, moved them down the rivers, and erected and carved the magnificent temples and statuary.  Some scholars think this building frenzy was the cause of their eventual demise, by sapping the energy and resources of the kingdom. By the late 1400’s, the game was over for the Khmers. Their enemies drove them out of Angkor and down to Phnom Penh, the present-day Cambodian capital. For the next 500 years, nature went back to work, the rainforest and jungle covering up the lands the Khmer kings wrested from it.

    Angkor was long forgotten by the outside world until “rediscovered” by a Frenchman in the mid-1800’s. But it was not until the early-20th century that Angkor Wat become known again to the world. Cambodia’s isolation kept all but the most intrepid travelers away. In the 1960’s, just when air travel became somewhat practical, Cambodia was plunged into decades of civil and external warfare. The fighting finally ended for good only in 1997. Now peace reigns, and one of mankind’s supreme achievement is open once again, and open for motorcyclists as well.

    Angkor Wat is one of those special places in our world that both humbles and inspires at the same time. The atmosphere is seeped in mysticism and magic—you can feel it as soon as you enter the complex. Angkor Wat overloads the mind on so many different levels that it is hard to walk 50 feet in any direction without being hit with a scene so powerful and exotic, so mesmerizing, that you have to stop dead in your tracks to try to digest what your eyes are registering.

    Different aspects of Angkor fascinates its visitors differently. Some can’t get over how an ancient people could design and build such huge and exquisite structures made solely of solid stone. Others marvel at the magnificent carvings and statuary that cover

and decorate these edifices. For many, what amazes most strongly is the silent but powerful struggle of nature re-claiming the antiquities themselves.

     Some of the temple complexes are almost completely restored. Several others are in different stages of restoration. The majority of the temples, however, are still in the same state of ruin as when they were rediscovered. And in these temples, it is possible to explore on your own, at your own pace, the many hidden delights still covered by the detritus of time.

    Our lodgings are in the adjoining town of Siem Reap, a cowboy town far from the capital’s central control, and the more common Asian vices operate fairly openly. Siem Reap is a town full of contradictions: wagon wheel makers and blacksmiths are still integral industries, yet internet cafes abound and satellite TV is ubiquitous. The food is excellent—local Cambodian fare, along with Western, French, Indian, and Asian cuisines. Wine shops are fully stocked. Lively nightspots do a thriving business into the early hours. And the shopping is terrific at prices bordering on the absurd (but don’t tell the sellers that).   

Kymer Rouge Tuol Sleng prison rules

(The old Khymer Rouge Toul Sleng Prison regulations. Only 2 persons out of 16,000 survived their incarcination,)

   We stay in a comfortable guesthouse in the center of town with air-con, satellite TV, and hot water. Knowledgeable guides will accompany us all around the antiquities every day, explaining the history of Angkor, the story behind each temple, and point out the most spectacular artwork and carvings. They will also take us to some temples not even listed in guidebooks or notated on maps.

         The only difficult motorcycling part about this tour is the ride into and out of Siem Reap over the ancient Royal Khmer Road. It is not a long ride, but the middle 70-kilometer stretch will take around 4 ½ to 5 ½ hours to complete because of the decrepit surface condition. It's a hell of a lot of fun, or work, depending on your viewpoint and riding experience.

    For those without off-road riding skills, we can put your motorcycle on a 4-WD pick-up and then drive you and your bike into Siem Reap. The dirt roads in and around Siem Reap and throughout the Angkor antiquities pose no undue challenges, and road-riders should not have difficulties. 

    Bring plenty of film or memory cards for your cameras if you decide to come. And bring along your spirit of adventure, because in Angkor Wat it will get a tremendous workout.


    This ANGKOR WAT tour will not appeal to everyone. But if you enjoy history, art, architecture, photography, and love visiting exotic and foreign locales by motorcycle, this is a tour that will never be forgotten.

 

Click to view ANGKOR WAT map (For Cambodia map, click here.)

Off-road riding experience MANDATORY for the Khmer Royal Road segment! No pillion riders on this tour.
There may be passenger space available in the support vehicle. Inquire for availability. info@asianbiketour.com

Riding through the ruins of Angkor Wat.

2007:
 May 1 through May 11, 2007:  USD2,695.00.
May 15 through May 25, 2007:  USD2,695.00.
May 29 through June 8, 2007: Low Season Special Price: 2,395.00.
June 12 through June 22, 2007: Low Season Special Price: 2,395.00.

2008:
December 26, 2007 through January 4, 2008: High Season Price: USD2,995.00
 January 16 through January 25, 2008: USD2,795.00
February 6 through February 15, 2008: USD2,695.00
February 21 through February 29, 2008: USD2,695.00
March 5 through March 14, 2008: USD2,695.00
March 19 through March 28, 2008: USD2,695.00
April 30 through May 9, 2008:  USD2,695.00.
May 14 through May 23, 2008:  USD2,695.00.
May 28 through June 6, 2008: Low Season Special Price: 2,395.00.
June 11 through June 20, 2008: Low Season Special Price: 2,395.00.

2009:
December 24, 2008 through January 2, 2009: High Season Price: USD2,995.00
 January 21 through January 30, 2009: USD2,795.00
February 4 through February 13, 2009: USD2,695.00
February 18 through February 27, 2009: USD2,695.00
March 4 through March 13, 2009: USD2,695.00
March 18 through March 27, 2009: USD2,695.00
April 1 through April 10, 2009: USD2,695.00
April 22 through May 1, 2009: USD2.695.
May 6 through May 15, 2009:  USD2,695.00.
May 20 through May 29, 2009:  USD2,695.00.
June 3 through June 12, 2009: Low Season Special Price: 2,395.00.
June 17 through June 26, 2009: Low Season Special Price: 2,395.00.

Passenger in support truck: USD1,495.

Questions / requests / feedback: info@asianbiketour.com