Hi, I am going to spend 4 full days in Siem Reap this december.
I am interested in renting a bicycle one day and go for a cycling tour in the countryside / villages around Siem Reap.
(no temples this day...)
Does anyone have tips about the best way to do this?
I have found a couple of tour-companies offering 1 day packages, but could I just as well find any guide in the streets of Siem Reap.
Or manage on my own?
Would rather go by my self than in a group...
Is the guide to take you between places or to explain about the temples. It is very easy (but hot and a lot of cycling) to get around (consult a map first) so you can DIY. However you should consider hiring tuk tuk for places further away - perhaps buddy up with someone to share cost
why do you need a guide? do you want someone to act as interpreter/translator
or to give you cultural/historical background info along the way? if not, it's soooo
easy to do it on your own. rent a bike (does it come with pump and flat fixin' tools?).
dress properly for heat and strong sun. carry water. use sunscreen. carry a map.
if you can't find one, zoom in with google maps on the area around siem reap and
print it off. pick the villages you want to visit. or the lake. go have fun. drink lots
of water. if you get tired, catch a tuk-tuk, taxi, van, truck, elephant back to town.
oh, yeah, drink water. lots of water.
Well, that´s kind of why I am asking.
To figure out if I need a guide or not.
It sounds great that it is really easy to go by ones own.
In Yangshuo, China a couple of years ago, I did the same thing, and I am glad I hired a guide then. She showed me lots of beautiful places and introduced me to people in the villages etc.
But if I decide for a guide, is it easy to find one "on the fly"?
I have been to Siem Reap, but I wasn't cycling at the time. But I have cycled straight through Cambodia twice since then. It has not been any problems really. But I have been geared for long cycling, with my own bike and with the needed tools to fix a flat etc. I do remember having one flat in Cambodia, and may have had some more. And that was with very good European tyres.
As someone said already you must have such tools with you. And you must always have enough water. Cambodia is nice and the people are lovely. But English is not widely spoken, and it is much less developed than Thailand.
Traffic is rather wild and many roads don't really have a decent shoulder where you can ride. I have rear view mirrors where I always keep a good lookout for heavy traffic coming from behind. Remember that this is not Europe where the more vulnerable in traffic would have first choice. In Cambodia it is rather the one with biggest car who has all the rights.
I didn't say you shouldn't do it. On the contrary I think you should, but with some wisdom and preparation. And a helmet!
Sorry did not properly read through the question before
This is a hard question to answer but if the guide is properly briefed then you might well benefit but you might find they just take you on the "tourist" circuit.
Finding guides in Siem Reap is no problem finding the right one for you is much harder.
I would steer clear of tour so you can benefit from the 1-1 and you can design where you go to suit yourself
Suggest that you either post asking for a recommendation but may be better to ask around for guide recommendations when you arrive in SR and take the trip at the end
I decided to go with the option of total independence when I visit SR for the first and only time back in 2012.
Hiring a bike was easy; I hired from a place located right next to the night food market in central SR..... he had recently purchased numerous Giant mountain bikes - I decided against the option of a helmet. Cost was cheap ; around 2 or 3 US a day for 4 days (was bargained down).
As previously mentioned, loads of water should be carried with you and taken at all times - I found the sweet sugar cane drink on ice, also to be very useful for sugar levels. It was very hot but I found myself racing the tourist boats down the river towards the lake and used the bike for the sunset visit to Angkor Wat as well as a full day of temple riding walking (I realise you won't be doing the temples but that is one of the reasons I hired the bike - purely for independence).
I do have history of cycling (though it had been a number of years since doing so). I always found people to be really friendly during my entire Cambodia trip; no matter where you find yourself; or have mechanical problems...there'll always be someone around to help, or begin to walk...someone will help you out.
Have fun and be safe - I was 47 at time of doing this and was smoking 20 a day for over 20 years ; physically you should have no problems :-)
Edit:
If I remember correctly there is at least one cycling club within that area - am quite sure they'd happily take you out to the countryside.