21 PEDAL ALONG THE MEKONG IN VIETNAM & CAMBODIA

The sweltering banks of the Mekong River may not seem like the easiest cycling route, but bike tour specialist Grasshopper Adventures offers a series of manageable day-cycles along Southeast Asia’s bestknown watery artery. Pedal for a few hours each day, then rejoin the company’s liveaboard boat as it meanders north from Vietnam into Cambodia.

The tour starts in Ho Chi Minh City, bordering the mighty Mekong Delta region, close to the mouth of the world’s 10th-longest river. From here, it leads up through small villages and towns, often with the Mekong in sight, but sometimes leaving it far behind as participants cycle through dragon fruit farms and rice paddies, perhaps passing local festivals or weddings, where mutual astonishment is shared by Lycra-clad riders and revellers.

Riders will want to regularly refuel — the topography is mercifully flat, but the humidity is relentless, — and thankfully roadside fruit and juice stands are plentiful. Pedalling north, across the Cambodian border, new bikes await.

Historical and cultural lessons are offered by guides along the way, and at the final stop, in Siem Reap, a day can be spent cycling around the mighty temples of Angkor.

Unconquerable on foot in a day, the 72 ruins that once stood as a vast Khmer city, crowned by the temple of Angkor is surprisingly easily navigated by bike, and freewheeling around the UNESCO World Heritage Site, often described as the finest archaeological site in

South East Asia, makes for a spectacular reward at the end of a week of cycling up the Mekong. grasshopperadventures.com