Red Raid - Bike tours in Cambodia

  FAQ

Standard or Full Package Option?

For small size group, we recommend you take the Standard Option as it gives you more freedom for the choice of hotel and meals but the service is the same. Your tour guide will always be with you to assist in any matter.
The Full Package option is well adapted for very large groups as it makes things easier for everyone.

How about Malaria?

There is a risk of malaria in certain areas of Cambodia. Protect yourself with long pants and a long sleeve shirt or use some mosquito spray or cream in the evening. Guesthouses and hotels will provide mosquito nets if there is any risk of malaria in this area. You don’t need to bring your own mosquito net with you. For more information about preventive therapy please contact your physician.

Can I bring my motorcycle jacket with me and how do we carry our clothes?

We travel as much light as possible! A motorcycle jacket is not very adapted to the climate as the temperature of Cambodia in daytime is often between 25-35°C. We recommend traveling as light as possible by taking with you just the minimum in your rucksack:  - A couple of t-shirts, short or long pant, 1 pair of flip-flop or sandals, toiletry, CamelBak (very useful to hydrate yourself at any moment) and camera.
You can have your clothes washed at the night stop as most of the hotels offer a laundry service.
The backpack should be a bit larger than needed, comfortable and just filled half of the size. It makes riding much more comfortable.

Do we have a support vehicle during the trip?

In case you would like more comfort when you are riding we offer a support vehicle service with our Toyota Hilux pick-up, which is managed and driven by an experienced westerner. The truck will carry your luggage and any non- rider person who would like to follow the tour in safe conditions. Also, in the case where one of the participants is feeling tired or sick he will have the possibility to put his bike onto the pick-up and continue the tour while resting in the truck cabin. A large cool box is also carried with water, soft drink and cold beers. The price for the support vehicle is $150/day to be shared among the participants.
The support car won’t be always near the group and has to take often other main roads. So we will sometimes meet the car just in the evening.

What bike do we ride?

Our bike fleet comprises of 18 Honda XR250 Electric Start and 2 XR400 Kick Start for advanced riders. For the Cambodia terrain the XR250 Electric Start is the most reliable bike on the place. They are not the fastest one but will bring you wherever you want in Cambodia without any trouble. For more experienced riders we can provide our XR400 Kick Start.

Are there landmines in Cambodia?
There is a certain risk of landmines in some remote areas. Always follow the tour guide, he is aware of the landmine areas. Never leave the trail or road in signed land mine areas, even not to pee! The areas and terrain we ride in are used by local traffic as well. So we are not the first guys on these roads. Ox carts, cows and local traffic made the road safe to travel. In many areas around temples and historical sites as tourist places demining companies cleared the areas many years ago so it is safe to ride and travel.

What motorcycle equipment should we bring with us?
We will provide you with elbow and knee protection, gloves, goggles and a MX helmet. We do not have boots for you. To protect your feet during riding we recommend bringing your own motorcycle boots with you. Motorcycle pants, long sleeve and body armour are recommended as well. Bring a comfortable backpack and a Camel bag (at least 2litres) with you.
For your own safety we recommend to bring as much own gears with you as you have. A Leatherman or Victorinox tool, torches for the evening in remote areas can also be useful. 

How about the KHMER ROUGE?
The time of the KRs finished over a decade ago and Cambodia is a pretty safe country to travel. The military and police controls all areas in Cambodia and take care as well of the foreigners safety.

Where do we sleep?
Cambodia has many different styles of accommodation to offer, depending on your budget! We usually stay in small Hotels, guesthouses or home stay. All places we stay you will get a shower in the evening and a hot meal. It is not always guarantied that the shower will be hot! But you won’t have to take a bath in a river or sleep in a hammock. Only on request!

What do we eat during the trip?

To let you enjoy the real Cambodia we will make sure that you get only the best and authentic food of Cambodia. Cambodia has many numerous dishes from different countries to offer, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Western food is almost everywhere available. Almost! In small villages we will get sometimes just “What the locals eat!” But even this can be very tasty.
For absolute exotic food lovers we have some specials dishes in reserve… as fried spiders and grasshoppers! Yummy!

Please tell us in advance if you are vegetarian!

Do I need a mosquito net and a sleeping bag?
You don’t need to bring a mosquito net with you. All the guesthouses in malaria infected areas will have a mosquito net as standard in the room.
Do not bring your big “Alaska” sleeping back with you. There will be always a clean bed for you. If you are not sure than use a thin bed sheet witch is easy to carry in your backpack.

Do I need a Cambodia Map?
We will provide each participant with a map of Cambodia before the trip for free. Your tour guide will mark all the tracks you have been through on the map at the end of the tour. If you have a GPS (Garmin Off Road) bring it with you. We will upload a Cambodian map for you on the GPS. Please leave your PALM PDA or Navigation system for car at home nor use your IPhone in the forest as a GPS. It will probably break during the trip. They are not made to be used in the hard conditions, wet, heat, dust and shaking during riding.

What money currency to bring?
The currency of Cambodia is the “Riel“. US$1 = Riel4000.
Please bring US$ or € with you. US Dollars is used everywhere in the country and you don’t need to do any currency change upon arrival in Cambodia.
In big cities as Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, SihanoukVille, Battambang, and other provinces ATM´s are available.
Please check the daily exchange rates in the internet. www.yahoo-finance.com 

What insurance do I need?
Mandatory: For any bike tour you must have a comprehensive travel insurance from your home country covering medical evacuation, hospitalisation, etc.
There is no any 3rd Party insurance for rental bike available in Cambodia. Please contact your insurance company in advance and ask them if they provide such coverage.

Do I need safety training for a motorcycle tour in Cambodia?
Please evaluate your skills first.  We have many variations of road and tours available.
Easy: You don’t need training in advance. You should be able to handle a motorcycle, shift gears and using clutch and brakes proper. Asphalt, gravel roads, and smaller easy trails. No deep river crossings and deep sand or mud.
Medium: You should have some experience on gravel roads, small trails, and low river crossings. It is recommended to practice this first at home if you have a chance or do training for this.
Hard: We recommend this level only to experienced/expert riders and those who want to get to some more challenging level! We will ride mostly on small trails, up and down hill, rocky trails, sand, mud and deep river crossings.
If the itinerary is too difficult we can change the route to easier trails on request. We are pleased to help you in difficult situations as river crossings and steep hill climbing.
Please don’t forget: We are riding in a team and not a race. We will help each other in any difficult situation. Team spirit!

How do we communicate?
Our tour guides speak fluently english and khmer! We also have guides speaking german or french and will help you in translation.

Is Cambodia a safety country to travel?
Yes it is! Cambodian people are very friendly and always pleased to help you in many situations. Women are safe to travel alone.
There are just a few rules we shouldn’t ignore:
- Leave your valuable stuff as jewels, gold and other expensive things at home.
- Carry only as much money as you need for the evening and not as you have!
- Use the safety box in the hotel for any valuable items
- Unless it is really necessary do not ride after sunset
- Do not leave the road in land mine signed areas
- Always respect the advice of the tour guide and follow him

Should I bring in my travel pharmacy?
Yes you can but your tour guide will always carry a complete first aid kit with him during the trip.

What kind of diseases and infections are in Cambodia?
HIV and STD
Dengue
Malaria
Cholera
Rabies
Typhoid
For any additional information please contact your tropical physician.

Where do I get my visa?
You will get your visa upon arrival directly at the airport. A tourist visa cost 20US$, business visa is 25US$. Please bring few ID photos with you.

I wear prescription glasses!
Please provide yourself with some proper goggles and test them before riding. We do not recommend to wear contact lens because of the dust during riding.

I am Vegetarian!
Please inform us in advance. We will take care that you will get only vegetarian food during your trip.

For more information do not hesitate to ask us!