Trekking

Trekking in Cambodia offers a chance to meet local residents and experience the countryside firsthand. Active Travel Cambodia offers a trip called Trek Rattanakiri that features walking on jungle paths and on roads through towns. Rattanakiri is a rural area in northeast Cambodia known for its natural beauty, and trip activities include swimming in the shadow of pristine waterfalls. You also camp in villages and enjoy cultural interactions with ethnic minority tribes.

Kayaking

If you love the water, you can take a kayaking trip with companies such as Adventure-Cambodia. Tours range from one-day to multi-day outings. One trip features bird watching as you kayak on wetlands in the north, and others involve jungle or ocean kayaking. On an ocean trip, you kayak to islands, snorkel and stay in a beach bungalow. Adventure-Cambodia also has multi-sport tours that combine activities such as kayaking and trekking or kayaking and bike riding.

Biking

Cyclists can enjoy touring Cambodia using their favorite mode of transportation. Tour providers such as Active Travel Cambodia have a variety of bike tours in several geographical locations. You can take a tour that covers the temples of Angkor and includes a boat ride on Tonle Sap, a scenic lake-and-river system. Another option is a bike tour of Phnom Penh, coastal towns and Rabbit Island. This tropical island offers a picturesque beach, coconut palms and a few simple beach-shack eateries.

Quads

Another kind of adventure tour features quads, or all-terrain vehicles. Quad Adventure Cambodia features a trip that starts in Siem Reap with visits to marketplaces, art workshops and surrounding temples. You then get on your quad to visit mountains and countryside. You stay in villages, eat local foods, and stop at schools and monasteries along the way. This trip lasts five days, but shorter outings are available as well.

By Barbara Dunlap, USA today