Walk With Me in Cambodia 2022

When can I go?

19 November - 27 November 2022	Sold Out
Duration	9 days

19 November - 27 November 2022

Sold Out

Duration

9 days

What does it cost?

Walk With Me in Cambodia 2022

Join us for a life-changing challenge in support of the countless people across the UK affected by mental health problems.

Prepare to become immersed in the beautiful country and culture of Cambodia, whilst raising funds for the mental health charity of your choice.

Together, we'll roam through jungles, farms and villages, past pagodas, rice paddies and a magnificent waterfall, to the top of the sacred Kulen Mountain. At the peak, we'll have an incredible opportunity to meditate, while surrounded by serene mountain panoramas.

Along the way, we’ll camp in the grounds of a hidden jungle monastery, rest at a rustic homestay and visit a fantastic variety of local pagodas.

We'll end this unforgettable challenge by exploring the amazing temples of the Angkor Wat complex on foot.

Our Cambodian adventure will be life-changing, both for you as you achieve an awesome challenge and for the 1 in 4 people across the globe, who experience a mental health problem each year.

Walk With Me

Walk With Me aims to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and to raise vital funds for the amazing mental health charities and services across the UK that are here for us whenever we need support.

Walk With Me also aims to open up the conversation about mental health throughout the year - and our lives, to ensure that no one ever feels afraid to talk about their health and well-being and to seek support around them if they ever need it; whether that's simply to speak to friends or family or to make the most of the fantastic charities and services available.

Your itinerary

Days 1 & 2
London - Siem Reap

After an overnight flight from London to Siem Reap in Cambodia, our guide meets us at the airport for a short transfer to our hotel in Siem Reap. Once checked in, we have the rest of the day to relax at the hotel or explore the city, which is one of the top tourist spots in Cambodia and acts as a gateway to the ancient ruins of Angkor.

To allow you maximum flexibility for your free time, lunch is not provided, but we meet back up in the evening for a gorgeous welcome dinner of Khmer cuisine. We enjoy this at a wonderful wooden Khmer house, before ending our day with a challenge briefing from our local guide.

Day 3
Siem Reap – Chao Srei Vibol Pagoda – Wat Preash Bat Bunthan | approx. 20km/ 6-7 hours

Lacing up our boots after breakfast and a more detailed briefing at the hotel, we transfer out of the city to our starting point in the quiet countryside. Now off the beaten tourist track, we begin our trek along the Siem Reap stream towards the edge of Tonle Sap lake.

Along the way, we pass farmers, rice paddies, lots of traditional Khmer style houses and a number of local temples and pagodas, which we take the chance to visit. We enjoy our picnic lunch under the shade of trees and then continue through villages and paddies to our overnight camp at the Wat Preash Bat Bunthan.

Day 4
Wat Preah Bat Bun Than – Beng Mealea - Svay Leu | approx. 20km/ 6-7 hours

We roam through more lush paddy fields and after passing through a friendly local village, the majestic Kulen Mountain comes into view.

Pushing on, we wind our way along cow cart tracks to the forest temple of Beng Mealea.

This temple, with its overgrown roots and ancient architecture, can be compared to the iconic Ta Prohm (a.k.a. The Tomb Raider temple), minus the crowds, as it sits further out from the main temple complex of Angkor.

After exploring these fairytale-esque ruins, we take a short transfer to our campsite at the Svay Leu Pagoda, for dinner. In the evening we may have time to wander around the lively local market to gain some extra colourful insight into the local culture.

Day 5
Svay Leu – Kulen Mountain | approx. 20km/ 6-7 hours

Today starts with breakfast at Svay Leu, before we tackle a trek to the top of Cambodia’s sacred Kulen Mountain (487m). Deeply revered, the local people make pilgrimages to the pagodas and ruins at the summit.

Our climb rewards us with some exquisite panoramas of the world below and our trek becomes only more beautiful as we trek across the mountain itself. Following undulating tracks through forests and charming villages of thatched houses, we enjoy lunch at the small village of Anlong Thom.

Then we’re back on our feet to hike to the “Big Buddha”, which overlooks the central plain and have the fantastic chance to bathe in the nearby River of 1,000 Lingas, which flows nearby our homestay.

Day 6
Kulen Mountain - Phnom Kulen National Park – Siem Reap | approx. 16km / 5 - 6 hours

After breakfast at our homestay, we have a special start to the day, as we’re led through a guided meditation session amidst the mountain panoramas. Here at the mountaintop, we seem worlds away from society below, making it the perfect place to meditate.

Now set up for some very mindful trekking, we explore the Phnom Kulen National Park and its various intriguing shrines and on to the Grand Reclining Buddha.

The statue isn’t the only stunning landmark in the area and we continue to a magnificent waterfall and explore the Valley of 1,000 Lingas, home to ancient carvings under the riverbed.

From here, we follow small jungle trails and muddy tracks past villages and pagodas, until we reach our transfer to our hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 7
Angkor Archaeological Tour by foot | approx. 15km /5 hours

Every day of this trek is a highlight, but we've saved the best till last! After breakfast at our hotel, we trek to Ta Prohm, a majestic temple entwined with fig tree routes and made famous by the film, Tomb Raider.

Once we've had our photo fix, we continue through the Angkor National Park to the forest temple of Ta Nei, before visiting the Ghost Gate and Bayon temple, with its serene, stone faces.

After a local lunch, we explore King Jayavarman VII’s ancient underground tunnels, take a boat ride across Angkor Thom City moat, and end the day at the iconic Angkor Wat. Then it’s back to our hotel in Siem Reap, where we can enjoy a good night’s rest after conquering this truly unforgettable challenge.

If you have energy left in the evening, we recommend you take a stroll around the Siem Reap night market, where you can browse a small maze of colourful stalls, selling souvenirs, bright clothes and handmade jewellery - a perfect chance to pick up some mementos before we leave.

Days 8 & 9
Siem Reap - London

Today is free for you to spend as you wish in Siem Reap, before we catch our flight home in the evening. You may choose to kick back at the hotel to rest your legs with a good book or you can jump on the opportunity to explore the area and shop for some last-minute souvenirs.

To give you maximum flexibility on this free day, lunch is not provided, so you’ll need to arrange it yourself. You can take your pick of the fantastic local restaurants for a last taste of authentic Asian food, before we start our journey home.

We touch down in London on Day 9 after our overnight flight and you make your own way home from the airport.

How fit do I have to be?

Walk With Me in Cambodia 2022 is not designed for Olympic athletes – it is designed for people looking for an amazing goal to train and get fit for. A number of the people who will take part in this trek will have a low level of fitness when they sign up.

This challenge is the perfect motivation to get fit, while exploring one of the world's most extraordinary places and making a big impact for a vital cause.

We do strongly recommend you train for the trek and we'll send you a fantastic training plan once you sign up. This training plan builds up as time goes on, so you'll be ready and raring to go by the time we jet to Cambodia!

I’m worried about signing up on my own…

Please don't be! The majority of people will sign up for Walk With Me on their own. Once you've signed up for the challenge, we'll send you a link to a private Facebook group for everyone registered. Please feel free to use this space to swap questions, advice and updates with your fellow trekkers on your training and fundraising.

You may also want to reach out to the fellow participants in this group to see if there's anyone in your local area you can meet up to train and fundraise with.

Am I too old?

Absolutely not! One of the amazing things about the challenge is that people of all ages will come together to do something very special. Everyone who is at least 18 years old by the challenge date is more than welcome to join this awesome trek in Cambodia.

Do I need special equipment?

You will of course need a pair of walking boots and you will need to bring your own two to three season sleeping bag.

We will supply you with a comprehensive list of everything you will need to take on the event well before your departure date.

Can I extend my stay at the end of the challenge?

Yes of course! If you wish to extend your stay in Cambodia, simply get in touch and we can find flight options for you.

Please let us know if you decide to do this at least 14 weeks before our departure date.

Where will we sleep overnight?

The accommodation will vary throughout this exciting challenge, from hotels to jungle temples to camping at monasteries and one night, we're lucky enough to rest in a rustic home-stay in the mountains.

What's included?

Your registration fee of £349 per person is used to administer the challenge and secure your seats with the airline.

Your challenge costs of £1,575 (ie. 50% of the fundraising target if you choose the Sponsorship option) cover:

Your flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge, capped at £475)
Meals throughout the trek (excluding Day 8)
Accommodation and camping equipment, except for bedding
All transfers and luggage transportation in Cambodia
Entry fees where required
A team of awesome, outdoor-remote-first-aid trained Dream Challenges staff and local guides
Full support from the Dream Challenges office in the lead up to and during your challenge
Medical support, including at least one UK doctor with expedition medicine training, who will accompany us throughout the challenge
Your Walk With Me in Cambodia 2022 medal and t-shirt

What other costs will I pay?

In addition to paying your registration fee (£349) and either paying your challenge costs or raising the minimum sponsorship target, you'll need to budget for your:

Airport taxes and the fuel surcharge (capped at £475)
Personal travel insurance
Gratuities
Personal expenses
Your lunch on Day 8

What will the group size be?

The group size for this challenge is likely to be around 35 people.

What about insurance and visas?

You will need to take out your own personal travel insurance covering health, accident, loss and repatriation. Dream Challenges has a recommended policy, which covers this type of activity and also covers your for cancelation due to medically-diagnosed COVID-19. You can see an example of the policy here.

You can, however, take out your own insurance providing it covers you for a charity trek in Cambodia.

Please ask the insurer about the nature of the cover. It is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate cover for your challenge.

You will need to apply for a visa to obtain entry into Cambodia, we will send you all the relevant information and forms in plenty of time.

How will you support me?

The Dream Challenges team is here to help you achieve your challenge and will support you all the way. We are on hand from the minute you sign up to answer any questions that you may have about your training or the challenge itself.

Once you have registered, we will send you a realistic training programme to help you get fit for the trek. The programme builds up gradually as the event gets closer.

During the trek, we'll have at least one UK doctor with expedition medicine training accompanying the group from the get-go and at all times throughout the challenge, along with a team of experienced challenge guides and vehicles to transport your luggage.

Will I have to carry my kit?

Porters will carry your luggage, food and water, so you will only need to carry a small day pack, containing essential accessories and equipment.

Can you offer travel vaccination advice?

As we're not medically trained, we're afraid we can't offer you advice on this. We recommend you contact your GP or your local travel clinic, who will have the latest travel health advice.

We also recommend you visit the NHS Fit for Travel website here, to keep up to date with current travel health news and advice on staying healthy abroad.

NHS Fit for Travel website: https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home

Is it safe to book now with the coronavirus situation?

We understand if you're worried about making plans right now because of COVID-19, but please rest assured that your health and safety are always our highest priorities.

We are delighted to be leading the industry with our 14-step initiative to minimise the risk of coronavirus.

If the challenge can’t happen on the planned dates because of COVID-19, we would postpone the challenge. We would, of course, let you know as soon as possible and give you the full details so that you can mark the date in your diary.

A challenge must meet the following criteria to go ahead:

The UK government, including the Foreign Commonwealth Office and the authorities of the destination country, must be allowing travel and events of this type at the time of departure.
There must be no general requirement for isolation or quarantine on arrival in the destination country or on the return to the UK at the time of departure.
The challenge must meet all the relevant parts of our 14-step COVID-19 action plan.
There must be enough people wanting to travel to make the group viable.
The challenge must be an enjoyable and memorable experience within any actions that need to be taken.

Walk With Me in Cambodia 2022

When can I go?

What does it cost?