lavender jeep tours siem reap

Founded in 2017, Lavender Jeep is an adventure tour company providing tours of Siem Reap, Cambodia in A2 Military Jeeps. Our company is led by women entrepreneurs and unique in that it is the only tour company in Siem Reap structured as a cooperative. Our staff are shareholders in our tours, earning 30% of profits from their trip. The remaining profits are donated to Bridge of Life School, funding educational programming for the next generation of Cambodians.

Mission & Goals

Our mission is three-fold: First, to provide tourists with exciting tours of the greater Siem Reap area. Military Jeeps are not available in most countries but are still present in Cambodia due to its recent past. The Jeep is an exciting and practical way to get around, as many countryside roads are unpaved and muddy, creating a one-of-a-kind adventure.

Second: to use these tours to empower women. Lavender Jeep creates jobs for women, allowing them to earn a living wage and support their families. In a country where women are expected to follow the chbup srey (a code of conduct that dictates how to act), we choose instead to challenge the status quo from that of a homemaker to an independent, income earner who enjoys equal status.

Third: to support the next generation of Cambodian’s by donating 70% of profits to Bridge of Life School. This funds educational programming including English, computer and sewing classes for women and children in the countryside.

M151 A2 Jeep

On the tours we drive a M151 A2 American manufactured Jeep. We unfortunately don’t know the precise history of the vehicle but we are confident it was manufactured in 1975. This particular model was most likely used by the Americans during the end of the Vietnam War. The Americans would have then abandoned it when the Viet Cong took power.

How did it end up in Cambodia? In 1979 Khmer Rouge defectors, with the help of the Vietnamese government, retook Phnom Penh to end the reign of the Khmer Rouge. The Jeep may have come over during that offensive but more likely came over between 1979 and 1990 during the civil war that ensued between remaining Khmer Rouge holdouts and the Vietnam backed Cambodian government. It would have then gone inactive after the UNTAC period and been used for civilian purposes.

Empowering Women: One Adventure at a Time

Siem reap, cambodia.

Our company is unique in that it is the only tour company in Siem Reap structured as a cooperative. Our staff members are shareholders in the company, earning a base salary and 30% of the profits on the tour. The remaining profits are transferred to Bridge of Life School, a not-for-profit organization providing free educational programming in the countryside, to pay it forward and educate the next generation of women.

We participate in socially responsible travel by making women’s rights and empowerment a core part of our mission. We do this by choosing to train and employ women from backgrounds that are traditionally stigmatized in Cambodia. This may include single mothers, women who did not finish school, families with large debt loads, and other issues. Our tour company does not discriminate based on color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age or marital status – we welcome all and, in doing, encourage society to do the same.

Excited? Want to book a tour?

Send us a message if you want to find out more or book a tour. We can also do custom made tours so just send us an email and we can work something out!

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Do you have any feedback on our tours or on the site. Don´t hesitate to send us a message and let us know what you think!

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Discover Cambodia: Lavender Jeep Style

Lavender Jeep has tours to explore the most important areas of Siem Reap, Cambodia

By Kayla McMillan

Adventure around Siem Reap, Cambodia Jeep-style with Lavender Jeep Tours!

This touring company creates an adventure through the major sites in Cambodia including floating villages, temples, and the countryside.

Lavender Jeeps has designed a custom tour to help visitors discover the Land of Peace and Prosperity on a one-of-a-kind experience.

Lavender Jeeps describes its mission in three parts: To provide tourists with exciting tours of the greater Siem Reap area, to empower women, and to support the next generation of Cambodian’s. Here’s how they do just that.

Jobs for Women

Lavender Jeep is unique in that it creates jobs for Cambodian women by allowing them to earn a living wage and support their families. Cambodia has created a “code of conduct” for women that dictates how they act and what they do better known as Chbab Srey .

Lavender Jeep has chosen instead to challenge these standards by creating opportunities for independent, income earning women who deserve equal status. In this way, they are supporting women’s rights, making empowerment a core part of their mission.

They do this by choosing to train and employ women from backgrounds that are traditionally stigmatized in Cambodia. This may include single mothers, families with large debt loads, women who did not finish school, etc.

Lavender Jeep has made it clear that they do not “discriminate based on color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age or marital status.”

Lavender Jeep is the only tour company in Siem Reap structured as a cooperative; they actually donate 70% of its profits to the Bridge of Life School, a non-profit organization providing free educational courses. This money funds the various programming including English, computer skills, and sewing classes for women and children in the countryside.

A cooperative is a private business organization that is owned and controlled by the people who use its services. Cooperatives are usually formed by individuals that coordinate together to achieve their business goals.

These tours are driven by M151 A2 American manufactured Jeeps, which are not available in most countries but remain present in Cambodia due to its recent past. While the company explains they don’t know the exact history of the vehicles, they are confident that it was manufactured in 1975.

These particular models were most likely used by Americans during the end of the Vietnam War, which they abandoned when Viet Cong took power. The Jeeps create an exciting and practical way to get around the unpaved countryside roads.

How did they end up in Cambodia?

In 1979, Khmer Rouge defectors, with the help of the Vietnamese government, retook Phnom Penh to end the reign of the Khmer Rouge. It’s believed that these Jeeps may have come over during that offensive.

However, it’s more likely that they came over between 1979-1990 during the civil war between the remaining Khmer Rouge holdouts and Vietnam backed Cambodian government. The Jeeps would have then gone inactive after the UNTAC period and been used for civilian purposes.

Designed Tours

Lavender Jeep has designed three special tours that take their visitors to all the major sites, including Angkor Wat and the floating villages. In addition, they give visitors a local and cultural experience on each tour.

The Angkor Wat Experience

Duration: 4-5 hours

Included: Hotel pick-up and drop-off/transportation via Jeep/cold water

On this trip, visitors will have the chance to see the most important temples in the area including Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, home of the Bayona and Terrace of the Elephants.

The tour also visits Ta Prohm, famous for its overgrown trees. Lavender Jeeps begins its tour with a hotel pick-up for its explorers.

While the roads around these temples are paved, the Jeep tour will take a slightly longer way, allowing the Jeeps to take on dirt roads along the river.

During this drive, you will be able to visit local workshops including stonemasons, wood shops, and traditional incense makers.

Lavender Jeep suggests this trip for guests that have limited time but would like a different way to experience the temples.

This tour allows you to experience the Jeep, try out dirt roads, and see all the major temples. $90/Jeep

A Day in Banteay Srey

Duration: 7 Hours

Included: Hotel pick-up and drop-off/ transportation via Jeep/cold water, local snacks and lunch

This is Lavender Jeeps’ favorite drive: Leaving Siem Reap to see the true Cambodian countryside. After passing through rice paddies you’ll arrive at Phnom Bok, mountain home to ancient temple ruins.

On your way to the next destination, Banteay Srey, you’ll visit local artisans and family businesses making traditional sculptures, noodles, hyacinth mats, and other products.

Banteay Srey is famous for its temple, unique pink stone, and preserved statues. The tour will then have lunch at Sreyneang’s family home located near the temple.

On the way back you’ll visit a rural pagoda for an optional blessing from monks.

The company suggests this tour for those looking to see Cambodia most Khmer’s experience every day. See the countryside and local artisans and crafts.

In addition, you’ll be able to see both Phnom Bok and the Banteay Srey temple which are critically important to the Angkor Empire.

Finally, you’ll be able to enjoy a delicious Khmer lunch at a local home and get to know people in an intimate way. $125/Jeep

Floating Village + Countryside

Duration: 6-7 Hours

Included: Hotel pick-up and drop-off/ transportation via Jeep/boat tickets and ride/ water and lunch

Siem Reap is home to the Tonle Sap lake, a UNESCO biosphere reserve known for its floating villages where residents live and earn their living from the lake. Guests will take the Jeep through the countryside to Kompong Phluk Floating Village.

On the way, you’ll have the chance to try local snacks, visit a large pagoda, and experience a rural market. After arriving in Kompong Phluk, guests will move from the Jeep to a boat through the floating village.

This is a great chance to see an incredible sunset over the floating villages. This is a great “day in the life” tour, allowing you to see life in the countryside as well as the Tonle Sap lake and impressive floating villages. Lavender Jeeps says that this is the perfect trip for foodies as well; there are many street eats on the way. $150/Jeep

Check Out This Interview With Lavender Jeep’s Booking Coordinator, Paren Rouen!

What makes Lavender Jeep unique? 

We think Lavender Jeep is unique in a few ways – first, we travel in an A2 Military Jeep leftover from the war. This is not a normal mode of transportation nor something most people can experience back home. However, it is perfect for the countryside as Cambodia has a lot of back roads. In addition, it is the only tour in Siem Reap structured as a profit-sharing cooperative.

Our drivers are not employees but partners and receive 30% of profits of the trips they conduct. We are also one of only a few tour companies using tourism dollars to provide education in rural communities.

Finally, and most importantly, we have a social mission with our tours – to empower women through meaningful employment and change gender stereotypes in Cambodia.

There are still very traditional and defined roles for how women should act. We want to change that by showing women can be independent, earn their own living, and do the same jobs as men.

We hope, when responsible tourists review various tour options, they will consider joining us and making an impact in so many important ways.

What kind of experience will people take on during their jeep trip? 

She knows a lot of interesting locations that are off-the-beaten-path and she has family and friends who we will visit along the way.

We think this will make it a more intimate and authentic tour. Another option is seeing the Tonle Sap lake.

It is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and home to thousands of fisherman who live in floating villages.

Mida, one of our members, is from Kompong Khleang, the largest and least visited floating village in Cambodia.

She has a lot of insight into life on the lake as she grew up in a family of fishermen. We get to see her family home, school, and other interesting sights during this experience.

What is the pricing like?

We price the tour by the Jeep which can seat up to 3 passengers. The set itineraries cost anywhere from $90 – 150 USD per day with the later including tickets. We are also happy to design an experience if you have particular interests or places to want to see. Unfortunately, we don’t have a join-in group tour at this time.

Is this excursion good for children? 

Yes, we feel it is a fun activity for children and have loved hosting families. The Jeep itself is a unique way to get around. It has old-fashioned gadgets and is something most children have watched in movies but never seen in real life.

We also make a lot of stops at countryside locations – local bakeries, noodle makers, traditional incense, sugar palm factories, artisans, stone masons, and more.

These experiences can be fun for children as it’s less history and more visual and hands-on. This keeps children engaged. We don’t recommend the tour for toddlers, however.

Can you explain a little bit about how a cooperative works? 

Sure. The way it works is that when a tour is booked a driver is assigned. After the tour, we go through the expenses (petrol, cold water, lunch, etc.) and set aside a small reserve (for maintenance and marketing). We can then estimate profits. The guide will receive 30% of it and Bridge of Life School will receive 70% of it. So, for example, on a Banteay Srey tour, the guide will usually earn around $25 USD.

While that doesn’t seem like a lot, it is three times what the average Cambodian in the city makes per day. It is six times more than what an average Cambodian living in the countryside makes. It is also double what tuk-tuk and Camry driver make who do the same routes.

To find out more about Lavender Jeep Tours, check out www.lavenderjeepsiemreap.com .

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2 thoughts on “ Discover Cambodia: Lavender Jeep Style ”

you should be ashamed of yourself. I think you need to rent a purple Jeep and drive from jersey to Cambodia … a true journalist would have the drive and determination. To cross the ocean in a purple Jeep. I believe in you … you got this, Kay…

Nothing sounds better than driving yourself around Cambodia in your own time, at your own pace; and what better way than a rugged Jeep. Awesome!

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• 1/2 Day – Group Tour – Kompong Phluk (Sunset)
• 1/2 Day – Group Tour – Kompong Khleang (Sunset)
• ½ Day Floating Village Group Tour – Sunrise or Sunset
• Angkor Wat & Floating Village Combined Day Tour
• Floating Village Foodie Tour
• Full Day Countryside & Floating Village Group Tour with Sunset
• Beng Melea Ruins & Floating Village
• Testimonials

A floating and stilted village home to thousands of residents who have been earning a living through fishing for generations. Learn about the community, culture and way of life.

EXPERIENCE THE FLOATING VILLAGES

See the tonle sap.

The largest body of water in South East Asia, visit this UNESCO Biosphere site and view its unique flora and fauna.Understand the significant role in plays in the lives of Cambodians.

The largest body of water in South East Asia, visit this UNESCO Biosphere site and view its unique flora and fauna. Understand the significant role in plays in the lives of Cambodians.

TRAVERSE THE FLOATING FOREST

Paddle through the floating forest on a small boat with local residents. See the largest collection of mangroves in the greater Siem Reap area.

Paddle through the floating forest on a small boat with local residents.See the largest collection of mangroves in the greater Siem Reap area.

MAKE AN IMPACT

Join a socially-responsible tour provider and have the satisfaction of knowing a portion of profits are donated to local NGO’s making a difference in the lives of residents.

• GROUP FLOATING VILLAGE TOURS •

Fun and memorable small-group floating village tours. A great option for solo travelers and small groups looking to experience the floating village, flooded forest, and Tonle Sap lake.

1/2 Day Lake & Floating Village Group Tour - Kompong Phluk

1/2 day lake & floating village group tour - kompong khleang, • what participants say •.

Firsthand Accounts from Fellow Travelers

“Raw and unfiltered. A South East Asia trip defining experience for me.Highly recommend making the time to join a group tour.”

“Raw and unfiltered. A South East Asia trip defining experience for me. Highly recommend making the time to join a group tour.”

Christy, Seattle, United States

"Excellent value tour of Kompong Phluk..even for backpackers.Our guide spoke exceptional English and came from a floating village himself.Very educational and worth every penny.”

"Excellent value tour of Kompong Phluk..even for backpackers. Our guide spoke exceptional English and came from a floating village himself. Very educational and worth every penny.”

James, Melbourne, Australia

• PRIVATE FLOATING VILLAGE TOURS •

A more expansive list of tour options designed for couples, families and small groups traveling together.

½ Day Private Lake & Floating Village Tour

Private angkor wat, lake & floating village tour, private lake & floating village street food tour, private countryside, lake & floating village tour, beng melea ruins & floating village, lavender jeep tour of the lake & floating village, introduction to theravada buddhism, • the tonle sap lake •.

The floating villages are located on the Tonle Sap, a lake and river system that extends throughout Cambodia. It is the largest lake in South East Asia as well as a UNESCO Biosphere site due to its ecology and endangered flora and fauna. It is of extreme importance to Cambodians who live on it and earn their living from fishing.

The Tonle Sap is unique because the water feeding it changes directions twice annually. As a result the lake bottoms out during the dry season but can then swell by over 10 meters in the rainy season. For this reason villages like Kompong Khleang, Kompong Phluk and Mechrey are considered “floating” – homes are either on stilts or are literally buoyant through the use of petrol tanks as bouys.

The lake is rich in ecology and serves as the life-blood for many Khmers who depend on it for survival. The majority of families living on the water earn their income through fishing in particular and, through their work, are able to feed the greater population of Cambodia.

As you will learn during your visit, the Tonle Sap is an endangered environment. Overfishing and pollution has decimated local species and wreaked havoc on the lake, forcing dolphins and rare birds to converge in confined locations. After being designated a world heritage site there have been many improvements and the government and local NGO’s are working to conserve the Tonle Sap’s biological diversity, landscape, and ecosystem.

Our Tonle Sap tours allow you to visit the lake and see the floating villages that call the Tonle Sap home.

“Recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for it’s unique and endangered flora and fauna, The Tonle Sap is the largest lake and water ecosystem in Southeast Asia. Home to 100,000’s of Cambodians, on both its shores and in floating villages on the lake, it is the lifeblood of the country and responsible for feeding the nation.”      

• WHY CHOOSE US •

Curated adventures.

Our team has designed very unique tours that meet the interests of adventure seekers, athletes, historians, foodies, humanitarians and more.

Socially Responsible

Our guides participate in child protection trainings, respect the community, and a percentage of profits are reinvested in the floating villages itself.

Khmer Owned

Help maximize the impact of your tourist dollar and improve the standard of living in Cambodia by supporting locally owned tour companies.

The Tonle Sap Experience, Curated, Community-Based Adventures of the Floating Village & Forest

• About the Tonle Sap

  #14 Wat Enkosai, Siem Reap City, Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia +855 (0) 97 691 9784

  [email protected]

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Choose from our comprehensive list of group and private tours. Whether you're seeking an intimate getaway or a lively adventure with like-minded explorers, we've got you covered. Our meticulously designed private tours offer personalized itineraries, allowing you to immerse yourself in your chosen destination at your own pace, while our group tours bring together a vibrant community of travelers for shared experiences and new friendships. With expert guides, handpicked accommodations, and carefully curated activities, you can expect an exceptional travel journey that caters to your individual preferences.

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Lavender Jeep Countryside & Floating Village Jeep Tour

The forgotten temple of beng melea, floating village & fishing tour, aquarium & floating village tour, shared group tour, what's included.

Kampong Khleang includes everything you will need on the tour to make planning your holiday experience completely stress free.

Roundtrip Transportation

Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel (or wherever you prefer) in an air-conditioned vehicle.

All Tickets & Taxes

Our fee is all inclusive including boat ticket, tourism tax and VAT.

Expert, Local Guides

Our amazing guides were all born in Kompong Khleang. They have an intimate community connection

Local Snacks

Enjoy fresh Cambodian sticky rice, palm sugar donuts, and other during our stops.

Our tour includes unlimted, filtered cold water

Scam Free Experience

No hidden fees, upcharges, or stops at commission restaurants and souvenirs shops along the way.

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SIGNATURE ADVENTURE TOURS

THE MAGICAL ANGKOR SUNRISE AWAIT YOU!

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TOUR TO THE BIRTHPLACE OF KHMER KINGDOM

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Welcome! Let Tours By Jeeps® organize your Cambodia Tour

What started as Cambodia’s first Jeep Tour Company has become a signature excursion in Cambodia, Angkor Wat, and beyond. From our scenic adventures to top-class guided tours and custom trips, Tours By Jeeps is proud to offer experiences that stay with you long after they’re over. We are honored to have taken into account that your journey begins in Cambodia and are grateful to share our experience with you.

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This tour will take you on a scenic drive through the picturesque and friendly Cambodian countryside.

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Floating Village & Sunset Boat Tour

⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤ | 48 Reviews

Enjoy a scenic ride by open-air Jeep through the picturesque surroundings of the Tonle Sap landscape & watch the sunset.

Angkor Sunset & Boat Ride

⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤ | 12 Reviews

Join our half-day temples and sunset boat tour to explore the Angkor complex and the Siem Reap countryside.

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Discover Cambodia: Lavender Jeep Style

Lavender Jeep has tours to explore the most important areas of Siem Reap, Cambodia

You’ll be supporting local women who want to join the workforce in rural Cambodia but have faced obstacles.

This touring company creates an adventure through the major sites in Cambodia including floating villages, temples, and the countryside.

In full: https://www.gonomad.com/137041-discover-cambodia-lavender-jeep-style

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