Our Start
In 2010, Soksabike's three founders were all in Battambang working on different development projects. They realized a core problem for development in Cambodia was the disconnect between the skills learned at university and those needed to find gainful employment upon graduation, in addition, there was a severe lack of jobs for university graduates in general. Our founders connected with local youth across the city and came up with two businesses to help provide vocational training and job opportunities to local youth - Soksabike and Kinyei Cafe.
Our Mission
As a social enterprise, Soksabike invests the majority of our revenue into our impact programs - vocational training, community development, and cross-cultural exchange - and business sustainability and growth so we can ensure our programs and impact survive far into the future. In 2018, we transitioned business ownership to local ownership to ensure that all decisions and benefits are driven by and received by the local community in Battambang.
Vocational training is a core tenant of Soksabike's mission but our founders and the youth they were working with realized the opportunity to use tourism not only to develop their own skills, but also to share their amazing culture with travelers from around the world. An important and critical part of Soksabike's mission is to give travelers an authentic experience in the Cambodian countryside, meeting with local families, exploring the culture and learning about Cambodian daily life. Soksabike's goal is that by the end of the tour, travelers feel a sense of connection and understanding to Cambodian life, people, and culture.
The third tier of our mission is ensuring that the local community has agency around and a benefit from tourism. Soksabike does not want to be just another tour company parading travelers into people's homes and communities without respect for their space and families. Soksabike works very hard to develop our community relationships and to ensure all our partners are happy to work with us. In return for our partners offering to open up their homes and spend time with travelers, we compensate them for all the time they spend with our guests. Without our strong relationships with the communities, our guests would not get the truly unique and authentic experience that we offer.
Our Promise
To provide all Soksabike goers with the opportunity to spend time in Cambodian homes and local businesses and gain insight into the daily life of Cambodians in the countryside. You will experience all this while on a bicycle adventure around Battambang led by a charismatic, engaging, and knowledgeable student guide.
We are committed to maintaining a high-quality, authentic, and sustainable tour. We always put the well-being and best interests of the families, students, and businesses we support before our own and are committed to keeping our tour in line with our belief in responsible tourism.
Our Philosophy
Soksabike is committed to practicing tourism responsibly by contributing to Battambang’s social sustainability, environmental conservation, and tourist education.
Soksabike’s objectives
Give tourists the opportunity to see and engage with the real Cambodia.
Put tourist dollars back into the local community.
Contribute to helping the local community through job creation.
Commit to providing educational opportunities and improvement for local students.
Offer education to tourists on different aspects of Cambodian life and culture.
Realign tourism with community interests.
Contribute to Battambang’s economic growth.
Educate about responsible tourism.
Soksabike fosters social sustainability through:
Tourist interaction with local businesses and families.
Compensating local businesses for their hospitality on our tour.
Providing employment and training for local Battambang residents.
Providing scholarship so the staff can study at a University or a take a foreign language class.
Supporting local economies with the purchase of local goods and participation with small, local businesses.
Why the bicycle:
Soksabike wants to preserve and protect Cambodia’s natural environment and bicycles don’t pollute.
The slow pace allows tourists to get a better insight into the lives and routines of Combodians in the countryside.
Tourists get to experience the most common form of transport in Cambodia - the bicycle.
Soksabike educates tourists on:
The culture, politics, economy and social challenges of the communities visited.
Local customs so guests can engage respectfully with everyone we visit.
Supporting local culture by visiting businesses which conserve cultural heritage and traditional values
