The jeep ladies of Siem Reap are proving a hit with visitors to Cambodia.
Classic military jeeps, left over from the civil war era, have been
repurposed by an enterprising female entrepreneur whose team takes
tourists on open-air journeys through rural Siem Reap and the temples of
the Angkor Archaeological Park.
The iconic green vehicles also contribute to the economies of local communities.
Lim Kanha, sales manager at Adventures Cambodia said the business began operating in 2011, with just one jeep.
“Thanks to the support of our customers, we have expanded the fleet, and now use 14 jeeps.”
“Most of our jeeps are surplus military vehicles. Some people kept
them in storage, while some were being used for agriculture. We bought
all the examples we could find,” says Kanha.
She adds that aside from directly employing community members as
staff, the tours help to drive sales of souvenirs, as well as
traditional food and drink.