About - Lavender Jeep tours

Who We Are

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.

Our Mission

About the Jeep

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.

Contact us

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!