3-Day Mekong Explorer Tour from Phnom Penh

Day 1: Phnom Penh – Kampong Cham – Kratie – Stung Treng (D)

Meet our guide and we drive to Kratie, a sleepy Mekong port and gateway to an encounter with the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin that inhabit the upper reaches of the Mekong in Cambodia. Stop at Skuon, where it is possible to sample the local delicacy of deep fried tarantula.

We continue to Kampi and we start the day with a trip on a traditional fishermen boat which takes you on a one hour cruise of the dolphin pool of Kampi. This is the largest dolphin pool on the Mekong River and the natural habitat of the critically endangered Mekong Dolphin (Irrawaddy Dolphin).

We continue to Stung Treng. Steung Treng is a province of Cambodia located in the northeast. It borders the provinces of Ratanakiri to the east, Mondulkiri and Kratie to the south and Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear to the west.

Overnight in Mekong Bird Resort (Bungalow).

 

Day 2: Stung Treng – Preah Vihear (B/L)

Morning, we enjoy a short boat trip up to O'Svay where we will start our paddling tours to explore the remote flooded forests of the Mekong, Ramsa wetlands. It stretches south along the Mekong River from the border with Laos to Stung Treng. Only accessible by boat, it is a haven for critically endangered mammals, birds and fish and a unique riverine flooded forest system that is a photographer's dream. With only bird calls announcing our presence, we maneuvered our way leisurely downstream for a couple of hours.

We continue to Preah Vihear, our journey through jungle and local village. This good track literate hills along the northern border of the country.

Overnight in Preah Vihear Boutique Hotel (Deluxe room).

 

Day 3: Preah Vihear – Koh Ker – Peuong Komnu – Beng Mealea – Siem Reap (B/L)

We drive up to Preah Vihear which sits at the top of the Dangrek Mountains. Preah Vihear is known as the Temple Mountain which was built at the beginning of the 10th century as a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.

We continue our trip to Siem Reap. Our first stop at Koh Ker group is a group of many temples in the forest.

We arrive Svay Leu Village and start hikking into the bamboo forest from the village to Peuong Komnu, is a series of Angkorian reliefs carved into the southern cliff of Phnom Kulen.

We also visit Beng Mealea is an overgrown ruin 90mn away from Siem Reap. It is huge, but little known and largely untouched. Besides this temple, we see a small quarry where sandstone was cut to build the temple.

Drop off your hotel in Siem Reap.