Kratie and Ratanakiri Tour 4 Nights / 5 Days

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 | Phnom Penh to Kratie & Boat to Koh Trong

Meal: None
Our friendly escort guide and driver will pick you up at a convenient time (8.30am or 9.00am) from your hotel in Phnom Penh then we drive with 5 hours to Kratie Province – a sleepy town and the great home for freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphins. On the way, we will have a few stops to enjoy the highlights of Cambodia and sample Cambodian snacks as well as deep fried crispy insects (spiders…).

Once we arrived in Kratie, we will stroll at the main local market of the province then catch a local boat to Koh Trong Island and check in at a booked hotel.

Overnight in Koh Trong Island

Day 2 | Koh Trong Exploration & Mekong Irrawaddy Dolphin

Meal: Breakfast

Breakfast is at hotel. We explore Koh Trong Island by push bike for the highlights of Koh Trong, interact local people as well as seeing rural life. Learn from your tour guide about their way of living, routine, culture especially the en-rooted superstitions. Passing traditional stilt houses and hear kids welcoming you by saying “Hello”, you’ll have a lot of chance to take interesting photos. Continue to see Vietnamese floating houses, make a friendly visit to grape farm (seasonal) and enjoy the taste of famous Koh Trong pomelo and fresh coconut juice before making our way back to the hotel.

Afternoon, embark a local boat to the mainland then heading to visit Wat Sasar Mouyrouy (100 column pagoda) with interesting history & legend, continue to Kampi pool where you take a small boat to capture the special glimpses of rare endangered freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphins and watch beautiful sunset over the Mekong River. Return and back to hotel in Koh Trong.

Overnight in Koh Trong Island

Day 3 | Kratie to Ratanakiri, Waterfalls & Yeak Lom Crater Lake

Meal: Breakfast

Breakfast is at hotel. Check out then take a local boat to the mainland, we’ll then go for the highlight of Kratie’s city included visiting local market. Continue driving (Approx. 4 hours) to Ratanakiri and spend the afternoon to visit natural Kachang waterfalls, the market in Banlung town of Ranakairi and see beautiful nature, and enjoy swimming (if you want) in the popular Yeak Lom crater lake before heading to Terres Rouges Lodge for check in.

Simply enjoy free time in the evening after check in.

Overnight in Ratanakiri

Day 4 | Adventure to Ethnic Minority Villages

Meal: Breakfast

Breakfast is at hotel. We leave a bit early at 7.45am for a wonderful journey to get the best insight into the diversity of cultures that Ratanakiri has offered to hundreds of visitors to experience its remarkable uniqueness and ethnic daily life that is animated by ritual cultures, customs and interesting routine.

We’ll take about an hour and half drive that passes fascinating scenery and stop on the way to visit traditional Kroeung village to witness lifestyle of her friendly people and other highlight in the village before we arrive at Veun Sai for a boat excursion cross the river to explore other tribal villages. The boat excursion offers scenic views of lush rainforest and Tonle San River, and if you’re luck to spot wildlife and hear sounds of birds.

Disembark the boat, visit interesting ancient cemeteries at tribal villages of Kachok and Koh Piek. Next, we continue down Tonle San River where we will find a stop for lunch at a local restaurant (at your own account).

After lunch break, we continue our boat trip to Chinese and Laos villages to observe people making a living based on simple life, and visit their traditional medical center where they produce traditional medicines by their ancient methods and based local natural products included tree roots, leaf, flowers and tree skins etc. You may interrupt them to ask questions regarding to healing and sickness before we make our way back to Banlung Twon.

Overnight in Ratanakiri

Day 5 | Half a Day with Noelle and her mum, Drive to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast is at hotel. Check out and goodbye to Terres Rouges Lodge then we make small trip towards the South of Banlung trough fields and rubber plantations, half road, half dirt track. Arrival at the Airavata site at 8.45-9.00AM. Presentation of Airavata Elephants of the place, our philosophy, and preparation of the milk bottles and Noelle’s bath. We leave for the enclosure, greet mother and daughter and give treats to the mother while listening to the story of Ikeo and of her unlikely pregnancy.

We take Ikeo to the training area, hose her, brush her nails with shampoo and do a health check. Noelle’s bath, we wash her with shampoo, check her weight while giving her the bottle to get on the scale. All this done, we take mother and daughter into the forest, walking to the place where they will spend the day together. It is elephant school for Noelle as by observing her mother and mimicking her, she learns what plants to eat or not to eat. We return and eventually observe the training of the other elephants (power washing, etc).

*Note: No elephant ride and we don’t certainly promote or encourage to ride an elephant.
After the tour finished, we make a long journey with a few stops for local snacks and juice from Ratanakiri to Siem Reap Province or back to Phnom Penh with approximate arrival at around 7.00pm.

Thank You and Goodbye to Beautiful Cambodia