This morning we will leave Phnom Penh for Chambok, a community-based ecotourism site located at the border of Kirirom National Park in Kampong Speu Province. This is an ideal place for nature and adventure lovers who seek to explore off the beaten track corners of Cambodia. Highlights of your trip include a trek through the dense forest to a beautiful 40-metre high waterfall, a bat cave and some local villages. The landscape along the way is spectacular with opportunities to see wild animals and birds. During harvest time, you may see farmers busy at work in their fields and may even join them for some hands-on experience in ploughing and harvesting. We continue the drive to a floating tented lodge on Tatai River that comes down from the Cardamom Mountains – the perfect place for nature lovers. Wildlife is abundant here and you might spot colourful butterflies and bizarre-looking insects as well as rare birds like fish eagles or kingfishers. Dinner will be served at the lodge. On good weather days, don’t miss the opportunity to take a kayak out after dark with the lodge’s guide. Just 500m from the lodge you can see a tree full of fireflies and phosphorescence is glowing in the clear river water.
Take a boat (45 minutes and SIC based) to a nearby fishing village, Koh Sraloav. On the way, enjoy the stunning scenery of tropical rainforest and mangroves alike, passing villages, fields and jungle. In the village, check out local villagers fixing their nets, repairing their boats, preparing the crabs for the market and going about their daily lives. Walk up to a hill to visit a remote monastery to see interesting wall paintings of Buddha’s stories. Next to the monastery, there is local school where you can be sure that you become the attraction of the kids. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the village before heading towards a magnificent viewpoint above one of the largest remaining mangrove forests in Southeast Asia. Explore the Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary by kayak that allows you to enter narrow channels where roots will be towering above you – a truly memorable experience. Return to the lodge in the afternoon. Dinner will be served at the lodge.
Enjoy firsthand the sights and sounds of the jungle as you venture forth into the undergrowth with your camera and experience the beauty of one of the world’s largest rainforests. This 2-3 hour trek offers a taste of the true jungle, an opportunity to observe small wildlife and have the added bonus of a morning exercise. After an early coffee in the restaurant, kayak upstream the small channel right behind the lodge. The climb starts shortly after on a fairly steep path for about an hour. There is a short break in a clearing near the top and you will return just in time for breakfast.
Away from the tranquillity of the 4 Rivers Floating Lodge, the thunder of the majestic Tatai Falls reveals the river’s true power as it drops 6 meters to the rocks below. Your day, depending on the tide, starts at around 10 a.m. for the 45-minute boat ride past Tatai Village to the falls. Turning onto a tributary you head into the heart of the Cardamom jungle to the far-off sounds of exotic birds and its secretive wildlife. Within minutes you are at your journey’s end, gazing down into the turbulent waters of the falls. Soon it’s time for lunch and maybe a refreshing drink as you find some shade for a picnic and open your senses to the sights and sounds of the jungle. We will also arrange to transport some kayaks for your added fun and adventure. After leaving the falls, stop at the mouth of a small river where you can paddle your kayak to a traditional Cambodian farm; you will see rice fields and some fruit trees depending of the season.
Overnight in Koh Kong Province.