Sentral and Northeastern Cambodia are dominated by the Mekong River. It is difficult to overstate the importance of the Mekong to Cambodia.

Rising in Tibet, it flows for more than 4,000km (2,500 miles) through six different countries before reaching the sea. After passing through the Si Phan Don or “Four Thousand Islands” region of southernmost Laos and roaring over the Khon Phapheng Falls, the Mekong enters Cambodia and flows south through Stung Treng, Kratie and Kompong Cham provinces.

The 120km (75-mile) journey from the capital northeast to Kompong Cham, Cambodia’s fourth-largest city, is straightforward, on good roads. From Kompong Cham it is approximately another 3 hours to the pleasant old port of Kratie, beyond which the river continues due north for 140km (88 miles) to the town of Stung Treng.

To the east of Stung Treng and away from the river lies the beautiful and undeveloped upland province of Rattanakiri, home to some of Cambodia’s least known tribal peoples and large tracts of wild jungle.

ICG Travel & Tour

ICG Travel & Tour

Kompong Cham

The 120km (75-mile) journey from the capital northeast to Kompong Cham, Cambodia’s fourth-largest city, is straightforward, on good roads. There are some attractive old buildings, and the Mekong Hotel, located right on the waterfront, provides a pleasant location to have a drink or something to eat while watching life on the great river which sweeps by endlessly. Small boats with one or two fishermen cast their nets and drift slowly downstream. Occasional ferryboats still ply the river, and large cargo ships push their way upstream against the muddy waters, to take on or offload goods, especially rubber from the extensive plantations in the region.

The entrancing ruins of Wat Nokor Bayon, an 11th-century sandstone and laterite temple, are located some 2km (1¼ miles) to the northwest of the town. The complex is a fascinating blend of the contemporary and the archaic. It was originally dedicated to Mahayana Buddhism, but at some point, probably during the 15th century, the temple was rededicated to Theravada Buddhism, and a modern temple set amid the ancient ruins still functions as a Buddhist centre today. There are numerous niches and hidden shrines, and a large reclining Buddha within.

Kratie

There is an unexpected charm to this isolated riverside port, which still retains some fine, if inevitably decaying, examples of French colonial architecture. One reason for Kratie’s relatively good state of preservation is that it fell under Khmer Rouge control at an early stage in the civil war, and was not subjected to either fierce fighting or subsequent bombing. There are three or four hotels along the waterfront by the boat dock, and several ­restaurants serving variations on Cambodian, Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine. The waterfront also has several small establishments selling beer and soft drinks which make an excellent place to sit and watch the sunset over the Mekong. The administrative section of the town lies to the south of the dock beyond the hotels, while a large market beside the dilapidated road leading east to Phumi Samraong and Snuol, towards the Vietnamese frontier, serves most of Kratie province.

Kratie is the main base for organising dolphin-spotting trips on the Mekong.

 

Source: insightguides

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