Day 1:

(L/D) PHNOM PENH Tours start every Monday

After arriving in Phnom Penh, you are welcomed by one of our tour guides who will take you to your hotel.

Lunch at local Restaurant.

Afternoon, you will visit Wat Phnom, Independent monument and visit Genocide Museum S21.

Dinner at local Restaurant. Overnight in Phnom Penh. (L,D)

Day 2:

 (B/L/D) PHNOM PENH 

This morning, you will visit the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, and National Museum.

Lunch at local restaurant

In the afternoon, you will take a boat trip to Preak Bang Kong Village where the Khmer produce their Hol and Pamourng in silk (Hol & Pamourng are traditional Khmer costume for special ceremony or wedding).

Dinner at local restaurant

Day 3:

In the morning we fly to Banlung, the capital of Ratanakiri, nicknamed the “Red City” because of the omnipresent laterite. Transfer to Terres Rouges Lodge (superb house built of precious wood, located by a lake, in the middle of a wonderful garden), then lunch at the Lodge.

In the afternoon, departure for a small trip through rubber plantations towards the nearby waterfalls; we end up with a detour to Yaklaom lake, a beautiful and perfectly-round stretch of water, surrounded by forest, for a late afternoon swim.

Dinner & Night at Terres Rouges.

Direction northwest today, we cross bamboo forests before reaching the village of Voeune Saï located on the left bank of the Sé San river ; the view on the Chinese village on the other side of the river is quite pretty. Besides, this place is nearly a Chinese enclave in Cambodian territory, most villagers, who are there the thirties, don't even speak Khmer. Upstream of the Se San are a certain number of Tampoun villages that practice funeral statuary ; if it is possible, we will rent a boat to go to the village of Ka Choan that has superb totems, if not we will reach it by jeep.  

Dinner & night at the Lodge. 

The Kroeung territory

You’re going full North today, heading towards Laos and the village of Taveng. We first cross Veyrum Plang, a round lava field in the forest; a few steps away there is a small waterfall (in the rainy season only) surrounded by tigers caves. Later on, we stop at some nice Kroeung villages located in the forest on both sides of the road.

The more North we go, the more beautiful the forest. In some Kroeung villages, depending on the season, we might discover some quite impressive bachelor houses built on very high stilts.  Let’s notice that, when they have achieved their goal and when the young man has become head of a family, these houses are destroyed before being raised again by younger men the following season. Depending on the time and the state of the dirt road, we will choose a location for a picnic before exploring the nearby villages.

Dinner & Night at Terres Rouges.

Woken up early by the songs of the rooster, pig and buffalo… we cross the river to get back to our car and drive back to Banlung where we try (fruitlessly?) to look human again before leaving for the Three-Districts area. You thought you’d seen it all regarding bumpy roads… Big Mistake ! The dirt track leading to the Three-District mining area is one of the worst of the country: 35 km of 30 to 70cm-deep ruts concealing stumps and other branches destroying bodies under the car, lower backs and fuel tanks. The vehicles that dare to take this “back-to-Hell” road are, most of the time, old Russian jeeps close to their own end, their tires are often covered with chains and their overall appearance is often far from the initial design of their creator… At least they usually make it in one day, that’s the main thing! Through huge rubber trees forests planted by the French in 1961 and then the Tampoun jungle, you reach the Three-Districts mining area, kind of tropical slum or favella populated by 3000 people lost in the middle of the Cambodian forest. This “Zircon Rush” has transformed this place into a massive Swiss cheese drilled with hundreds of 60cm-wide 12m-deep wells. The miners go down without any safety equipment in these wells (whose sides have not even been propped up!) using candles for lighting. Accidents occur sometimes. Two kilometers away, there is the seven-tiered waterfall, called that way because the river is interrupted by seven rocky floors, creating waterfalls where you shower and swim with pleasure.

Dinner & Night at Terres Rouges.

Early departure for a small elephant ride in the forest, then a quick shopping tour in Banlung market before taking the plane back to Phnom-Penh.

 

Phnom-Penh You will welcome by our driver who will take you to hotel.

Lunch at local restaurant

In the afternoon, you will see Sorya Supermarket, the largest supermarket in Cambodia, and then continue to Russian market. (shopping tour without tour guide)

Dinner at local restaurant