Ratanakiri

.

Ethnic minorities, elephants, waterfalls, jungle make Ratanakiri province, on the north east of Cambodia a great destination to visit. Many of the inhabitants come from minority groups known as Khmer Leu (Upper Khmer), including Kreung, Tompuon and Jarai. These tribes have their own distinct language and customs, although they dress like other Cambodians. The province served as a base for the Khmer Rouge leadership during much of the 1960s. Pol Pot and Ieng Sary fled there in 1963 and established their headquarters in Ta Veng, in the north of the province;

We leave Kratie at 8 am. We had initially planned to go to Mondulkiri province but with the rains the road was deemed dangerous and could take lengthy hours in the mud. The taxi takes barely 4 hours to arrive to Ban Lung including a breakfast stop on the way. We check in and go for lunch. It rains heavily for more than an hour.

We rent a motorbike and head to Boeng Yeak Lom lake. The roads are dangerously wet and muddy. We end up at the lake covered in mud after 40 min of moto- skating. This crater lake was formed 700,000 years ago, situated amid pristine jungle. Some people say it was formed by a meteor strike as the circle is so perfect. The indigenous minority people in the area have long considered Yeak Lom a sacred place and their legend talk of mysterious creatures that inhabit the waters of the lake. The lake is indeed a perfect circle of clear waters surrounded by lush vegetation. We take a well deserved dip and hang around in the sunshine. On the way back, and after a couple of falls, we decide to give back the motorbike…

Trip of the Day

A car can be rented from Kratie to Ban Lung (Ratanakiri). Taxis can be rented in full for 70 usd. If you share, expect to be 7 to 8 people (4 at the back, 4 in front – driver included). If you rent the whole back seat, you’ll pay for 4 seats. = 50 usd

The trip takes only 4 hours. The road is excellent.

We stayed at Terres Rouges, a superb hotel, with lots of character. A double room with a good breakfast is 35 usd. Highly recommended. The restaurant is also very good.

We had lunch at Ratanak Hotel. Average food. Nothing special really.

You can rent a motorbike for 5 usd a day for a Korean bike or 7 usd for a Japanese. Be aware that during rainy season, roads are very slippery and quite difficult to drive.

Watch out for your clothes/money/camera as you swim in the lake. We’ve met people who just got all their stuff stolen, just as they swam, even close from the shore.