Eastern Cambodia - Cambodia - page 543

KRATIE PROVINCE
Pretty Kratie Province spans the Mekong, from which much of Kratie's population makes
its living. Beyond the river, it's a remote and wild land that sees few outsiders. Many visit-
ors are drawn to the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins found in Kampi, about 15km north
of the provincial capital. The town of Kratie is a little charmer and makes a good base from
which to explore the surrounding countryside.
The provincial capital was one of the first towns to be 'liberated' by the Khmer Rouge
(actually it was the North Vietnamese, but the Khmer Rouge later took the credit) in the
summer of 1970. It was also one of the first provincial capitals to fall to the liberating Viet-
namese forces in the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge on 30 December 1978.
DOLPHIN-WATCHING AROUND KRATIE
The freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin (trey pisaut) is an endangered species throughout Asia, with shrink-
ing numbers inhabiting stretches of the Mekong in Cambodia and Laos, and isolated pockets in
Bangladesh and Myanmar. The dark blue to grey cetaceans grow to 2.75m long and are recognisable by
their bulging foreheads and small dorsal fins. They can live in fresh or salt water, although they are sel-
dom seen in the sea. For more on this rare creature, see www.panda.org/greatermekong .
Before the civil war, locals say, Cambodia was home to as many as 1000 dolphins. However, during
the Pol Pot regime, many were hunted for their oils, and their numbers continue to plummet even as
drastic protection measures have been put in place, including a ban on fishing and commercial motor-
ised boat traffic on much of the Mekong between Kratie and Stung Treng. The dolphins continue to die
off at an alarming rate, and experts now estimate that there are fewer than 85 Irrawaddy dolphins left in
the Mekong between Kratie and the Lao border.
The place to see them is at Kampi, about 15km north of Kratie, on the road to Sambor. A moto /
remork should be around US$7/10 return depending on how long the driver has to wait. Motorboats
shuttle visitors out to the middle of the river to view the dolphins at close quarters. It costs US$9 per
person for one to two persons and US$7 per person for groups of three to four. Encourage the boat
driver to use the engine as little as possible once near the dolphins, as the noise is sure to disturb them.
It is also possible to see them near the Lao border in Stung Treng Province.
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Kratie
072 / POP 42,000