Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 097 303 3680) Ban Lung's two resident elephants tote tourists for rides in the village of
Kateung near the Ka Tieng Waterfall. The one-hour loop, which starts and ends near the
waterfall entrance, takes place in a small patch of jungle improbably preserved amid fields
of cashew and rubber trees. The usual charge is US$15/20 per elephant for one/two riders
if you arrange it through the owner, Mr Bunma, and get there on your own. Guesthouses
will obviously charge a bit more to set this up.
Tours
Overnight treks with nights spent camping or staying in minority villages north of Veun
Sai or Ta Veng are popular. Day tours usually take in some combination of waterfalls,
Boeng Yeak Lom, elephant rides, minority villages, gem mines and jungle walks. Figure
on US$45 or $50 per day per person for a couple (less for bigger groups).
Keep in mind that trekking in Virachey National Park is the exclusive domain of Vir-
achey National Park Eco-Tourism Information Center ( Click here ) . Private tour operators
also offer multiday treks, but these only go as far as the park's buffer zone. There's little
forest left standing outside the park boundary, so be careful that you're not being taken for
a loop - literally - around and around in the same small patch of forest. Despite being
shut out from the park, private operators can still design creative treks that take in minor-
ity villages and scenic spots around the province.
Backpacker Pad, Tree Top Ecolodge, Terres Rouges (which can provide French-speak-
ing guides) and Yaklom Hill Lodge are good at arranging tours, but we recommend using
one of the following dedicated tour companies:
TOUR
Highland Tours
( 097 658 3841, 088 870 3080; highland.tour@yahoo.com) Kimi and Horng are husband-and-
wife graduates of the Le Tonlé Tourism Training Centre ( Click here ) in Stung Treng who
have moved to the highlands to run a range of tours, including fun day trips and a multi-
day tour from Itub (northwest of Veun Sai) to Siem Pang by bike, then on to Stung Treng
by boat. Horng is the only female guide in Ratanakiri.
Khieng
( 097 923 0923; khamphaykhieng@yahoo.com) Bespectacled Khieng is an indigenous Tom-
puon guide who runs unique one- to two-night trips in some fairly well-preserved jungle
around Lumphat with overnights in minority villages. His tours are cheap - he seems
genuinely interested in seeing money go to Tampuon communities and guides - so tip him
TOUR
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