Private Car Transfer Phnom Penh – Kratie – Siem Reap

Day 1: Travel from Phnom Penh to Kratie

Explore Spider Town & Bamboo Bridge

You will be picked up between 8:00am and 9:00am from your hotel by a friendly English-speaking driver, and travel to the bustling provincial city of Kampong Cham. En route, you will have the opportunity to take a break at Skuon, affectionately known as Spider Ville, where it is possible to sample the local delicacy of the deep-fried tarantula and other fried insects. We make a short stop to explore this place and you can also taste various seasonal local fruits from the region and the Mekong Islands. However, if you don’t want to taste spiders, crickets, scorpions, grasshoppers or other insects, this is also a good place to take photos.

While you reach Kampong Cham, you can visit the famous bamboo bridge built across the mighty Mekong River connecting the mainland to Koh Pen Island. During the dry season (January-May), the bridge was built when the Mekong River was low and will be dismantled during the rainy season. Then if you interest, we can spend time wondering about French colonial buildings in the city center, as the town used to be a French colonial trading port. Kampong Cham, the name in English means “Port of the Chams”, the Chams being an ethnic people who have lived in the area for centuries.

We will have a lunch break at the Smile restaurant which serves tasty Khmer and Western dishes. The restaurant runs by the local NGO as a training restaurant for former street children, orphans and vulnerable youth.

Our road trip continues on the east side along the Mekong River passing rural villages of Khmer and Cham villages, farms, fishing spots, pagodas and beautiful landscapes. There are plenty of photo opportunities along the way. We then arrive Kratie and settle in at the hotel for the night. You have the rest of the day to spend as you wish. Strolling along the Mekong river and watching a beautiful sunset is an option.

Overnight stay in Kratie

Day 2: A Wonderful Day of Kratie

Option A: Dolphin Kayaking

Today, we learn about local lifestyles of the Kratie as well as their local productions and witness the one of the most endangered wildlife that habitat upriver at Kampi. We walk through the central Market of Kratie where you will see the local trades and see some of the old colonial building which remains from the French colony. Visit Wat Rokakandal which has a very unique wooden carving, dating from the 19th century, this is one of the oldest temples in the region and it is a rare traditional wooden pagoda was restored. Even being simple in design, it’s still worth paying a visit there to admire the beautiful stenciled interior pillars and an ornate timber roof, together with adjacent traditional wooden houses. Then, if you’re interest, we can also visit a mushroom farm.

Get back to town for lunch break and rest from the heat at your hotel for 1-2 hours.

We travel north by road for 27 km along the river to the village of Sandan where we will paddle a kayak downstream through the sand islands and flooded forest and enjoy the unique perspective of observing the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins from your kayak.

After enjoying an hour or more of dolphin watching, we return to Kratie.

Option B: Watching Dolphin by Boat

We begin our sightseeing tour after your breakfast at your desired time. Today, we learn about local lifestyles of the Kratie as well as their local productions and witness the one of the most endangered wildlife that habitat upriver at Kampi. We walk through the central Market of Kratie where you will see the local trades and see some of the old colonial building which remains from the French colony. Visit Wat Rokakandal which has a very unique wooden carving about 300 years of age.

The highlight of our day is a visit to one of the many deep pools where the rare river dolphins gather to feed. We board a local boat and head out onto the mighty Mekong to have a chance encounter with these gentle mammals. You will spend about an hour or more watching the dolphin from your boat and the boatman will paddle quietly to get as close as possible to the dolphin (dolphin sightings are guaranteed). Nature lovers and wildlife conservationists consider it as the best spot in the world to watch the Irrawaddy dolphins.

We then travel 1 km to Kampi River Rapids (January to May), it’s so perfect to spend a lazy and slow day in this scenic spot, swim in the refreshing waters, chill out with local snacks and cold drink. You can bring your own stuffs, otherwise there is a bunch of knick-knack shops and stalls selling local food and drinks on site. Locals go picnic here on weekends or public holidays. When water level in this part of Mekong drops sufficiently in dry season, many sandbars appear then wooden platforms are quickly established over these grounds with cool shady roofs. Hammocks and mats are available for rent by the hour. Wooden bridges are also set up to allow easy access to floating cottages.

Before finishing our day, we visit a small Buddhist temple perched high on a hillock Phnom Sombok. Being built in the 15th century, the temple is dedicated to a Buddhist monk named Neak Voan, who resided, meditated and taught his disciples here. Situated in between two mountain peaks, Phnom Sombok boasts scenic panorama views of Mekong River.

Overnight stay in Kratie

Day 3: Travel from Kratie to Siem Reap

Option A: Sambor Prei Kuk temples

After breakfast at the hotel, it’s time to travel to Siem Reap (8:00 am is recommended), the gateway to the legendary Angkor temples. We pass through the old river port of Chhlong, home to some of the country’s best examples of French colonial architecture, then cross the Mekong Bridge to Kampong Thom, the province located in the center of the country. Along the way, we pass through Cambodia’s rubber country, vast plantations originally established by the French and currently being redeveloped.

We arrive at the temples of Sambor Prei Kuk and local guides are on services to show you the cluster of pre- Cambodia’s most impressive Angkorian temple, Sambor Prei Kuk encompasses around two hundred brick temples scattered throughout the forest located in this province, including some of the oldest in the country. The Sambor Prei Kuk temples were the second capital of the Khmer Empire and built in the 7th century by King Isanvarman I when he succeeded in uniting the territories of Chenla Kork and the Khmer water territory of Chenla Toek. Sambor Prei Kuk was the capital of the Khmer Empire for many centuries. We then explore the major temples here, including Prasat Tao with its elaborately headdressed lions and Prasat Sambor, with its ruined shrines.

On the way to Siem Reap, we will stop at Kampong Kdei to see one of Angkor’s ancient bridges which were built to span rivers. Spean Praptos or Kampong Kdei bridge has over 20 arches and is a spectacular sight, reinforcing the impression that the Khmers were like the Romans of Southeast Asia. We continue towards Siem Reap and arrive at the town after 1 hour journey.

Option B: Visit the Floating Villages

After breakfast at the hotel, it’s time to travel to Siem Reap (8:00 am is recommended), the gateway to the legendary Angkor temples. We pass through the old river port of Chhlong, home to some of the country’s best examples of French colonial architecture, then cross the Mekong Bridge to Kampong Thom, the province located in the center of the country. Along the way, we pass through Cambodia’s rubber country, vast plantations originally established by the French and currently being redeveloped.

On the way, we will stop at Kampong Kdei to see one of Angkor’s ancient bridges which were built to span rivers. Spean Praptos or Kampong Kdei bridge has over 20 arches and is a spectacular sight, reinforcing the impression that the Khmers were like the Romans of Southeast Asia.

We travel north on national road number 6 to the typical Khmer village of Kompong Khleang where you visit to one of the largest and least visited villages on the Great Tonle Sap Lake. This is the largest community on the Tonle Sap lake, located on the northern lake-edge about 55 km east of Siem Reap town, with an economy based on fishing and surrounded by flooded forest. Visiting Kompong Khleang during the dry season is universally amazed by the forest of stilt houses rising up to 8 meters into the air. In the wet season the water rises up to one or two meters from the buildings.

You’ll take a wooden boat to the village where you will get a glimpse of daily life in Cambodia, discover an amazing and different way of life in the largest freshwater lake in South Asia, Tonle Sap. You get a fascinating insight into local life by exploring the stilt houses which, during the dry season, are 8m high, but during the rainy season they are only about 1 or 2 meter above water level. Explore the beautiful landscape of the flooded mangrove forest and learn about this incredible natural flood barrier. In the village where animals, pigs, dogs, chickens, ducks and of course humans live, all competing for space in this incredible floating villages. This is a unique experience offering a great outdoor adventure in the countryside of Siem Reap, it is definitely one of the highlights of a Cambodia holiday. Kompong Khleang is one of the unmissable floating villages. We continue towards Siem Reap and arrive at the town after 1 hour journey.

End of service, See you again on your next trip!