15 Days Self Drive Jeep Tour | The North East of Cambodia

Welcome to Cambodia!

Welcome to the magical land of Cambodia – the Kingdom of Wonder. Our team will meet you at the airport and transfer you directly to your hotel. Here you can check in and enjoy the hotels facilities getting used to your new environment before starting what will be a truly memorable journey.
In the afternoon you will have an orientation briefing (traffic rules, staff introduction, road explanation book, Jeep instruction, etc.) followed by a drive around Siem Reap for you to get familiar with things. You will be taken on different types of roads and in varying degrees of traffic in order for you to get completely comfortable.

Kulen National Park

Choose your jeep! This will be your home for the next 12 days!
About 60 kilometers away from Siem Reap rests the Phnom Koulen National Park. Phnom Koulen is one of the most scenic and historically significant locations in the area. Phnom Koulen is considered a sacred mountain in Cambodia, of special religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists who come to the mountain in pilgrimage.
Most of our guests consider the reclining Buddha as the highlight of this tour. Then there is an area of Hindu lingas on the riverbed; though nothing as extensive as Kbal Spean. Above one of the most spectacular 2 waterfalls in Cambodia, there are a number of temple sites with carved animal figures. At the base of the falls is a large pool where we can go for a refreshing swim. Later in the afternoon we will head back by taking the outback dirt paths. On the way you back you will visit the Landmine museum. The Cambodian Landmine Museum The Cambodian Landmine Museum and Relief Facility (Museum for short) was established in 1997 by ex-child soldier Aki Ra. After years of fighting he returned to the villages in which he planted thousands of mines and began removing them, by hand, and defusing them with homemade tools. This place will tell the story of landmines in Cambodia, how they have impacted the country’s past, present and will continue to impact its future. The story is told through the story of Aki Ra, the founder, who was suppressed into the Khmer Rouge Army as a child soldier, and spent his youth fighting in the wars that ravaged his country for nearly 35 years. In the late afternoon we will reach your accommodation in Siem Reap.

A breakfast you will never forget

Awake to the sounds of birds and enjoy a breakfast you will never forget. On a small sandy island you will haver the breakfast of your life. There is the possibility for a kayak tour through the remote flooded forests of Cambodia’s amazing Ramsar Wetlands.. A boat will provide backup. Many varieties of birds live in these forests. At the end of the morning, beginning of the afternoon we jump back in our jeeps and continue our way to Banlung. At the end of the day you will visit Yaklom Lake. This is one of the few crater lakes in Cambodia and dates back to approximately 4000 years ago. The lake is nearly 50 meters deep and ensures that the water is very clean and clear. There, you can walk around the lake, which is a popular attraction in the weekends. You can cool down on one of the wooden platforms and swim with the local population.

Beyond Banlung

In the morning, you will travel to Kachon by jeep where a boat awaits for you. After sailing the Tonle San River for half an hour, you’ll arrive at Koah Peak. This small village is very traditional and has no electricity, running water or any other facilities we normally expect. With your guide, you can take a tour of the village and meet the friendly inhabitants. The guide will take you the remnants from the Red Khmer period. The villagers have had to work hard during the Red Khmer but have survived this period, which is quite a miracle. The village is also the home to a very different ritual with regard to death. By the graves of the dead, large wooden puppets are placed to aid the survivors in the afterlife. These graves are unique in Cambodia and are only allowed to be visited by high exception and under strict supervision. Pieces of art and other objects that were important to the deceased are also placed by the grave. After this eccentric visit, you will return to Koah Peak by boat and then to Ratanakiri. Along the way, you will stop in a Krueng minority village.

Center of mountains

We are now halfway through our 14-day self-drive jeep tour of Cambodia’s north east. Today we will drive to Sen Monorom ( Mondulkiri province) . Mondulkiri is an eastern province of Cambodia, which is the most sparsely populated province in the whole country although being the largest province in Cambodia. The province is chock full of natural beauty, with thickly forested mountains, powerful waterfalls and the lush green rolling hills of the western side. We will visit also Busra waterfall. Busra is considered by many to be the most beautiful waterfall in Mondulkiri. The double-drop waterfall is very popular with the locals who use it as a bathing and picnic spot. Its top level is around 10m in height, and the lower level drops down 25m to the gorge. It is in a scenic and pristine setting and offers great photo ops.

Searching for the elephants

Driving through small villages and across a mountain pass before getting the opportunity to see how the beautiful Asian elephant lives in its natural environment. There are many elephant projects in Mondulkiri, but the Elephant Community Program is one of the smaller ones, working towards a sustainable future for the local community. A large proportion of the tour price will remain in this community allowing the mahouts to make a living to support their families, and keeping the elephants away from hard labour working in the forest. You will be able to learn about how the elephants live, what they eat and how they have integrated with the local people.. As the focus of the program is elephant care, riding the elephants is not permitted. However, you will have the chance to feed them some bananas or bamboo before you say your goodbyes to the magnificent beasts. In the afternoorn we will drive through minority villages and discover more of the Mondulkiri outback. As you return to Sen Monorom you will be accompanied with the memories of a unique and unforgettable trip.

The Old Governors mansion

Travelling from Sen Monorom to the Kratie you will see more beautiful countryside as you descend into the plains of the Mekong River.
On the east side of the Mekong lies the old French colonial city Chloung. A peaceful and traditional town, we will stay the night in the former Governors mansion dated from 1916 where we can really experience the feeling of Cambodia’s colonial past.

Spotting the dolphins

We drive our jeeps along the bank of the Mekong and pass some of the Cham Muslim villages. These sprang up when the Cham people fled the Vietnamese conquest and remained in their new home, adding new dimension to the area. In Kampi, 12km north of Kratie we will go onboard and we try to spotting the Irrawaddy dolphins. These rare, endangered freshwater dolphins make their home on a beautiful stretch of the Mekong River near a small set of rapids. There is a very high chance of seeing them play in the rapids so keep your camera stand-by! After Kampi we will continue our way to Koh Trong. You will go by ferry to the island of Koh Trong. With a local guide you will explore this island paradise by bike and you will get an explanation about the lifestyle of the residents and the products that are grown there

Chloung to Kampong Thom

We drive our jeeps along the bank of the Mekong and pass some of the Cham Muslim villages. These sprang up when the Cham people fled the Vietnamese conquest and remained in their new home, adding new dimension to the area. We will take the ferryboat and cross the mighty Mekong River. The 12th longest river in the world, it flows from high up in the Tibetan Plateau, all the way to the South China Sea, some 4,500 km from its source. It provides the life blood for so many people and its impressive size and power can only really be appreciated first hand. Before we reach in Kampong Thom , we will stop at to see some truly impressive carvings. From huge stone blocks, sometimes as big as 8 meters, the stone mason chisels and carves some extremely impressive sculptures. The sheer amount of detail involved in some of his work is exceptional and you will have ample time to admire his work.

Boat tour floating village

Today we will leave Kampong Thom and head for the city of Siem Reap. We have a short stop in Kampong Kdei. Here you will see one of the finest and best preserved bridges built by the Khmer kings. This bridge dates back to the 10th century. Second stop is at Kampong Kleang , the largest floating village of Cambodia. During the dry season we will drive with our jeep between the stilts on which the houses are built, rising up to 10 meters in the air. In the wet season, the water level reaches its peak and can rise up to 1 or 2 meters above the building floors. We will offer you a boat ride through the village and have the chance to meet the locals. At the end of the day, we return to the jeep and start driving back to Siem Reap

Discover Angkor Wat

After breakfast, you will drive your jeep to explore one of the largest and most beautiful temple complexes of the world, Angkor Wat, together with a guide. The world heritage temple originates from the 12th century and is an experience of mystique and beautiful sculptures. First, we will visit Angkor Wat itself and we will walk between one of the most important temple of the no less than 110 temples. Before we continue we will quench our thirst with a soda or perhaps a fresh coconut? A short drive takes us to Angkor Thom, which consists of, among others, the 12th century Bayon. The 54 four-headed Buddha statues are one of the most impressive sights of the temple complex. Later that day, we will visit the Ta Phrom temple. This is one of the few temples that has been kept in its original state. It has become famous because of the movie Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie. The temple is partly overgrown with trees with gigantic roots, that have ‘nestled’ themselves on and in the stone blocks.
Remarks

Time to say goodbye… 15 Days Self Drive Jeep Tour

The final journey of your trip in Cambodia will be a private transfer to the airport in Siem reap to catch your flight. We hope that you have enjoyed a wonderful trip through this truly beautiful country, and that you are leaving with happy memories which will last a lifetime. Cambodia has so much more still to offer, and we would be delighted to welcome you back anytime to show you more of this fantastic country and its charming people. Have a save trip and we hope to see you again,

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