Mekong River Trip - Stung Treng
Stung Treng in Cambodia. Stung Treng is the capital of the province of the same name. The town lies 485 km north of Phnom Penh and 210 km south of Pakse in Laos, it’s only 40 km from the Lao border. The town is perched on the banks of the Sekong river, not far from the Mekong river. Sights around the town are few – a couple of rapids and waterfalls. You can rent a boat for trips along the Mekong. Stung Treng’s market is brimming with goods that come in by road, river, or plane, down from Laos, across from Vietnam, or up from Phnom Penh. Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese goods all find their way here.
You can reach Stung Treng by boat from Phnom Penh from September to January. To save time, take a fast boat to Kratie and change to a slow boat from Kratie to Stung Treng, or simply fly from Phompenh.
The Mekong River between Stung Treng and the Laos border is very light on population and heavy on the beautiful scenery. Boulder outcroppings, numerous sets of rapids, swirling pothole currents, wide sweeping stretches of river, and forested landscape along the banks all await the boat traveler. It makes for a great trip, either for the traveler that wants to continue to Laos or for those wanting to enjoy a wild stretch of the Mekong in Cambodia.
The Mekong River between Stung Treng and the Laos border is very light on population and heavy on the beautiful scenery. Boulder outcroppings, numerous sets of rapids, swirling pothole currents, wide sweeping stretches of river, and forested landscape along the banks all await the boat traveler. It makes for a great trip, either for the traveler that wants to continue to Laos or for those wanting to enjoy a wild stretch of the Mekong in Cambodia.
The sights we saw, the food we ate, the Khmer language we learned, and the fun banter that was had, were a daily occurrence on our CRDT tour. Thank you, Tola and your team.
I can highly recommend these guys if you want a reliable and trustworthy organization to show you the real Cambodian way of life. During this time we talked with local people, worked on community engagement projects, and basked in the beauty of the small island on the Mekong.
The Mekong River between the Laos border and Stung Treng is very heavy on stunning scenery and light on population. Wide sweeping stretches of river, swirling pothole currents, numerous sets of rapids, boulder outcroppings, and forested landscapes along the banks all await the boat travelers.
Either for travelers who want to continue to Laos or for those who are interested in enjoying a wild stretch of the Mekong in Cambodia, it makes for a great trip.
With a virtual forest of trees growing and countless sunken islands right in the middle of the river, the trip is difficult to downright impossible to make on this shallow stretch of the Mekong during the dry season. As they carefully try to choose the best way to guide their craft through the maze which is created by nature without losing a propeller to the river, the trip becomes a barrier course for the boat drivers during this time of the year. The period from May to November when sufficient upstream rains have increased the river to a level that allows the boats to carefully pass through is the best time of the year to take this trip.
Although once getting to the border area, there is not a whole lot to do, travelers can leave their passport with Cambodian immigration (at the small checkpoint on the river’s west bank) and cross to the Laos side to look at the tiny market in the Laos village of Geedahn and have a meal at a riverside restaurant.
Although you may be asked to see Cambodian immigration officers, you do not have to pay for it as it is not a fee set by the central government. On the Laos side of the river, you can also find a guesthouse to stay at near this village.
The trip is difficult to downright impossible to make on this shallow stretch of the Mekong during the dry season, with cont less sunken islands and a virtual forest of trees growing right in the middle of the river. The trip becomes an obstacle course for the boat drivers this time of the year, as they carefully try to choose the best way to guide their craft through the maze that nature has created without losing a propeller to the river. The best time of the year to take this trip is from May to November when sufficient upstream rains have raised the river to a level that allows the boats to pass through carefully.
The trip is difficult to downright impossible to make on this shallow stretch of the Mekong during the dry season, with cont less sunken islands and a virtual forest of trees growing right in the middle of the river. The trip becomes an obstacle course for the boat drivers this time of the year, as they carefully try to choose the best way to guide their craft through the maze that nature has created without losing a propeller to the river. The best time of the year to take this trip is from May to November when sufficient upstream rains have raised the river to a level that allows the boats to pass through carefully.
There is not a whole lot to do once you get to the border area, but travelers can leave their passport with Cambodian immigration (at the small checkpoint on the west bank of the river) and cross to the Laos side to eat at a riverside restaurant and look at the tiny market in the Laos village of Geedahn. Cambodian immigration officers may ask you to see them, but it is not a fee set by the central government so you don't have to pay it. There is also a guesthouse to stay at near this village (on the Laos side of the river, but a couple of hundred meters south along the riverbank where it is still Cambodia).
Which was built here for border traders that lose the daylight hours and need a place to spend the night. It's a nice enough place, but overpriced, with a room that includes two big beds and a fan going for US$ 8 a night. Electricity is running between dusk and midnight.
To take the trip, head down to the riverbank area (near the small bullet boats just east of the pier) in Stung Treng town before 8:30 am and talk to one of the operators of the small freight boats. The fare is 15,000 riel (one way) and the trip to the border area takes about 5. hours, but is cut down to just over three hours on the trip back south as the swift current on this stretch of the Mekong pushes the boats right along.
Stung Treng in Cambodia. Stung Treng is the capital of the province of the same name. The town lies 485 km north of Phnom Penh and 210 km south of Pakse in Laos, it’s only 40 km from the Lao border. The town is perched on the banks of the Sekong river, not far from the Mekong river. Sights around the town are few – a couple of rapids and waterfalls. You can rent a boat for trips along the Mekong. Stung Treng’s market is brimming with goods that come in by road, river, or plane, down from Laos, across from Vietnam, or up from Phnom Penh. Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese goods all find their way here.
You can reach Stung Treng by boat from Phnom Penh from September to January. To save time, take a fast boat to Kratie and change to a slow boat from Kratie to Stung Treng, or simply fly from Phompenh.
The Mekong River between Stung Treng and the Laos border is very light on population and heavy on the beautiful scenery. Boulder outcroppings, numerous sets of rapids, swirling pothole currents, wide sweeping stretches of river, and forested landscape along the banks all await the boat traveler. It makes for a great trip, either for the traveler that wants to continue to Laos or for those wanting to enjoy a wild stretch of the Mekong in Cambodia.
The Mekong River between Stung Treng and the Laos border is very light on population and heavy on the beautiful scenery. Boulder outcroppings, numerous sets of rapids, swirling pothole currents, wide sweeping stretches of river, and forested landscape along the banks all await the boat traveler. It makes for a great trip, either for the traveler that wants to continue to Laos or for those wanting to enjoy a wild stretch of the Mekong in Cambodia.
The sights we saw, the food we ate, the Khmer language we learned, and the fun banter that was had, were a daily occurrence on our CRDT tour. Thank you, Tola and your team.
I can highly recommend these guys if you want a reliable and trustworthy organization to show you the real Cambodian way of life. During this time we talked with local people, worked on community engagement projects, and basked in the beauty of the small island on the Mekong.
The Mekong River between the Laos border and Stung Treng is very heavy on stunning scenery and light on population. Wide sweeping stretches of river, swirling pothole currents, numerous sets of rapids, boulder outcroppings, and forested landscapes along the banks all await the boat travelers.
Either for travelers who want to continue to Laos or for those who are interested in enjoying a wild stretch of the Mekong in Cambodia, it makes for a great trip.
With a virtual forest of trees growing and countless sunken islands right in the middle of the river, the trip is difficult to downright impossible to make on this shallow stretch of the Mekong during the dry season. As they carefully try to choose the best way to guide their craft through the maze which is created by nature without losing a propeller to the river, the trip becomes a barrier course for the boat drivers during this time of the year. The period from May to November when sufficient upstream rains have increased the river to a level that allows the boats to carefully pass through is the best time of the year to take this trip.
Although once getting to the border area, there is not a whole lot to do, travelers can leave their passport with Cambodian immigration (at the small checkpoint on the river’s west bank) and cross to the Laos side to look at the tiny market in the Laos village of Geedahn and have a meal at a riverside restaurant.
Although you may be asked to see Cambodian immigration officers, you do not have to pay for it as it is not a fee set by the central government. On the Laos side of the river, you can also find a guesthouse to stay at near this village.
The trip is difficult to downright impossible to make on this shallow stretch of the Mekong during the dry season, with cont less sunken islands and a virtual forest of trees growing right in the middle of the river. The trip becomes an obstacle course for the boat drivers this time of the year, as they carefully try to choose the best way to guide their craft through the maze that nature has created without losing a propeller to the river. The best time of the year to take this trip is from May to November when sufficient upstream rains have raised the river to a level that allows the boats to pass through carefully.
The trip is difficult to downright impossible to make on this shallow stretch of the Mekong during the dry season, with cont less sunken islands and a virtual forest of trees growing right in the middle of the river. The trip becomes an obstacle course for the boat drivers this time of the year, as they carefully try to choose the best way to guide their craft through the maze that nature has created without losing a propeller to the river. The best time of the year to take this trip is from May to November when sufficient upstream rains have raised the river to a level that allows the boats to pass through carefully.
There is not a whole lot to do once you get to the border area, but travelers can leave their passport with Cambodian immigration (at the small checkpoint on the west bank of the river) and cross to the Laos side to eat at a riverside restaurant and look at the tiny market in the Laos village of Geedahn. Cambodian immigration officers may ask you to see them, but it is not a fee set by the central government so you don't have to pay it. There is also a guesthouse to stay at near this village (on the Laos side of the river, but a couple of hundred meters south along the riverbank where it is still Cambodia).
Which was built here for border traders that lose the daylight hours and need a place to spend the night. It's a nice enough place, but overpriced, with a room that includes two big beds and a fan going for US$ 8 a night. Electricity is running between dusk and midnight.
To take the trip, head down to the riverbank area (near the small bullet boats just east of the pier) in Stung Treng town before 8:30 am and talk to one of the operators of the small freight boats. The fare is 15,000 riel (one way) and the trip to the border area takes about 5. hours, but is cut down to just over three hours on the trip back south as the swift current on this stretch of the Mekong pushes the boats right along.
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