PREAH RUMKEL – 2 DAYS & 2 NIGHTS’ ACCOMMODATION & ACTIVITIES

Day 1:

• Guests usually arrive in afternoon (if you are taking the local public transport minivan leaving Steung Treng around 1/2pm ).
• Once you reach Preah Rumkel, you can take a tuk-tuk or motodop to your community guest house guesthouse. Often there are few waiting as the minivan arrives to the centre of the village.
• Depending on your transport, you might have time to relax or visit the local area.
• At around 5:00 to 6:00 pm you will be taken on a boat tour to see the Irrawady dolphins. The boat driver will take you upstream the Mekong to the protected area of Anlong Cheuteal Irrawaddy dolphin pool near the Lao border where dolphins are often seen. It is a nice boat trip on its own, even if you do not get close encounter with the dolphins.

(If you do not arrive on time the boat tour will be moved to the next morning since the best chance to see them is in the early morning or late afternoon.

• Once you are back from your boat trip, you will enjoy a delicious Khmer style dinner.
• After dinner you can relax and spend the night in the guesthouse.

Day 2:

• There is no set time breakfast, so you can sleep-in and have breakfast whenever you want.
• After your breakfast you’ll have time to walk around and explore the village, visit the O’Chab Water Rapids, swim in the Mekong river or relax at the local river beach.
• Once back at your homestay you will enjoy a delicious Khmer style dinner.
• After dinner you can relax in the guesthouse.

Day 3:

• Breakfast at your homestay
• Check-out at time of your choice

The homestays in the villages are of high standards with European style toilets and good bathroom facilities.

The houses have good quality facilities, matrasses, mosquito nets.

• Single or double room in a separate house with bed, mattress, mosquito net, cotton sheets, blankets, pillows
• External local style toilet and shower, shared with local family
• Electricity 24/7
• Provides drinking water
• Parking: car, van, motorcycle

This site is remote and getting there might be challenging for some, so here are several options:

From Siem Reap, Phnom Penh or any other part of Cambodia via Stung Treng:
If you are travelling from any part of Cambodia you will first have to reach Stung Treng by VIP bus or a car. From here there is a local bus going directly to the Preah Rumkel village; very cheap and amazingly convenient. But it only leaves once a day at 7am each morning from Stung Treng and arrives at 2pm in Preah Rumkel. It costs $5 and leaves from the main river stop, but tourists can expect to be charged a little more. There is no way to pre-book this transport, you just need to show up and go. If you are leaving from Prem Rumkel, you can speak to your homestay host and they can organise an early pick up from your homestay.

• Stay overnight in Stung Treng and travel the next day
  You can hire a private car or motor bike taxi to take you to the village which is a more expensive option but necessary if you are on a tight schedule

• From the Lao Border crossing
  There are minibuses leaving from Stung Treng several times a day. Some of them are going directly to the Lao border crossing while others continue further. Once you reach the border you will need to find your way to the ferry stop. Normally this would be motodop (motorcycle taxi, around $4). The crossing of the Mekong river costs $15 per boat, which can take up to 4 people. Next to the boat stop (on the Lao border crossing side) is a police station, so if you are travelling from Preah Rumkel to the Lao border your transport might be organised by one of the people working there. It is a fairly remote area, so local people are often happy to help you – generating many local solutions to your travel needs.