Highlight - Ratanakiri

Ratanakiri, Northeastern Cambodia
Jungle Trek 3 Days
Visit with Kachok hill tribes
Stunning Primal Forest
Incredible Waterfalls
Rare Plants and Wildlife
Boat Trip on the Sesan River
Homestays with Indigenous groups

Duration 2 or 3 Days
Experiences Tour Guide English
Instant Confirmation
No Deposit Required
Free Cancellation 48 hours before
Mobile Voucher Accepted

Three day trek in Ratanakiri

No visit to Ratanakiri is complete without a spirit-awakening trek into the jungle that rolls majestically over the mountains of north-east Cambodia.

At Flexible Tours, we take your experience of trekking to the next level and along with breath taking views, prepare to meet friendly indigenous tribes and mischievous monkeys, all safe in the knowledge that you are doing so with one of the most ecologically sound providers available out of Banlung.

All our tours include a fluent English speaking guide and a local ranger to assure both your direction is focused and your interest is maintained. So, get your trekking shoes on because we have a program to suit all!

Trekking program:

Day One: Trekking with Flexible Tours is all about putting authenticity first. Arriving at the jetty in Veun Sai district brings you away from the clamor of the Cambodian cities and instantly transports you to a gentler side of our beautiful and unspoilt countryside. After picking up some water and maybe a refreshing cup of natural sugar cane juice from the surrounding marketplace, we board the local ferry heading for our first destination – Kos Piek village. Sit back and relax as you course through mile after mile of the rolling SeSan River – bookended on either bank by the enchanting wilderness of trees and undergrowth that tangle and entwine one another in their frozen embraces.

Local children signal the end of your boat trip and the start of your adventure on Kos Piek with the indigenous Kachok tribe. The surroundings have altered now to a time long ago, where a simpler existence dominated the planet. Huge swathes of paddy fields and banana groves are peppered periodically with cheery communities of locals that can sometimes be as intrigued with you as you are with them! Your trek begins amongst the combined chatter of the excited villagers and those tell-tale animal sounds of the Asian countryside – there can be no mistaking it; you’re in the jungle now!

Landscapes morph on this first day, from rice fields and pop-up villages, to extraordinarily labyrinthine bamboo forest – all the time being guided expertly by our English speaking trek leaders. Ever wondered what a nut fruit is? What on earth that huge spider is called? (Probably a Golden Orb – they’re massive!). Don’t hesitate to query as our guides are happy to help with their encyclopedic knowledge of your surroundings – after all, it is their home!

After lunch the trek continues apace and trails up and down rocky mountains, and along winding streams. Your reward for the sometimes challenging journey can be heard roaring a welcome at you through the bracken long before it hoves into view. The jungle waterfall is every traveler’s dream and doesn’t disappoint after a long, hot trek through the wilderness. Clear and refreshing, bathe and languish in the cleansing waters; you’ve earned it! While you do your guide and ranger will ensure further sumptuous treats, setting up a traditional fishing net to catch tomorrow’s breakfast and preparing tonight’s dinner – an astonishing curry cooked inside a bamboo tree. Pure heaven!

After such a long and full day your rest is assured beside the waterfall in an insect-proof hammock where you sway peacefully off into a well-deserved sleep to the soft lullaby of the waterfall’s song.

Day Two: As the sunlight pours into camp in the early morning. Make sure you take advantage of your environment one last time and go for a dip in the waterfall to start the day off. Surely there can be no better way to invigorate and inspire for the day ahead?! Breakfast is served and you won’t find a fresher alternative – fish caught from the waterfall itself are cooked to perfection on the campfire, along with tasty noodles and a quick coffee, if the water wasn’t enough to wake you up. Make sure you eat up though, today’s 20km trek requires all the energy you here.

Experiencing the jungle at this time in the morning is a real pleasure as the light plays down from the occasionally indiscreet canopy of trees above. Shafts of gleaming sunlight set the jungle alight and guide you on your way through this unblemished setting which is, in every sense, an ‘off the beaten track’ experience. Climb mountains of rock to hitherto unreached heights to indulge yourself with the stunning panoramas available and push on through the multitudes of stream and river crossings necessary to reach lunch; your first stop of the day. If you chose to go for two-day trek, I’m afraid your experience ends here. Sorry!

Picnic over and appetite sated for now, pick up your trek and eventually find yourself with a new natural vista to engorge your visual appetite. The stone field rises out of the jungle like a shambolic Stone Henge – there’s no order but what the Tropics have deposited here is tablet upon tablet of white stone that tic-tac their way around a 50m square distance. Truly a sight to behold, the locals frequent the area, with a tributary running picturesquely around it, as a popular fishing haunt, but tonight it could be your bedroom.

Not wanting to be too prescriptive about how you want your trek to be, the choice is yours as to whether you want your last night in Kos Piek to be spent amongst the white hunks of the stone field, a village residence as a homestay or on a local tribal farm. Whatever you decide the guides will be happy to lead you there for another delicious meal and truly unique experience.

Day three: Have a lie-in – you deserve it! The majority of your trekking has been completed by this point and so today is all about understanding the Kachok way of life. If you stayed in the village the night before you will already be a little familiar with this, but if not, a short walk to the local’s home starts the day after another nourishing breakfast.

Upon reaching the village, take the time to see how this ancient tribe spends their days, weaving baskets and collecting and processing the natural resources. Make sure you ask before taking photographs of the people as a sign of respect and courtesy, but if you do be sure to show them the images on your digital cameras to really bring the house down.

Next it’s off to the village cemetery, which may sound a little morbid, but nothing could be further from the truth. The cemetery is a celebration of life and all around the spell-binding site are over 100 wooden crypts and effigies of animals that represent the lives of those indigenous people now passed on. The stories of how these come about are fascinating and include sacrifice, reincarnation and bountiful offerings, but I’ll leave this to your guide to explain in full.

Lunch is a particular treat today. Sticky rice and locally-sourced produce give the food a distinctly regional flavor and if you’re feeling adventurous try some of the chili and garlic dipping sauce – not for the faint of stomach! Eating with the people is a rewarding and life-affirming experience not to be missed but unfortunately signals the end of your three-day adventure on Kos Piek. A quick walk back to the boat and you’re on your way back to a more recognizable civilization with both your stomach and your soul brimming over. Sleep may not be the same without the fire flies sparkling across the night sky, but at least you’ll always have the memories and dreams of your time in the jungle and the experiences we shared.

Day One