With the emergence of Cambodia as a tourist destination after decades of tyranny and occupation tour operators are promoting the adventure destinations of the country.
While the majority of people travel to Cambodia to visit the Angkor Temples in Siem Reap there are hideaway places off the beaten tourist track for the more adventurous traveller. In Cambodia this encompasses travelling away from the Siem Reap – Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville route to explore the relatively sparsely populated areas of Cambodia.
What there area offer world not be classes as adrenaline – pumping for the true adventure junkie. They are adventurous travel activities which the whole family can enjoy. These activities could include bicycling, hiking or trekking.
The visit to Angkor Wat can be extended to a cycling tour of the whole Angkor Archaeological Park this giving plenty of options of exploring away from the heavy tourist traffic favoured sites of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. There is the opportunity to visit the other spectacular temples enclosed by the surrounding jungle.
Travelling up the Mekong River north from Phnom Penh takes the traveller into the sparsely populated areas of Cambodia which have not yet been fully developed in a commercial sense. This is the true heart of Cambodia where although the people may be the poorest in the country through their friendliness they would rank the richest. It is possible to cycle the tracks and roads following the river north from village to village. A popular cycling route is the 30 kilometres trip from Kratie up to Kampi to visit the rare Irrawaddy dolphins.
To the northwest of the Mekong River are the provincial areas of Rattanakari and Mondulkiri, The Banlung area of Rattanakari has a growing reputation as the base for trekking around the crater lakes and the many waterfalls around the district. The waterfalls can be viewed flowing all year round. The area also has a National Park to the north and the Kumphat Wildlife Sanctuary to the South of Banlung.
Moving from the jungle areas of Rattanakiri to the more hilly areas of Mondulkiri offers a tougher adventure schedule to the visitor. Choices include three day elephant treks though the densely forested hills, visits to the ethnic tribes in hillside villages, and catching the spectacular views of the waterfalls. The Bou Sraa Waterfall is the most famous in Cambodia.
Moving to the South of the country the coastline area is developing an aquatic adventure following. Besides the very safe swimming beaches there are a number of authorised PADI dive centres based in Sihanoukville. They can cater for any diving adventure from snorkelling trips to scuba diving for beginners to the most experienced divers. There islands in the Gulf of Thailand with their coral reefs supporting many varieties of marine life will satisfy there adventure urge of all visitors.
