Kratie
Kratie (pronounced Krâchéh) is a tiny town in northeastern Cambodia. Despite its small size, it is the capital of the province of the same name. Kratie area is 11094 and the population about 276700 in 2005-07-01.
introduction
Kratie is one of the four provinces in northeastern Cambodia, and although it is relatively remote and not heavily touristed, travelling here won't earn you points for being a pioneer. There's no large scale tourism, but plenty of backpackers pour through here during the peak season. The town has developed to meet this demand, with very good budget accommodation that is well known in backpacking circles.
Get in
By road
From Kampong Cham (to the south) the road is currently in good repair. From Stung Treng (to the north) the road is good and has been sealed; if headed into Laos, a visa must be obtained in advance as they aren't yet available at the Lao border.
The bus/truck station is in the northwest part of the town.
Buses
to/from Stung Treng take about 3 hours. As with all forms of transport in Cambodia, get your bus ticket early, and show up even earlier to ensure you get the best seat, as buses will fill up fast as soon as they let people board. With the improving road conditions, bus services have improved and there are now a number of options between Stung Treng and Phnom Penh.
Trucks
go to various neighbouring towns and provinces but you have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of this form of transport carefully. They are less safe and often slower than buses, as well as being more expensive. The one (potentially) overriding positive is that riding in a truck you get the chance to have a much closer connection with local Khmers than if you were riding in a tourist bus, particularly as you'd be surprised how many Khmers in the provincial capitals are somewhat proficient in English. Expect to wait a couple of hours for the truck to fill up, assuming you're the first one there.
- to/from Kampong Cham: 10,000 riel in the back, 15,000 riel in the cabin, 8-10 hours
- to/from Stung Treng: 20-25,000 riel in the back, 25-30,000 in the cabin, 10-12 hours
- to/from Ratanakiri: US$12 in the back or in the cabin, 12 hours
By boat
With the improvement of the roads, ferry services along the Mekong River from Kampong Cham no longer run. If you are feeling adventurous, you might find a rice-barge on its way north from Kampong Cham.
Get around
As the town is so small, ignore offers from touts to take you from the bus stop into town, since it's a walk of just a few minutes. If you feel compelled to hire a motodop to take you anywhere within town, you won't need to pay anything more than 500 riel for your short journey. To visit sites outside the town, you'll need to hire a motodop for a few dollars - standard prices are posted around the guesthouses, typically US$3-5 depending how far and how long you go for.
Motorbike rentals are available at the Star Guesthouse. A 110cc Honda step through bike for US$6 per day, but it isn't really worth it. Given the tiny size of the town, you won't need one to do anything within Kratie itself, and the roads outside Kratie aren't in great shape.