Ratanakiri
Rôtanak Kiri is a Provinces of Cambodia. Rôtanak Kiri area is 10782
Introduction
Is a bit of paradise for the naturalist. Remnants of an ancient volcano exist in the form of a crystal-clear lake that was formed after the active volcano went dormant. There are also a few ancient lava fields that testify to the fact that the area was quite lively at one time.
Beautiful waterfalls, clear rivers winding through stretches of jungle, and rolling hills that meet mountains near the Vietnam and Laos borders provide a full agenda for nature lovers.
Rattanakiri is the home of Cambodia’s version of the Golden Triangle. Unlike the other one of illicit drug fame, this triangle is gaining popularity for its natural beauty and self-sufficient hill tribe communities, untouched and not a part of the tourism industry as they are in neighboring Thailand. Non-structured, low-impact, custom trips to outlying villages and natural areas can be organized (strictly by yourself or with help from a guesthouse).
You will soon ralizee that this area has not seen a lot of tourists. If you do happen upon hill tribe people in the areas outside of Banllung, don’t be surprised if they look at you in horror and turn to run away. They just haven’t seen many, if any, foreigners.
Banlung town is the seat of the province. It has recently grown more visitors friendly. They see Banlung as a nice quiet area in which to raise their families and try their hand at being entrepreneurs.Yeak laom Volcano Lake
This beautiful place is not far from town and is great for a swim, picnic, or hike around the crater rim of the old volcano. And it has a small informative local museum thrown in to boot. In 1995 the governor of Rattanakiri officially set aside a 5,000-hectare (12,350-acre) protected area, of which the lake is a part, and in 1996 got help from the International Development and Research Center of Canada and the United Nations Development Program to develop an effective resource management program.
This area represents Cambodia’s finest attempt at preserving a site. Full-time rangers work to ensure the area is protected. They receive regular training and have put up signs throughout the area reminding people not to littler, wash clothes, bathe or toilet in the lake. Amazing for Cambodia.
The main swimming and picnic area features a nice wood deck that’s great to use for a jump into the sparking clean water. Nearby, park rangers erected a couple of examples of hill tribe construction in the form of non politically correct bride and groom homes, where the man gets the elevated home (his status in the relationship) and the woman has the one nearer to the ground.
A few hundred meters down is the Cultural and Environmental Center, which has information about area history and displays of local hill tribe tools and handiwork. They also sell some of the handicrafts made by the hill tribes: musical instruments, beaded belts, shirts, and hats.
From the center you can take a nature trail around the entire crater rim. King Sihanouk had a chalet built on the shores of the lake and used it during the 1960s. It was destroyed in the 1970 war between the Lon Nol government and Khmer Rouge guerillas. You can still see the remnants of this and also-indifferent spots around the lake-trenches that held gun emplacements during the fighting.
The inhabitants of the area. The Khmer Leu hill tribe people have always recognized the lake as a sacred place, home to the spirits of the land, water, and forest. Here those spirits interact with humans and, according to the local legend of Yeak Laom Lake, fabulous, spiritual aquatic beings reside here. The surrounding forests of the area are also said to be the home of spirits and therefore can’t be cut. This helps to explain why the hill tribe people took so strongly to the idea of protecting the area.
It’s very easy to get to-just go east from the Independence Monument circle 3 km to the Hill Tribe Monument circle and go right about 1,5 km to the entrance gate. The local hill tribe community connected to the lake get to collect an entrance fee, giving them a source of income and revenue for protecting their resource. It’s only a few hundred riel per person and a few hundred for a motorcycle.
Geography
Ratanakiri is situated on the north - east plateau , 636 Km from Phnom Penh. It is bordering Vietnam on the east, Laos PDR on the North, Steung Treng on the West and Mondul Kiri on the South. There are two rivers crossing the province ( Sre Pork and Sresan River )
People
There are 8 different hill tribes ethnic groups. They like to live in the jungles, hills, mountains in small separated villages where they make their living through traditional ways of cultivation ( shifting agriculture), hunting and collecting fruits, must from the forest. They believe in spirits, derived from their animism beliefs. There are 63,333 male and 64,774 female with total 128,107
Climate
Ratanakiri Province has a climate like the other areas in the country, there are 3 seasons :
- Rainy season: June - October
- Cool season: November- February
- Hot season: March- May : Temperature: from 20c -32c
Get In
By Air
Flying is, of course, the easy way to go. There are only 2 flights per week. But nowsday there have no fly.
By Share Taxi
The share taxi pickup trucks only go from here to Stung Treng Bring food, water, and mosquito repellent because if there is a breakdown on this bumpy backwoods road you may be caught in the jungle for the night. Share taxis usually go in groups in case of a breakdown, but with the other vehicles usually full as well, people do get stranded at times. The five-hour trip stretches to seven hours for share taxis during the rainy season.
The fare is 30,000 riel per person for an inside seat.
Banlung to Stung Treng
The 146-km journey from Banlung to Stung Treng took 51/2 hours during the rainy season, so knock at least an hour off that in the dry season. The road is generally lousy, passing through areas of bomb craters that create deep lakes during the rainy season, but you can skirt around the perimeter of most of them. Where you can’t, the road goes zigzagging through the jungle, and is slow and slippery in the wet months. How ever, there are a few decent stretches, and the last 19 km on Highway 7 are fairly easy ones. It’s certainly not one of the better roads, but it’s not the worst either. There is some nice scenery, but as with other bad highways around Cambodia, you are usually too preoccupied with the road to enjoy it unless you stop.
The same suggestion we made in the share taxi section applies for riders on this road. Bring food, water and mosquito repellent. If you have a breakdown there may not be anyone else coming by, depending on the time of day. It’s always best to get an early start to improve your chances if you do have a problem.
Banlung to Mondulkiri
If you came from Stung Treng and want to try the back trail to Mondulkiri ( Sen Monorom) and it’s the rainy season, read the Death Highway chapter. Or follow the simple advice we gave in the Mondulkiri section: don’t do it.
In the dry season, it’s a tough trail that will put your riding skills to the test. Make sure you have spare parts for your motorcycle (see Biker Checklist in Getting Around chapter), and bring plenty of food and drinking water. The trip will take a couple of days during the dry season and Kaoh Nhek town (near halfway) is the only place that sells bottled water and some food. Fuel is available there as well. Don’t do it alone. It’s best to have some help if you have a breakdown or a mishap. You are a long way from help in most stretches of this remote trail. It would also be best to bring along a Khmer speaker as the trail sometimes intersects with other trails and you will want to clarify that you took the proper way when you do come across somebody. It’s definitely an adventure, so if you try to tackle it be fully prepared so you have an opportunity to enjoy it. Security these days has not been a problem.