Banlung

Banlung is a small town in northeastern Cambodia, and is the capital of the province of Ratanakiri. This part of the country is heavily jungled, and home to 12 different ethnic minority groups, giving the province a sort of "edge of civilization" feel to it.

Get in

By Plane

Banlung has an airfield nearby, and flights on both Royal Phnom Penh Airways and President Airlines are available. Between them, five or six flights a week find their way up to this backwater province, and a two-way journey on one of these will cost you around $110 for a roundtrip flight. Be aware that at Pochentong Airport in Phnom Penh a $6 departure tax will be levied on you (make sure you're sitting down when you read what the charge is when you board a plane to leave the country!).

Overland

Overland travel to Banlung is possible, but for most people this involves taking a boat first to Stung Treng, to bypass the extremely bad road between that town and Kratie Both locals and expats alike agree that said highway is the single worst road on the planet.

Once in Stung Treng, take a shared taxi or a truck to Banlung, which will cost you 15,000 riel in the back of the truck and 25,000 riel in the cabin of the truck.

Shared taxi fares are negotiated, but generally much more expensive. The more people taking the taxi, the less money each of you will have to shell out, so taking one of these may only be the best option if you're in a group of three or four.

'By Boat

As mentioned above, overland travel from Phnom Penh for all but the most adventurous (or suicidal) travellers involves taking a ferry first to Stung Treng.

On a ferry from Kratie to Stung Treng costs approximately $7 and should take about five hours.

Get around

The single best way to get around Ratanakiri province is by motorcycle, either by renting one and then driving it yourself, or by hiring one of the ubiquitous motodop drivers hanging all around town. Be mindful of the fact that almost no one outside the town will speak English, so it may be a good idea on hiring a guide (if you have your own motorcycle) to go with you to some of the villages.

For motorbike rentals, the best place to do so is at the Ratanak Hotel, which is detailed below. Readily available are the smaller 110cc step through bikes for about $6 per day, these are the types that you will be seeing every Khmer driving. If you'd prefer a bigger bike, they will be able to track down a 250cc bike for $10 per day.

You can also rent trucks or 4 wheel drive vehicles if you'd like, but the cost of renting them for a day ($30-40 per day) is often quite prohibitive.

See

Yeak Laom Volcanic Lake is a 700,000 year old volcanic crater lake in the Yeak Laom Commune Protected Area. The lake itself, as well as the surrounding areas, are considered sacred by the local tribal minorities, and many a legend abound about this lake. There are docks on the lake, and swimming and picknicking are options here. There is also a hiking trail which winds around the lake. There is a entrance fee of 4,000 riel ($1 USD) for this area.

Virachey National Park is about 37 kilometres northeast of town, and borders Laos and Vietnam. It's chock full of jungle and mountains, and hasn't been completely explored yet.

Do

Banlung is situated near several spectacular natural attractions, including waterfalls, natural parks, and local tribes.

As you might have figured out from all the gem dealers in town, Banlung and the Ratanakiri province is a significant gem mining area. Miners work in the Bokeo mines about 36 kilometres from the town extracting the gems which sometimes end up for sale in Banlung's market. For more information on a tour, ask your guesthouse.

Wat Rahtanharahm is located about 1 kilometre out of town at the base of Eisey Patamak Mountain. Inside is a large reclining Buddha situated amongst a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside.

There are several local waterfalls, and they are best seen during the rainy season when the water volume is at its highest and the vegetation is lush and green. Cha Ong is the most toured waterfall in the area, and is 18 metres high. The rock area behind the waterfall has been eroded away over the centuries by the waterfall, thus allowing you to walk behind the fall. Kan Chang is another fall, this one approximately 7 metres in height. It empties into a large pool in which it is possible to swim. Ka Tieng is a third waterfall, this one 10 metres tall, in the jungle which also allows swimming. Each of these charge a 2,000 riel entry fee in addition to whatever you shell out to get there in the first place.

Buy

Banlung's market, Phsar Banlung, is your standard Cambodian market, carrying everything you've come to expect from a Cambodian market. There are no banks whatsoever in Banlung, and since the guesthouses in town that will cash your traveller's cheques do so with a stiff commission, you should come here with enough cash to get you back to whatever major urban centre you're headed to next.

At the crack of dawn, many of the Khmer Loeu people come to the Phsar Banlung market laden with fruits, vegetables, and forest products from their villages. Not only is this a good shopping opportunity, it makes for a very photogenic scene (if you can get permission, of course).

Eat

Though tasty, there's nothing about the cuisine available to signficantly differentiate it from that available in other Cambodian towns and cities.

Aside from restaurants located in guesthouses, one local favourite is the American Restaurant, which serves a variety of Cambodian and Western food. The staff are very friendly and engaging. Dishes go for from $1.

At the Breakfast Restaurant Cambodian breakfast dishes are served. It's a very noisy place, and inside it are four televisions that stay on as long as business is open.

Le Jovial Jarai is the finest restaurant in town. It serves a variety of Cambodian, Thai, Chinese, and even some Western dishes. Included in the restaurant is a full bar.

Sleep

Chheng Luc Hotel is a new hotel, featuring fan rooms with air conditioning, hot water, and satellite TV. The staff speak a little English as well. $5-10.

Mountain Guesthouse is popular with the rock-bottom budget travellers, and features fan rooms, some with attached bathrooms. One major bonus point is the free laundry service, a relative rarity amongst budget places in Cambodia. $2-10.

Ratanak Hotel, 075-974033, is the most popular hotel in town. It's a 32 room hotel with fans and air conditioning, and a very good restaurant downstairs serving a wide variety of Eastern and Western food. $5-10.

And what listing of accommodation for Banlung would be complete without mentioning the (in)famous Tribal Hotel? This place sprung up relatively recently, but already charges more than most for its rooms, with one option here being a $50 per night wooden house! The standard rooms have nice decor, with (at this price, of course!) fans, air conditioning, and cable TV. The standard rooms go for a more moderate $15-20.

Get out

Taking a flight out of Banlung is definitely the fastest way for you to get back to civilization in Phnom Penh, and if you came out here with a roundtrip ticket, you have nothing to worry about.

It's possible to secure a direct truck from here to Phnom Penh for A $20, 20 hour trip, but needless to say most mentally sound people opt out of this one. A much more sensible option is to break up your journey much the same way you came in; a truck to Stung Treng, and then boat your way back to Kratie, though you may want to take the boat all the way to Kampong Cham as that's where the good highways stop.

The authors of this document are Brian Hnatiak and the following WikiTravel users: Xltel. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Banlung.