Top things to see in Ratanakiri, Cambodia

Long almost inaccessible, the remote Ratanakiri Province, in the Northeast of Cambodia, is slowly opening up to tourism and revealing its wild beauty. You will discover a region including hills, mountains, plateaus, plains, crater lakes, and a beautiful ethnic mosaic. This is a Cambodia with raw beauty far from the tourist circuits and preserved authenticity aimed at seasoned travelers. What to see and do in Ratanakiri? Don't miss anything in this majestic region.

Discover the many waterfalls

Ratanakiri Province, a natural jewel of Cambodia, is home to many waterfalls. Discovering them is an opportunity for beautiful hikes through generously flourishing nature and refreshing swims. Don't miss out on discovering:

+ Cha Ong Waterfalls are among the largest waterfalls near the provincial capital of Ratanakiri, Ban Lung, with an overhang of about twenty meters. They are nestled in a magnificent natural setting, in the middle of the forest in Cha Ong Village. It’s a very popular place to relax, to picnic and a good swim for its natural pool ideal.

+ Okatchang Waterfall is 12 meters high. In February, a beautiful variety of wild orchids bloom there.

+ Katieng Waterfall is worth the detour for its location in the heart of a beautiful lush forest. The waterfall is about 10 meters high and forms a stone cirque in the middle of dense vegetation. This is an ideal place to take a dip and relax!

+ Sean Lae Waterfall is the furthest from Ban Lung but you won't regret the 26km hike on a red dirt track lined with rubber plantations. The waterfall consists of 4 levels of 4 meters each nestled in a thick jungle. Sean Lae Falls is stunning just after the rainy season when it is swollen with water.

Yak Loum Crater Lake

This stunning, perfectly circular lake is the remains of a 700,000-year-old volcanic crater! The lake and its surrounding area are considered sacred by the ethnic minorities who inhabit the Ratanakiri Province. The surrounding tribes believe that the lake is inhabited by protective spirits and mysterious aquatic creatures. Set in beautiful greenery, Yak Loum Crater Lake is an ideal destination for picnics and swimming.

Virachey National Park

The largest national park in Cambodia is so vast that its natural riches have not all been recorded. This is a very popular destination for hiking and wilderness enthusiasts. The park is home to many animal species such as leopards, wild elephants, gibbons, pangolins, bears and birds but also a remarkable flora with many plants that constitute the pharmacopoeia of the hill tribes. Most of the park is made up of hills and mountains between 400 meters and 1,500 meters above sea level where dense forests, jungle, highland savannah, bamboo groves and some mixed deciduous forests coexist. It is one of the 2 parks in Cambodia declared as a priority by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the preservation of Southeast Asia.

Discover the gemstone mines

In surprising lunar landscapes, Ratanakiri Province is home to many gemstone mines. Moreover, the most beautiful blue zircons come from the mines of the Bor Keo District located about thirty kilometers from the regional capital Ban Lung. Men descend through shafts leading to a complex of underground galleries to extract the precious and semi-precious stones. The shafts, ten to fifteen meters deep, were dug by the strength of their arms. The mining holes are quite numerous and the population of miners is rather cosmopolitan since there are Vietnamese, Jarai and Khmers.

Meet the ethnic minorities

Sparsely populated, the provinces of Ratanakiri and Mondolkiri are home to a dozen ethnic groups from the Khmer Loeu who live grouped in villages. These peoples are animists and still practice ritual animal sacrifices such as the sacrifice of the buffalo and practice particular funeral rites such as their superb tombs decorated with statues and totems in magnificently carved wood. The Khmer Loeu maintain a traditional habitat made of wood and bamboo in the form of communal long houses or individual round huts that are often on stilts. Do not miss discovering a Kroeung village which is distinguished by its unique architecture of its bachelors' houses, small huts perched on long bamboo where young people of marriageable age live until they find their spouse.

Discovering the villages of ethnic minorities will allow you to see the volcanic rock field of Veyrum Plang along the way, take an excursion on the back of elephants or take a ride in a motorized pirogue on the Tonle Sap and Tonle Srepok rivers.

The Terres Rouges Lodge

This is the most beautiful address to stay in Ratanakiri, in Ban Lung the provincial capital. It’s a charming place that harmoniously combines comfort and tradition with its elegant Cambodian villa in precious wood added to bungalows located in the middle of a huge exotic garden.

When to go to Ratanakiri?

The dry season from November to May is the best time to visit Ratanakiri during a trip to Cambodia.

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