Ratinikiri is a remote province in Cambodia’s northeastern corner. I took my first actual vacation since being here in Cambodia and traveled to Ratinikiri with fellow volunteer Evan Miller. Because of it’s seclusion, it served as a base for the Khmer Rouge leadership during much of the 1960s, and Pol Pot himself hid out here in 1963. Now it is a place renowned for natural beauty, and home to a collection of Cambodia’s minority tribes, each with their own languages, traditions, and customs.

It took me two days to get there. The first day I traveled from my home village to Phnom Penh. Then it was an 8-hour bus journey from Phnom Pehn on a frequently very rough dirt road. It was not without any luxury however. The bus had air-conditioning, which, sort of worked, most of the time. It also had an on board TV with an endless supply of Khmer Karaoke music videos, and the popular, but to me, truly awful, slapstick Khmer comedy shows featuring men wearing dresses and midgets with painted mustaches.

We based out of Ban Lung, Ratinikiri’s provincial town. Ban Lung is not a large place, but is tidy and has all the essentials including a large market and some good food. The various tribal populations gather here to buy and sell goods at the market.

The local economy is rapidly shifting. Large-scale rubber and cashew tree plantations are replacing the jungles of Ratinikiri. Hillsides that once were jungle supporting subsistence farming and traditional hunter gatherer practices, are now falling to clear cut slash and burn.

We found a relaxing lodge to stay in called Tree Top. It is a series of small cabins built on a jungle hillside amongst the sweet smell of jackfruit trees. Imaging waking up every morning to the sweet fruity smell of Juicy Fruit gum.

Ratinikiri’s environmental highlights include beautiful jungle waterfalls and lakes. We spent the majority of our time exploring several of them. It was uplifting for me to see clear flowing water and have the chance to do a little swimming, two things I do not have amid the flat muddy rice paddies in my village.

A local management committee manages the waterfalls. As you enter each area, you pay a small fee that goes to support the community development plan, and presumably maintain the area. The sites we visited are the cleanest and most litter free of any place I have seen in Cambodia. In fact, I think I can say this of Ratinikiri in general.

The first waterfall we visited is called Katieng Waterfall. It starts as a series of cascades and terminates as twin 33 foot (10 meter) waterfalls plunging into a large jungle pool.

There is a demonstration village here exhibiting the tall stilted traditional houses of the Kreung tribe minority group. The more enduring cement and wood plank metal roofed houses seen in the south are replacing most of the houses like this. I am told these traditional structures have to be rebuilt ever few years.

Cha Ong (Ung) waterfall was my favorite. A wooden staircase descends into the jungle below accessing this large 98 foot (30 meter) waterfall. Evan and I spent several hours here swimming and just enjoying having the place entirely to our selves. One of the incredible things about the day was that we hardly saw any other people. In Cambodia, it is hard to find a place with no other people.

Kachanh waterfall has no pool at its base, but does offer a great shower if you stand under it. It is currently the end of the dry season and I would love to see these waterfalls gushing in the rainy season.

A must see in Ratinikiri, is the beautiful blue Yeak Laom Crater Lake. This near perfectly round lake is reported to be 165 feet (50 meters) deep. To the locals, this lake is considered a sacred place, and its serenity makes it easy to understand why.

 Yes, that’s an iPad!

This does not seem to prevent them from charging admission however, offering elephant rides, and opportunities to dress up in a traditional tribal costume to have your souvenir photo taken.

Evan and I passed on the elephant ride, but did enjoy hiking around the lake on the elephant trail through the lush jungle. Legends tell of mysterious creatures inhabiting the lake’s depths.
Over coming our fear, we chose to join the many others swimming in this perfect blue water. Swimming in the warm water from one of the many piers around its edge was a perfect end to our day. In spite of the numbers of tourists at Yeak Laom, it is the most placid place I have seen in Cambodia.

Next time…

I track down the illusive and endangered Irrawaddy Mekong River dolphin in Kratie

Photo of Rich Durnan by Evan Miller