Just two hours away from Phnom Penh, in Kampong Speu province, lies Kirirom National Park, a thickly wooded mountain retreat long sought out for its peace, solitude, nature and respite from the oppressive heat of low-lying cities and towns. Boasting 35 hectares of protected land in the rugged Elephant Mountains, Kirirom possesses a landscape that is unique to the rest of Cambodia, with pine trees towering over the leafy slopes and cool breezes drifting across crystal lakes.

The name Kirirom means “mountain of joy", a name bestowed by former King Norodom Sihanouk, who was no stranger to the mountain’s beguiling charms. During the 1960s one of the King’s favourite summer getaways was his now deserted mansion at the summit.

Close to the abandoned retreat is a visitor’s centre, open only on weekends and managed with support from Mlup Baitong, an environmental NGO, as well the Ministry of Environment. Vendors sell a variety of drinks and snacks next to the visitor’s centre, including grilled fish, sticky rice with sweet potato and coconut, and, oddly enough, traditional Khmer remedies.

Close by is a small nature trail leading down to the secluded lake. The walk takes about 10 minutes and trekkers are rewarded at the bottom with access to the glassy blue body of water and near total seclusion amid the tall grass and gently swaying pine trees. Paths around the lake end up at either a cluster of small bamboo picnic huts sitting in a verdant patch of grass on the edge of the lake, or the towering stupa of Wat Chas, otherwise known as Old Wat, overlooking a bubbling stream.

One of Kirirom’s most popular attractions is the Tea Farm Waterfall, known in Khmer as teuk chreus jom ka tai. Located 700 metres from the main road, the waterfall can be reached by a steep set of stone stairs built into the side of the hill. Thatch and bamboo picnic huts balance precariously on the hillside, looking down onto the small waterfall, which tumbles noisily over the slick black rocks.

As well as a guethouse and resort more down-to-earth accommodation can be found at the Chambok Community-Based Ecotourism site, located at the base of the mountain, down a rich red dirt road and surrounded by fields of mango and jackfruit trees just 10 kilometres from the park’s entrance. Visitors can stay at the home of a local villager and enjoy traditional food. Guided treks to a 40-metre waterfall are also available, as are ox cart rides, trips to a bat cave, bicycle rentals and traditional Khmer dance performances. All revenues go directly to the villagers, and are used in part to protect and conserve the area’s natural resources.

For visits to Kirirom National Park & Chambok contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from the Phnom Penh Post (22-5-09)

After much lobbying the Apsara Authority, which controls the entrance pass to the Angkor Wat temple complex, has agreed to allow greater flexibility.

Currently the 3 day ($40) pass and 7 day ($60) passes must be used on consecutive days. However, as of 1 July 2009 the 3 day pass will now be valid for a 1 week period, and the 7 day pass will be valid for a 30 day period.

This will allow visitors greater flexibility as rather than having to visit the temples on consecutive days to get the most from their Angkor Wat passes they will be able to break up their temple sightseeing by exploring other attractions in the area.

For great Angkor Wat tours contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Construction on a new museum housing artefacts from the Preah Vihear temple complex has recently begun, with local officials anticipating that it will bring much needed tourists to the disputed border area.

“The museum is for national and foreign researchers to study and learn about the history of Preah Vihear temple and Cambodian history,” Suos Yara, an undersecretary of state at the Council of Ministers, said. The Preah Vihear museum will house artefacts from the temple complex, as well as from other nearby temples, he added.

The district’s Deputy Governor Ros Heng said that the museum will increase the number of tourists, improving the community’s quality of life. “It is a very good attraction for tourists and Cambodians. It will promote knowledge about the temples and Cambodian history as well as develop the area, improving people’s lives,” he said.

For tours of Preah Vihear temple contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from the Phnom Penh Post (5-5-09)

With several miles of white sand beaches, the resort town of Sihanoukville, on Cambodia’s southern coast has the countrys’ best known and most popular beaches. The town is a common weekend retreat for Khmers and expats and a popular hangout for backpackers. It is known for its laid-back attitude, cheap drinks and, of course, beaches.

Moving around Sihanoukville is simplicity itself. At the time of writing, foreigners are allowed to rent motorcycles, but this changes without notice so check on arrival. Moto taxis and tuk-tuks are ubiquitous, but agree a price before you hire one. The most popular beaches are Serendipity and Ochheuteal, which basically form one long beach. They have numerous bars and restaurants and most put out chairs and umbrellas on the beach for customers. These are a favourite hunting grounds for people selling everything from seafood to sunglasses and manicures. If you want a quieter beach try Otres. While it is starting to get built up, it is much more reclusive. At night, Serendipity and Ochheuteal really get moving. Watching the sunset and enjoying cheap drinks and good seafood or BBQ are a treat. There are usually some fire jugglers and other performers around as well. Some of the best late night bars – Dolphin, Nap House, Jack Shack – are on the beach.

If you don’t feel like going to the beach, there are a number of other things to do around town. Sticking with the aquatic theme, there is sailing, windsurfing and fishing. For the latter, besides arranging a trip for yourself at the beach, Fisherman’s Den offers day fishing trip that get rave reviews and include an eat-what-you-catch dinner. There are also a number of dive operators in town offering courses, day trips, island stopovers and liveaboards. Away from the water, Pim’s operates a mini golf course which advertises an endorsement from Tiger Woods – really! For the more physically active, there is a Khmer boxing gym or you can rent a bike and explore the area.

Sihanoukville is also great for food. Of course there’s good seafood, but there’s also a wide variety of options from fine French dining to Swedish comfort foods and Mexican, which are easy to find. A few choice selections are great pizzas from the Corner Bar and Oasis; Japanese cuisine at Happa; Swedish dishes at Small Hotel and my favourite – Rose’s. There you will find one of the best value meals in town with most dishes under three bucks including her famous fish’n’chips – look for her at the New Christmas Bungalows a couple of blocks from the beach. At night most people end up at the bars. There are plenty to choose from around town. Many of the most popular are between the Golden Lions and Serendipity and Ochheuteal beaches. It is easy to wander around until you find something you like.

For tours of Cambodia and Sihanoukville contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from the Cambodia Pocket Guide (Feb 09) www.cambodiapocketguide.com

The bustling markets of Phnom Penh are a Mecca for bargain hunters, and you may well be spoilt for choice when it comes to stocking up on souvenirs and knick knacks to take home to friends and family, but it’s worth knowing that there are many shops and boutiques which offer you an opportunity to contribute, in a small way, to improving the sustained welfare of local people and communities.

An initiative of The Active Help Cambodia Foundation, Aw’-kun Shop on at 19D St 172 donates its takings to help create and sustain employment in a village called Anlong Khong (15km outside Phnom Penh) and has assisted in raising the standard of living in the community. A pre-school for toddlers was also built by the AHCF four years ago and provides 200 children with an education and two meals a day. The shop primarily sells things that have been made in the village, from hand-embroidered velvet and silk bags to novelty mobiles; locally produced rose-apple, pineapple and papaya jams, lemon marmalade and palm wine with ginger. Also, if you get the munchies when visiting the shop, pop into the Blue Dophin next door who will donate 10% of the bill to Aw’-kun.

The National Centre For Disabled Persons (3 Norodom Bvd, near Wat Phnom) is a high-quality boutique showcasing the outstanding work from the many training workshops that are part of this admirable project. Inside it is a flurry of colour with bright, two-tone cottons and silks. Quality sculptures include onyx and wooden Buddha busts at $27, stone Apsara dancers gracefully adorned in snakes and an impressive seven-headed serpent entwined around Ganesh, the elephant god, at $42 were artistic standouts.

Friends’n’Stuff (215 St 13) is another well-stocked shop selling everything from electrical goods, lampshades and jewellery to clothes, CDs and DVDs, books, toys, bags, purses, scarves and hats of every description. Friends International’s main objective is to help Cambodia’s street kids find a better life through skills training, protection against abuse and educational and vocational help. It also runs a restaurant next door.

Edited from the Cambodia Pocket Guide (Feb 09) www.cambodiapocketguide.com

The latest exhibition at the National Museum of Cambodia provides an interesting opportunity to delve into Cambodia’s mysterious pre-Angkorian past. “Angkor Ancestors” showcases artefacts excavated from two sites in Siem Reap province, both of which have unveiled new findings that have significantly improved understanding of pre-Angkorian life.

L’Ecole francaise d’Extreme-Orient (EFEO) has been excavating the two sites near the Western Baray reservoir of Siem Reap since 2003. The artefacts excavated at both sites represent some of the oldest evidence of civilisation in Cambodia. “Very little is known about this period, and this exhibition is an opportunity for people to learn more about prehistoric Cambodia.” said Hab Touch, director of the National Museum.

The display of pottery jars, skeletons and tools will help both the public and scholars learn more about this period of Cambodia’s history. Christopher Pottier, a French archaeologist from EFEO, said the overall objective of the dig was to find out more about the diet, habits and evolution of this civilisation, which existed in Cambodia in the seventh and eighth centuries.

“Angkor Ancestors” opens in May 09 and runs until the end of the year.

For tours of Phnom Penh and the National Museum contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from the Phnom Penh Post (6-5-09)

A US$4 million tourist port is to be developed in Kep on Cambodia’s southern coast. The port will allow Kep to receive cruise ships and link the town to Phu Quoc island in Vietnam.

A ferry capable of accommodating 220 passengers would operate under the first phase of the project. “The master plan for the port development has been given the green light from Prime Minister Hun Sen already,” said Chhay Khoeun from the provincial tourism authority.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the development will begin soon and would “only take six months to complete". Travel between Phu Quoc and Kep takes only 90 minutes, he said, adding that Phu Quoc has become a popular destination for tourists in the region and could draw around 3 million visitors per year by 2012.

For wonderful tours of Kep and the region contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from the Phnom Penh Post (1-5-09)

The National Assembly of Cambodia has recently approved a new draft tourism law, tightening industry regulations as part of efforts to increase security and crack down on rogue operators. “Our tourism industry is growing fast, and we need to have a law making the industry accountable,” Sam Prumnear, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Tourism, told lawmakers.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said that around 30 percent of tourism-related businesses did not hold government licences, and that such operators would be given three months from the implementation of the law to register with the government. Adding that the general situation of the industry at popular tourist spots was good, but that new rural destinations were still a concern.

For excellent tours of Cambodia with a fully licensed company contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from Phnom Penh Post (1-5-09)

Travel agents and boat owners are locked in a dispute with the Korean owned Sou Ching Co, which developed and now operates the Tonle Sap lake port south of Siem Reap, where tourists board boats to visit the nearby floating village community of Chong Khneas.

On the waterfront in Siem Reap, a battle is brewing between those who believe that Sou Ching is bringing a desperately needed level of organisation to lake tourism and those who say the company is imposing ill-advised, draconian policies without consulting the people who rely on boat tourism. Businessman Pany helps manage a tour boat association of 72 families, who were attracted to move to the new port by what he calls the “main idea” of Sou Ching. “The main idea is that there should be one port, one boat association and one price,” he said. Pany said that the benefits of cooperating with Sou Ching were clear. “Before we had a port, the boats were all down a 4-kilometre bumpy road that turned tuk-tuks upside down,” he said. “And there was no security for the boats.”

Despite the potential gains, however, many boat owners would rather run the risk of operating solo than submit to the authority of Sou Ching. While the regimented new system ensures an equal wage for all, it is a drop in income for many. “Before the port, some boat owners could earn $200 to $300 per day by doing constant trips,” he said. “But now, the boats are rotated, so everyone gets the same number of tours.”

Jo Crisp, a manager at Intrepid Travel, believes the way in which Sou Ching is implementing the system is damaging the large network of tour guides and travel agents who provided safe, reliable and well-priced boat travel. Intrepid Travel is a member of CATA, a group of 170 tourist organisations that have agreed to boycott travel to Chong Khneas until Sou Ching meets with them. Ang Kim Eang, the president of the association, said that Sou Ching’s project is “unfair to the community. They said they were just going to build a port, but they are trying to control all the boats in the area, and that affects the whole community". “They did not inform us about the new pricing; they just implemented it,” he said.

While the big idea of Sou Ching was to have “one port, one boat association and one price", Ang Kim Eang mourns the fact that the company has “divided the community".

Edited from the Phnom Penh Post (30-4-09)

Near Kratie, a town on the Mekong River in northern Cambodia conservation officials are expressing concern that overzealous fishermen, hoping to cash in on wet season fish migration, are netting endangered Irawaddy dolphin calves.

“Two baby dolphins weighing about 10 kilograms each died from gill net deployments in February and March. Last year only one dolphin died from illegal netting,” Touch Seang Tana, chairman of the government’s Commission for Conservation and Development of Eco-tourism in the Mekong Dolphin Zone explained. “We have arrested two fishermen in connection with the deaths and subsequently confiscated their illegal fishing equipment and educated them prior to their release,” he said.

Traditionally, there is an increase of gill net deployment in the lead up to the wet season, with fisherman hoping to capitalise on fish moving into the new waterways created by the rains. “We have launched a new crackdown until the end of next month, arresting fishermen who use illegal techniques such as dynamiting, electric fishing and gill netting - however I still predict that we will lose one or two more dolphins because our patrols are restricted by limited resources,” Touch Seang Tana said.

The global conservation group WWF recently estimated Cambodia’s Irrawaddy dolphin population living between Kratie and southern Laos at between 76 and 86. In 2005, a similar study by WWF estimated the number to be between 108 and 146. In 2004, Cambodia’s dolphins were listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. WWF last year noted an increase in calf mortality and a decrease in birth rate being among several factors reducing the population.

For tours to Kratie and to spot the Irawaddy dolphins contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from Phnom Penh Post (1-5-09)