Ratanakiri

Beung Yeak Laom is located in Yeak Loam commune, Ban Loung district, about 5 kilometers south of Ban Loung provincial town. A lake in the middle of a mountain, it was formed many centuries ago from a volcano. The lake is about 800 meters in diameter and 48 meters deep during the dry season. The water is clear and suitable for swimming.

There are two places along the bank where visitors can relax and enjoy a panoramic view of the lake and the flora and fauna. A tourist information center is on the west bank, and handicrafts made by hill tribes living nearby are available for sale.

Beung Yeak Laom is a place of worship for the hill tribes. They believe there is a powerful spirit who owns the surrounding land and forest. Beung Yeak Laom is popular with tourists who like to swim or hike in the forest surrounding the lake. Because there are no vendors, visitors should

bring along their own food and beverages.

 

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Cha Ong waterfall is in the forest in Cha Ong village, O'Chum commune, about 2 kilometers west of Ban Loung provincial town. It was given its name by the Kreung hill tribe living nearby.

The waterfall gets its water from Phnom Eysei Patamak or Phnom Svay near Ban Loung provincial town. From its upper level, the water flows from a small canal before dropping 25 meters to a lower level. A mountain slop leads visitors to the bottom of the waterfall, where they can sit inside a cave and enjoy the view.

 

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Phnom Eysei Patamak, which is also known as Phnom Svay,is about 2 kilometers west of Ban Loung provincial town. At the foot of the mountain is Wat Isana Rattanaram, where villagers living in Ban Loung come to worship. On the top of the mountain there is a large statue of the reclining Buddha reaching nirvana. It was built in 1994. The top of the mountain affords visitors a picturesque view of Ban Loung provincial town. The temperature at the top can be cool, however, even during the hot, dry season.

 

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Ka Chanh waterfall is located in Ka Chanh commune, Ban Loung district, about 6 kilometers southeast of Ban Loung provincial town. The waterfall is 12 meters high and is fed year round by the O’Kan Teung canal.

From the waterfall the water flows into Sre Pork River in Lum Phat district. The waterfall was given its name by the Kreung ethnic minority in Ka Chanh village.

There are a number of scenic rubber plantations along the canal leading to the waterfall. The base of the waterfall, which is a lovely place for picnics, can be reached by climbing down a 72-step wooden staircase. Elephant rides to the site are also available.

 

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Ka Tieng waterfall is located in Labang I commune, Lum Phat district, about 7 kilometers southeast of Ban Loung provincial town. Ka Tieng is below Ka Chanh waterfall and about 3 kilometers from it.

 

Ka Tieng waterfall, located in the middle of lush forest, gets its name from the Kreung hill tribe in Ka Tieng village. The waterfall is about 10 meters high. There is no access to the

bottom, because it is too steep.

 

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Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary is situated 37km. south of Banlung. With a total land area of 250,000 ha. there are special kinds of animals and birds like tigers, elephants, red-headed vultures.

 

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Norng Kabat Forest is situated 23 km. north of Banlung. This place has a pond. the visitors can go there to see the animals and birds which comes to at the pond .Beside this the tourists can go visit the ethnic villages, ethnic culture (tradition belief, festival, dancing, music).

Ou'Chaloy

Ou'Chaloy is located in the Sre Pok river It is situated 34km. south - west of Banlung. The tourist recreation in Ou'Chaloy is only during the dry season.

Ou'Sean Lair Waterfall

Ou'Sean Lair Waterfall is situated 26 km, South of Banlung. This Waterfall has 4 floors and the height of each floor is 4 m. The water flows throughout the year. Around the Waterfall are beautiful natural landscapes and the visitors can go take a bath if they wish.

Ou'Sensranoh Waterfall

Ou'Sensranoh Waterfall is situated 9 km. south of Banlung. The height of it is 18m. and the water flows and falls all the time. The visitors can go there rest and enjoy the fresh air, or to se the forest and listen to the birds ' cries.

 

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Viel Rom Plong is a huge granite terrace in the forest in O'Chum commune, O'chum district, about 14 kilometers northest of Ban Loung provincial town. The site is a popular place for picnic.

According to the Kreung legend, there once was a boy named Rom Plong who flew his kite on this terrace. Unfortunately, the kite got stuck in a tree. Rom Plong climbed the tree to retrieve his kite, but fell from the tree and died. His body was buried in the forest. Since then, members of the Kreung hill tribe, who live in nearby village, believe that Rom Plong's spirit is protect the forest surrounding the terrace, so they dare not cut it down, even to plant crops. That is how the site came to be known as Viel Rom Plong.

 

Virochey National Park, Tonle San River & Beyond

To get to the various sights in this area, head west from Banlung to a big fork in the road that has a large painted sign in English (the fork is 8 km from the Independence Monument). The sign says that the road to the right takes you to Taveng, 67 km away (that’s from town, not from the sign). Following this road for a few kilometers brings you to a large clearing on both sides of the road. You soon notice that this is an ancient lava field where the flow followed the down ward slope of the area and left the cooled volcanic rock in its wake. The forest surrounding the entire area is honeycombed with footpaths that the hill tribe people of the area use to gather their various bounties from the jungle. It’s possible to hike off onto these trails and come upon individual hill tribe homes scattered about.

Just keep track of your direction, as it’s easy to get turned around and lost back there. Continuing on toward Taveng, the road condition worsens and is not suitable for a rainy season journey. If it’s the dry season and you are keen on an adventure through some pristine countryside, it’s possible to go all the way to Taveng and cut back on the small river road to Virochey. You could take in the activities there and complete the triangle journey by heading back to Banlung on the other road from Virochey.

The road to Virochey (going left from that fork 8 km Banlung) is definitely the better of the two roads and can be used during the rainy season as well. Virochey is just under 37 km north west of Banlung. As you approach the town, you will see the Virochey National Park headquarters on the left. They sometimes have an English – speaking ranger there who can give you a bit of information about the area.

Continuing further along the road, you will come to the end of the line- the Tonle San River. There are cheap food and drink stands there and they also have fuel. Across the road is a local general store with clothing, fishing boat accessories and other gear. This is the place to inquire about renting a boat to take you northwest on the Tonle San River toward Laos. The river is very clean and the boat ride is scenic so it makes for a fun trip to follow the river for a swim and some photos. You will see and can stop at a temple on the south bank of the river. Fishermen working the river with nets from small boats, and the mountains ahead in the not too far distance complete the picturesque scene.

There are several sandbars along the way if you want to stop for a swim. The cost of the motorized boat and driver is US$ 10.

The beach and boat landing area are just behind the food stands where you reached the town. It’s a gorgeous and extremely wide white sand beach and also makes a good spot to cool off in the clean river. There is a small boat there that serves as a ferry, taking people across to the Chinese and Lao village on the other side. It’s 200 riel per person and 1,000 riel for a Honda Dream (if you rented one in Virochey). It’s an interesting village to hike or motorbike around.

From the food stand area, it’s also possible to motorcycle down about 1,5 km to the riverside temple.