Ratanakiri

Air Flying is, of course, the easiest way to go. There are only 2 flights per week. For more detail, please contact a travel agent.

Share Taxi The share taxi pickup trucks only go from Banlung to Stung Treng. Bring food, water, and mosquito repellent, because if there is a breakdown on this quite bumpy backwoods road you may be caught in the jungle for the night (especially during the rainy season. Share taxis usually go in groups in case of a breakdown, but anyhow the other vehicles are usually full as well, so people do get stranded sometimes. The five-hour trip stretches mostly to seven hours for share taxis during the rainy season. The fare is about 35,000 riel per person for an inside seat. Banlung to Stung Treng The 146-km journey from Banlung to Stung Treng takes around 5-7 hours during the rainy season, so knock at least an hour off for the dry season.

The road is generally lousy, passing through areas of bomb craters that create deep lakes during the rainy season, but you can skirt around the perimeter of most of them. Where you can’t, the road goes zigzagging through the jungle, and is slow and slippery in the wet months. However, there are a few decent stretches, and the last 19 km on Highway 7 are fairly easy ones. It’s certainly not one of the better roads, but it’s not the worst either. There is some nice scenery, but as with other bad highways around Cambodia, you are usually too preoccupied with the road to enjoy it unless you stop. The same suggestion we made in the share taxi section applies for riders on this road. Bring food, water and mosquito repellent.

If you have a breakdown there may not be anyone else coming by, depending on the time of day. It’s always best to get an early start to improve your chances if you do have a problem. Banlung to Mondulkiri If you come from Stung Treng and want to try the back trail to Mondulkiri (Sen Monorom) and it’s the rainy season, read the Death Highway chapter. Or follow the simple advice we gave in the Mondulkiri section: don’t do it. There is a bunch of small splitting trails leading nowhere! In the dry season, it’s a tough trail that will put your riding skills to the test. Make sure you have spare parts for your motorcycle (see Biker Checklist in Getting Around chapter), and bring plenty of food and drinking water. The trip will take around two days during the dry season. Koh Nheak town (near halfway) is the only place that sells bottled water and some food. Fuel is also available. Don’t do it alone. It’s best to have some help if you have a breakdown or a mishap. You are a long way from help in most stretches of this remote trail. It would also be best to bring along a Khmer speaker as the trail sometimes intersects with other trails and you will want to clarify that you took the proper way when you do come across somebody. It’s definitely an adventure, so if you try to tackle it be fully prepared so you have an opportunity to enjoy it. Security these days has not been a problem. Stung Treng/Lao border - Banlung This is definitely a tour you can only manage by motorcycle and during the try season. The road is just a dirt trail, which will testify your advanced riding skills. (Be prepared with spare parts for your bike, a lot of water and some food. If you’re not able to speak Khmer, better bring a Khmer speaking guide or a phrase book along to be able to communicate, as it gets sometimes quite necessary. )

Starting from Stung Treng you have to take the national highway No. 7 to the north (Lao border). Just 10km before the border you have to take a dirt trail, which splits from the main road to the right. Now you have to challenge 130km of dirt trail, passing quite a few villages, such as Siem Pang, Samong, Phum Bah Ke Toch and Veun Sai. On the way you have to cross several small rivers by little boats, so make sure you bring enough change to pay the villagers. Almost every village sells fuel and bottled water. Reaching Veun Sai you have made the hard part of the trip, the further laterite surface road to Banlung is just a 45km ride.