Cambodian Rural Discovery Tours, Kratie Province, Cambodia

5Agathe Z 5:00 PM Aug 19, 2015

The village homestay in Koh Pdao was an unforgettable experience !
I‘ve been traveling a lot, but this trip was definitely the most interesting one I have ever made. I booked a packaged tour with CRDTours because of their commitment to rural communities and their principles of eco-tourism, which I support. I chose a two days tour including one night in a homestay in the Koh Pdao community, located on the biggest island on the MeKong river, about 35 km in the north of Kratie. I was traveling alone, accompanied by a very friendly and very well informed CRDTours tour-guide. Our first stop was in the Sambou district, where we visited the very impressive 100-pillar pagoda. Putti, my tour-guide, told me everything about the pagoda, which was built in the 16th century and destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. Today‘s pagoda was rebuilt in the early 80s according to the original plans. Putti told me a lot about Buddhism while visiting the temple and I had the chance to meet a fortune teller, which was very exciting. After that, we visited the nearby Mekong Turtle center, an NGO committed to the conservation of the endangered Mekong river turtles. It was very nice to see all the baby turtles which are being raised in this center before being set free in the Mekong. We took a boat to reach the island and arrived to the Koh Pdao community where I got to meet my hosting family and other community members. I had the chance to participate to the community life, by discussing with them, sharing meals and seeing how their daily life looks like. We visited a rice farm in the afternoon, where the farmer explained to me the different steps of rice planting. I took a try as well! Overall, I had a very pleasant stay and will never forget these lovely people I met and the beauty of the nature I witnessed.

4C349123 5:00 PM Sep 26, 2016

2 Day 1 Night Cycle Tour
Me and my girlfriend done the 2 day one night tour cycle tour from Kratie to Koh Phadao and back to Kratie. Was a really enjoyable self guided tour going past small villages and sights on the way to the island. Satying on the island is a really good chance to see local life. Bikes need replacing or urgent maintenance.