Ratanakiri Province is located on a high plateau in the remote wilds of northeastern Cambodia near the Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia tri-border area. This is a truly forgotten region. Because of its isolation Ratanakiri has thus far been sheltered from the modern world. It is home to many hill tribes who have not changed their ways of living since the dawn of time. They slash and burn the forest, hunt for wild animals, drink homemade wine from jars, sacrifice water buffaloes and carve splendid primitive wooden statues for their dead.

To explore Ratanakiri is, in a way, to go back to the origins of mankind. Nature is beautiful, landscapes superb and the culture is genuine. However, the roads are bad, conditions of life are rather tough, the food and accommodations are spartan. Nevertheless, your safety is guaranteed and there are no mines in Ratanakiri.

This is one of the Ratanakiri programs Sampan Tour proposes :

Day 1
We pick you up in the morning at Pochentong Airport and take you to the Hotel Sampan, a beautiful and cozy Khmer style hotel. After having had lunch on the hotel terrace, you will be taken through the city for a cultural and sightseeing tour. You will visit the National Museum, The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, The Wat Phnom and the Russian Market. Going back to the hotel, before dinner, you will have a brief with your guide about the following day.

Day 2 
We go to Pochentong airport at 10:55 AM to  take the flight to Banlung, the "Red Town", capital of Ratanakiri Province. One hour and half later, flying over Banlung, we understand the nickname given to this town : a deep cloud of red dust remains over this remote place. After having dropped our luggage at the guest house and eaten at the very good "American Restaurant", we take a 4x4 vehicle and go to pay a visit to an impressive waterfall (Teuk Cha Ong) in a wilderness area . Just before, we will have been to the market to establish a first contact with the local population and to buy some small presents for the kids of the tribes for the following day.

Day 3
We leave Banlung heading to the East to the town of Bokeo. On the way we stop at the gem mines. Deep and narrow holes dug in the ground, still  active depending on the season. Having reached  Andong Meas, what we might call an harbor, we take a small fast boat to go to the Jarai village of Pum Tang. There, we drop everything and go directly to visit the Jarai graveyard, ethnologically very interesting. Coming back to the village, we have a bath in the river and set up our camp. We will drink (local alcohol in the jar) and eat with the people of the village. We sleep in their houses, in hammocks.

Day 4
The small boat comes back to pick us up at around 09:00 AM. We take the 4x4 car and go back to Banlung to have lunch. As we all deserve a small rest, some will stay at the guest house and the others will go with the guide to buy some souvenirs (gems) or small presents for the villages inhabitants or use any service in the market. Then we all go to the Lake of the Giant Laom : it is perfectly round and we can swim in. We have dinner on the banks of the lake.

continued